Transition Katoomba
A Message of Hope
Upper Mountains residents have formed Transition Katoomba to promote practical, local solutions to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil.
Around the world, hundreds of communities are forming Transition Towns to plan for a better future without cheap oil. Transition Katoomba - which covers Katoomba, Wentworth Falls, Leura and Medlow Bath - was designated an official Transition Town in July by the UK-based Transition Network.
At the heart of the Transition movement lies the belief that communities can build long-term sustainability and, at the same time, create lives that are more fulfilling, more socially connected and more equitable.
A Transition Town develops and implements an Energy Descent Pathway Plan — a strategy to minimise emissions and reduce reliance on oil. Local projects are designed to build self-reliance and reduce dependence on outside sources for commodities such as food, fuel and building materials. Projects can be large scale, such as local power generation, or neighbourhood-size, such as the community garden in north Katoomba.
Transition Katoomba will collaborate with community groups, businesses and local authorities on plans to make our community more resilient to future shocks. The foundation for a strong, localised future has already been laid by the many groups and individuals that are already working towards sustainability. Transition Katoomba looks forward to complementing the work of these groups so we can all build a brighter future for the upper Mountains.
Sharing ideas will be critical to the success of Transition Katoomba. Please email to subscribe to the TK newsletter or if you would like a steering group member to visit your organisation or group.
Peak oil
Less is known about peak oil than climate change. Peak oil means the end of cheap, plentiful oil. The world is not close to running out of oil but supplies are declining, with severe implications for the industrial world.
Andrew McNamara, Queensland Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation and Chair of the Queensland Oil Vulnerability Task force: "There's no question whatsoever that community driven local solutions will be essential. That's where government will certainly have a role to play in assisting and encouraging local networks, who can assist with local supplies of food and fuel and water and jobs and the things we need from shops. It was one of my contentions in the first speech I made on this issue in February of 2005 ... that we will see a relocalisation of the way in which we live that will remind us of not last century, but the one before that. Undoubtedly one of the cheaper responses that will be very effective is promoting local consumption, local production, local distribution. And there are positive spin offs to that in terms of getting to know our communities better."
Photo below: Transition Katoomba steering group member Jed Walker (far left) discusses ideas for a sustainable future with Ian Lett, Sue Morrison and Milo Morrison-Jones .
This item was posted in September 2008.
