New Yorkers remember Hurricane Sandy—long lines for food and gas, power outages, no hot water, lack of mobility. But what if it’s worse next time? Or there was an oil crisis? Could we manage? We can look to Cuba. When the Soviet Union cut off subsidies and oil imports, imported goods vanished and use of cars dropped sharply. Cuba responded by radically transforming itself. Organic agriculture was widely adopted, even in Havana, which now produces over 60% of the fruits and vegetables its residents consume. Massive investment jump started alternative energy production. Bicycles replaced cars, solar replaced electric, and so on…

How did they pull it off? And what can Cuba teach us about making our cities greener? Roberto Perez, an urban farmer/environmental educator, will share his country’s amazing story. Roberto was featured in the award-winning documentary “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.” Watch it online at www.communitysolution.org. All proceeds benefit the IPC11 Scholarship Fund, which will enable representatives from developing nations to attend the 11th International Permaculture Convergence in Cuba, November 2013.

National tour information: www.sbpermaculture.org.

Aug. 15: Miami, FL
Aug. 16: Washington, DC
Aug. 17: New York City
Aug. 18: Amherst, MA
Aug. 19: Keene, NH
Aug. 21: Portland, OR
Aug. 23/24: San Francisco & Sonoma, CA
Aug. 25: Santa Barbara, CA
Aug. 27: San Diego, CA
Aug. 28: Santa Fe, NM

All proceeds go to the Scholarship Fund for the 11th International Permaculture Convergence which brings representatives from developing nations such as Africa and Asia to share their successes and learn.