They say "After every bad thing, a good thing comes!" Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuban economy suffered tremendously in a record period. Oil imports were cut by more than a half, and food imports by incredible 80%! People were desperate. But, it was desperation that forced them to think creatively and to discover the true power of community. Gathered in an extremely difficult situation, the government and the people completely transformed their society. They replaced the mechanized, industrial agricultural system with small organic farms and local urban gardens; they discovered creative solutions to public transport - while the government was freely distributing bicycles, people were simply forced to reduce energy consumption in every possible way

Cubans call this "the special period". They not only overcame it, but today their phenomenon is the first practical lesson on sustainability for even highly developed countries. Cubans were the first to have passed through what, very probably, expects us all, if we take into account global oil reserves and the necessity to reduce fossil fuel consumption due to climate change. Faith Morgan and Pat Murphy made a documentary about the Cuban phenomenon - "Power of Community - How Cuba survived Peak Oil". Try to find it - it's really worth seeing! You can find more information at: www.powerofcommunity.org