Permaculture Out West

Archive for the ‘Transition towns’ Category

Join us at the South East Australian Transition Convergence 2011
Sat 29th October, South Melbourne

We invite you to join us for a day-long convergence of Transition groups from all around South Eastern Australia. The day will offer a semi-structured space for us to connect with other Transitioners, share our experiences, explore how the network can better support Transition Initiatives, and celebrate all that we have already achieved.

When: Saturday 29th October 9.30am arrival for a 10am prompt start, going
till 5pm.

Where: – South Melbourne Commons (corner Bank and Montague Streets, South
Melbourne ).

Who: – Anyone actively engaging with Transition in South East Australia

RSVP to Jan: janet_down@optusnet.com.au

The conference and it’s associated events will bring people together to share stories and discuss where we’re going as a movement. Presentations will be given by a wide range of local activists from local group leaders to gardeners, educators, writers, designers, foresters and more. Site visits will be happening to local gardens and community sites

Dates: Friday 30th September – Sunday 2nd October
Venue: South Melbourne Commons
Address: Corner Bank and Montague Streets South Melbourne

30th Birthday Party

Friday Evening 30th September
Food and live band to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Permaculture Melbourne’s fouding.

Conference

Sat & Sun 1st–2nd October
The Conference program is a mix of networking and discussion, with an emphasis on swapping stories as well as discussing policy and planning issues

Saturday Evening

Film screening and BBQ
Screening of the just released documentary Anima Mundi. The director will be attending and speak about the project .

For further information contact
http://www.permaculturemelbourne.org.au/

Tickets

E-tickets from Greentix or
contact Ann annstevens@optusnet.com.au

This year POW is hosting regular gatherings aimed at inspiring and facilitating the building of a resilient, nurturing and empowering community in the west.

Each gathering includes a speaker or activity around a topic, as well as time to share your thoughts and to enjoy a drink with and meet other locals.

Our next gathering will be at the Dancing Dog, cnr Albert and Raleigh Streets, Footscray on Saturday 14th May from 3-5pm.

Kate Leslie will introduce our theme of building resilient communities, including how Transition Hobsons Bay is responding to the challenges and opportunities of peak oil.

Hosted by Permaculture Out West. Everybody welcome. Drinks at bar prices. Please RSVP if you can to membership@pow.org.au

Have you seen a new sticker on the espresso machine at your local cafe? If it’s the Ground to Ground logo it means the cafe owner is happy to give away used coffee grounds, meaning –

* Free nitrogen boost for your compost!
** Making use of an abundant local resource!
*** Diversion of landfill, so curbing methane gas pollution!

Transition Hobsons Bay has been asking cafes to participate in the Ground to Ground program. Since we started in Williamstown & Yarraville, the earliest adopters have been:
• Feedback Cafe & The Corner Store in Yarraville
• The Picnic Table & Novel Kitchen in Williamstown

A google map of participating cafes (including some in the eastern suburbs) is available at groundtoground.org or Ground to Ground Map

Get along to one of these cafes and support their efforts to divert coffee grounds from landfill*!
Most likely if a cafe doesn’t have a magnet up, its because they don’t know about the program…
So ask Transition Hobsons Bay for a Ground to Ground magnet for YOUR favourite local cafe. (transitionhb@gmail.com)

* We suggest picking it up in a bucket.

Transition Hobsons Bay wants to develop a community composting scheme along the lines of Glenda Lindsay’s fabulous Compost Mates. Neighbours organise a roster to pick up all food scraps from a local cafe. Individuals compost at home. Ground to Ground is envisaged to be the first stage of this scheme that all cafes and everyone can participate in.

Cheers to the Cappucino

The Newport Fruit & Vegie swap has been very popular since the first in October 2010. Dozens of people have come together on each third Sunday of the month since.

Surplus resources are shared. Swapping the unusual, such as loqats, cape gooseberries, unusual salad greens and even ferments, builds knowledge. Gardening know-how is swapped. And everyone makes new connections in their community. All that sharing!

The Newport swap has taken off so fast. No doubt the established Western Urban Harvest swap helps. But mostly it’s people new to these swaps. Can you imagine one in every suburb? One every weekend?

Help to Start a new fruit and Vege Swap Up

Transition Hobsons Bay wants to help people set up a swap in their local area. If you are interested then get in touch! It doesn’t take much organising, but its worked well for us to have 4 organisers to share responsibilities. If you don’t already know other people who would be up for it, then we’ll try and play match-maker.

Contact: Find us on facebook, or send us an email to join the swap mailing list – transitionhb@gmail.com

Come pick luscious strawberries with us!

Ladybird Organics in Keilor East (www.ladybirdorganics.com.au) is Melbourne’s only source of certified organic strawberries. It offers Pick Your Own strawberries!

When: Sunday 28th November, aim to leave the area at 10am, should be home by 12:30pm
Bring: Containers for your strawberries. Water bottles and sunscreen etc.
Wear: a feather in your hat, so we recognise you are part of the fun!
Transition Hobsons Bay would like to organise carpooling for the visit. So let me know if you can offer a lift (and how many your car can carry) or if you want a lift, or if you could do either. Call me on 9077 2563 or shoot me an email at Kate_M_Leslie@yahoo.com.au.

A couple of extra points –
* Recommended petrol money – $3 per person.
* Strawberries cost $10 kilo if you pick your own. I’m told there’s also a shop on site, selling among other things 800g punnets of strawbs for $10.

* Children welcome.
* We will ring Ladybird on the morning we are coming to make sure they are open as sometimes they close if the weather has been too wet. We will text you if the farm is closed. So leave a mobile number and look for any SMS before you leave home.
We hope some of your members will choose to join us!

http://transitionhb.groupsite.com/calendar/event/2010/11/28/233573

Transition Towns Training

From Saturday, 13 November 2010
To Sunday, 14 November 2010

Tutor: Daryl Taylor and Steb Fisher

This two day workshop is a practical introduction to the Transition Towns model which includes both the outer practical work and inner personal work necessary for a successful community transition process.

A Transition Town starts with the question: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Transition? Communities recognise three crucial points: Climate Change makes carbon reduction and energy transition essential Peak Oil (and peak everything else too!) makes the transition inevitable Transition Towns initiatives make the shift feasible, viable and attractive

Location: Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House, 6 McMahons Road, Kinglake
Cost $30 for local residents, $100 for non-residents

Contact: Daryl Mobile 0430 63 77 48 email taylor.daryl@yahoo.com.au

This year the Sustainable Living Festival runs from 6th to the 21st February, with its main event at Fed square from the 19th to the 21st.

Local events and workshops will run at various places around Melbourne leading up to this main event. For details, visit the SLF website. There are many talks and workshops on urban food production and much much more.  See you there!!

Transition Towns in Hobsons Bay

Hello all -

(I know this is long – but if you skim it and are interested, just give me a call and I’d be happy to have a chat!)

I’m emailing you because I think you, or a community group you belong to, may be interested to know about the Transition Model (http://transitiontowns.org/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Towns).

Since the Transition model’s emergence in 2005, over 200 communities in 15 countries have adopted the model in order to increase their local resilience to the imminent effects of climate change and peak oil and reduce carbon emissions. Initially referred to as ‘Transition Towns’ and now known as ‘Transition Initiatives’, these communities are self-organising, grass roots initiatives that are built on the concept of relocalisation.

The Transition model answers the ‘light-bulb syndrome’ which describes the only two levels of climate change responses many people are able to envision: individuals acting within their own homes and government and legislation acting at national or international scales. The Transition model explores the area between these – the community.

The Transition model asks communities to consider how best to respond to the challenges of the predicted effects of climate change and peak oil (i.e. expensive energy, rising fuel costs, food insecurity and unreliable government service and infrastructure provisions) in creative and innovative ways for a sustainable future. This includes activities in awareness raising, networking, re-skilling, collaborating with local government and developing and supporting local projects that will reduce carbon emissions and build capacity for self-reliance.

A Transition Initiative is not a project conceived and driven forward by a council, however the active and enthusiastic support of local government is invaluable to the Initiative; local government’s role in the Transition model is that of ‘supporting, not driving’. In our region, Surf Coast Shire, Cities of Boroondara, Greater Geelong, Banyule and Darebin already have thriving Transition Initiatives.

Why the Transition model works:

Communities are the correct scale for sustainable behaviour change activities; sustainability is best created by local people having control of, and determining how local resources are used. A strong and important feedback loop is created where local people reap the benefits of good use of resources and suffer from poor resource use. Learning takes place, which becomes embedded in the community.
Transition initiatives envision and work towards a positive future for the community, not reacting to constraints
Resilience, the ability of a system to absorb change and still function, is an integral quality of a healthy community. Increasing the spread of basic skills needed for life such as growing and preserving food, making and repairing home wares and building with local materials is central to the Transition model.
The Transition model utilizes psychological models to avoid unconscious processes which can sabotage change. E.g. addictions models, models for behavioural change.
The Transition model is simple and easy to copy with many communities sharing information to encourage, inspire and direct other Initiatives.
Residents are engaged by working with others in working groups that are focussed on their particular area of interest or skill
Hobsons Bay City Council is currently scoping how this model may be played out in the municipality and what the Council’s role and level and type of support may look like.

If you are interested to know more about the Transition model, please get in touch to have a chat or borrow one of our copies of ‘The Transition Handbook’ that includes heaps of information on what other Transition Initiatives from around the world have done to succeed and the range of benefits and goals they have achieved. There is even a section that features the Geelong region Transition Towns!
Please feel free to get in touch for more information.

Thanks!

Miriam Fathalla

Environmental Planning Officer

Hobsons Bay City Council

115 Civic Parade, Altona VIC 3018
T: 9932 1260 E: mfathalla@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Hobsons Bay City Council: zero net carbon emissions by 2020.