So who are we?
Transition Nelson is a diverse group of people from the Nelson community committed to taking action to prepare for Climate Change and Peak Oil. They are building a vision of a future less dependant on fossil fuels and working out the steps we need to get there.
A Steering Group was formed in late 2007. Transition Nelson held its first public event on the 5th June 2008 and became New Zealand's 5th Official Transition Initiative on 23rd June 2008. In July 2008 Transition Nelson through the Nelson Environment Centre received funding from the Ministry for the Environment, the Canterbury Community Trust, Sustainability Limited and in kind support from the Nelson City Council which allowed Trevor and Kathy Houghton to be employed as coordinators for a 12 month period. Since July 2009 Nelson Environmnent Centre has provided some ongoing low level administrative support with funding from Nelson City Council.
What is our role?
Transition Nelson's role is to raise awareness at all levels of the Nelson community about the serious implications of Climate Change & Peak Oil and the need to act NOW. This is achieved my making presentations at public events to various groups and organisations, showing movies, running events, putting up displays and making submissions to Council.
We also achieve this by inspiring, motivating, nurturing and networking community initiated projects that move us towards a more vibrant, resilient, sustainable future less dependant on fossil fuels. This helps reduce carbon emissions and therefore climate change and helps us better prepare for peak oil. It also gives examples to the wider community of just what can be done at a local level.
We have also written an Energy Decent Action Plan (EDAP) which outlines positive steps Nelson could take to move towards a future much less dependant on fossil fuels.
What has Transition Nelson done so far?
Below is a list of some of the bigger events that we have run so far. Along with this there have also been numerous presentations to schools, businesses and the wider community, movie nights, social events etc.
- Transition Nelson’s inaugural event - 5th June 2008
- First "Food Group" Open Space Forum to discuss ideas around building Nelson's food resilience - July 2008
- Ecofest - Transition Nelson chaired a political discussion on "What should we do in the Nelson/Tasman region to increase our resilience to high energy prices?" - August 2008
- Business Breakfast for the Nelson Business community on Climate Change and Peak Oil - August 2008
- Launch or Unleashing to celebrate the community's desire to take action - September 2008
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Submission to Nelson City Council for the LTCCP (Long Term Council Community Plan) - December 2008
- Transition Nelson hosted a Public Forum to give an update on Climate Change and Peak Oil - February 2009
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- Workshop on the Transition Nelson Action Plan - April 2009.
- World Environment Day - Your planet needs you - Unite! - June 2009
- Climate Change Campaign - over 1,500 local signatures were presented to Dr Nick Smith, Minister of Cimate Change Issues asking for a 40% reduction in emissions by 2020 - July & August 2009
- "In Transition" movie - November 2009
- Freeze Nelson event - a call to action on Climate Change to raise awareness of the Copenhagen Climate Conference - December 2009