greenliving Transition Towns
Where Sustainable Living is Real by Tara Lohan
More and more neighborhoods are making the transition to a climate-friendly community.
T
he coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon, has a lot to lose if nothing is done about climate change. The town sits 11 feet above sea level, and un- checked climate change could erode its beaches or flood the town.
Transition Houston, in Houston, Texas, is working on a
Transition film series with Rice University and a Permablitz
Residents are taking matters into their own hands. “We could ignore it, let the federal govern- ment deal with it,” Mayor Lori Hol- lingsworth says. “We’re not willing to do that.” Last year, Lincoln City com- mitted to becoming carbon neutral, through renewable energy, energy efficiency and carbon offsets. Communities like Lincoln City
program of neighbor- hood permaculture workshops.
mitments. Cities first began committing to Kyoto Protocol goals in 2005, through the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Now, more than 1,000 cities in the United States, the District of Colum- bia and Puerto Rico have signed on. The community
climate movement goes
beyond government initiatives; it’s a cul- tural shift involving people from tiny rural towns to major metropolitan areas.
The Heart of Climate Action
have long been ahead of Congress and the White House on climate com-
The fast-growing college town of Berea, Kentucky, is one of scores of U.S. communities that have become
Building a Future from the Ground Up
The Transition Towns movement in the United States is less than two years old, but it came from the seeds of earlier re-localization efforts and other community climate groups and nonprofits.
Transition Towns and formed a diffuse, grassroots network, led by individuals who are working to transform their own communities. While Berea is see- ing its subdivisions expand and farm- land disappear, one group of residents is making plans to help their commu- nity end its reliance on fossil fuels. Berea locals have a goal they’re calling “50 x 25.” By 2025, they aim to have the town using 50 percent less energy, deriving 50 percent of the energy it does use from local sources, procuring 50 percent of its food from farms and processors within 100 miles of town, and generating 50 percent of its gross domestic product from locally owned, independent businesses. The Transition Town Berea group holds monthly reskilling workshops to help locals acquire the know-how to grow their own food, weatherize their houses and install solar panels. Their projects help neighbors replant lawns with edibles and build raised veg- etable beds. They’ve also auctioned rain barrels painted by local artists and organized a 100-Mile Potluck to celebrate local food and farmers.
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Phoenix
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