So, you may think the Mayan calendar is a bunch of bunk and that survivalists are a bunch of weirdoes spending their lives preparing for a big nothing. And you could be right. But what if you’re not?
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) doesn’t take disaster preparedness lightly. And in addition, they think fallout shelters and underground bunkers should be as green as possible. Now, if you’re a fan of doomsday movies such as “Terminator” you may say, “What’s the point in going green with a fallout shelter if everything will be burned in the helter-skelter aftermath of the Big One?”
Once again, you may be right or you may be crazy (to paraphrase Billy Joel). Anyway, FEMA is not only thinking of the natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding. They are one step ahead in thinking about how climate change will not only affect these three events but others such as drought and unbearable heat.
According to ThinkProgress, “It’s early yet, but there may be a day when, if you want to get your house LEED certified, you’ll need to prove not just that it is eco-friendly today, but that it can survive Mother Nature’s worst in order to be so a few decades from now.”
So the combination of emergency preparedness and eco-friendliness is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Fallout shelters and underground homes or bunkers for instance could benefit from solar energy and stationary hydrogen fuel cells.
Building underground may not only shield one from unbearable heat but also cut energy bills. A secured underground bunker may keep one safe from strangers and from radiation if an apocalyptic event does occur, worldwide or just on a regional scale.
So, when you’re planning your fallout shelter think green. You can store seeds in your underground refrigerator for bargaining tools or to re-green and replenish the earth. If you have electricity in your shelter then use CFL bulbs. There are many ways to go green and stay safe. All it takes is a little imagination.