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Lower Hutt

Welcome to Transition Lower Hutt

To a new era of sustainable, low-carbon, quality living.

Our Weekly Tuesday Meeting: Whats On Next?

31 Auguat 2010
Guest speaker: Jim O’Gorman, founder of the sustainable gardening organisation Dirt Doctor.

A leading figure in New Zealand’s Organic Movement, Jim runs a one-man farm in Kakanui, without the aid of electricity or machinery, growing 1000 square meters of food by hand for the local community and markets.  As well as leading Dirt Doctor Workshops throughout New Zealand, Jim is also working with the University of Otago on a project to remove Agent Orange from Cambodian soils using aerobic compost tea.

On August 31, Jim will talk the concept of “turning waste into gold”; understanding the resources we have around us that can be used to regenerate our communities. He will share his experiences with a green-waste recycling scheme and introduce a new way of thinking about weeds, green-waste and gardening. In addition, Jim will give his thoughts on the “community spirit” and how through giving and openness, communities can generate possibilities far exceeding those of an individual.

When: Tuesday night, 31 August 2010
Time : 7.30pm - 9.30
Where: Alicetown Community Centre, 38 Victoria St, Alicetown, Lower Hutt
Cost: Suggested koha  $5.00

It will be a great talk, enjoy a cup of tea, biscuit and a chat,
you're all welcome, come along bring a friend.

 

 

8 September 2010
Collapse  (dvd)   
It all comes back to the oil. That was the main point from the very beginning of this intriguing, eye-opening, and thought-provoking documentary film. In straightforward, clear terms, Investigative journalist Michael Ruppert explains how the world has reached peak oil and predicts an inevitable oil shortage. He also discusses the world’s unhealthy dependence on petroleum and the limitations of alternative sources of energy—everything from ethanol to coal and nuclear energy. Ruppert also delves into the financial crisis and explains such lingo as “fiat currency” and “fractional reserve banking” in a concise, easy-to-understand way. “It’s not that Bernie Madoff is a pyramid scheme. The whole economy is a pyramid scheme,” he states.

When: Tuesday night, 7 September 2010
Time : 7.30pm - 9.30
Where: Alicetown Community Centre, 38 Victoria St, Alicetown, Lower Hutt
Cost: Suggested koha  $2.00

It will be an eye opening and thought provoking dvd and should lead to some robust discussion,
you're all welcome, come along bring a friend and enjoy a cup of tea, biscuit and a chat,

Join the Transition Lower Hutt email group to keep informed on activities.

Background

Transition Initiatives are based on four key assumptions:

  1. That our settlements and communities presently lack the resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will accompany peak oil.
  2. That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is inevitable, and that it's better to plan for it than to be taken by surprise.
  3. That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now.
  4. That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us to creatively and proactively design our energy descent, we can build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognise the biological limits of our planet.

The future with less oil could, if enough thinking and design is applied sufficiently in advance, be preferable to the present. There is no reason why a lower-energy, more resilient future needs to have a lower quality of life than the present. Indeed, a future with a revitalised local economy would have many advantages over the present, including a happier and less stressed population, an improved environment and increased stability.

Join the Transition Lower Hutt email group to keep informed on activities.


Lower Hutt contacts

Paul Kennett, ph 027 442 1055, email: paul at kennett dot co dot nz
Stuart Edwards, ph 021 074 6640, email: xtracycler at gmail dot com

Interest Groups

Following a series of eight talks/films/discussions held in 2008 several interest groups have/are formed/ing:

Other events

PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE

WEEKEND WORKSHOPS 2010

How to design your life with the future of the planet in mind.

Based in the Horowhenua region of the lower North Island, we offer permaculture workshops and a Permaculture Design Course which is divided into 12 modules, held on weekends throughout the year. All workshops include small group exercises and discussions, with hands-on demonstrations. If you want to attain the Permaculture Certificate you need to attend the first two base modules — Design Course Introduction — and at least 8 of the other 10 modules of the course.

For more information please contact:
Gary and Emily Williams
at (06) 362 6684 email: gary@waterscape.co.nz  

Resources