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Strengthening our Community's
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Click below to learn how Charlotters The May 2012 version of the Community Assets Directory is now available. It is a compiliation of the responses to date to the Charlotte Community Assets Survey. Click here to see the pdf version, which can be viewed on your computer, or saved or printed out for future reference. Coming events
Ruah's transition blog! Ruah Swennerfelt of Charlotte has traveled in the Middle East and Europe to study the long-range visions of transition communities and kindred organizations. You can read about what she learned at her blog at: <transitionvision.wordpress.com> Transition Towns and Sustainable Cities--
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There are thousands of such “Transition Town Initiatives” around the world (towns, villages, universities, etc.) starting their journey to answer this crucial question:
Elements of the Transition Building resilience Resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change, so as to still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks. Enhancing community Our ability to survive and thrive during the changes brought on by Peak Oil and Climate Change will be greatly augmented by our connections to our community. Sharing skills, resources, ideas, and inspiration, and supporting each other during times of challenge is the essence of community. Reskilling Acquiring and re-acquiring the skills we will need to manage the energy transition we face. Promoting local, sustainable farming Buying your food directly from local farmers, farmers markets, farm stands, Community Supported Agriculture or other subscription systems, etc., can lead to new relationships and healthier and better-tasting food. As important, is protecting farm land and supporting local farmers through conservation efforts. Supporting locally-owned and locally-generated renewable energy A locally owned renewable energy facility can generate economic benefits to a community that are as much as 56 percent higher than facilities owned by absentee companies. Increased local income encourages spending on local goods and services. Similarly, when locally owned businesses spend money in the community for things like payroll, member dividends, operations, and supplies. Those dollars have a multiplier effect because they are re-circulated within the community several times. Creating an Energy Descent Action Plan An Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) is a local plan for dealing with Peak Oil. It goes well beyond issues of energy supply, to look at across-the-board creative adaptations in the realms of health, education, economy and more. An EDAP is a way to think ahead, to plan in an integrated, multidisciplinary way, to provide direction to local government, decision makers, groups, and individuals with an interest in making the place they live into a vibrant community in a post-carbon era. How you can take part in the Charlotte Transition Initiative Come to Transition Town Charlotte's monthly meetings on the 3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m., beginning in September. For locations, contact Nancy Severance, 802/425-2111, <skea@aol.com>. Share your visions, your creativity, and your talents. Meet new neighbors. Complete the Charlotte Community Asset Survey, which is available by contacting Nancy Severance, 802/425-2111, <skea@aol.com>; or Ruah Swennerfelt, Some important facts about our common future Many petroleum scientists believe that global oil production has already reached its inevitable, irreversible peak. This will lead to rapidly increasing fuels costs and instability in our growth-based economic system. The planet’s average temperature has risen about 1 degree F over the past 50 years. The majority of climate scientists are projecting a further increase several more degrees by mid-century. While it is important to take strong action to cut our production of greenhouse gases, the climate will continue to change as a result of past emissions. According to NASA, we have had the warmest decade (2000–2009) and the warmest year (2010) since modern instrumentation began in the 1880s. The interaction of Climate Change and Peak Oil is already having a dramatic effect on the availability and cost of food produced by globalized and industrialized agriculture. Resources Books Brown, Lester R. Plan B 3.0.—Mobilizing to Save Civilization. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Chamberlain, Shaun. The Transition Timeline for a Local, Resilient Future. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2009. Coleman, Eliot. Four-Season Harvest. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1999. Heinberg, Richard. Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, 2004. Heinberg, Richard. The Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Societies. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, 2005. Hemenway, Toby. Gaia's Garden. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2000. Hopkins, Rob. The Transition Handbook. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2009. McKibben, Bill. Eaarth—Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2010. Videos The Crash Course. <www.chrismartenson.com>. The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream. The Electric Wallpaper. <www.endof suburbia.com>, 2004. The Power of Community—How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. <www.powerofcommunity.org> 2010. Food, Inc. <http://foodincmovie.com> New York: Participant Media, 2009. Web links Post Carbon Institute, <www.postcarbon.org> Center for a New American Dream. <http://newdream.org> Growthbusters, <http://growthbusters.org/alternatives-to-growth-addiction> Steady State Economy, <http://steadystate.org> UVM ecological economics FAQs |
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