Transition Far North Queensland - website up and running

Hi Transitioners,

Visit www.tfnq.org for the latest information on whats on in Far North Queensland.

Tableland LETS
Our first Ravenshoe Trade and Info Night will be Tuesday 9th March at 6.30pm for a shared meal, 7.30pm for trading at 1 Ascham Street, Ravenshoe.

All Welcome, especially prospective members. A one-off $20 joining fee applies.

Please bring a plate of food to share. Bring goods or services you can Offer and a list of Wants.
http://lets.clearwater.com.au/

Seed Savers Up North - Meeting Notice
Seed Savers Up North is our local seed network – part of the Seed Savers Network Australia wide. It is a non-profit group of people who are passionate about saving our plant heritage and preserving the genetic basis of tomorrow’s food.

In our morning session we will be distributing seeds from our seed bank and planning our Autumn plantings in preparation for seeds for our workshops in September. Our afternoon session we will be viewing interesting Seed Saving DVD's .

We will be holding our next meeting:

WHEN: Saturday 13th of March 2010

TIME: 11am Seed Bank exchange, garden tour of Bood's interesting garden

1pm shared lunch, raffle, information circle

2pm - 5pm Selection of interesting Seed Saving DVD's, afternoon tea

WHERE: Bood, Lulu & Riley Hickson phone (07) 4097 2375

'Ballintaggart' 330 Patterson Rd Minbun (Patterson Rd runs off Kenny Rd, which runs off Millaa Millaa Malanda Rd.)

Minbun is between Tarzali and Millaa Millaa. follow signs

What to bring:

1) Seeds for the seed bank and any planting material to share, and folding table if possible

2) Chair and lunch to share, or afternoon tea to share if you are attending afternoon session

3) Something for raffle and fund raising table

4) Tea and coffee available

EVERYBODY WELCOME

This is a Seed Savers Network Event

seedsavers@hotmail.com

www.seedsavers.net

Happy Transitioning
Anne M

Transition Sunshine Coast delivers EDAP

Transition Sunshine Coast is very pleased to announce they have delivered their Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. (as seen on Transition Culture)

The Sunshine Coast EDAP covers the entire region of the Sunshine Coast located in Queensland, Australia which has a population of 330,000+ and covers an area of more than 3100 square km.

Written by a small yet committed group of locals and facilitated by Transition Sunshine Coast founders Sonya Wallace and Janet Millington, the plan is the first step in creating opportunities for bottom up, top down cooperation between communities and council in response to peak oil and climate change.

“We’re so pleased to be able to deliver our EDAP to a receptive council. We’ve been working hard to build relationships within the community and with local government by raising awareness about the need to prepare for peak oil and the impacts of climate change and it seems that hard work has paid off,” Sonya Wallace said.

“Our progressive council recognises the need for community partnerships and embraces the EDAP and Transition Initiatives to further their sustainability objectives. This living document is now informing council policy,” Janet Millington said.

The plan delivers almost 400 positive actions, community projects and doable solutions for individuals, households, neighbourhoods, communities, businesses, regions and governments to take to prepare for a more resilient future.

Following the Transition Town model and the Kinsale EDAP, the Sunshine Coast EDAP identified and considered a wide range of areas that will be affected by energy descent such as;

food supply, water, energy, waste, infrastructure, transport and mobility, built environment and housing, communication, health and wellbeing, formal education systems and reskilling of the community, employment and economics, community governance, land stewardship and biodiversity and emergency preparedness in the context of energy descent.

The actions were delivered to the region’s Energy Transition Project Reference Group, formed in 2009 by council and with Transition Town representatives on board along with national climate change experts, ASPO representatives, energy experts, councillors and council staff, the group will create an Energy Transition Policy for the region in response to peak oil and climate change to be finalised by June 2010.

Transition Sunshine Coast will now begin the process of delivering the document to Transition Towns within the region and Transition Town Eudlo’s EDAP will be the first of many local EDAPs to be created within the regional one.

Transition Sunshine Coast will also endeavour to distribute their EDAP through the international Transition Network and add it to the steadily growing e-library of information available to other groups around the world.

For further information contact transitiontowns@yahoo.com.au

Transition Town Hervey Bay

Transition Town Hervey Bay update.

Celebrity visit

We have invited Jerry Colby Williams from ABC Gardening to visit us once again and he will give a talk at the USQ on Saturday 27 March 2010.

TIME 10.30am – 12.00Noon

Gold coin donation at the door.

Jerry is a curator, writer, executive member of Queensland Conservation Council, director of the Seed Savers' Foundation, a patron of ANZES (the Australia & New Zealand Solar Energy Society), and an ABC TV Gardening Australia television presenter. Trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Jerry is qualified in horticultural estate management, soft landscape design, horticultural and botanical sciences.

Projects completing – what next?

As Transition Town Hervey Bay draws near to the end of its 2 year project, its heartening to see so many new volunteers coming on board full of enthusiasm and great ideas. The Low Carbon Diet, the Energy Descent Action Plan and the TT Gardeners are all scheduled to wind up in June but there are calls already to go beyond that date, so it looks as though a new team will form.

Next Meeting Thursday 25 February at Images Training Restaurant, Wide Bay TAFE, Urraween Rd. A short film and social meeting.

Library Presentations

Transition Fraser Coast presentations at:

Maryborough Library Thursday 25 Feb 10am
Hervey Bay Library Friday 26 Feb 10am

BBQ

You are invited to the Transition Town Gardener’s very first BYO BBQ

When: Sunday 7 March 2010. 11am – 2pm

Where: At the Cottage, 16 Peter’s Lane, Pialba

Why: To share good food with good people in the wonderful garden that is evolving.

BYO everything (plates, cutlery etc) and mix with like minded people while you share recipes, gardening tips and make new friends. There will be a raffle, plant sales and an opportunity to meet one of Hervey Bay’s leading chefs. See you there!

Transition Town weekend a great success

The recent Transition Sunshine Coast training weekend set in the lush subtropics of the Sunshine Coast was a great success.

We had 23 people from around Australia take part and they were all very keen to dive in the deep end with us and explore Transition Towns and how they might be applied in their local communities.

Being a permaculture inspired event, the food was great too - and local and organic.

Group work is a big part of the weekend and people had the chance to put their own ideas on paper and talk to others about all things Transition.

We explored how climate change, peak oil and all the other pressures on the planet and society might lead to breakdowns or breakthroughs - an interesting exercise that got people thinking and more importantly sharing their thoughts with others, realising they're not alone.

Preparing their own toolkit of skills they need to balance the head, heart and hands of Transition work.

Hopes and dreams - setting the objectives for the weekend.

Our next training weekend is set for June this year, see above right for details.

Cheers,
Sonya Wallace
Transition Sunshine Coast
Transition Town Eudlo
Think Green Consultancy

Transition Town trainer, facilitator and consultant

Transition Town weekend starts tomorrow

Transition Sunshine Coast is hosting it's first Transition Town training weekend for 2010 and it kicks off tomorrow at Eumundi.

People are travelling from around Australia to spend the weekend with others who are working in or planning to start Transition Initiatives.

We're looking forward to an inspiring and stimulating weekend full of good ideas, great discussion and good food.

We plan to run another weekend mid-year and one more toward the end of the year, depending on demand.

If you would like to go on our course notification list, please email us.

Cheers,
Sonya Wallace
Transition Sunshine Coast
Transition Town Eudlo
Think Green Consultancy

Transition Town trainer, facilitator and consultant