Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

On Tuesday 17 March a group of inspired and enthusiastic Mt Albert Community members gathered at Gladstone Primary School and formed a steering group that will grow Transition Towns Mt Albert.  We shared some ideas about how we feel about community, ecology, and the future, as well as discussing some of the many opportunities we can see as we make connections.

We have a movie night on April 8.  Details on the Transition Towns site.

Anyone interested in being part of Transition Towns Mt Albert can contact Jo or Karen at mtalberttt@gmail.com

From Transition Towns – Kingsland

Workshop: Square foot gardening, with Ken Clark from Waiheke
This is a unique chance to learn from one of New Zealand’s most successful square foot gardeners, Ken Clark. We are very happy that Ken is coming to Auckland for a one day workshop to share his knowledge. Square foot gardening is a perfect solution for city gardens.  It produces 70% more food than conventional gardens with less work.

About Ken Clark and Square foot gardening:
Ken first learnt about square foot gardening about 20 yrs ago. He proceeded to do it his own way for 17 yrs, 3 yrs ago he retired to Waiheke Island & started SFG in earnest. Ken lives on a small size section and produces an abundance of fruit and veges using the Square foot gardening method. SFG advocates growing only what you need on a weekly basis. It is a fantastic system for busy people who wish to have a more sustainable life and great home grown food with the minimum fuss and effort.

What to expect:
The workshops cover everything from seeds to eating and building a square foot garden. Kit sets will be available on the day for purchase.
A flyer will be given out outlining the workshop.

When: April 4, 2009. There are two courses on offer, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please select one of them
Course 1
10.30 till 11.30/12

Course2:
1pm till 2/ 2.30pm

Duration: 1-1.30hours
Cost: $20.00,
Where: in Mt Eden
Please rsvp to: pohutukawa08@gmail.com and we will send you the address details.
Maximum of 15 people in each group

What to bring:
Notebook and pen  

Just found a great story in the Times, London on Transition Towns.

Interesting that a very mainstream paper like The Times, publishes such a story.

Here’s a clip

More recently, I got hold of several Electrisave meter readers, and leafleted hundreds of neighbours offering to lend them a meter at no cost so that they could reduce their domestic energy use. Only seven took up the offer, but – undaunted – I persuaded the local vicar to host a public meeting. Apart from the vicar himself, and a loyal friend of mine who belongs to the Green party, only one other person turned up – bless her.

I mention all this not because I want congratulations – nor commiserations – but because I dare say that many others are doing similar things, and probably feeling no less downbeat about the results. But there is hope. In the past few months I’ve become aware of a growing movement of people devising creative solutions to the problems facing us. Over the same period – and this is important – I’ve started to notice quite how many fruit trees and shrubs are growing in the streets near my home in northwest London – but more of them later.

I was sent this about the Transition conference in London. It sounds amazing.  Who knows, somebody might be in London and could go and then report back to Grey Lynn 2030.

The 2009 Transition Network conference is at the Battersea Arts Centre in London, 22 to 24-May, 2009.

We’re finalising a programme that includes:

• a wide range of workshops including “how can Britain feed itself?”, constellations, Transition business, the financial crash, engaging with your local authority and much more
• training courses in the days before and after the conference, including Transition Training and Permaculture design
• an Energy Descent Action Plan in two hours
• lots of open space sessions
• Transition movie premiere
• exciting range of speakers for Saturday evening’s public meeting
• an open mike party

We’ve set the price at £85, covering just about everything except breakfast and evening meals – even an early morning guided cycle trip on Saturday if you’re crazy enough.

If you’re planning to attend, then you’ll need to complete the following invitation. Make it quick though – we’re already getting bombarded with requests. conference@transitionnetwork.org

You can come back to your invitation response anytime up until 10-May to amend your details by clicking on the link in this email, so if you can only partially complete it right now, that’s ok.

Regarding accommodation, we’ve assembled some very useful information and a couch-surfing forum here to help you with your arrangements.

We’ve designed this conference to help you:

• connect with other transitioners and share experiences
• learn more about the head, heart and hands of transition across a very broad spectrum of community activity
• find ways to deepen, broaden and accelerate the initiative in your community
• help shape the Transition Network as we embark on another year of transition ideas spreading far and wide

If you can’t make it to the conference, we’ll be making the output available both in written form and also live audio streaming, so keep an eye on our website. Maybe see you in 2010?

For the rest of you that can attend, once we receive the agreed amount by cheque or online transfer, we’ll confirm your place.

Thanks very much for all your wonderful work and we’re looking forward to seeing you in London in May.

The Transition Network team, London

Note: Grey Lynn 2030 will be showing the End of Suburbia

Friday 27th Feb 7.30

Grey Lynn Community Centre Hall

510 Richmond Rd

Cost $2

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The full title of this film is “End of Suburbia- Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream”

This award winning documentary certainly focusses the mind and it is easy to see how it has been  been influential to the Transition Town Movement. Rob Hopkins talks about the film in his book “The Transition Handbook” . TransitionUS cites this film as an important motivator.

If you feel complacent about our endless consumption of oil, watch this film and prepare to wake up! It was made in 2004 and it is interesting to see how the recession/depression that we are entering into now was being predicted in this film.

Here is the promo for the film which will give you a good idea of what it is about and here is the website.

Both the book and the DVD are available from Auckland Library so get them out and get motivated.

If you want to catch up with what some of the commentators from the film are saying more currently here are their websites and blogs.

Mike Ruppert

Matthew Simmons

Richard Heinberg

James Howard Kunstler

The Post Carbon Institute