Page 70 - Project 29
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Activity 3:
Your next steps (20 mins)
You have now joined over 550 households in the UK, 11 streets in Newcastle and many others who have all
taken part in the Transition Streets program. (To see how many households in Canberra have now participated
in Transition Streets - check out our tally here!).
You might have already formed your own plans about the next steps for your group – for example, going again
through the sessions and picking up some new actions, or starting to explore some of the challenge-level
actions, including making modifications to your homes, shifting to a vegan or vegetarian diet, or replacing
your white goods with more energy efficient appliances. Think about where you would like to go from here,
either on your own or with some, or all, of your group. Different groups do different things next
In your group: Do you want to keep meeting? If yes, will it be purely social or will you have an aim? What will
it be? How often will you meet? Will you invite others? Is there a local issue you would like to work together
on: bus routes, cycle routes, rubbish, green spaces, bulk buys of LED lights?
In your community: What does your street or community need to make it more sustainable? Are there
community buildings that you think could have community-funded solar panels on their roofs? Does this
group have a role in that? Where will you start?
As an individual: Are there actions you still need to complete? Ones you never started? Topics you didn’t
think you had enough time to explore? Things you want to learn more about? What are your next steps, and
how will you make sure you do them?
If you decide to continue (and we sincerely hope you do) then it’s probably helpful for you to:
1 Agree on the purpose of the group moving forward.
2 Agree how often you’ll meet.
If could also be useful to plan perhaps another couple of sessions and decide the topics you want to cover in
advance, then have another evaluation, rather than agreeing on an indefinite program.
Other options and ongoing support
You may also wish to get more involved in other community activities that are focused on reducing our
energy dependence and building more resilient communities. Here are some options inspired by what others
have done:
• Have a street party or social occasion: www.thebiglunch.com
• Start some shared veggie gardening or sharing produce. Incredible Edible have some great resources on
how to do this.
• Sign up for some fantastic sustainable skills-building workshops with the Canberra Environment Centre.
• Try a Playing Out day in your street, so children can play outside in safety.
• The local Canberra branch of the Alternative Technology Association have some great events about home
improvements you can make to reduce your energy dependence on fossil fuels. Check out their events
list here.
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