The fuel 'crisis' in 2000, should have reminded us all just how dependent our society is on petroleum (a non renewable resource). Those fuel problems were not this nations first and will certainly not be the last.

Transport and the use of non renewable resources are some of the aspects of modern life that we want to examine at Steward Community Woodland in our attempts to become more sustainable.

We are trying to reduce our dependance on fossil fuel by creating an integrated settlement which will ultimately provide for our economic and social needs. Living on site eliminates our need to drive to work. Additionally we reduce our food-miles by buying local produce and growing our own which means a further reduction in the use of non renewable resources.

Walking and cycling meets most of our local transport needs. However, for the forseeabe future, we will continue to make longer trips or carry large loads, using motorised transport such as our communal minibus or public transport services. We aim to reduce the use of the minibus to a minimum and find a renewable alternative to petroleum with which to fuel it.

Alternatives already exist; biofuels such as Ethanol, Wood gas, Bio-diesel etc. However switching to low or even zero emission renewabe fuels does not provide a sustainable answer to the problems associated with with car-culture and our energy dependent society.

Car-culture needs roads and road building trashes and devides nature, it requires millions of tons of stone to be extracted from the ground. The more roads we use the more we need.

Car-culture kills. Worldwide, between 15 and 20 million people have died and hundreds of millions injured since the invention of the car. In Britain the figure is 400,000 killed: We now kill ten people (mostly children) every day on the roads in this country.

Car-culture destroys communities as local services are replaced by larger and more profitable out-of-town developments.

Ultimately we must realise the true cost of car-culture and work now to create a culture with economic and social disincentives to driving and an alternative infrastructure set up so people can live and be happy without having to drive.

In the meanwhile you might like to learn about some or the alternatives to fossil fuels.

Biodiesel and how to make it.
Ethanol and how to make it. (coming soon)
Woodgas and how to make it. (coming soon)