Mar 23, 2011 - On February 23, 2011 a small group of active Berkeley residents launched Berkeley Transition Town at ...
Item 6b Energy Commission March 23, 2011
Office of Energy & Sustainable Development
Berkeley Transition Town March 14, 2011
The Transition Town Movement is an international grassroots effort to harness collective action to find solutions to the serious challenges of climate change, peak oil and economic instability. A network of hundreds of Transition Town groups exists throughout the world and about 80 such groups exist in the U.S. The groups are made up of community members who not only seek to mitigate environmental harm, but who also seek to reduce their dependence on finite natural resources and to prepare for peak oil and the increasingly severe disruptions associated with climate change. Transition groups are also focused on building local community through sharing skills and lifestyle ideas such as gardening, energy conservation and more. On February 23, 2011 a small group of active Berkeley residents launched Berkeley Transition Town at the Ecology Center. Leading the event were Berkeley community members Susan Silber and Linda Currie. Over 100 community members attended to get an introduction to the Transition Town movement and to express interest in participating in a Berkeley‐based group. The panel consisted of Dave Room of Bay Localize, Timothy Burroughs of City of Berkeley, and representatives of two existing Transition groups: Transition Albany and Transition San Francisco. Transition Berkeley has the potential to contribute to achieving the goals of the Berkeley Climate Action Plan (CAP). The group leaders see the Berkeley CAP as Berkeley Transition’s guide to reducing local dependence on fossil fuels. Expected specific activities for the group include local trainings for community members on specific practices, such as energy efficiency and gardening; screening relevant films; and presentations from various experts. OESD staff will continue to serve as a resource for Transition Berkeley by pointing the group toward existing resources and participating in group meetings as needed. Given the relevance of Transition Berkeley to implementation of the Berkeley CAP, the Energy Commission should consider what role it might play, if any, to contribute guidance to the group or to help build the group’s momentum. Transition Berkeley is very much in its infancy. It would benefit from input regarding how to prioritize actions. For more information on the Transition Town movement, visit www.transitionus.org. For more information on Transition Berkeley contact Linda Currie at
[email protected] or Susan Silber at
[email protected].
2120 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 ● Tel: (510) 981-7100 ● TDD: (510) 981-6903 ● Fax: (510) 981-7199 E-Mail:
[email protected] Website: http://www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable
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