greenliving Transition Towns
Where Sustainable Living is Real by Tara Lohan
More and more neighborhoods are making the transition to a climate-friendly community.
The town sits 11 feet above sea level, and unchecked climate change could erode its beaches or flood the town. Residents are taking matters into their
T
own hands. “We could ignore it, let the federal government deal with it,” Mayor Lori Hollingsworth says. “We’re not willing to do that.” Last year, Lincoln City commit- ted to becoming carbon neutral, through renewable energy, energy efficiency and carbon offsets. Communities like Lincoln City have
long been ahead of Congress and the White House on climate commitments. 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
he coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon, has a lot to lose if noth- ing is done about climate change.
a cultural shift involving people from tiny rural towns to major metropolitan areas.
The Heart of Climate Action
The fast-growing college town of Berea, Kentucky, is one of scores of U.S. commu- nities that have become Transition Towns and formed a diffuse, grassroots network, led by individuals who are working to transform their own communities. While Berea is seeing its subdivisions expand and farmland disappear, one group of residents is making plans to help their community end its reliance on fossil fuels. Berea locals have a goal they’re call-
ing “50 x 25.” By 2025, they aim to have the town using 50 percent less energy, de- riving 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 vegetable beds. They’ve also auctioned rain barrels painted by local artists and organized a 100-Mile Potluck to celebrate local food and farmers.
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. A lecture on climate change may
not appeal to everyone, but advocates find they can interest people in things like gardening, says Richard Olson, director of the Berea College Sustainability and Environmental Studies program. “We talk to them about heirloom seeds and what their grandparents grew and if they’d like to learn canning. We get them involved without even mentioning transition or sustainability.” Interest in climate-readiness is
spreading: Austin, Texas, has an ambitious plan to make city facilities, vehicles and all other operations carbon-neutral by 2020. Louisville, Colorado, now has a car share program. Charlottesville, Virginia, is creat- ing a trail system for walking and biking to connect schools, parks and other public spaces. Greensburg, Kansas, a city of fewer
than 2,000, was leveled by a tornado in May 2007. Residents have decided to re-
42 Hartford County Edition
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