The last 6 months of attending community board meetings, talking to local elected officals, other advocates and community residents has made me realize just how accessible and interesting local civic participation can be if one chooses to "get involved". I am slowly building up a pretty good network of local connections (or as Putnam describes it - Social Capital) in my area based on my work on environmental issues. And I have learned a lot by talking to and watching the people who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.

Just as important as building your financial preparations for peak oil, is building your social network - deepening bonds and relationships with good friends and family, reaching out to new people (bridging) in your area that operate in different networks. And this does not necessarily mean sitting around in a circle singing kumbaya - it could mean joining a regular dinner party, a book club, a sports team, etc - whatever you enjoy (besides sitting around watching TV). It does require some time and effort on your part, but probably not much money. And the returns to you can be immediate and long lasting.