April 23 saw 73 islanders turn out for the showing of the UK’s film on Transition Towns sponsored by REDI (Renewable Energy Denman Island). To put the Transition Town movement into context we showed the presentation by Richard Heideberg called Peak Everything. In it he gave statistics and information on peak oil, peak population, peak everything, it was rather depressing.
Then came the Transition Towns DVD which was upbeat and positive. It showed what towns and cities in the UK and New Zealand are doing to end their dependency on peak oil and deal with climate change. A darling little English boy explained to us that everyone has to get together to work on this problem. Children feature a good deal in the film because it they who are inheriting the challenges of living in a future where oil/gas may be rationed and everything is hugely expensive. It was heartwarming to hear the islanders clapping at the closing credits! After the film people were asked if they wanted to become a Transition Island and the answer was “yes” so we asked for volunteers for the Transition Denman Island Initiating Group and we now have a motivated and dedicated working group. We have met twice to begin the process of becoming an official Transition Town/Island. The folks who will be leading the movement on Denman are: Danni Crenna, (REDI member), Ulysses r emortil, Frances Honsinger, Roxanna Mandryk, Lisa Pierce, Ashlea Smith, Veronica Timmons (REDI), and Carole Vosburgh. It would be great to have one or two more males in the group so if you are interested contact me (Veronica at1828). Three members have attended the Transition Town training and there is another workshop on June 5-6th in Duncan. Our aim is to involve everyone on Denman to work towards lowering our dependency on oil/gas and to become resilient to the changes we know are coming.
Next issue: the Plan of Action
If you want to borrow the DVD on Transition Towns DVD call Veronica at 1828.
