Penetangore Transition Town – Press Release Jun 2011

A Transition Initiative (which could be a town, village, university, island, etc) is a community-led response about visioning what it is possible to do; about being inclusive and creating a community that is in balance with the natural environment and is sustainable despite the pressures of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and increasingly, economic contraction. There are thousands of initiatives around the world starting their journey to answer this crucial question:   “How can our community respond to the challenges and opportunities of peak oil, climate change and economic stagnation?”The members of this group are concerned with this community’s ability to live with less energy as a result of inevitable fossil fuel depletion. “This can be looked at as an opportunity if we plan for it, but a threat if we wait for it to happen to us. Most communities, including ours, currently lack the resilience to withstand some of the disruptions that will accompany climate change.  It is necessary for us to work together and work now, rather than waiting for the government or “someone else” to take action on our behalf.  The transition will have to happen at an inner personal level as well as a community level and by using the energy of a collective group we can proactively design our own energy descent and build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognize the ecological limits of our biosphere.”At its first meeting Penetangore Transition Town looked at a number of potential local initiatives which will benefit the community as a whole, stir up interest and bring members into the group. It was acknowledged that there are many local groups working on exciting projects which already address the need to build a more sustainable community.  Transition Town is about partnering with existing groups to support their work and create synergy so as a community we can do more together. As it is important to bring local government on board the Municipality’s Sustainability Planning Process must be actively engaged as a resource for many potential projects, Penetangore Transition Town has been offered a position on the Sustainability committee.  Initial suggestions and areas of concern included a Community Orchard, a Bike Path from Kincardine through to Inverhuron, and supporting and encouraging local food including the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Kincardine.Transition Town is a social experiment on a massive scale. What the group is convinced of is this:

if we wait for the governments, it will be too little, too late

if we act as individuals, it will be too little

but if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time.