Orewa

Transition Towns Orewa

Meeting 3rd Thursday each month at the Whangaparaoa Hall or Waitoki Church Hall.

Come and meet others in our community who want to build local resilience and interdependence.

Alternating Venues -

Whangaparaoa Hall, The Plaza, 719 Whangaparaoa Rd.

(We meet in The Art Room, under the back of the hall, parking and entrance on the library side.)

OR

Waitoki Church Hall, 1101 Kahikatea Flat Road.

Gold coin donation to cover costs appreciated. Feel free to bring friends!

7:00 to 9:30pm

Contacts:

Betsy Kettle: (09) 426-4909 dbkettle@slingshot.co.nz

Graham Smith: (09) 426-4458 (027) 458-8440  ggnsmith@gmail.com

2016

Thursday 21st July

"One Man, One Cow, One Planet"

One Man, One Cow, One Planet follows Peter Proctor, New Zealand’s father of biodynamics, along the back roads of rural India, revealing the miracle of organics and the farmers who are reclaiming their agricultural heritage.

 


Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.
Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.
Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday, 21 July, 7pm .

 

The Art Lab

 

Whangaparaoa Hall, The Plaza, 719 Whangaparaoa Rd.

See you there!

Betsy - (09) 426 4909 - (021) 0826 8196
Graham - (09) 426 4458 - (027) 458 8440

 

 

Thursday 15th June

"One Man, One Cow, One Planet"

This month we will watch One Man, One Cow, One Planet.
One Man, One Cow, One Planet follows Peter Proctor, New Zealand’s father of biodynamics along the back roads of rural India, revealing the miracle of organics and the farmers who are reclaiming their agricultural heritage.
Probably the same movie next month at Whangaparaoa.


Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.
Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.
Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday, 16 June, 7pm .Waitoki Church  -  Next door to Waitoki Hall - close to the petrol station - 1101 Kahikatea Flat Rd.

See you there!

Betsy - (09) 426 4909 - (021) 0826 8196
Graham - (09) 426 4458 - (027) 458 8440

Thursday 19th May

"Inhabit - A Permaculture Perspective"

(We watched this last month at Waitoki, and think is good enough to show again.)
Inhabit explores the many environmental issues facing us today and examines solutions that are being applied using Permaculture. A design lens that uses the principles found in ecosystems to help shift our impact from destructive to regenerative. Focused mostly on the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States, Inhabit provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices ranging from rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhabit

Whangaparaoa Hall, The Plaza, 719 Whangaparaoa Rd.

 

NOTE: We are meeting upstairs in an office near the front door.  There is a meeting in the Art Room, so it is unavailable.

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.
Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.
Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

 

Thursday 21st April

"Inhabit - A Permaculture Perspective"

Inhabit explores the many environmental issues facing us today and examines solutions that are being applied using Permaculture. A design lens that uses the principles found in ecosystems to help shift our impact from destructive to regenerative. Focused mostly on the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States, Inhabit provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices ranging from rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhabit
Waitoki Church Hall, 1101 Kahikatea Flat Road.

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.
Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.
Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday 18th February

"Building Sustainable Communities - with Rafaele Joudry"

In 2013 Rafaele became involved in Atamai Village at Motueka NZ. She is developing her property at Atamai where she lives part of the year while also travelling and offering talks on building sustainable communities, using Atamai as an example.
Rafaele is a business woman and environmental activist, living and touring in Australia and New Zealand. Following involvement in the Franklin Blockade in Australia in 1982, she was an active member of Groundswell, the Australian Nonviolence Network, for several years. During this time she ran workshops for dozens of community groups in Consensus, Facilitation, Conflict Resolution and Non-violent Direct Action. She developed a specific model for teaching facilitation, which was offered as an adult education course in Melbourne.
In 1989, after working in community housing for four years, Rafaele established her business: Sound Therapy International, providing home based environmental health solutions to people around the world.
Waitoki Church Hall, 1101 Kahikatea Flat Road.
Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.
Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.
Gold coin to cover costs welcome.


 

 

 

2015

 

Thursday 10th September

"Clean Disruption: Why Conventional Energy and Transportation will be Obsolete by 2030"

In 1907, New York, like most large cities, was over 90% dependent on horses for transportation.  A little over a decade later, in 1920, more than 90% of New York's transport was powered by internal combustion engines, and the horse-drawn transport was soon a historic novelty. Sudden transformations in society due to technological innovation, are aptly labelled “Disruptions”.

Have you used a typewriter recently?  Had a film developed?  Been uncontactable for a week? Used an over-head projector? We have all experienced the impacts of disruptive technological advances.

So, WHAT'S THE NEXT DISTRUPTION??? In this month's Transition Town movie, Tony Seba discusses the impact of rapidly falling costs for several technologies, forecasting the demise of the internal combustion engine, for transportation, and centralised power generation for domestic electricity, starting as soon as 2016 and completed by 2030 with a corresponding change in our way of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xy1EDY7Ruw


Waitoki Church Hall, 1101 Kahikatea Flat Road.

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

 

Thursday 13th August

"The Rise and Rise of Robots - What about the Humans?"

Debate is raging about the effect of the rising use of robots in the labour force.   Is this the next industrial revolution?  The Machine Learning Revolution is about replacing skilled labour with artificial intelligence.  Machines can diagnose diseases, grade essays, search legal documents, and learn new tasks just through watching.

We will be watching the following three DVDs, all less than 15 minutes followed by our own discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU – Humans need not Apply-Its happening now, not in the future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5MLvHvITvg - Robots replacing human workers may leave millions out of job -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFx5kq0pB0Y The Intelligence2 Debate -How worried should we be about robotic takeover of the labour force?

 

Whangaparaoa Hall, The Plaza, 719 Whangaparaoa Rd.

 

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

 

Thursday 9th July

"How can the Hibiscus Coast get a Community Recycling Centre?"

IIn other communities, it has been found that Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) are good for the local environment, good for local job creation and good for local business.

Helensville is organising one, and Waiuku has one.

They are often centred around Op Shops, Men’s Sheds, Community Gardens and Environment Centres.

But what might one look like in our area?

Discussions with zero waste engineer, Richard Tong, suggest that an inventory needs to be done to determine;

  • Who might drive a local CRC
  • Which local industries have waste to supply
  • What materials a local CRC might take
  • How it might fit with the new  Auckland Council inorganics collection model
  • Where a centre could go, and
  • How it could work financially.

Funding for a survey may be available from the Hibiscus Coast Local Board and the Auckland Council Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.

We have invited Richard to talk to Transition Towns about how a study might be done so that we can decide if we want to get involved.

Richard has over 30 years experience establishing CRCs and was one of the founding members of the Devonport Recycling Centre, Auckland’s first recycling centre.


Waitoki Church Hall, 1101 Kahikatea Flat Road.

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

Thursday 11th June

"Saving the World Through Agriculture"

 

Biological Farming-Smart Farming Series by CarbonFarmingNZ-Video2

Made in NZ, this is about how a dairy farmer in a dryland area increased his milk production and lowered his stocking rates without adding fertilisers using biological farming methods

9 min

Darren Doherty-Carbon Farming in America

Permaculturalist, Darren Doherty, says just increasing the soil organic matter content by 5% would decrease all of the USA’s carbon emissions for the last 50 years.  He explains what carbon farming is and how it is done.

6.4 min

Yeoman’s Water Harvesting and Keyline 1956

Yeoman’s water collection and harvesting system of ponds and swales could keep NZ pastures productive even in the worst droughts that climate change bestows

13.5 min

Dung Beetles for Agriculture, the Environment and Addressing Global Warming!

Dung beetles are many mini miracle workers –with a fun-loving Beatles soundtrack

8 min

The One Straw Revolution-Masanobu Fukuoka

This Natural Farmer looks at growing food using nature’s wisdom and shares insights into the link between nature and human consciousness

9 minutes

 

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

Thursday 14th May

"Nourish - The Movie"

"With beautiful visuals and inspiring stories, the Nourish film traces our relationship to food from a global perspective to personal action steps. Nourish illustrates how food connects to such issues as biodiversity, climate change, public health, and social justice."

http://www.nourishlife.org/about/the-film.


 

Garden stuff swap, light snack and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Gold coin to cover costs welcome

 

 

Thursday 9th April

Don't Panic!  The World Might not be as Bad as You Might Believe.

(Did you know we have reached Peak Child?)

Hans Rosling, from Gap Minder, presents some surprising statistics about the state of the world: population, birth rates, global income distribution, energy consumption and climate change. This is a great BBC documentary and runs for just under an hour.

Garden stuff swap, light snacks and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Koha for Guest speaker - home produce?

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday 12 March

Hello everyone,

Briar Wyatt, from an innovative new group called Plastic Diet, is coming to Transition Town Orewa to talk about issues around our cultural dependence upon Plastic.  Not just any plastic, but plastic that “escapes” and makes its way into the environment, our oceans and our food.  They will be talking about some of the things we've done to raise awareness of the issue, what they hope to achieve, to date, how people like us can let others know how to make changes in their lives/communities, and how to get involved with upcoming PD advocacy and initiatives.  If there is time, we will see the movie,  Plastic Paradise.

7:00 Whangaparaoa Community Hall,  Downstairs Art Lab, Thurs evening 12 March.

Bikkies, tea and coffee after.  Also seedling and surplus fruit and veggie exchange.  Gold coin koha appreciated.

Thursday 12th February

Liveable Cities: Curtiba, Totnes, Auckland!

What is a Liveable City? On Thurs night, we’ll see the movie, “A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curtiba”, about a remarkable city in Brazil which, through creative design, has radically improved the liveability of its city.  Also, we have a guest from Totnes, England (home of the Transition Town movement and Rob Hopkins) to talk about what Totnes is doing to create their own most liveable city.

Auckland City aspires to be the Worlds Most Liveable City.   From now until 23 March, our opinions are sought on a 10 year plan to “Shape Auckland”. (http://engage.ubiquity.co.nz/mail/view/VAM54dDE2E6byAjSBSWOMw) Councillor Wayne Walker will speak to us at the start about the issues and we’ll have a chance to discuss them over a seedling swap, light snacks and tea.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Koha for Guest speaker - home produce?

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

 

2014

 

Thursday 11th December

Pizza and a Movie at the Graingers.

 

We have a lovely offer for pizza and a movie in their movie lounge at the home of Phil and Jennifer Grainger for our December TT  event.   The movie, “The Man Who Stopped the Desert”, is about an African peasant farmer who did what professionals could not - stopped the encroaching desert.

http://www.1080films.co.uk/Yacoubamovie/

The Grainger's address is: 63C Field Lane. 2 km up Field lane, which is about 2km on the Kaukapakapa side of Waitoki.  There is a  curved roof on the horizon looking up from Field lane. At the end of main drive take gate on left follow drive to end.  It is a bit of a drive for those out Whangaparaoa or up North,  perhaps we can do some car pooling - let us know if you'd like a ride or can offer one. We are aiming for a 7:00pm start but no stress if you get there a bit later.

We will still be sharing seedlings, seeds and other food before the movie.

 

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Thursday 13th November

Peter Brennan - Guiding a community to sustainable self-determination.

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ”

Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Hi everyone,

The South Kaipara, one of the largest and least populated areas in the Auckland District, wrapped around the shores of the second largest inland harbour on the planet. With more gravel roads than the rest of Auckland combined and with the lowest density population of any part of Auckland. The South Kaipara is the only place in Auckland to have communities ranked decile one and decile nine on the deprivation index living side by side. High crime, high unemployment, virtually no public transport, a commuter based population and little opportunity for training……..

So how does a community like this turn itself around, stake a claim to be the healthiest rural community in New Zealand and achieve it, then become a self determining community that values all of its people, honours its traditions and learns to believe in itself.

Peter Brennan from Helensville will be speaking on Thurs Nov 13 from 7-9 pm at the Whangaparaoa Community Hall (downstairs and outside entrance to the Art Room) on how a small group of people with a big vision hope to make big changes to their rural community.  This is a highly recommended talk according to Steve McLuckie of Kai Auckland.

 

Plant swapping and light snack after.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Koha for Guest speaker - home produce?

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday 9th October

Kai Auckland - Accelerating the Community Food Movement

This month Stephen McLukie, from Auckland Council, will be talking about Kai Auckland.  After a year of dialogue with community food movement partners across Auckland, the Council has published the Kai Auckland document which explains five initiatives to support the community food movement. (email ggnsmith@gmail.com for a copy).  Goals of Kai Auckland include; increased sustainability and community connectedness, better health through improved diet and increased exercise, and reduced poverty, child hunger and isolation.  Steve will discuss what that might look like in our part of the world.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

Koha for Guest speaker - home produce?

Gold coin to cover costs welcome.

Supper after.


Thursday 11th September

Film - The Permaculture Orchard

The Permaculture Orchard : Beyond Organic is a feature-length educational film that will teach you how to set up your own permaculture orchard at any scale. We recognize the limitations of the organic model as a substitute to conventional fruit growing, and want to propose a more holistic, regenerative approach based on permaculture principles. Based on 20 years of applied theory and trial and error, biologist and educator Stefan Sobkowiak shares his experience transforming a conventional apple orchard into an abundance of biodiversity that virtually takes care of itself. The concepts, techniques and tips presented in this film will help you with your own project, whether it is just a few fruit trees in your urban backyard, or a full-scale multi-acre commercial orchard.

http://www.permacultureorchard.com/en/the-film/

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Gold coin to cover cost welcome.

 

Thursday 14th August

Seed Swap - Plus.

 

  • Bring any seeds you don't need and maybe get some gems.
  • Plus - Bring excess preserves, tools and other gardening paraphernalia to buy, sell or trade.

 

It would be cool to have a few people explaining any interesting gardening or related techniques they have come across.

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Gold coin to cover cost welcome.

 

Thursday 10th July

“Movie - Deep Down and Dirty: The Science of Soil"

For billions of years our planet was devoid of life, but something transformed it into a vibrant, living planet. That something was soil.

It's a much-misunderstood substance, often dismissed as 'dirt', something to be avoided. Yet the crops we eat, the animals we rely on, the very oxygen we breathe, all depend on the existence of the plant life that bursts from the soil every year.

In this film, gardening expert Chris Beardshaw explores where soil comes from, what it's made of and what makes it so essential to life. Using specialist microphotography, he reveals it as we've never seen it before - an intricate microscopic landscape, teeming with strange and wonderful life-forms.

It's a world where the chaos of life meets the permanence of rock, the two interacting with each other to make a living system of staggering complexity that sustains all life on Earth.

Chris explores how man is challenging this most precious resource on our planet and how new science is seeking to preserve it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040y925

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Gold Coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday 12th June

“Movie - Our Green Roadie"

Our Green Roadie is a really inspiring documentary about 50 NZ people and businesses who live and work in ‘green’ ways. The film has been made by Emma Heke and her 7 year old son Conner.  Trailer here - http://happyzine.co.nz/2013/04/18/our-green-roadie-50-kiwis-living-and-working-green-out-now/

Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Gold Coin to cover costs welcome.

Thursday 8th May

“20 years on - Cuba's social, political and agricultural adjustments to a post-oil economy.
What lessons are there for us?"

 

Trish Allen (remember Rainbow Valley Farm?) talks about her recent trip to Cuba for the International Permaculture Congress.

For the last 20 years, since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Cuba has had to adapt to living with very little oil.  Their's was a sudden crisis, but the whole world is slowly heading the same way, as oil production has peaked and the price continues to rise.

Trish recently attended the International Permaculture Congress in Cuba and will talk about the way the whole of Cuban society has adapted; using low energy transport methods, adopting co-ops and small scale sustainable agricultural practices, including composting toilets.

Bring questions/ideas for discussion. Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Koha for Guest Speaker- home produce ???

 

Thursday 10th April

“As Measured by GPD - We Have A Rock Star Economy.  So Why Are So Many People Still Struggling? And What About the Environmental Cost?"

Dr. Christoph Schumacher questions the adequacy of GDP and faces the challenge of the Capitalist's paradox - an impossibility theorem.

There is a real possibility that economic growth is necessary for lasting prosperity. But at the same time, we know that our current economic growth is ecologically unsustainable. So one challenge facing economists is to develop a continuously growing system within the context of a finite environment.

Another challenge is to address the validity of GDP as a measure of prosperity.  If we believe our politicians then we should all be happy because the economy is growing. In fact, our economy in New Zealand has been nicknamed ‘the rock star’ economy. But ask yourself, despite all the things an increase in economic output has to offer – higher standard of living, new phones, TVs, car, holidays etc. – why are too many people struggling to get by? Why do we experience social injustice? Why do so many people seem unfulfilled?

In this presentation Christoph will question the concept of economic growth and GDP as a measure of growth, explore the Capitalist’s paradox - the 'economic growth impossibility theorem', show that economic growth may still be necessary to increase the prosperity of people, and offer possible solutions.

Christoph Schumacher is Professor of Innovation and Economics at Massey University and we are very pleased to have him share some ideas on an alternative economic philosophy.

http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/colleges/college-business/about-...

Christoph will make reference to the work of Tim Jackson, author of,  "Prosperity without growth".

http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_jackson_s_economic_reality_check#t-903221

Bring questions/ideas for discussion. Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Koha for Guest Speaker- home produce ???

 

Thursday 13th March

“Local Economies Close the Income Gap and Everyone Wins.”

David Clendon speaking on - "The Spirit Level", Local Economies and Better Communities.

"The Spirit Level", by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, presents evidence that more equal societies do better than less equal ones on many social measures; educational performance, heath and life expectancy, for example.  Transition Towns supports the development of local economies, which are intrinsically more equal, with a mix of personal self-reliance and healthy interdependence.

We are very pleased to have David Clendon (Green Party MP) speak to us this month.  Dave has been promoting the Green's "Closing the Gaps" policy, and will be speaking about locally focused economic pathways. Solutions that make small businesses more sustainable, give opportunities to those on low incomes, and can help remedy New Zealand's poor performance on many social measures.

Bring questions/ideas for discussion. Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably. Supper after.

Koha for Guest Speaker- home produce ???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_Level:_Why_More_Equal_Societies_Almost_Always_Do_Better

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson

 

Thursday 13th February

“Yet Another New Year

What can we do to encourage sustainable living on the Hibiscus Coast?

Sorry about the short notice for Transition Towns this month. We have no cool video or famous person to speak this month, but we do have a short video of Rob Hopkins, one of the founders of Transition Towns, speaking in California recently.  After that we will have an informal time discussing what our group might do this year, how we can play an effective role in our community encouraging local resilience, low environmental impact and healthy lives. Bring some food to share if you like.  Bring stories of what you are up to. Bring ideas for speakers, activities or movies. Bring friends who share the same concerns for living sustainably.

2013

Thursday 5th December

A Possible Alternative for Powering Auckland

Can you imagine the Hibiscus Coast powered by Solar Panels and Electric Cars?

Nirmal Nair (PhD.), a senior lecturer at Auckland University, has been researching the potential for Auckland to become a solar powered city.  He will describe for us the what a future with smart-grid technology on the Hibiscus Coast might look like and how that might be for individual residents - with electric cars and PV covered roofs. He will also discuss the pathway to get there from where we are now including the steps someone can take to begin.

Here are links to a double shot interview that Nirmal did - www.interest.co.nz/business/65391/auckland-university-research-suggests-strong-potential-development-and-use-solar-powe, and a radio New Zealand National interview - http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2561557/energy-re-think-could-make-auckland-a-sun-powered-city.

 

Thursday 14th November

Money Transition, World Transition:

The organisation “Positive Money” believes that the root cause of many of our current social, economic and environmental problems lies in the way that we allow money to be created. They work to make the confusing world of money and banking much easier to understand. Most people are surprised to hear that only a tiny proportion of the money in circulation, at any given time, is actually created by the government. The coins and notes, minted and printed by the government, consist of less than 3% of the money supply. These days, the other 97% is electronic money, or simply numbers in computers. But who creates, and more importantly, who benefits and who is disadvantaged from the creation of that electronic money? The answers may surprise you. Speaker Alan Bainbridge from Positive Money.

 

 

Past Meetings

Thursday 10th October

“The Turning Point  –– a Return to Community”

DVD centres around the legendary Findhorn community. It has interviews with Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Joanna Macy and Megan Quinn Bachman to be introduced by Crispin  Caldecott

Thursday 8th August

Ingenious Indigenous Building.

Following on from Graeme North's Presentation - Moerewa Premaculturalist, Grant Steven, will talk to us about the appropriate technologies that he demonstrates in his workshops.

Grant is a Sustainable Rural Development Tutor with North Tec, working mainly with Ngati Hine Iwi.  He also runs workshops demonstrating building beautiful and practical projects such as sheds, a composting toilet building, walls, ovens, rocket stoves, garden beds, and more.  He mostly makes use of free materials that are commonly at hand, such as, local clay, recycled products, flax, manuka and bamboo.  He will show pictures of a variety of earth construction projects.

Thursday 13th June

Yes! In My Front Yard or YIMFY.

This month Graeme North - Architect, Permaculturalist, and expert on natural materials - presents the background and an update on progress towards setting up an Appropriate Building Technology Center for Aotearoa.

Our built environment creates large demands on both energy and material resources.  Building codes protect people’s health and safety, but in doing so often have unintended consequences for the natural environment - degrading ecosystems.  Graeme explores and encourages alternative materials and methods of construction that preserve the environment without compromising human well-being.
Appropriate technology is an important part of this strategy balancing considerations of time, place, culture, and environment.  He focuses on the use of local materials being highly conscious of all the consequences of their use.

Thursday 9th May

Seed Swap and Seed Saving

From Soil last month to the Seed Saving this month. This is an ancient and essential technology.  Good knowledge of seed saving is an important component of local food security.

Bring your extra seeds from home to share with others and take some new ones home.  We’ll be comparing experiences with saving seeds with Sarah Land, Trish Allen and Betsy Kettle.   Learn how to join the region-wide organisation (Auckland Seed Savers) and national organisation (Koanga Trust) that preserves the jewels of our ancestors.
We will also watch a couple of TED videos on global efforts to create seed banks.

Thursday 11th April

Movie: Symphony of the Soil

Soil is perhaps the most under-rated resource on the planet. It is difficult to overstate its importance.  Past civilizations have fallen through neglect of their soils and a lack of understanding of their complexity. Modern civilization also faces food security risks that are exacerbated by willful and ignorant abuse of soil.

This film examines how soils form - visiting glaciers, volcanoes and rainforests. It looks at the amazing relationships between soils, microbes and plants, and takes us on a tour of the soil-food-web. The use and abuses of soils in agriculture, deforestation and development are examined together with scientific research of soil’s role in addressing the most challenging environmental issues of our time. Filmed on four continents, featuring scientists and working farmers, Symphony of the Soil promotes healthy soil creating healthy plants supporting healthy people sharing life on a healthy planet.

Visit http://www.symphonyofthesoil.com/ for trailer and other clips.

 

Thursday 14th March

Create Your Own Bridge to Hope

How to  Survive global climate change & financial chaos.

This carries on from our meeting with Niki Harré with her presentation of Psychology for a Better World. Steve Reid has created an inter-active workshop that is a fun way to pool ideas/pet theories/hopes/dreams into short, medium & long-term personal Survival Plans. Come prepared to dream/talk/think & draw.  Lead by Steve Reid.

 

 

Thursday 7th March

Savings Pools with Peter Luiten

Saving money, saving interest, saving bank fees, saving stress and participating in a community level sharing.Participants in a savings pool share money they are saving, but don't need now, with others who do need it now.  In a safe structure that ensures all money is repayed and available to savers when needed.

Most of us, when we want money, approach a bank. Of course it’s costly: the bank isn’t in it for us. Tens of thousands of dollars of interest can be saved over a lifetime by pooling resources with people you know.

 

A savings pools are transparent, supportive, accountable and a secure way of managing your money over time, providing the funds you need when you need them – interest-free!


With their emphasis on Kiwi ‘fair give and take’, savings pools are springing up all over New Zealand. Presenter Peter Luiten, working with the Living Economies Educational Trust (www.le.org.nz), has administered such pools for the past four years.  He presented to Transition Towns last month and is back on the 7th with a power point presentation and more information.


 

Thursday 11th October 2012

Transition Stories

Hi Everyone,
No speaker this week.  Just us sharing our stories about transitioning.  Come and get inspired and inspire others with what you are doing, or aspire to do, in the way of building resilience and local reliance into your lifestyle.

See you there.

Thursday 13th September

Psychology for a Better World: Strategies to Inspire Sustainability

Many people recognise that our current way of life has passed its use-by date. However, we continue to replicate it day after day.

Why??

Can the same features of human psychology that prop up the status quo be tapped to create a better, more sustainable world – one that has human and ecological flourishing at its core?

In this talk, Niki Harré will discuss how communities can be more effective in bringing about positive change by tapping three human strengths:

  • Our drive for happiness,
  • Our social sensitivity and,
  • Our desire to be good.

We are privileged to have Niki Harré, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Auckland and member of Transition Pt Chevalier, come and speak at Transition Towns Orewa this month.  Her recent research projects have focused on sustainable communities and schools, positive youth development and political activism. In 2007 Niki edited, with Quentin Atkinson, the book Carbon Neutral by 2020: How New Zealanders Can Tackle Climate Change. Last year she released a second book, Psychology for a Better World: Strategies to Inspire Sustainability. It can be downloaded for free from

 

 

Thursday 9th August

Eco-homes

Trish Allen formerly of Rainbow Valley Farm will be speaking This month about building her new eco-home in Matakana.  (I [Betsy] visited it—it's fantastic!) She will be explaining the adaptation from 50 acres to 1/5 of an acre and urban permaculture.

Also, Malcolm McAll, architect of Ecos Homes, will also be giving a slideshow about what characterizes the new and growing field of sustainable home architecture. Malcolm also has many years of experience and a gorgeous, fascinating home in Stanmore Bay.

 

Please note that the venue has changed.  The meeting will be held in the Art Room of the Whangaparaoa Hall in the Plaza Shopping Centre.  Councillor Wayne Walker is keen to show us around the Hall and explain its benefits.

 

Thursday 12th July

Opportunities with the new "Waste Management and Minimisation Plan".

Imagine a Place in Orewa where one could take used furniture and other bulky household goods, recycle glass, plastics, paper and metals; get cash for bottle deposits; learn composting, worm farming and organic gardening; take weekend permaculture classes; buy locally made, custom shoes; bottle home-grown produce in a registered kitchen with your friends; and, have Oooobys on the weekends.   Sound good?  Well it just might happen if a suitable site can be found for a Resource Recovery Centre in Orewa.  There could also be one for Silverdale,  Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Gulf Harbour, if the champions step forward and sites are found.

At our next Transition Town Orewa meeting Councilor Wayne Walker will talk about the newly adopted Plan which includes provision for a region-wide Resource Recovery Network. This would be the first of its in kind New Zealand and set the stage for a new era of zero waste. We are also pleased to welcome ex-manager of Wanaka Wastebusters, Karen Noble, who will show pictures of what a community-based recycling depot can be and do. We also welcome Ben Galloway from Trash Shoes in Raglan, where he manufactures his own beautiful custom shoes out of recycled materials like carseat straps, motorcycle tyres and left over upholstery scraps.   He will bring some of his wares and talk about some other ideas he has to create local jobs from discarded materials.

After the talks we will brainstorm ideas for community enterprises using the local “resource stream”.

 

 

Thursday 14thJune

What's up with Oil?

Oil has been called "the lifeblood of our economy", and daily life would be very different without it, but the low hanging fruit of oil production have already been plucked, and we are now driven to recover it from increasingly difficult environments, at escalating costs and with serious environmental risks.

What is Peak Oil?

What is the Corrugated Plateau?
When and how will oil scarcity effect our every day lives into the future?
What do paper barrels, the glass wall, the gator gap  and recession all have to do with oil?
What are the alternatives for liquid transport fuels: Algae and rape seed biodiesel, whey and willow ethanol and Biobutanol?

Come and hear Simon Coughlan's predictions of the future availability and pricing of crude oil, and information on recent developments in alternative fuels.

7-9 pm, gold coin donation requested to cover the hall rental.

You are welcome to bring friends!

Thursday 19th April

"Solar Electric Power"

Solar electricity - photovoltaics (PV), is an important component of powering a post carbon economy.  In Europe and parts of Asia, the largest proportion of new power generating capacity comes from renewable sources and much of that is solar.  We are lucky in New Zealand to have hydroelectric power generation, but an increasing proportion of our power comes from fossil fuels, this does not have to be!

Theresa Moore did a Masters Thesis on the business case for solar electric power generation in New Zealand.  She looked at various options, the potential benefits and the current barriers for many aspects of its implementation, and will share the results of her research with us.

Jeff will demonstrate a number of solar panels and appliances.

We will discuss the opportunity to join a bulk-buy of PV panels.

And we will also show a short video of Amory Lovins presenting material from his recent book; "Reinventing Fire".

 

 

Thursday 19th April

(Not our usual 2nd Thursday date)

"Green Roofs"

Green roofs are alive with plants.  They purify rainwater, insulate the house, mitigate stormwater flows and cool the urban heat island.   New ways of greening roofs could greatly help with climate change. How do you build a green roof? Can you modify an existing roof?

Zoë Zimmerman is an environmental planner and living roofs expert at Andrew.Stewart Ltd.  She has recently been on tour demystifying green roofs around the Auckland Region and Upper North Island. Over the past year Zoe has presented to the University of Auckland – School Of Architecture and Planning Expert Series  and the Northland Planning Networks, Whangarei.  She will be showing dozens of examples from overseas.  Why aren’t more green roofs being built in NZ?

The talks have covered design considerations; perceived barriers; NZ and UK examples; why living roofs are being required overseas; and the many multi-functional benefits (economic, social, ecological and environmental) they provide.
Zoë previously worked for the Environment Agency in London as a Major Projects Officer. She was instrumental in the installation of a number of green roofs in London, and the development of a Green Roof Toolkit, which received a Royal Town Planning Institute Award.

When she is not planning her heart out at ASL, Zoë runs Living Roofs - (http://www.livingroofs.co.nz/) – a not for profit organisation aimed at disseminating information on living roofs.
If you would like to find out more about Living Roofs presentations, contact Zoë, (zoez@andrewstewart.co.nz).

 

 

 

Thursday 8th March

"Biochar"

“Biochar may represent the single most important initiative for humanity's environmental future.

Tim Flannery - 2007 Australian of the Year, Scientist, Explorer and Author.

A soil amendment that increases food production, and reduces the need for irrigation and fertiliser.

But wait there's more!

It also sequesters carbon in the soil, mitigating against Global Warming.

Come and hear Betsy report back from Massey University's New Zealand Biochar Workshop, and join a discussion and demonstration of the production and use of biochar for your own garden.

 

 

Thursday 9th February

"Sustainable Career Opportunities".

“Today, more and more people want their work to be meaningful and to contribute
to the betterment of the planet. They want a career that makes use of their skills
without compromising their integrity, and they want their work to reflect their own
passion and commitment. The good news is that, as business and society increasingly
emphasize social and environmental responsibility, opportunities for career seekers
with a conscience have never been better.”
Melissa Everett – from ‘Making a living while making a difference’

Come and here Yolanda Van den Bemd, a Career Consultant at Unitec, presenting her work on Careers for a Sustainable World.

See link to Yolanda's work:

http://www.unitec.ac.nz/unitec/fms/Career_Centre/Newsletter/Microsoft%20...

 

 

 

Thursday 8th December

(We have changed the programme from what was previously advertised.  The Sustainable Careers presentation will happen in the New Year.  Sorry for any inconvenience.)

"Submissions on the Draft Auckland Council Waste Management and Minimisation Plan".

Read the Draft Plan and the Submissions Form and come and discuss an effective strategy especially if you have some experience and expertise in this area, we need all the help we can get!  http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/PlansPoliciesPublications/councilpolicies/wastemanagementandminimisationplan/Pages/home.aspx

 

 

Thursday 10th November

"Reclaiming Auckland's Resources"

A New Vision for Dealing with Auckland's Waste Crisis - with Warren Snow.

 

Aucklander's bury over 1 million tonnes of waste in landfills every year.

Warren will present an achievable plan to divert up to 85% of that waste from landfills by giving local communities control of the waste stream and, in the process, creating hundreds of new, green job and business opportunities for Auckland.

Resource Recovery Network concept and Container Deposit Legislation will build a new economy around Auckland’s waste resources which will compete with the current wasting system and create more than 10,000 new jobs over 10 years. There is nothing to match this in terms of job creation!!

Warren is Manager of Envision New Zealand, (http://www.envision-nz.com/) which he set up to promote practical local economic development solutions.

 

Thursday 13th October

Movie: "Nicotine Bees"

Discussion: GE Free and the New Auckland Council

The movie will be introduced by Pat Baskett, a former Herald reporter.  After the movie Teresa Moore, Rodney Green Party Candidate, will talk about the select committee investigating the use of neonicotinoids, Linda Grammer of GE Free NZ - Northland, will discuss strategies to oppose the introduction of GMOs and hopefully Councillor Wayne Walker will talk about the integration of anti-GE stands by the former Councils into Auckland Council.

Gold coin donation to cover hall hire please.

A Trailer for Nicotine Bees can be seen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YqCSX08u7U

 

 

 

 

The Content below is from the previous Transition Towns Orewa - much of it is still relevant and interesting.

If you would like to contact us:

Phone: (09) 420-5255 Mobile: (0274) 724-408 Email: jude@deepanimation.co.nz

 

VISION RODNEY

A Strategy for the District’s Future

Vision Rodney: A Strategy for the District’s Future

Submission to Rodney District Council
From Sustainable North Trust, Transition Town Orewa
and Rodney District Community Members
from Kaukapakapa, Silverdale, Orewa, Puhoi, Stillwater,
Whangaparaoa, Waiwera, Warkworth


CONTENTS

Executive Summary.....................................................................................................

How Our Submission Came About .............................................................................

Closing the Gap: Intent 7- Sustainable Rodney..........................................................

About Sustainable Development ...............................................................................

Our Vision for Rodney.................................................................................................

Our Mission for Rodney...............................................................................................

Action Plan: A Beginning...........................................................................................

Conclusion and Next Steps...........................................................................................

Executive Summary

Five years have passed since the first issue of Vision Rodney: A Strategy for the District’s Future was released. Since then, our district, nation, and indeed the world, has faced massive changes from global forces such as climate change, carbon emissions and oil and food price increases, and local developments such as the rise in Rodney’s population, changing industry sectors and the increase in developed land.

These changes are among so many others that will shape our communities and our way of life well into the future. We must prepare and plan for the challenges and opportunities presented by these changes, and do so using an effective and comprehensive approach that addresses the needs of all people within Rodney and the environment on which we all depend. This approach, a clear sustainable development strategy, acknowledges economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts and interdependencies, and is the basis from which our submission is framed.

To help us comprehensively and responsibly respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by current and future changes, effective planning, decision-making and actions that use the sustainability lens will ensure that development in Rodney will meet the essential needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this way, our unique, yet interlinked collection of communities in Rodney will effectively ride the tides of change with resilience, equity and prosperity.

The nature and speed of the changes we are collectively facing will take many capable hands and the active support of all of us. As a group, we recognise that “sustainability” and a “Sustainable Rodney” is no small task and we wish to acknowledge both its importance and magnitude. Our broad-brush submission in no way diminishes the important subject that it is for our district. It is our sincere aspiration that our discussions will be the seed of wider conversations in the spirit of fostering mutual collaboration from all sectors around this topic for Rodney - among community organisations, the Rodney District Council, developers, community leaders, central government departments and agencies, individual people, communities and neighbours.

In supporting Rodney District and the Rodney District Council with a new release of Vision Rodney, two not-for-profit community groups (Sustainable North Trust and Transition Town Orewa) and many community members met to discuss our contribution to the existing strategy document. This submission is a summary of our open floor productive discussions from two meetings held on July 26th and July 31st 2008. We expect to hold additional, ongoing meetings to establish further details for achieving our collective goals and outcomes, and look forward to working with other initiatives (such as, the Long-Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) and the Social Well-being Strategy 2008-2011) for the benefit of all of Rodney. Our meetings and discussions addressed the following topics:

Closing the Gap: Intent 7-Sustainable Rodney
About Sustainable Development
Our Vision for Rodney
Our Mission for Rodney
Action Plan: A Beginning
Conclusion and Next Steps

How Our Submission Came About

This submission to the Vision Rodney document is from a wide range of people with two things in common—we all live in Rodney and we are all aware of the need for a sustainable future especially in light of peak oil and climate change. 

While some of the members are old-timers in the area of permaculture others are newly joined in the Rodney Transition Town movement and heard about the Sustainable Rodney Day via the email networks.  A few responded to the newspaper articles and advertisements. 

The  goal of Sustainable Rodney Day was to move the Council decision-making process in a more sustainable direction. The Sustainable North Trust initiated the project with a grant from the ARC’s EIF fund.

Joe Polaischers’ original  idea for Sustainable Rodney Day was invite the new Mayor and Councillors to an environmental education day.  But as the year continued and the opportunity arose to run a community input process in parallel with  RDC  the Trustees felt that this was a better way to instigate long-term sustainable change.  This also coincided with the EIF grant’s goals of affecting long term change.

So it with grace that the participants present our vision for the 2009 Vision Rodney document and look forward to continuing input with the LTCCP process.

Closing the Gap: Intent 7 - Sustainable Rodney

Ko tatou ko te tangata he kaitiaki noahio i nga taonga iti me nga taonga tapu whakarere iho o ratou ma. Te tumanako kia mahi tahi tatou ki te pupuri tonu te mana, te ihi, te wehi me te mauri o enei taonga katoa hei whakaatu kit e ao tona atahua.

Man is merely custodian of the minute and holy treasure handed down through generations. Our endeavour is to work together to prosper, to preserve and protect these treasures for the benefit of all race, colour and creed to appreciate and enjoy.

Vision Rodney 2003 contains statements that can be related to sustainability, however, these words from the Maori opening statement contributed to our broader discussions about a clear sustainable development strategy for Rodney District.

Highlighting the Key Issues

Our world looks very different today from just five years ago. The nature and speed with which change is occurring is reaching the shores and pastures of Rodney District with as much fervour as any other community. Our group identified many key issues that are likely to affect Rodney District. While not an exhaustive list, these include:

Energy decline
Food safety, security and the need for abundance
Climate change, including extreme weather events and rising sea levels
Species and biodiversity loss
The need for sustainable transport
The need for sustainable land use planning
Rise in population growth
Crime and violence associated with social stress
Equitable distribution of remaining resources
The need to ensure health and social wellbeing for all
An underlying sense of urgency to address these and other issues

Our group agreed that the key to effectively addressing these issues lies in establishing a clear sustainable development framework in Rodney District – one that encourages, inspires and works carefully and consciously to foster collaboration and coordinated action among community organisations, the Rodney District Council, developers, community leaders, central government departments and agencies, individual people, communities and neighbours.

In addition, the group agreed that education about sustainability, including environmental education should be presented by the community. In other words, “the community must educate the community”. This approach would benefit both the Council and the community in that community-based education can support Council initiatives and be more efficient and effective.

Closing the Gap: Intent 7 - Sustainable Rodney (continued)

As such, we applied a sustainable development lens to Vision Rodney 2002’s Six Intents as follows, and have added Intent 7: Sustainable Rodney

Vision Rodney 2003 – Community Outcomes

Social/Cultural
Economic
Environmental

Intent 4 - We will take care of ourselves while working with others.
Safe and healthy communities

Intent 1 - Keep our country look and feel
A country look and feel

Intent 5 - We will be able to make our living in Rodney.
Jobs and opportunity in Rodney

Intent 2 - We will not let our towns and villages sprawl.
Contained and distinctive towns and villages

Intent 3 - We will maintain our lifestyle and look after the environment.
Maintained lifestyles and environmental care

Intent 6 - We will determine the future of our district
Locally determined futures

Intent 7 - We will make decisions and take actions based on a clear and ongoing
Sustainable Development Strategy
Sustainability Lens

Source: Dr David Kettle, Environmental Engineer
About Sustainable Development

Sustainability is the best attempt to provide the best outcome for human and natural environments both now and into an indefinite future.  At an earlier point in human history, the environment largely determined the shape of society. Today the opposite is true: human activity is reshaping the environment at an ever-increasing rate.

The parts of the environment unaffected by human activity are getting smaller all the time.  Because people need food, water and air to survive, society can never be larger than the environment.

Our group holds to the United Nations’ definition of sustainable development:

“Sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
-1987 UN World Commission on Environment and Development – The Brundtland Report

Sustainability is not a new concept. It is how most people lived before the Industrial Age in the 18th century. However, the notion of “sustainable development” and the need to address vital global and local development issues was made known to the wider world 20 years ago by the United Nations.

In 1987, the United Nations called upon former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland to head the World Commission on Environment and Development following the UN’s growing concern “about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development”.

The UN recognized that environmental problems were global in nature, and they determined that it was in the common interest of all nations to establish policies for sustainable development. Under Mrs. Brundtland’s leadership, the commission was to, among other goals, recommend ways that concern for the environment would lead to the achievement of common and mutually supportive objectives that take account of the interrelationships between people, resources, environment and development.

The scope of sustainability goes beyond the environment to include broader thinking of economic prosperity, cultural preservation and celebration, environmental restoration and social wellbeing and quality of life. Drawn graphically, these relationships look like this:

Sustainable Development
Society is part of the Environment. The Economy is part of Society.

Our Vision for Rodney

He aha te mea nui? Maku e ki atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
What is the greatest of all things? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Rodney is unique among the regions of New Zealand.

Our group discussed that Rodney is much more than “Auckland’s Playground”. We believe Rodney needs a unique branded identity – one that:

Sets us apart in New Zealand
Is inclusive, no one is left out
Supports our community values

Highlights Rodney District, its Council and communities as a world leader in sustainability best practices (innovative, forward-thinking, energy efficient, “carbon positive”, non-toxic)
Highlights Council partnering with community empowered to make decisions on sustainability (and operates by collaboration, cooperation and transparency)
Recognises future generations – all decisions principles and pathways of seven generations

Recognises the Treaty of Waitangi as an important guiding/empowering document
Authentic to the “clean and green” image/identity that the world perceives New Zealand to be
Adopts the economic, environmental, social and cultural quadruple bottom line – the “4 Well Beings”

Creates “villages” of self sufficiency
Adopts the ARC Sustainability Framework
Shows faith in the community, faith that the community vision will inspire change

We anticipate that we will work collaboratively with Rodney District Council and all communities to formally establish a new Rodney District “brand” with appropriate publicity. The following is an example of our vision:

Example of Our Vision

Rodney is a leading model in a collective of safe, healthy, happy, equitable, collaborative and peaceful communities. We build and develop on our inherent community capital to build a sustainable future
Our Mission for Rodney

To accomplish the sustainable development strategy of Vision Rodney will require the collective intelligence and actions of many people. Our group formulated a “first-draft” of our mission as follows:

We will create communities where people can live work and play.

We will make sustainable development the norm by 2012 (many sustainability initiatives are underway at the national (i.e. Beacon Pathways), regional (ARC Sustainability Framework) and local levels (such as EcosHomes www.ecoshomes.co.nz).

Rodney District Council will make all decisions through a sustainable development lens

Establish a target/benchmark date for:
A Carbon Positive region
Renewable Energy (energy that is clean, safe, secure)
Sustainable Organic Agriculture

Our decisions and actions give us the power to control our destinies economically, socially and politically

We plan and work within our bioregion (water catchments) in ways that build resilience and adaptability to change

Action Plan: A Beginning of the LTCCP

We recognize that a strategy for a Sustainable Rodney must be accompanied by best practices and ways to measure and monitor how we are doing – the systems, structures, metrics and performance measures.

Decisions based on real sustainability take into account the impact and influence of all four well-beings on Rodney’s economics and ecological systems as well as oru community capital, social capital and spiritual capital.

We look forward to driving innovation in our district through sustainability, and what that means for business, our leaders, the environment, our communities and people.

The following actions are a first-step toward a more comprehensive planning process:

We will adopt the ARC Sustainability Framework (all the work is already done for goals, plans, and actions)

We will create intensive rather than extensive agricultural land use, supportive of family farms, local food production, 80% within 80 kilometers.

We develop community-supported agricultural initiatives and community-supported energy production.

We will create regenerative systems that mimic natural systems.

We will cultivate new industries based on “green economics” – waste resources, soil fertility building, capital skills, knowledge and imagination.

We will implement the existing Zero Waste 2020 plan.

We will work to make changes in corporate law from solely profit-driven to begin legally responsible for sustainable decisions.

We build affordable housing in which people feel safe, secure and healthy.

We adopt a cradle-to-cradle model in our communities in Rodney.

Our initiatives are well funded, enabling community educators to effectively serve the communities, ensuring the further success of the endeavours.

We create opportunities to educate our young people and all people within our communities about sustainable practices.

We encourage a stable-state economic system

We develop our inherent community capital to build a sustainable (very different future).

Conclusion and Next Steps

Every generation has experienced challenges and opportunities in their time.
The mounting challenges in global areas that affect local communities such as climate change, peak oil and rising population must be a central priority in the coming decades.

Our group has put forth the frame of a sustainable development strategy on which we must all hang our actions. The most successful people in any field combine two views – a focus on big-picture development and on the details and inner-workings of processes, practices and mechanics. Now is our time to rise to the challenges we face in our community in Rodney District by establishing the means for effective - and sustainable - growth and development while preserving and restoring the environment we cherish.

We look forward to our ongoing open floor community discussions and in supporting our local Rodney District Council and community leaders to build a better future.

We appreciate the opportunity to make our submission and are available to answer any questions or provide further information.

Betsy Kettle, Sustainable North Trust (426 4909)
Jeff Smith, Transition Town Orewa – (420 4466)

Please indicate if you would like your name listed below or removed. Please provide your town as well. Thank you for your participation.

Community Members
Your interest, occupation, what you’re involved in, or qualification
Town/Village
Betsy Kettle
Permaculture facilitator

David Kettle
Environmental engineer

Jeff Smith

Diane Orewa

 

 

 

Transition towns Orewa is hosting our next meeting with The Green Party at Centrestage in the lobby this Thursday May 29th at 7pm.

Come along and meet others who share your interest in providing solutions and building a resilient less oil dependent community.

Look forward to seeing you there

WAR, PEACE & OIL

Iran, Iraq, Burma, Nigeria? What makes all these countries ‘trouble spots’? Is it a coincidence that all of them have a lot of oil? What are the prospects for peaceful development as oil supplies begin to dry up?

How do we deal with the current threat the Bush administration poses to peace, human rights and energy security?

Keith Locke’s illustrated lecture examines these problems, and looks to a more equitable world, using more sustainable energy.

The Transition Network recognises the valuable work that many organisations and groups have already done, and to seeks to support these and find ways for the many and diverse efforts in our communities to be enhanced.

Who: No previous experience or knowledge needed, just a desire to be the change.

When: Sunday 18th May 2008, 10am-4pm [set up 9am, cleanup 4pm]

Where: Earthsong Common House, 457 Swanson Road, Ranui

Please bring something for shared lunch & snacks. Koha for use of venue gratefully received. Roadside parking.

We will be using Open Space Technology to run this event.

Please RSVP David and Heather or call Ron 021 33 10 99

LOCAL CURRENCIES

Here is part one of Miguels talk at the Sustainable Living Centre. The others are available from this link.

http://nz.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=deepgreenvideo

Further to the inspiring visit by international monetary expert Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota I am adding here some of the many resources we discussed that evening.

I have also uploaded the talk Miguel gave the night before at the Sustainable Living Centre. This talk is a great introduction to the subject.

Miguels website is here.

http://www.olccjp.net

Here you can download his Powerpoint.

Living Economies are found here.

http://www.le.org.nz

Information and support is available to introduce new complementary currency systems, or to further develop those already established. They bought Miguel to NZ.

Miguels blog: http://mig76en.wordpress.com/

A resource website for complementary currencies: http://www.complementarycurrency.org/

Here are a couple of links to existing Local Currencies:

If anyone is keen to explore this concept and its application in our community please contact me at jeff @ deepanimation . co . nz

We are having an event next week for visiting International Monetary Expert Miguel Yasuyuki Hirota. I know this subject probably sounds pretty dry and more than a few eyes are probably glazing over already. But this is fast becoming an important ingredient in the transition. Every week we read more news from home and abroad about the sorry state of the current monetary system and its implications on all of us.

There is no transition without a monetary transition.

We were thinking to keep the evening informal by sharing a pot luck meal together before Miguel gives his presentation and we get the opportunity to question him. This is a great opportunity to build our own community and get to know each other better as well.

Miguel went to Argentina to study barter clubs during its collapse a few years back so he brings valuable first hand experience. Here is a link to his blogsite "Towards the economic democratization"

http://mig76en.wordpress.com/

I have attached Miguels bio and his press kit for more information. If you know other people who may be interested please let them know too.

Minutes from our third meeting.

Thank you all for attending. Thank you Allan for chairing the meeting.

20 people attended, representing Warkworth, Army Bay, Orewa, Silverdale, Wainui, Dairy Flat, Albany and Stanmore Bay. Brilliant that Chris Laird has kindly joined the Steering Committee.

We are creating a list of organisations in our area who we will contact and start building relationships with.

Transition culture was discussed as a community mobilsation. We need a tag line as TT is meaningless to most people.

This from James Samuels. Transition Towns are a new initiative that seeks to engage all sectors of the community in addressing the greatest transition of our time: from oil dependency to a low energy future. The aim is to become a hub that coordinates and catalyses the research and ideas of a diverse network of groups, organisations, associates and individuals from the private, public and community sector. Working in partnership, Transition Town initiatives will facilitate creative and pro-active responses to energy resource depletion, with the ultimate aim to strategise and implement a timetabled plan for a post petroleum town.

In the course of the coming year, you will see Transition Towns offering some inspiring and informative speakers, films, participatory workshops and think tanks. Look out for them. We aim to get people informed and motivated to work together in a positive manner, to design and build the solutions for our energy descent. Let's put {Town name] on the map as a place that is leading the way with these timely and pressing issues.

Early days we still need to educate ourselves and others.... through film evenings and community talks by visiting experts.

Film Evening 7.00pm. February 29th. 7.00pm. "The Power of Community"

Roberto Perez Centrestage Orewa 6pm., 7th March.

11th Hour Opens 31st Jan.

There is local land to be used in time of emergency - reserves.

Positivity versus fear, all emotions will be experienced as a part of the Transition. We need more research. Please send any research or ideas as regards this important concept as it affects how we communicate amongst ourselves and with new people.

Having Open Space encourages people to feel safe to be whoever they are and participate. We will send out an email about OPEN SPACE and how to practice it.

Great lot of discussion over Transition culture as we follow the steps to creating an Energy Descent Action plan. Start thinking about your own personal energy descent plan. Do your own Household Energy Descent Action.

Are community gardens in schools sustainable? We will continue to gain information in this regard. We will contact Kingsway college and ask them about this, waste management and the ecoschools programme.

Community gardens could be called Victory Gardens to take in to account what an achievemnet they are.

In the Rodney district we are conscious of our waterways health as well, what is being done to preserve them? Is this a project we wish to get involved in.

Roberto Perez's visit. He will give a talk and then be part of a Panel discussion on 7th March. Christine Rose has confirmed she would like to take part. Other panelists could include Archer Davis, John Kirikiri.

Meetings to be last Thursday of every month.

Next Meeting 28th of February at 7pm CD Headquarters.

Agenda for our next meeting on the 24th January at the Civil Defence Rooms.

1. Meeting Intro/News.

2. Quick introductions from people present.

3. Awareness raising. identifying key allies, building crucial networks and preparing the community for the transition.

4. Laying the foundations. Networking with existing groups and activists. Acknowledging the work they do, and stressing the vital role they have to play.

5. Five questions for discussion. What can we do right now to make our lifestyles more appropriate to a post peak oil era? Do people have any issues they would like to discuss in relation to altering their own lifestyle in response to peak oil? Are there some things that you are finding challenging about trying to live more sustainably? What would make it easier for you to live more sustainably tomorrow? What have you already achieved that you think others could also achieve, and what advice to you have to give them about how to go about it?

6. Discuss range of achievable projects we could look at instigating that would further our goals as a transition town. Some examples: -school gardens. -community gardens. -edible planting in town streets. -town composting scheme.

7. Sustainable Rodney day and the talk on the 7th of March by Ricardo Perez permaculture expert from the DVD "The Power of Community".

8.Organiponica courses. Is their interest in having one in our area.

9. Tank Vac systems for water tanks..do people wish to buy bulk direct from the inventor. Are there any other bulk buying opportunities we should be investigating presently i.e. solar panels.

10. Joining International TT group.

11. Set date for next meeting.

Orewa Initiatives

Inspired by Richard Heinberg's Peak Oil Speech in Orewa and the Transition Town workshop at the Eco show led by Richard and James Samuel.

Next meeting

7.00pm Thursday 24th January 2008.

Civil Defence Meeting Rooms Hilltop, Red Beach.

Everyone welcome.

Transition Town - Making the Transition

Vision

Long ago it was said that without a vision the people perished. This is equally true today. To respond to the oil crisis and climate change we need a vision to awaken abilities and energies, to bring into our consciousness a greater sense of what we can become as a community.

The gathering storm provides the opportunity to create a new culture that brings the community together

In the future the community produces its own food organically. Machinery and tools are shared. Electricity from renewable sources is the primary source of energy. All waste is recycled. Sanitation and healthy living are the primary means of health care. A local centre treats injury and alleviates acute illness. The local school provides learning relevant to sustainable living. People have a sense of common purpose and a feeling of belonging. Working within the community is satisfying.

Public transport will be the primary means of travel. It could be that transport fuels are rationed and priority given to essential services.

The scientific, technological, sociological and psychological knowledge developed since the industrial revolution will be adapted to a post carbon world.

Society will become decentralised and there will be much less travel. The local community will use large facilities in central locations such as malls for other purposes.

Making the transition.

Alchemy is needed to transform the glitter of the consumer society into the gold of self-sustaining communities.

The transformation starts by marking on the map the position from which we are all starting. We will all benefit from a realistic understanding of our current situation.

Current Situation

At present there is a widespread belief that progress is achieved by continuous economic growth and material consumption. Natural resources are used as if they were in limitless supply. The natural world is used as a sink. There is great faith that technology will find a solution to every problem.

World oil supply is going to peak sooner rather than later and rising oil prices and shortages will have a significant adverse impact on every aspect of the economy.

Nothing can replace oil as a transport fuel.

The use of coal and gas has to be cut drastically to prevent run away climate change.

Economic growth and the consumer society cannot be sustained. Putting effort into saving the planet within the present economic framework results in more consumption of resources and growth. (Ref Wikipedia: Jevons Paradox)

The sprawling network in which we live and commute will no longer be viable.

A simple life within the limits of renewable resources is the only choice we have.

The Scope of Change

People are shocked when they first realise that we are up the creek without a paddle in leaky gumboots.

Initially we respond like stunned mullets when we first realise the full consequences of peak oil and climate change.

Once the pain has receded we then respond in one of the following three ways:

1. Encounter the challenge head on and throw ourselves fearlessly into the tasks of change

2. Procrastinate while we search for solutions that allow us to carry on business as usual.

3. Deny that there is any reason to change.

Encountering the challenge is necessary. Anything less is a waste of energy. We need to use every personal encounter to strengthen and build each other up to meet the challenge.

• When the shock hits people need time to be a stunned mullet and count to ten. • Reflect and take in what is actually happening in the world • Be encouraged to accept change in concert with others • Develop a new consciousness (mental model) and ways of functioning • Form cooperative relationships • Contribute to community • Act autonomously as an individual and a community • Provide a lead to others

Summary

People are shocked when they first realise that the ship is sinking. What is then required is an orderly transition to the lifeboats and preparation for the voyage to the islands of the post carbon world. Some will deny the ship is sinking and insist on re- arranging the deck chairs or return below decks in an attempt to control the damage.

Allan Parker

Notes from the second meeting

Hi All,

Here is what I wrote down about the meeting.

We had apologies from several people, and to those who braved the wet weather thankyou. We also are very grateful to Chris Laird who opened the Civil Defence rooms up to us. What excellent facilities! Thanks Chris for this meeting and for all the offers of future resources. Great to see new faces as well.

We spoke about teaching all who wish to use the www.transitiontowns.org.nz wiki site. It is there for the using -dive in and have a look. A resources page is available etc. Reviewed what is a transition town - a community who is moving away from a dependence on oil and acknowledges climate change with an energy descent action plan. We spoke about the issues surrounding economic growth, and that we will be supporting localisation. Then the people present spoke about their visions of Transitiontowns. Some of what was covered was - ocean health/beach health/kaimoana health. -Infrastructure pressures in newer communities eg. Mahurangi's new developments. -Low impact designs could be implemented. -making Orewa a nice place to live and what that could look like. -electric rail -communities where you wouldn't have to use your car for days. -narrow roads -walkways prioritised -Food security -social services -more live music -new technologies -electric options- solar panels on street lamps -public transport in Orewa -what about a local milk treatment plant instead of using Takanini in the future -fishing ports -planting more trees-this is already happening -transport could be more electric -less roads -more bike lanes -footpaths between cul-de-sacs -food forests -organic gardens in backyards/schools/urban spaces It was great to throw our ideas out there and to see them visually.

Chris Laird gave us a CD perspective - Rodney has 100,000 pop. 85% food is distributed via SH1. We looked at scenarios - tsunami/volcanic/earthquake and the potential repercussions. Auckland is an extremely fragile system. Power is an issue, especially in Rodney as we get our power from the national grid- linked to Henderson and Sth Auckalnd. SH1 and SH16 is an evacuation route to South of Auckland because of this.

We all agreed that we are meeting to make our communities stronger together, become more united, find things to unite on. It is important to educate the wider public constantly, between our meeting times, so if we get new members we can all have similar understandings. Will endeavour to tee up a movie night maybe End of Suburbia if we can get the ok to have a public showing- several locations were discussed. Find a project to sink our teeth into to, talk about it at next meeting Sustainability Rodney day in March, -next meeting. Submissions will be asked for by the council for the 10 year plan we were urged by Zane Taylor to contribute as individuals, numbers are important, -next meeting.

We will start a list over the internet of interested people and their skills. We have a rough agenda outline for the next meeting if you have anything to add please let us know.

Next meeting January 24th at 7pm at the Civil Defence Rooms. (Yay the rooms are great!)

Meeting Agenda 6th December

1. Meeting Intro

2. Quick Introductions from people present

3. Bring visions of what we would like to see in Rodney with pictures (all)

4. Presentation by Civil Defence (Chris Laird and co).

5. Presentation of what other TT towns are doing or planning to do.

6. Discuss similarities and differences between TT towns in England and here (David Parker).

7. Briefly discuss the 7 buts...

8. Work through the first three three of the twelve steps.

Step 1. Set up a steering group and design its demise from the outset This stage puts a core team in place to drive the project forward during the initial phases. We recommend that you form your Steering Group with the aim of getting through stages 2 – 5, and agree that once a minimum of four sub-groups (see #5) are formed, the Steering Group disbands and reforms with a person from each of those groups.

Step 2. Awareness raising This stage will identify your key allies, build crucial networks and prepare the community in general for the launch of your Transition initiative.

Step 3. Lay the foundations This stage is about networking with existing groups and activists, making clear to them that the Transition Initiative is designed to incorporate their previous efforts and future inputs by looking at the future in a new way. Acknowledge and honour the work they do, and stress that they have a vital role to play.

9. Next Meeting – set tentative date/time/venue

If anyone has any other items they would like to add please let us know and we will add them.

Email sustainablenorth@gmail.com for more details or to go on our mailing list.