Today (8/1/08) Transition Island learned that they have been accepted into the national Transition Towns Network. Ben Brangwyn (Co-founder of the Network) said "It looks like you have the makings of a great team there and I'm delighted to welcome you formally into the hallowed ranks of official Transition Initiatives - our first island! "

He was interested to see the way "the uniqueness of an island shapes the initiative there ... You'll have lessons that other islands will benefit from." Transition Island aims to encourage and support all who work to meet the twin challenges of Peal Oil and Climate Change. They hope that all Island towns will form their own group to work on their local issues, and will in turn support the Council's Eco-Isle initiative.

The Steering Group was delighted with this recognition of their work so far. They will gain national support such as training, information and networking with other groups in the UK and abroad. The Island's temporary website is at http://www.aldermoor-farm.co.uk/TransitionIsland.htm. They welcome contact from everyone interested in learning more about this, and anyone who would like to contribute.

Resolving the Future Energy Gap

By CAROLINE DIAMOND, IW County Press
Friday, January 4, 2008

AS we begin another year, we often take time to reflect on our lives and to think about what our resolutions might be for 2008.

Life on the Island is good for many rea­sons. We are surrounded by stunning scenery, much of it designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty, we have no motorways, the crime rate is relatively low and Islanders are rightly proud of the area.

But how do you envisage the Island in 20 years' time? This is one of the questions posed by Vav Simon, who is involved in the Transition Island Scheme. This is part of the Transition Towns Network, a national organisation which aims to help communi­ties prepare to cope with problems encoun­tered due to climate change and the peak oil issue.

Climate change has been well document­ed but the peak oil issue is slightly more controversial. The Transition Town website explains the world is not going to run out of oil and grind to a sudden halt, in the way a car runs out of petrol and suddenly stops.

The problem, scientists argue, will be more of a steady decline in the amount and quality of oil obtained and this could have a huge, worldwide domino effect, which could be catastrophic and affect many areas of our lives.

The other problem with peak oil is prices will rise steeply as a result of the shortage of easy-to-extract-oil and this will be made worse by the huge amounts of oil required by growing industrial world powers such as India, Russia and China.

Many of us believe alternative energy sources will be found but others feel, unless a fictitious fairy god­mother appears, time will run out and the social and economic effects of peak oil could he disastrous.

Vav Simon spoke to me about how the Transition Island Scheme could work effec­tively for Islanders. Vav is keen to stress the scheme is a collective anyone can join, not class-related or linked to any political party or religion. This is a network of people who believe in taking small steps to counter, on a local level, what is a global problem.

Vav has been on the Island for 13 years and is best known for her work as a chiro­practor at the IW Natural Therapy Centre for Animals, as well as the courses she runs from her home at Aldermoor Farm.

When Vav and her husband, Dave, took up residence at the farm in the winter of 2004 they began carrying out works to the property and were astonished when they were asked to remove a hedge growing on their land.

They saw this as unnecessary and detrimental to the environment but came to a compromise by agreeing to a process called hedge laying, where the hedge is cut back and main­tained. While doing this, Vav and Dave got to know many local people and became interested in permaculture - working with, rather than against, nature. They ran and hosted the Island's Permaculture Group and ran courses about it from their farm.

From there, Vav discovered the Transition Town Network and was invited to its first conference to lecture on Post Peak Oil Healthcare for Animals.

The Transition Town Network idea origi­nated in Totnes, Devon, and attracts hun­dreds of people to its meetings, gaining national acclaim. Totnes businesses have even adopted their own currency, the Totnes pound.

I was interested to know how Vav thought this model would work on the Island, how it could be implemented and what the benefits would be. Vav explained the Island would suffer as a result of oil price rises due to the vast amount of goods we imported from the main­land. Transport to the Island, particularly the ferries, would be badly affected. The Transition Network promotes buying Island-produced goods from Island shops and also encourages actions like growing your own vegetables.

A meeting was held in Newport to intro­duce the concept of transition to Islanders. Vav was extremely encouraged by the turnout on the evening of almost 70 people, including the Island's MP, Andrew Turner. A film, The Power of Community, was shown, showing hardships and struggles faced by the Cuban people after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 when oil imports were cut by half.

Vav's ideal for the Island in future includes less vehicular movement, more local shops and markets, the existence of an abattoir on the Island and the use of more Island produce.

It is difficult to argue against any of these. The outcome of the meeting was that those who attended took a unanimous deci­sion to adopt the Transition Town Model for the Island.

The next stage was to set up a steering group, which meets fortnightly and looks at areas to work on such as education, water, food production, transport and recycling on the Island. The network is in the process of setting up a car-share scheme here and also wants to branch out and spread the word to every town and village.

A roadshow will visit as many areas as possible, following a similar format to the Newport meeting with a view to encouraging more people to get involved on the Island. The roadshows will be open to anyone who has an interest in their community, so knowledge, skills and ideas can be pooled.

The network pro­motes the idea of each member of the group having an equal say and equal status. Ideas are bound to differ from one town to another, what works in Yarmouth may not work in Bembridge, for exam­ple.

It stresses the key thing is to start by making small changes to your personal lifestyle. Vav is interested in hearing from anyone who can offer a suitable venue for the roadshow and also any groups who may wish to hear more about the Transition Island model.

Transition Island also needs a website and welcomes any enquiries from people interested in getting involved.

Although taking these steps will not solve the issue of peak oil, they serve to highlight the issue and encourage people to think and act for the good of the communi­ty.

To find out more and to get in touch with Transition Island, log on to www.aldermoor-farm.co.uk/Transitionlsland.htm

 

East Cowes plans energy descent

Fuel and food prices are rising all the time, with no sign of slowing.

Planning for a different future is increasingly important. A group called Transition Island, a branch of a national organisation (Transition Towns Network) is focussed on this.

Vav Simon is currently heading the group. She said “We are encouraging people in the community to start forming local groups to discuss these issues. Rather than waiting for Government or big business to sort it out, we need to make a start for ourselves.”

The first East Cowes Town Meeting will invite residents to listen to Vav talk about the Transition Town model. This offers a method for everyone to have a say, and see the range of concerns and opportunities arising. It is not unusual for hundreds of comments to come out of such a meeting.

Margaret Prior, Mayor of East Cowes, said “This is a chance for local people to make our town more sustainable and resilient to the changes ahead. We want everyone to contribute. I am very excited about this initiative and look forward to meeting people on 3^rd April at 7pm in our Town Hall.”

The meeting will start with a talk by Winston Churchill award winner Lois Prior on ‘Zen and the Art of Sustainability’. The Town Council will also explain their work.