Transition Towns Newcastle - News and Events

Dear Friends

Some of you will have heard about the Transitions Town movement.

It's has just taken off in Newcastle, with the Transition Towns Newcastle launch on Earth Hour day.

Transition towns is a community-driven approach to improving our resilience in the face of Peak Oil and Climate Change challenges.

We're on the move and you have the choice to join us in a few different ways. If you don't get excited about meetings then our Ideas Cafe or our film night will probably do the trick. If you really want to get your teeth into the notion of transitioning, then our open space meeting will give you the chance.

Alternately, if you don't want to leave home, have your say on the website. The choice is yours.

Transition Cafe will be on at Andre's (Hamilton, down the arcade beside the Euro Bar) at 2:30 Saturday afternoons on May 2nd, 16th and 30th, to meet, connect, share and inspire (and enjoy the coffee). It is about building relationships, encouraging purposeful conversation and a space to learn, to share ideas and to initiate things. It is meant to be flexible and go with people's interests (and to be child friendly). Call it the Ideas Café.

1.. Our first showing of the American film "The End of Suburbia -Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream" will be on Friday, 15th of May at 7:30pm and we are again fortunate to be able to use the Baptist Church in Lindsay Street Hamilton (it is a lovely and accessible venue). This is a powerful documentary film concerning peak oil, its history and its implications for our society and future and there will be an opportunity for discussion following the film, and to explore the Transition response.

2.. Open Space meeting at Hamilton Public School (entrance off Steel Street) on Sunday, 24th May from 1-4pm . Open Space Technology is an extraordinary tool - described as "a simple way to run productive meetings and a powerful way to lead any kind of organisation in everyday practice and change". This will be a facilitated opportunity to develop our ideas and actions in the spirit of transitioning, and we invite everyone who is interested in the ideas of transitioning to join us for a joyful afternoon and help us make it worthwhile. We will organise some activities for children if needed.

3.. Our website is now open for contributions in your area of interest www.transitionnewcastle.org.au as we begin to network and support groups that share our values and reason for being.

We look forward to seeing all of you at some of these events (and some of you at all of them).

Alison Cleary

Climate Action Newcastle

and Transition Towns Newcastle