Quadra Island Transition Initiative

Quadra Island can and should make the shift towards becoming a 'transition town'. Transition towns are communities that have embraced established principles and concepts to become socially and economically self-sufficient. Transition towns worldwide are preparing for changes forecast to come with peak oil, rising food and fuel costs and to help weather natural disasters and other possible disruptions.

Becoming a transition town will be most successful with participation and co-operation from as much of the community as possible. Expertise in electrical engineering, renewable energy & conservation, agriculture - permaculture & land use planning, finance & economics and education, social welfare and health & safety will all be required.

What is a Transition Town?

A transition town is prepared for the future. These preparations are built on pillars that strengthen vital parts of our community with the goal of self-sufficiency. Together these pillars ready us for changes and disruptions that may or may not come to pass. But ones that we all know are possible like: food supply problems, rising fuel prices, an earthquake and so on. It is a plan to be prepared like ants instead of hopping along like grasshoppers!

The essential pillars of a transition town strategy:

• Energy Self-Sufficiency - Local Generation and Management
• Food Security - Permaculture Community Gardens and Land Trusts
• Financial Stability - Establish a Local Currency
• Social Re-Balance - Re-Tooling Labourforce, Improving Social Equity, Safeguarding Individual Wellbeing

The seeds of parts of these foundations are already laid on Quadra Island.

For more information see the Transition Town WIKI
There are also some excellent explanations on the Guelph Transition Town web site

Further reading - Transition Network's Transition Primer (1MB PDF)

12 Steps to Transition

There are twelve accepted steps toward transition:

1: Start a temporary steering group
2: Raise awareness
3: Lay foundations
4: Unveil the project
5: Form sub groups
6: Use Open Space
7: Develop goals with concrete results
8: Facilitate labour-force re-skilling
9: Bridge to Local Government
10: Honour elders
11: See how it develops
12: Create an Energy Reduction Plan

Read more and check on Quadra Island's progress >

Objections

But how can we make something so complicated work?

The Transition Network 7 answers to common objections.

Have questions? Like to get involved?
Contact the Quadra Island Transition Initiative .