12 February 2016: Transition Towns

On Friday 12 February Loki Ysebaert will be giving a presentation on Transition Towns.  This will commence at 7pm and be held at the Edith Wellington Hall 76 Pitt Street Mortdale. This is the regular monthly meeting for the St George/Sutherland group.  Members from any of our three groups are welcome.   There is a small $10 fee for visitors.

………..a story of resilience and hope in extraordinary times………

What is a Transition Initiative?

It’s a place where there’s a community-led process that helps that town/village/city/neighbourhood become stronger and happier.These communities have started up projects in areas of food, transport, energy, education, housing, waste, arts etc. as small-scale local responses to the global challenges of climate change, economic hardship and shrinking supplies of cheap energy.

What are we “transitioning” towards?

Whether we like it or not, over the next decade or two, we’ll be transitioning to a lower energy future – essential because of climate change and inevitable because of diminishing supplies of fossil fuels (particularly oil). There are a variety of possible outcomes depending on whether we stick our heads in the sand or whether we start working for a future that we want. Transition Initiatives, community by community, are actively and cooperatively creating happier, fairer and stronger communities.

Here’s how it all appears to be evolving

It begins when a small group comes together with a shared concern about shrinking supplies of cheap energy (peak oil), climate change and increasingly, economic downturn. This group recognises that:

• Climate change and peak oil require urgent action.
• Life with less energy is inevitable
• Industrial society has lost the resilience to be able to cope with energy shocks.
• We have to act together, now.
• Infinite growth within a finite system (such as planet Earth) is impossible.
• If we plan and act early enough, and use our creativity and cooperation to unleash the genius within our local communities, we can build a future far more fulfilling and enriching, more connected to and more gentle on the Earth, than the life we have today.