Transition Culture

21 Apr 2009

This Weekend! The Transition Ireland Network Gathering! Don’t Miss It!

As part of this years Convergence Sustainable Living Festival, and to mark the 1st anniversary of the formation of the Transition Towns Ireland Network, the Transition national gathering will be held at Cultivate in Dublin. The aim of this gathering is to build the capacity of the Irish network, formally launch and build the content of the new web resource for the Irish Network and to meet and inform each other about where we are at in our own communities.

(I know it is a long shot to try and get some Welsh and Scottish transitionistas to attend with such short notice but have a think about it anyway. It would be great to meet you all again over here and there is still an INTERREG application to be made, this would be an opportunity for the Welsh and Irish communities to meet).

Presentations and workshops will be given by Pat Murphy from Community Solution (USA) and author of Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change, Rob Hopkins the author of the ‘Transition Handbook’ (by video), Colin Hines the author of ‘Localization: A Global Manifesto’, the convener of the Green New Deal Group and director of Finance for the Future, Richard Douthwaite author of the Ecology of Money and the Growth Illusion, Paul Allen the outreach director of the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales and the co-author of Zero Carbon Britain, and Faith Morgan the director of the classic peak oil documentary, ‘The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil’.

There is also plenty space for interaction, world café and workshops as we move through the head, heart and hands of transition. Also there will be screenings of Age of Stupid, the Powerdown Show and the Cuba film as well as a social gathering on the Saturday evening.

Please consider attending this important Transition event. There is a cost but don’t let that be a deterrent, if cost is a problem e-mail me to apply for one of the free places we have set aside for those in need. If you are have not registered on our new Transition Towns Ireland site click here.

The full schedule is pasted below, can you please forward this to your friends, colleagues and anyone interested or active in the process of Transition. To see the full Convergence Festival schedule click here.

The Convergence Weekend Symposium
The Transition Towns Ireland Gathering
Building the Capacity of the Irish Network
Saturday 25th April and Sunday 26th April | €100 / €80 concessions (Includes Friday nights Green New Deal Talk)

Talks, workshops and world café discussions on how we accelerate community responses to the economic downturn, oil depletion and climate change. Transition Town initiatives are an emerging and evolving approach to community level sustainability which is starting to appear in communities up and down the country. This two-day symposium will bring together all of the Irish communities who have adopted the process and all of those who are considering it.

Saturday
09.45 – Opening – Rob Hopkins (by Video)
10.00 – Mapping Exercise – Who are we? Where are we from?
11.00 – Presentation and Discussion

Transition Ireland Network
Where are we at? Where are we going?
Davie Philip, Alex Duffy, Kate Park, Brian Dillon, Suzie Cahn, Chris Chapman

11.30 – Break

11.45 – Concurrent Workshops / Conversations

Green New Deal and Transition – Colin Hines, Co-author of the Green New Deal and Co-Director of Finance for the Future
The Transition to Zero Carbon – Paul Allen Outreach Director of the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales and the project director of the ground-breaking energy strategy ‘Zero Carbon Britain
Setting up new Transition Initiatives – Led by Theresa Carter, Transition Kildare and Kate Park, FADA Newbridge
Working with local authorities, existing community groups and engaging the mainstream- Led by Brian Dillon, Future Proof Killkenny
Organisational Structures – Led by Chris Chapman, Transition Carlow
Thinking about Community Gardens – Led by Suzie Cahn – Transition Wicklow
Education and Training – Led by Alex Duffy Transition Wicklow, Davie Philip, Transition Cloughjordan and Senan Gardiner Transition Callan

13.00 Lunch – Screening of the Powerdown Show on Transition initiatives

14.00 – Harvest of Workshops

15.00 – World Café – The Transition Heart Cafe
“What’s it like to be alive, doing this work at this time?”
An opportunity to pause, breathe, download, appreciate the significance of it all, acknowledge emotions, know you’re not the only one doing this work.

16.30 – Café Harvest

17.30 – Closing of Day 1

19.30 – Film Screening – ‘Age of Stupid’
The Age of Stupid is the new movie from Director Franny Armstrong (McLibel) and producer John Battsek (One Day In September). Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

21.00 – Social Gathering – letting our hair down and getting to know each other

Sunday

10.30 – Opening

11.00 – Workshop – Local Currencies and Transition – Richard Douthwaite – The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, introduced by Steve Allin Transition Kenmare
Richard Douthwaite is an economist specialising in energy, climate and sustainability issues. He is the author of The Growth Illusion and The Ecology of Money both published by Green Books. He is a founding member of FEASTA, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability.

12.00 – Launch
The FEASTA Community Award for Transition Initiatives on the Island of Ireland
The Anne Behan Community Sustainability Award for Transition Initiatives will be presented every year by Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, to the community in Ireland which, in the opinion of a panel of judges, has done most to build local resilience, economic self-reliance, to strengthen itself socially and culturally and to protect and enhance its natural environment.

13.00 – Lunch – Screening of the Powerdown Show – ‘Opportunities for Change’

14.00 – Plan C – Community Survival Strategies
A dialogue with Pat Murphy, Community Solution (USA)
Pat is the executive director of The Community Solution. He co-wrote and co-produced the award-winning documentary The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, has initiated four major Peak Oil conferences and has given numerous presentations and workshops on the subject. He has extensive construction experience and developed low energy buildings during the nation’s first oil crisis.
15.15 – Break

15.30 – Concurrent Workshops

Making Media and Films for the Transition
A workshop led by Faith Morgan, Director of the Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil and Davie Philip Director of the Powerdown Show.

Tools & Tips for Transition
A hands-on workshop to try out and experience some of the tools available in the Transition handbook, the Powerdown toolkit and other resources. Led by Brian Dillon, Future Proof Kilkenny and Suzie Cahn, Transition Wicklow

Building the Transition Towns Ireland Web Resource
Activating and building the content of our new on-line network tool led by Martin Giannini, Cultivate, Alex Duffy, Transition Wicklow and Paul Brennan, Future Proof Kilkenny

16.15 – Going Further – Sharing Skills and Ideas
Led by Chris Chapman, Transition Carlow and Kate Park, FADA Newbridge

17.00 – Close

17.30 – Special Screening of The Power of Community, How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
Introduced by the director and co-writer Faith Morgan from the Community Solution (USA)