Minutes-20080220

Transition Town Brooklyn

Public meeting - 20 February 2008

Held at Brooklyn Community Centre, Harrison Road

In Attendance: Belinda Sharp, Dawn Baggaley, Marc Slade, Anita Kleezman, Marie Russell, Tom Robinson, Jennie McMurran, Barbara Gibb, Don Northcott, Juanita McKenzie

Belinda opened the meeting by explaining the Transition Town concept, including the Transition Town Primer and the ‘12 steps’ framework. We then watched a film by Jo Duff of Hawkes Bay Sustainability Trust on peak oil and Transition Towns as a response.

After a tea break, we discussed what the priorities were for Brooklyn and what we could do and wanted to do to get TT Brooklyn going.

Marie volunteered to contact Brooklyn library to see if they would purchase more books on Peak oil, localisation, alternative currencies etc. and maybe organise a display stand with books and leaflets.

Marc will contact Sharon, the Community Worker at Brooklyn Community Centre about the possibility of using the community centre as a drop-in resource with information etc.

Barbara volunteered her graphic design and editing skills to help produce leaflets, posters, flyers etc. to help communicate the issues. It was also suggested to do articles for local newspapers including; the Brooklyn Tattler, City Life – southern edition, the Wellingtonian etc. (Sharon may be a contact for the Tattler)

Marc will contact Brooklyn Residents Association and ask to do a presentation/show the film at one of their meetings. Marc to contact John Macallister.

Marc will compile a list of community groups and resources in Brooklyn that we can contact (Check with Sharon, as this may already exist). This will be used to inform who we can contact and possible people we can work with locally.

Other ideas for publicity raising included hiring the ?? Suite at the Penthouse Cinema and showing a series of films relating to peak oil, climate change, environmental issues etc. Dawn to contact the owners about free use/preferential rates.

Communication – Tom agreed to set up and administer a google group for Brooklyn TT members. Marc to send him the contact list.

Anita said that she had just started the modular permaculture course at Otaki. The possibility of getting sessions run in Brooklyn/Wellington that are relevant to urban settings was discussed. We discussed the possibility of lobbying the Council to plant tree crops in public areas and parks instead of ornamentals (or as well as native trees that have biodiversity value). Anita is also involved in ‘The Innermost Garden’ a gardening group for refugee and migrant women. They don’t currently have a site. Permaculture is one of the underlying principals of transition towns, and one of the 12 steps is to have a steering group member with permaculture training.

Barbara posed the question how the group would like to see itself in 12 months time? It was agreed we would like to see the group be much bigger, with lots of smaller working/project groups tackling issues such as food supply, transport etc.

We discussed what we could focus on in the short term. It was agreed public transport was one issue of shared concern and it was suggested we lobby Stagecoach and Regional Council to improve bus services in Brooklyn.

Marc posed the question what will Brooklyn look like to be more ‘resilient’? The idea of community gardens and local food production was discussed. Don raised the scheme on Waiheke Island where there is a database of available gardens for food production and a list of people wishing to work in gardens. These are then matched.

What next? It was agreed that other than the actions agreed above we should hold another meeting in about a month (to coincide with a full moon if possible – but to avoid Easter)

Marc to book community centre again.

Suggested we invite Sue Boyle from ‘Green Thumb’ Community Gardens in Tanera Park. There is also a gardening group that meets regularly at the Brooklyn Resource Centre.

The tour of Aro Valley gardens on the 08th March was raised.

The book ‘Save the World for $15’ by the We Are What we Do’ group, that Dawn has had a role in producing in New Zealand was raised. This is now on general release at Whitcoulls.