Transition Sunshine Coast – formerly known as the Sunshine Coast Energy Action Centre – is an evolving and rapidly growing collaboration of regional and local initiatives that have developed out of: the Relocalisation Network and Post Carbon Cities in the US; the Transition Town model from the UK; David Holmgren’s and Bill Mollison’s permaculture concept of sustainable design principles, ethics and systems, and climate change action groups spawned by Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth.
Regardless of our origins we are all people who are involved in relocalising our own communities, moving toward local resilience, building diversity and strength in local supply systems, and connecting with our community. And we are whole-heartedly committed to tackling climate change and peak oil, together.
The Sunshine Coast is located on the eastern seaboard of Australia – our initiative reflects the new mega-council’s boundaries capturing a growing population currently at 300,000, and more than 3000 square kilometres of land. It is a sub-tropical climate with good rainfall, fertile soil and lots of beaches. Our main industries are tourism and retail.
Our 2008 highlights;
- Ran a community education centre on positive solutions to climate change and peak oil
- Launched an Outreach Program taking it to the masses
- Continued our EDAP consultative process and the collation of actions and initiatives
- Invited to be part of council conference on the future of the region
- Invited to speak at regional events next year – State of the Region and Green Futures
- Ran workshops on Transition Town initiatives which have started up new initiatives in Qld and NSW
- Supported and connected new initiatives
- Launched our new education program – Pathways to Resilience
- Completed an ‘Outdoor Classrooms’ project for primary school teachers
- Well into planning the first local waste recycling facility in the region
- Began education for sustainability in the popular Eumundi Markets
- Won the most Sustainable Project Award at the Sunshine Coast Environment Awards
- Organised the 2009 calendar of training – early courses already fully booked
- Presenters at Greenfest in Brisbane and the Woodford Folk Festival (130,000 visitors)
- Presenter at the Queensland Home Garden Expo (25,000 people)
- Supported a Future Ready Expo (1000 people) including visit by Roberto Perez of Cuba
- Completed a solar bulk buy
- Promoting a series of reskilling programs including running composting workshops ourselves
- Built relationships with local government – ongoing
- Mentioned in state government oil mitigation strategy
- And just yesterday – ran a weekend workshop for more than 70 people on how to start initiatives in their own communities
Lessons learned
- Have a very clear vision
- There will be peak and troughs, try to ride them out and stay focussed on your vision
- Don’t engage in negativity – use positive language only and stay committed to your vision
- Don’t be afraid to fail – you only really fail if you keep doing the same failure over and over again!
- You don’t need to be a climatologist or a petroleum geologist – you need to be passionate and concerned about your community
- You are the expert about where you live – the transport issues, the food supply issues – that is what you know – build on it
- Meet with and talk to key stakeholders in your area – but go there with solutions, not complaints
- Focus on collaboration and cooperation, not conflict and competition
- Look for running mates to support you and to take the baton when you need a break
- Start in your own home and backyard – be the example
- Don’t reinvent the wheel
- Add your number to the international numbers – there are a lot of us out there
- And most importantly, network for inspiration and information and take care of yourself and try to remember to have fun – this is going to be a long haul.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Transition Sunshine Coast!
Photo: (Left to right) Sonya Wallace and Janet Millington of Transition Sunshine Coast along with Barry Earsman and Liz of Sustainable Maleny at the Sunshine Coast Environment Awards night.
