Transition Town documentary - SBS

Friday night (7:30pm) on SBS, "Town with Nicholas Crane" visits Totnes in the United Kingdom. This is a community which has significantly adapted their town to follow "environmentally sustainable" principles that are sometimes grouped under the banner of "Transition Towns".

What is a Transition Town?

Basically, a community group or town determines they will work together to build resilience in their economy and general community in light of the peak oil, climate change, reduced happiness and economic instability.

A lot of it relates to people re-connecting with other members and skills within their community, bringing their economy back to the local or regional scale (by supporting businesses within this geographic area) and attempting to reduce their reliance on oil. Some websites also link this concept in with permaculture.

Anyway, back to the subject of the documentary. Totnes has undertakes numerous activities under the banner of Transition Towns, including co-housing, cycling, eco-construction, gardening, skill shares, seed saving and a solar thermal challenge just to name a few. It also has its own Transition Town website, which can be found at: http://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/.

Further information on Transition Towns generally can be found at: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/. This webpage also includes useful resources for people and communities starting out!


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Less is More

Another book review for those looking to read something that may potentially change your life. I think I found this latest book through the David Suzuki book club!

I am currently reading Less is More edited by Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska. It is a great book introducing many different authors' ideas on the concept of simplicity and bringing it into your life. It is kind of the equivalent of down-sizing your life and making it simpler so that you have more time to spend with family and friends and doing things that you will really appreciate.

I have borrowed this book from my local library but am definitely thinking I will invest in a copy. It has some great 'ah-ha' moments and I think owning a copy will allow me to refer back to the things that I consider are important because it is really easy to forget these principles when you get caught up in 'normal' life.

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Found a cool book club

I was just looking at the David Suzuki Foundation website (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/) and found that they have a book club (http://bookclub.davidsuzuki.org/home). The exciting part about this is that it isn't just any book club. It is a book club that reads books that I think I would actually be interested in. For example,

• Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming
• Less is More: embracing simplicity for a healthy planet, a caring economy and lasting happiness.

Cool titles and something that will help me learn about myself, the planet and how I can improve my bond with the world. I have signed up as a member and let you know when the next book is nominated.

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Opportunities missed?

I have been dealing with a number of issues in my professional life lately and feel that opportunities I might have usually taken or would have been given to me previously are passing me by. But overall I believe that I am comfortable in the decisions that I am making. Decisions in recent instances have been for both selfish reasons, but also reasons that I think will ensure my child is a better person as a result of these decisions.

I was just reading another blog about doormats (people being doormats that is) or more precisely 'how to be a nice person without coming last'. The blog was quite uplifting for me in my current situation and spoke about if you close the door on a particular instance, be that professional or personal, more opportunities are likely to come your way as closing the door gives you more room in your life to open other doors or have them opened for you.

Well, I am looking forward to new opportunities. Bring on the peace and happiness in myself and my life.

Sorry the details are scant...but didn't want to truly bore you with the detail. Just felt like purging and why not do that on an open forum such as this blog. :) Pin It