WELCOME TO TRANSITION BYRON SHIRE…

We’re a part of a world-wide movement of local communities building resilience in response to peak oil and climate change. Our aim is to provide an open network for everyone interested in living sustainability throughout the Northern Rivers. This site provides information, contacts, resources, videos and details of events and meetings that are going on in Byron Shire and the North Coast of NSW.

Transition Byron Shire 2012

Transition Byron Shire 2010

 

 

What is a Transition Town (or village / city / forest / island)?

Here’s how it all appears to be evolving…

It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change?

They begin by forming an initiating group and then adopt the Transition Model (explained in the Transition Primer at length, and in bits here with the 12 Ingredients for Transition and and even barriers to making Transitions) with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a Transition Initiative.

A Transition Initiative is a community (see examples of Transition Communities) working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:

“for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?”

After going through a comprehensive and creative process of:

  • awareness raising around peak oil, climate change and the need to undertake a community lead process to rebuild resilience and reduce carbon
  • connecting with existing groups in the community
  • building bridges to local government
  • connecting with other transition initiatives
  • forming groups to look at all the key areas of life (food, energy, transport, health, heart & soul, economics & livelihoods, etc)
  • kicking off projects aimed at building people’s understanding of resilience and carbon issues and community engagement
  • eventually launching a community defined, community implemented “Energy Descent Action Plan” over a 15 to 20 year timescale

This results in a coordinated range of projects across all these areas of life that strives to rebuild the resilience we’ve lost as a result of cheap oil and reduce the community’s carbon emissions drastically.

The community also recognises two crucial points:

  • that we used immense amounts of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability on the way up the energy upslope, and that there’s no reason for us not to do the same on the downslope
  • if we collectively plan and act early enough there’s every likelihood that we can create a way of living that’s significantly more connected, more vibrant and more in touch with our environment than the oil-addicted treadmill that we find ourselves on today.

If you want to find out more, check out the other menu items on the right side of the page.

Final point

Just to weave the climate change and peak oil situations together…

  • Climate change makes this carbon reduction transition essential
  • Peak oil makes it inevitable
  • Transition initiatives make it feasible, viable and attractive (as far we can tell so far…)

*this information was sourced from  http://www.transitiontowns.org/  wikki

11 thoughts on “Home

  1. Congratulations on getting the website link up and running – keep up the good work encouraging an approach that consolidates and integrates the steps and approach encompassed in many existing strategies and new and developing efforts of our diverse community seeking a more sustainable future.

    1. G’day Peter, I hope I have got this right. I think Janice and I met you and ‘Jason’ at the New Brighton beach entrance this morning (Mon 7th). I knew that I had seen the ‘Transition’ web site. So I checked this afternoon and there it was with the ‘350’ site in my bookmarks.
      If you are the Peter I met then get back to me, if you are not then I beg your pardon and hit the delete button.

  2. I think what you are doing is fantastic and I support it 100%. I am the branch manager of Planet Earth Solar based on the arts and industry estate in Byron and will gladly offer my support and resources in any way possible.

  3. Hi All – we are a group producing an online mag for readers from ballina to gold coast – http://www.eastcoastconnect.com.au
    -to connect and spread info about movements like this. Love the idea of recognising a problem and working together to fix it – not just keep ploughing ahead blindly and ignorantly. We will be writing an article soon about Byron being a transition town and would love to hear any input from people involved – cheers to clean simple and peaceful.

    1. HI Tony

      we look forward to hearing from you.. you can phone me directly on 6680 2905
      Love Liane xxx

  4. Transition Towns is a fantastic response to peak oil and all its ramifications both locally and globally. I would like to work alongside other local Byron people to create new opportunities for us all to move towards sustainable solutions. Government structures are clearly not up to the task and have become part of the problem (the Shirky Principle) Congratulations so far for getting the ball rolling.

    1. Hi Rosie

      Liane here – coordinator of TBS – thanks for you support and wondering if there is a specific area of interest you have? Love Liane xxx

  5. Hi everyone. I am contacting from Permaculture College Australia at Nimbin. We have been receiving Emails from your group for the last few years and have had students attending many of your events. I would like to add an event to your Events calender and am wondering how to go about it.

    Cheers,

    Janelle

  6. Folks of Byron Shire, there’s an elephant in your room, and nobody’s talking about it!

    Years ago, I was on the Catchment Management Committee in Bellingen Shire, so I do know about these things.

    When I was on that committee, around 80-90% of the tree canopy in Byron Shire, was Camphor Laurel or Privet. So unless something has changed dramatically, your beautiful tree-lined rivers and creeks are environmental disasters, which are being used as postcard images of Byron Bay!

    When I was in Bellingen, I came up with what I reckoned was a practical solution for the Camphor Laurel problem. It passed Council and the scrutiny of serious environmentalists. I’m in Bali now, but I still care. If anyone’s interested, send me an email, I’ll pass the concept on.

    Love the Transition Town movement, just please, good people, keep it real and practical. If we can’t change mainstream behaviors, we can’t make a discernible impact, so don’t forget to include serious consideration of economic sustainability in all your efforts.

    Best to all of you working to protect Oz,
    Norm
    Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, Bali

  7. This is Steven Saint Thomas from Pikes Peak Permaculture and Transition Manitou in Colorado. We will be washing up in Byron Monday night to observe and check out all you’re doing down here. Our Transition efforts have been VERY slow going. Would love to get a few pointers! If anyone has time for a chat, let me know! Email: ssaint01@gmail.com. Thanks!
    SST

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