Growing in Transition

Picture this…you wake up tomorrow to a wildly different world. Affordable oil is a thing of the past. The filling stations in this area haven't had a delivery for a week and even if they had, you haven't been able to fill up your car since petrol hit £9.50 a gallon. Exotic food has no longer been flown in from 17 sunny countries to be neatly stacked on shelves in big warehouses we used to call supermarkets. The gas supply has been very unreliable since Russia turned off the tap on their pipeline last month, so the oven and hob are out of action and memories of flicking on the central heating and sitting in front of the TV are just that – memories. Sound a bit dramatic? Unrealistic even? Well, keep imagining… What do you do now?

That question is more powerful than you may think. ‘Now’ being the operative word. Why, you might ask? Simply because what we know now is that it is not a question of if affordable oil runs out, but when.

We all grow when things around us change. We only have to take a look at the changes in our economic climate and the impact is it having on everyone and everything to realise this. And even if we resist outside change, the resistance itself forces us to experience feelings of pain and discomfort, which ultimately makes us question our new position or new possibilities and opportunities available to us.

At Transition Town West Kirby, we like to treat change as more of an Inevitable Invitation. Call it an invitation to join a party if you like! Don’t get the wrong idea, Transition Town West Kirby is not a Political Party…it is now a growing group of local, passionate people who come together to raise awareness of sustainable living, help each other and the community to work towards energy independence.

Sound like a huge challenge? Well, in the last eighteen months or so, amazing things have already been achieved by ordinary people connecting in ordinary ways to achieve extraordinary results. Whether you want to grow your own food, share it (and your knowledge & skills) with friends and neighbours, explore new ways to save energy, money, recycle, create less waste, improve your health, get involved in art and creative projects, meet new people with similar intentions and attitudes towards life, or feel more connected to yourself, your community and the planet, there is something for everyone to experience, learn and share.

In fact, we are very excited about a particularly special upcoming Transition Town event in the lead up to our official launch party (Saturday 11th July 2009).

Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association
http://www.soilassociation.org.uk/ is visiting us on Wednesday 8th July at Westbourne Hall, Westbourne Road, CH48 4DQ - 8pm. Patrick will talk to us about how we can all live a happier, healthier life without dependency on oil. There will be an opportunity for Q&A too. All are welcome. Further information can be found on our website http://www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk/

We look forward to welcoming you to ‘Grow Together in Transition’.