For those that don’t know, the Transition Towns (or Transition Initiatives) movement is a grass roots regional planning framework for finding positive solutions to peak oil and climate change.  In the last six months it is finally really gaining some attention here in and around Melbourne at the grass roots and local council levels, with groups forming in Boroondara, Darebin, around St Kilda, Bell and elsewhere. Here’s a list of groups and upcoming workshops in and around Melbourne.

For my money the Transition Town / Transition Initiatives concept has the potential to be the most important environmental movement in the western world, for it addresses peak oil, climate change in a holistic, productive framework, drawing on local skills and natural resources to relocalise economies in ways which can address a whole range of social, economic and environmental issues.   It can be done in ways which capture the imagination with plausible visions of a better, lower energy society.

That’s a broad and challenging brief — especially since it means working with lots of other brilliant, disturbed, bored, confused, creative, messy humans.   But with the triplet threats of climate chaos, energy peak and economic crises dancing around us, some brave souls are starting work on the projects locally.

Melbourne and surrounds Transition Groups

Transition Bell: transitionbell.groupsite.com

Transition Boroondara: See: www.transitiontownboroondara.org

Transition Darebin:  Some Darebin residents held a public meeting a couple of months ago and folks who were there are now in the process of forming a steering group.  Look out for an online presence and ways to get involved soon.

Transition Southern Inner Melbourne: See: www.transitiontown-melbourne.blogspot.com

Transition Mount Alexander:  Have no web presence yet, but you can contact via www.masg.org.au

The Community Harvest Project (Yarra Valley): Not technically a Transition project, but inspired by them, doing some great stuff on the ground: www.communityharvest.org.au (beta new site) www.communityharvestproject.org.au (old site, with project desription)

I’m sure there are more too, those are just the ones I know about.

Upcoming workshops

Municipal Association of Victoria conferences.  Never mind the price tags ($690 for the day)…  these conferences are at least bringing councillors and council workers together around some important concepts.

• Smart Urban Peak Futures – Future-Proofing Melbourne’s Vulnerable Fringe. Aug 19 & 20. Includes Janet Millington and Sonya Wallace from Transition Sunshine Coast, Australia’s most advanced Transition Initiative
• The Future is Relocalisation – Communities in Transition Conference.  Sep 1.

Kinglake Ranges Permaculture workshop:

• Training for Transition. Aug 8 & 9.

For more information on the Transition concept see www.TransitionTowns.org