Videoactive: 5pm - The End of Suburbia/Mayday Mayday

dublin | arts and media | event notice Friday October 22, 2004 16:32 by k

Film fest

The End of Suburbia points out that the rise of the suburbs was made possible by abundant and cheap oil. It allowed for the creation of a system of habitation where millions of people can live many miles away from where they work and where they shop for food and necessities. And there is no other form of living that requires more energy in order to function than suburbia. But the voracious and expanding energy needs of our industrial society, our insane consumer culture, and the affluent suburban lifestyles are brushing up against the disturbing reality of finite energy resources. The biggest impact will be felt by those who currently live in the sprawling suburbs of North America. The end of cheap oil will signal the end of their way of life. Frankly, many of the things we take for granted will come to an end. The End of Suburbia makes clear that the effects of energy depletion go way beyond paying more at the pump. It will literally get down to the question of how you will feed yourself and your family. Although the documentary mostly avoids the gloom and doom of some peak oil theorists, it does occasionally touch on some of the darker aspects of fossil fuel depletion, notably how it will impact food production. The film briefly looks at the energy-intensive process needed to bring food to supermarkets. Our modern industrial agriculture relies heavily on petroleum for pesticides and natural gas for fertilizer, not to mention the energy used in planting, growing, harvesting, irrigating, packaging, processing and transporting the food. It stands to reason that if suburbia is going to collapse, it also means this centralized model of agriculture will collapse too.

PDF of the Festvial Programme:

http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/timetable.pdf

Posters and Flyers:

http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/flyer1.jpg
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/poster1.jpg
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/poster2.jpg
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/poster3.jpg
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/oct2004/poster4.jpg