Energy Descent Action Plan
Transition Town Hervey Bay have commenced the preperations for the Hervey Bay Energy Descent Action Plan – we had 27 community members (thats 7 more than the Sunshine Coast Transition Group!!) involved in the evening workshop held at the University of Southern Queensland. Led by Dr Ian Richards and Matthew Weller, the group were given an insight into what the future will hold where we will have less oil products and potential shifts in our climate.
From there all participated in group discussions regarding what may change in the region’s way of life and what we take for granted – this gave the group a chance to all put forward ideas and gain ownership of the EDAP. Results from this can be found in the summary document here or on the EDAP page here.
TTHB now call on more members of the community to get involved in this process, and talk about the results of this workshop and what they can do to help.
Everyone needs to consider and refine the 2030 vision for Hervey Bay. Our vision needs to be feasible, unique to Hervey Bay, and directive in terms of what we need to be doing. By mid year we aim to identify a number of projects that will be developed further by committed groups of community members with a view to implementation in 2010 and beyond.
A heartfelt thank you to those who participated in the initial EDAP session and to the others who will join us on the journey towards a sustainable Hervey Bay. For more information – please contact Dr Ian Richards on richards @ usq.edu.au.
Posted on behalf of Stephen Barry:
I thought I would mention a couple of things that may interest yourself and others. Firstly the ABC TV show “Around the World in Eighty Gardens” Tuesday nights at 8.30 has had some really great stories on food growing in cities. If you go to ABC.net.au/iview the program to find, is the one in which they do a segment on Havana in Cuba. What was great about this section was the food gardens growing in the main parts of the capital, including long one of the main streets. The point here is that it shows what can be, and should done in urban landscapes. Furthermore, what I felt adds weight to this, is the fact that it’s being done by people with very limited money and resources…hence here in the Bay we have little excuse to not move into planting food bearing schrubs, trees and developing communal vegie gardens…they look great and we can eat the produce from them.
The second bit of info I offer is for all to checkout the “William McDonough & Partners” website. click onto projects/commercial.. Ford Truck plant Detroit. There are many stories and photos to show how McDonough and team altered one of the most polluted and toxic industrial sites on the planet…How!! by emulating nature and sound industrial design taking the products within the design and there production materials into the equation. I could go on about this but I suggest that everyone check this guy out.
As we have here, sound, in practice, proven applications of what can be done. Now if his team can alter the area, it could be reasonably assumed we would have no problem applying the same approach here. One last bit to higlight this site and spark peoples interest..during the late 1950′s and into the 1960′s the plant quote…”The Rouge river used to perodically catch alight” from the pollution from the truck manufacturing plant!!! Maggie, please forward this onto others as I’m sure it will add fuel to our cause.
Kind regards
Stephen Angel.