Minutes-20080521

Thanks to our leaflet drop around Brooklyn—around 1,500 houses, and the topic of permaculture we attracted our best audience yet, around 60 people of all ages. Majority of people from Brooklyn but we had some from other areas too. 6 people registered through the website.

Steering group: present—Barbara, Belinda, Dawn, Tom; apologies—none; absent—Edwina; minutes—Tom.

Tom MC'd with an intro on transition towns and peak oil (to inform the small number of people present who weren't aware of Peak Oil), we watched Power of Community—How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, and Andrew Morrison from Living in the Landscape gave a talk on Urban Permaculture Design.

Peak oil is the concept of world oil production being a bell-shaped curve. Starts in early 1900s, peak somewhere between now and 2030, then world starts running out of easily extracted oil. Peak oil isn't disputed, just the date.

Transition Towns are a community response—you and me getting involved and making changes in response to peak oil and climate change. Started in Kinsale, Ireland, then Totness and number others in UK. Big growth in New Zealand in last 18 months. Transition Towns are a framework, almost franchise like. There’s a process to roughly follow. Brooklyn is in the awareness-raising phase of the process.

Commonsense Organics lent us display materials which were on display in the hallway.

We've received lots of positive feedback. See the appropriate minutes for details http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz/node/153