It’s easy to create your own group, simply invite enough people to form a group of approximately 6-10 households within easy walking distance. Your group then decides when to meet (eg, once a month), and what to talk about; although a handy resource book is provided as a guide, with small actions you can make each month. You can download a copy of the Transition Streets Invitation Template (Word Doc).
You can also email transitionstreetsgeelong@gmail.com for advice on starting your group.
Everyone in the group is given the amazing and free 180 page ‘Transition Streets resource book (In hard copy or download*) that supplies information, things you can do that both adults and children can take on, links to videos and other useful tips and even options to run the group. It assists neighbours to look at their use of Water, Energy, Food, Transport and Waste & Consumption together to reduce our ecological footprint in all these areas. It is for renters, home owners, young and old, single person households and families.
Use the initial meeting to get to know each other, and fill out the ‘Footprint Calculator’ as a starting point.
Meetings should of course be respectful, inclusive and certainly fun! Meet over a shared meal; cup of tea. You can of course invite people you already know, but sometimes great neighbours you ‘never knew were there’ get involved and often have a lot in common with each other… The conversation just needs to get started!
NB: The resource book was created initially by Transition Newcastle, and edited / refined for national use by the Transition Streets National working group. We thank them for their work and vision; and for distributing the book under the ‘creative commons licence’ for non-commercial use.
* It can be downloaded in digital form here: Transition-Streets-National.pdf [29MB, PDF].