Guest post by Barbara Janeway on the results of the Transition Carrboro Chapel Hill brainstorming May 15 at Century Center:
Want our community to be safe and resilient through the coming effects of
unstable economy, climate change, and the end of cheap oil? A great start
was made on this issue at The Great Unleashing, held May 15 at Carrboro's
Century Center, sponsored by Transition Carrboro Chapel Hill.
Over 150 people attended and created the agenda for the day themselves,
identifying issues to work with. From these, 28 discussion groups met
throughout the day, and brainstormed! By day's end, a powerful
'unleashing' of ideas had occurred, and 21 Action Groups were formed.
Many positive visions of our future were communicated!
These Action Groups have begun to meet regularly. And those who join
will begin the work of transition in our region, to a more stable local
economy with more vibrant local resources. Anyone is welcome to join an
action group. The groups will do work on issues such as: more
affordable housing, communal gardening, energy independence, children's
sustainable education, skill-sharing, health, and many more.
Notes were taken at all the day's brainstorming sessions, and you can read
these now online at: www.transitioncch.org The notes are a good summary of
the day's action, for those who were not able to be present. While you
are at the website, check out the list of newly formed Action Groups. And
contact Transition Carrboro Chapel Hill right there online if you want to
join one or more of these groups. All are welcome, and of course
people’s participation is crucial to defining our common future.
The action groups will seek to work with already-existing community
groups, to build coalitions and work together to achieve common goals.
Each action group can research what it is that existing groups are
already doing that is effective in the area, and seek to build alliances so
that more gets done.
Carrboro and Chapel Hill have become the next in a network of hundreds of
towns around the globe who have joined a particular model of
community-level change called Transition Towns.
This model is intended to transition our community to one that is lower in
energy consumption, less dependent on fossil fuels, and more economically
and socially resilient. We focus on the level of change on which we have
the power to make an impact: local, community-scale action.
This transition refers not just to the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill,
but entirely to our whole county. It makes sense of think of the County
as an area that can be 'transitioned', during the next 5, 10, 20 years,
into a more sustainable model of living, working, transporting, disposing
of waste, practicing preventive health care, and enjoying our lives
together.
Transition Carrboro Chapel Hill invites all individuals to this
enlivening, ongoing work. The flowering that began on Transition Day's
Great Unleashing, will grow into fruit that will nourish our bodies, minds
and communities. Please come and join us.
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