Assumptions about the crisis

Deep recession but money still exists - essentials services still exist but supplies of goods intermittent, eg. medicines.
No liquidity in the market - high unemployment, little spare cash
Neighbours will work together so don't have to be self-sufficient in everything

Problems to Solve

• Telling the banks to sod off
• Fuel for machines
• Transport
• What can we sell to make money
• How can food be stored - dried, dry, cool
  

List of Equipment

What equipment would be really useful?

• candles
  
• large box of disposable lighters
  
• wind up torch
  
• filters (very hard to make), includes milk filters
  
• washing powder
  
• tampax
  
• thread, buttons and zips
  
• boots
  
• outdoor clothes, waterproofs, fleece hats, gloves
• double duck canvas
  
• jeans
  
• kilner jars and plastic freezer boxes
  
• pocket sized survival guides, sas and what is edible
  
• butchery kit
  
• buckets
  
• medicines for animals (need to expand)
  
• medicines for people (need to expand)
  
• essential oils and homeopathics
  
• toothbrushes and toothpaste
  
• several large bolts of fleece
• bowsaw blades
• screws and nails
• baler twine
• fencing wire
• couple of tons of coal
• rope
• musical instruments
• board games/cards
  
• bulbs for torches
• wicks for oil lamps
• lamps
• muslin
• seeds (need to expand this)
  
• fish hooks and line
• corrugated iron for repairing shed
• trap and harness - large!
• rods for welder
  

Small Equipment

• food dryer
  
• steriliser
  
• treadle sewing machine
  
• japanese automatic bum cleaners (to avoid the toilet paper problem, but how much power does it need?)
  
• Vacuum packer (for saving food)
• knitting machine - wool
• chainsaw
• milk seperators
• electric welder
• fab lab
• still (to produce products for warmth, medicine and good cheer)
  

Inventions

• electric generator based on horse walker
• way of storing stuff - dry, cool store
  

Big Machines

• mini digger
• quad
• self-tipping trailer for quad

Already Got

• well equipment wood workshop
• 8 horses
• garden stuff

The emergency rations box

What is there was a sudden food panic and you didn't want to be rushing down to the shops to find them empty?  What will be put in our crates?

- tinned soup

- pasta 

- rice

- oats

- barley 

- chocolate - 70%

- soup base

- tea

- sugar

- dried milk

- dried beans

- chick peas

- seeds

- raisins

- other dried fruit - bananas etc.

- salt/pepper

- honey

- jams

- sun dried tomatoes

- tinned tomatoes

- brandy/whisky/poiten

- flour (if you can get it sealed up)

- cigarettes?!

- olive oil

- sunflower oil

- treats eg. pears pickled in brandy!

- bread soda

- yeast

- tinned fish, especially sardines

- salami

- vinegar

- soy sauce

- wine

- spices, especially cinnamon

- baking soda

- lentils

- dried peas

Every year we have a big feast and eat everything in the crate and start again!

If we think we can run a freezer:

- bacon

- butter (a bit)

If it wasn't here:

- mixed herbs

- dried eggs (we will be rushing out and getting chickens)

And also

- basic medicines including tetracycline

- multi-vitamins

And

- soap (of all kinds)

Being Practical

This is not just about the end of the world as we we know it or being a survivalist? It seems that even if the scenario did not come to pass but by thinking about it we can re-evaluate what things that we have now are very useful. A few examples we waste energy, water, food and we have last sense of the true value of tools and gadgets that we have. 

right then we're off

thin slicing comfortable sustainability

so we had a day thinking of what we'd do in some disaster scenario- besides going to the pub.

two scenarios- six weeks of food and transport shortages caused say by a H5N1 outbreak, or six years caused by say Iran launching war against Israel and the Straits of Hormuz closing.

For the flu outbreak everyone needs to stay home until pharmaceuticals are ready. At least in Ireland there are masses of pharmaceutical facilities so chances are good that whatever is developed will be manufactured locally.

Anyway, question was, what would be needed to survive in reasonable comfort?

CASE 1 : 

Food, water, heat. Mains electricity should last six weeks or so. After all if the soaps stopped civilization would teeter.

So, provided one has enough water fuel and heat to last six weeks then it is just an enforced holiday. Mortgage etc is hardly a pressure when the whole country is in the same boat.

CASE 2:

Trickier. First couple of weeks would be sticky as fuel prices skyrocket. Transport stops very akin to the seventies. Long queues and fuel rationing.

Longer term food should not pose a problem in rural areas as Ireland produces so much. Even without fertilizer it'd be difficult to starve. Dublin and the environs would be very dependent on transport.

In the medium term sufficient food would needed to get through the first year and enough seeds to plant for the following year.

Questions:

How to run a tractor if you are growing your own fuel? How much rapeseed does it take to plough, fit and harvest an acre? Could you manufacture tractor vapourizing oil as used in the old Fergusons or would bio-diesel be the only option. What chemistry is needed to manufacture bio-diesel or can pure plant oil be used? What presses and filters are needed?

How to provide safe storage for root crops and seeds? Need cold, dark dry storage. 

How hard is that to supple?

If electricity is in short supply or not available how does the water pump work?

Would polythene for poly-tunnels be available?

What livestock