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Huron Expositor, 2009-09-30, Page 6`100.111000. ow. Pogo 6 The Huron Expositor • September 30, 2009 News Transition Towns prepare for life without dependency on oiI CfARE workshop brings global movement to participants from across Ontario Susan Hundiertmark Trying to bring a sense of how and empowerment to the impending diffi- culties caused by a decreasing supply of oil and climate change, a workshop was held last weekend on Transition Towns by the Centre for Applied Re- newable Energy (CfARE). "We've had tremendous interest with enough people on the waiting list to do another workshop," says or- ganizer Lynne Taylor of the 43 par- ticipants who came from as far away as Calgary and all over Ontario. to Clinton for the workshop. The concept of Transition Towns began four years ago in Totnes, UK, where the community wanted to take action combatting the prob- lems of climate changes and peak oil. Since .then,, close to 300 communities around the globe have become tran- sition towns. "This movement is worldwide and its viral - it just keeps spreading," says Michelle Colussi, one of the workshop leaders. Colussi says the Transition Town movement is a grassroots response to Workshop leader Alastair Lough talks about Transition Towns with 43 participants from across Ontario at a recent Clinton gathering. concerns about whether people can up a group that engages the com- live in a way that is less dependent munity is a discussion about climate on oil, contributing less to the pollu- change and peak oil and begins set - tion that causes climate change. ting up committees to work on proj- "During • the last two years, there ects that address the issue. has been tremendous economic in- "This is about localization. The re - stability and a crisis in the manufac- ality is that we will never have every turing sector with rising unemploy- community completely self-reliant ment. Communities need to be More but can we be more self-reliant. How resiliant and far can we go down that path so we're self-reliant when not as vulnerable to the volitility it comes to food, caused by climate change that will resources and fi- come at us more and more. The fires nance and create and black -outs and weather events . You are invited to attend these area churches ST. THOMAS ANGLICAN CHURCH A Congregation of the Parish ofThe Holy Spirit Sunday, October 4 Harvest Thanksgiving Worship & Sunday School at 9:30 am Blessing of the Animals Sat. Oct. 3 at 9:30 am ACW meets Tues. Oct. 6 at 7:30 pm Everyone welcome BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH An Associated Gospel Church 1,26 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0982 Sunday School • All Ages • 9:45am Sunday Worship 11 am Youth Group & B&G Club Wednesday 7pm Pastor Mark Kennedy EVERYONE WELCOME NORTHSIDE UNITED Welcomes you World Wide Communion Sunday, October 4'h at 11 am Minister Mary Fletcher Sermon "SHARING OUR BREAD" Nursery & Sunday School 519-527-2635 www.cavannortsi eunited.ca ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WELCOMES YOU 14 Victoria Street, Seaforth 519-345-2972 Sunday Mass 11 a.m. ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN Saturday Mass 5 p.m. Sunday Mass 9 a.m. FR. CHRIS GILLESPIE EGMONDVILLE UNITED CHURCH Pastor Steve Hildebrand Worship Oct. 4"' 11 AM Adult & Youth Sunday School at 10 AM Elevator & Ear Buds Available Come Worship with us And share Christian fellowship FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH •59 Goderich St. W Seaforth 519-527- 0170 Sunday Oct 4th, 11:15 a.m. Worship Leader Richard Madge Sunday School & Nursery Provided. Communion will be Oct. 25th at St. Andrew's, Clinton with Rev. Ted Nelson Eve • ne is invited to attend. all solutions to the problems that climate change could bring," she says. Setting up a Transition Town involves setting are not going away and they're go- ing to affect our ability to feed our- selves," says Colussi. Colussi says a big part of the Tran- sition Town movement is local food with strategies that range from sup- porting local farmers to creating community gardens. "In B.C., we're looking at asking municipalities to change mu- nicipal policy by allowing people to grow food on boulevards or to plant nut and fruit trees rather than ornamen- tal trees. It's a common sense approach," she says. Colussi says some Transition Towns in the UK are working with local farmers and estate owners, trying to support them to keep the land they own producing food. Other projects include creating food co-ops where people pre -order food from a farm- Clikirerfs H � esa Help Children from Your Community For Information Call the Huron -Perth Children's Aid Society Huron County: Deanie Jardine at 519-524-7356 or 1-800-265-5198 Perth County: Vy Waller at 1j. 519-271-5290 or 1800-668-5094 FOSTER FAMILIES NEEDED FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN! Llmia Rearm* Design Consultant Be& &oh pasiyn c onseltsnt Wast Coact kitchen s . And Much More • Kitchens • CustomVanitics • Entertainment Units • Home Offices ill ,' SI()NAI INS 'I'Ai.1 kiii) S CUSTOM i_)F=SIGNS Y S 1 :< tours Visit Our Showroom! 50 West St. Goderich 519.440-0352. 1-866.44.0352 Gaderich & District Chamber of Commerce Buslnerr of the Year Award 2006 Esaail: westcoastkittipeabietv.on.ca er, developing bicycle paths and of- fering bike rentals and bike repair workshops and creating car co-ops for shared ownership of vehicles. As well, groups ar ' learning about na- tive plants and herbs, creating their own textiles or learning how to pre- serve food. "You start with groups of people willing to talk about it and build the 'alternatives on the ground, demon- strating what transition looks like to make it practical and .visible," she says. Colussi says the overall aim is to become less vulnerable to global markets that are beyond the control of most communities and begin to act without waiting for governments to take the lead. "Building relationships with local governments is very important but no one is waiting for government ap- proval," she says. Colussi says that many people have a sense of loss about climate change and are not looking forward to changing their lifestyle in a way that uses less oil. "People don't want to lose out and realize that they have to drive their cars less. It's hard to change but it makes it less painful if we focus on the benefits of being more resiliant - we'll be healthier, fitter, have bet- ter relationships and better commu- nities. But, if we wait, we will have more people living in poverty," she says. Workshop leader Alastair -Lough says the workshop brings an inspir- ing and empowering message to peo- ple who want to act on the problems of climate change and peak oil. "We are hospice workers to the old dream and midwives to the new dream. The problem is enormous but we can't wait for governments to address it because they're not," he says. Lough says Transition Towns allow people to start locally to build a posi- tive future, one that is more fulfill- ing than the present. "You can't tell me that exchanging vegetables across the back fence is going back in time," he says. rn Ontario, Transition Towns have been set up in Peterborough, Guel- ph, Dundas and Ottawa and Colussi says additional groups could be set up after the weekend workshop in Clinton. Taylor says she's heard of interest in Teeswater and Kincardine to be- gin Transition Towns and that five staff members of the County of Hu- ron attended the workshop. She says the Centre for Applied Renewable Energy is hoping to offer another Transition Town workshop and possibly a Transition Town"train the trainer" event. 1!