Transition Coburg

Greetings all,

First of all, just a quick reminder that this Sunday 20 May, at 3.45 pm, at the Coburg library, we are screening the new film, Transition 2.0: A story of resilience and hope in extraordinary times. It would be super to see you for the film, and there will be a cup of tea and a causal discussion afterwards for those who’d like to stick around.

Now, what’s this about a community solar project in Coburg / Moreland? At the Greening Moreland Forum a couple of months ago, which was attended by Transition Coburg, there was an open discussion on the subject of community solar. Community solar can take various forms, but the basic idea refers to people coming together to buy 50 or 100 solar panels, or more, and placing them on the roof of some suitable local building. This array of panels would would then operate as a business which provides green energy to local businesses, schools, etc. Imagine we were able to create a number of our own green power stations all over Coburg?

In many ways this is a perfect example of what Transition is all about. When our governments aren’t doing anywhere near enough to address environmental problems, it is up to us, as members of our community, to take things into our own hands.

At the Greening Moreland Forum, there was a lot of enthusiasm for this idea, and a group of us decided to try to get things underway, led by Climate Action Moreland. This group has now had several meetings and things are moving quite quickly. We’ve got quotes, and last week we examined the Moreland area, including Coburg, for appropriate buildings to approach. It’s a great bunch of people, led by some very knowledgable folks. But you don’t have to be an expert to be useful. The more hands on deck the better.

If you would like to get involved in this exciting project, please email Ellen at climateactionmoreland@gmail.com and ask to be put on the mailing list.

If you would like more information on Community Solar, there is a public discussion on the idea tomorrow, Saturday 19 May, at 11am. Where: at the Athol Gill Centre, 100 Hodgkinson St, Clifton Hill (close to the 86 tram, Clifton Hill railway station and Clifton Hill bus interchange). For more info, click here.

More information will also be provided as this project develops… so watch this space, or better yet, jump into it and get involved. The more the merrier!

Greetings all,

We’ve booked the Coburg library again for a film screening. This time we’re showing the new film by the Transition Network, entitled “Transition 2.0: A Story of Resilience and Hope in Extraordinary Times.” It promises to be really good. We’re very happy to be co-organising this event with Sharing Abundance and the Moreland Energy Foundation.

The film will be shown on Sunday, 20th May, in the Coburg library – meeting there at 3.45pm for a 4pm start. Hope to see you there, and please invite a friend or a neighbour. Everyone’s welcome! 

It would also be great to hang around afterwards to have a cup of tea and a chat.

Looking forward to it!

Greetings all,

The City of Moreland is in the process of reviewing its policies on the urban landscape, including its regulations governing what can be planted in nature strips. Currently there are strict guidelines which prohibit residents from planting trees in their nature strips. But other Councils have recently opened up their guidelines to allow productive trees in nature strips. For example, here are three passages from the City of Yarra guidelines:

• ‘The City of Yarra recognises the importance of urban agriculture in supporting community sustainability, especially in times of changing climate and the myriad of associated issues such as food security due to diminishing oil supplies.’

• ‘Planting productive trees is considered by Council to be an effective, means of inspiring and enabling community food production in the City of Yarra by generating environmental, social and economic wellbeing from the ground up – created for and by local people.’

• ‘There are terrific social and physical benefits in being able to access safe public spaces to grow food and share fresh produce.’

The City of Moreland is currently seeking submissions from the community on their guidelines, and I (Samuel Alexander) have just drafted and submitted a policy proposal which can be read here. The aim is to convince Moreland to adopt something similar to the Yarra guidelines. I’ll keep you posted, and please feel free to make your own submissions.

There are a few more projects bubbling under the surface, including another film screening – tentatively booked for 20 May, 3.30pm. This might be a good opportunity for more of us to meet up and exchange ideas and visions. There are also various other relocalisation projects in the pipeline –  more information soon.

I look forward to seeing some of you at an event soon and building some momentum. If you have a project you would like to get underway or promote, please be in touch by leaving a comment below.

First of all, thanks to those who came to the Greening Moreland Forum and the film night last weekend. It was fantastic to begin connecting the dots. It’s early days and we’re all figuring out things as we go, but it’s great to have you with us as this adventure unfolds. Transition works best when people just put their hands up and get involved, so if you can, please help us build momentum. It promises to be good fun.

As the poet Goethe once wrote: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”

The forum was an inspiring gathering of local community and sustainability groups, and thanks to the Moreland Energy Foundation for organising it. As an outgrowth of the forum, Transition Coburg has begun ‘asset mapping’ our locality by creating a webpage dedicated solely to local organisations that are helping us transition to a sustainable, flourishing,  post-carbon economy. Please see the ‘asset mapping’ tab at the top of our homepage and leave a comment if you can add to the list.

The aim of asset mapping Coburg and the greater Moreland area is to get a sense of our strengths and weaknesses in terms of how resilient and self-sufficent our locality is. Asset mapping can make it easier for us to build upon our strengths and work on our weaknesses.

The film screening was also a success, and thanks once more to the Moreland Energy Foundation for lending us its projector. The aim of these film screenings is two-fold: (1) to provide an opportunity to provide free, community education about peak oil, climate change, and other challenges we face (as well as potential solutions and responses); and (2) to provide an opportunity for us all to meet up, have a cup of tea, and discuss matters of interest and importance.

We intend to keep organising Transition Coburg film screenings over coming months, so hopefully we’ll all be able to connect through those events.

Don’t forget to encourage other Coburgians to check out our website and sign up.

Keep on keeping on, Transitioners.

Greetings all,

Just a quick reminder that:

(1) Transition Coburg is attending the Moreland Greening Forum this Saturday at the Coburg Town Hall, from 10am-1pm – details here. Would be great to see some of you down there. Should be a really good morning.

(2) Transition Coburg is screening “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” this Sunday at the Coburg Library, 3pm – more details here. Bring a friend!

Greetings all,

We’ve organised a free film screening this Sunday, 3pm, at the Coburg library. We’re showing “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,” which is an inspiring film about how a community can relocalise food production essentially over night when they put their minds to it. Would be super to see you all there – everybody’s welcome.

We’re showing the film in the ‘meeting room’ which you access through the side door to the library from the mall. Thanks ever so much to the Moreland Energy Foundation for lending us their projector!

Also, remember that the Greening Moreland Forum is on Saturday (see earlier post) so would be great to see you there too! Should be a great opportunity to meet up with other Coburgians doing good stuff.

Hi Transitioners,

We’ve booked the meeting room at Coburg library (in the Coburg mall) this Friday, 17 February, at 8pm. Sorry about booking it on a Friday, but the availability of the room was limited and we probably should catch up for a general meeting before the Greening Moreland Forum on Saturday 25 February. We’ll aim to keep the meeting short.

Hopefully most of us can make it this Friday – everybody’s welcome, so bring a friend or a neighbour or the whole family!

Also, just a reminder for those in the city at lunchtime this Thursday, David Holmgren is speaking at the Wheeler Centre on “Retrofitting the Suburbs for Sustainability” (free entry, no need to book). See previous post for details.

Exciting news for all Melbournians: David Holmgren, co-originator of the ‘permaculture’ concept, is giving a free lunchtime talk at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre on 16 February 2012. His subject is ‘Retrofitting the Suburbs for Sustainability,” and it isn’t to be missed. David’s insight into the various social and ecological challenges of our times is unrivalled, and it would be great if some Transitioners could head down to absorb some of his immense wisdom at this talk. You don’t need to register for this event, your just turn up! Details on venue are available at the Wheeler Centre’s website here. Please pass on this invitation to all relevant networks.

Here’s the blurb for David’s talk:

In recent years, as we have become more aware of the negative effects of our high-impact lifestyles, a number of environmental responses have been introduced – such as increased insulation and energy-efficiency requirements for buildings, improvements to public transport, conservation of urban green space, and more water-sensitive urban design. At a personal level, a few individuals are also adapting by, taking in boarders, sharing backyards, or returning to the multi-generational family unit. 

We have barely scratched the surface, however, of the profound improvements that the application of permaculture principles and strategies could deliver for the sustainability and livability of today’s suburbs.

David Holmgren, the co-founder of Permaculture, will explore how suburbs can, and are, responding to the converging economic, energy and climate crises. He will show how household and community resilience can be stimulated in the face of these pressures.

For those who want an introduction of the subject matter, here is a short but thought-provoking interview with David which has been posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTYe8WloF1U