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Golden Valley Environment Group What are Transition Towns? Prepared by: Dave Prescott, January 2009 Residents of Hay-on-Wye and neighbouring communities are considering whether to become a 'Transition Town'. Transition Towns are based on the idea that the future without cheap oil could be preferable to the present - providing that communities act now. Over a hundred towns and cities in the UK and beyond – including Hereford - have already signed up to become Transition Towns. Mayor of Hay Peter Lloyd will introduce a Transition Town awareness-raising event in Hay later this month, which will feature two speakers from Transition Chepstow. Work in Chepstow has been underway since late 2006 and projects include: the production of a local cycle and footpath directory; lessons at local schools on ‘sustainable living’; energy savings measures for homes, and the creation of community vegetable gardens. Ainsleigh Rice, a Cusop resident and a voluntary “Green Ambassador” for the Energy Saving Trust, is helping to co-ordinate the event. ‘It will be a chance to find about what the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change could mean for us, and discuss some practical ways to respond as a community,’ says Rice. ‘Hay is already moving in the right direction, it’s long been Europe’s largest recycling centre for second-hand books! And there are further impressive initiatives already underway.’ The event is the latest in a series of awareness-raising sessions, practical workshops, film screenings and talks that are being planned throughout the year, including a possible link-up with the Hay Festival in May. The first event – the screening of a documentary on Cuba’s response to massive oil shortages following the collapse of the Soviet Union - was held at Hay parish hall last October, and attracted around sixty people. Transition Town founder and permaculture expert Rob Hopkins has spoken of the ‘wartime level of mobilisation’ that is necessary for communities to respond to the end of the era of cheap oil. The urgency of Hopkins’ message was echoed in a recent speech by UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband, in which he described the Transition Town movement as ‘absolutely essential’. FAQ and Background Notes are available at Transition Towns
For further information on Transition Towns, peak oil and climate change, see www.transitiontowns.org If you would like more details, please contact: tthayonwye@gmail.com Click here to return to top of this page.
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