local government

NZ Survey - Elected Local Councillors Ill-informed on Peak Oil

Denis Tegg — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 21:30:17 +0000

Becky Wardell at the University of Canterbury has surveyed technical transport staff and elected officials in three representative local councils in New Zealand – (rural, a provincial city and Auckland) to determine what influences them and what their attitudes are to peak oil.

She found that the majority of elected officials had either minor or no concerns about peak oil and only 27% had a major level of concern about peak oil. The level of concern about peak oil amongst technical transport staff was much higher than elected officials, with 65% of them considering peak oil to be of major concern.

Local Government ‘ALERT’ from the MAV Transition Community Working Group

James Samuel — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:35:30 +0000

From Victoria, Australia...

This ALERT is predicated on four factors:

The human race is facing its greatest challenge.
Individual communities need to collaborate to address the challenge and transition to a reduced-carbon, sustainable future. The time to act is now.
Local government needs to support communities in planning to address this challenge. Local government is likely to bear a significant proportion of the brunt of climate change, peak oil and other related impacts, and the sector is most effective when it collaborates to address major challenges.
The Transition Community approach is an empowering local response to crisis situations and offers the hope of achieving an improved local economy and improved social cohesion.

Video of Waiheke's protest against losing its recyclables

James Samuel — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:52:40 +0000

July 1st Action - Waiheke from Scott Ewing on Vimeo.

For more information, visit www.waihekedoesitbetter.org.nz

A Call To Action

Millie Pickle — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:51:44 +0000

To everyone involved in Transition Town initiatives- Waiheke's loss is everyone's loss. Now is the time to show the strength of the Transition Town community.

A Video message to Auckland Councillors

James Samuel — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:45:39 +0000

Keep Your Wheelie Bins In Auckland Central from Scott Ewing on Vimeo.

I love this community!

A form of tangible support for the Atamai Village project

James Samuel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:26:27 +0000

I have just sent in to the Tasman District Council, a submission and letter of support for The Atamai Village project which Jack and Joanna Santa Barbara from the Motueka Transition Town have been busy at work on. At a time when examples of resilient living are needed, here is a project which represents a great opportunity to the people in the Tasman District, and to all New Zealanders seeking to find ways to live in right relationship with the natural systems that sustain us.

If you read on you will find a simple step by step process that makes it easy for you to support this valuable project. It is possible that a little time spent on this will help set some precedent for the kinds of intelligent development that is needed if we are to create long term resilient communities. If the Atamai vilage project receives support and their integrated design is permitted to proceed it could help to establish a way forward for other communities wishing to design for themselves a dignified way of living in a lower energy future.