Following up on the invitation to Transition Towns seminars in the last Feed (posted 19/3/09), here is an information sheet that will give you more background on Transition Towns and what they are about.
What is a Transition Town

Following on from mention in the last RSS Feed, of 'Building with Strawbale at the Food Forest', I had coincidentally previously been looking on the internet to see what came up when I used keywords like 'strawbale' 'australia' 'workshops'. The first I went to was
http://glassford.com.au/main/ and was so packed full of good information, that for now I have not gone any further. Especially see the section on 'How is it done?'
 
A linked UK website, leaders in their field are 'Amazonails' - there is an inspirational photo gallery at http://www.strawbalefutures.org.uk/projects.html (sample below)
 
Deb H

Management Committee has received a number of complaints concerning pets attacking native animals, causing distress to individual people (mostly children), damaging, and in two cases digging up, vegetables.

The Bylaws leave no doubt about the conditions under which pets are allowed in our ecologically aware Village.

Bearing in mind our ethos of consideration for the environment and people, combined with care for our diminishing natural resources, Management Committee has decided to administer the Bylaws in the way they were intended, and seeks the co-operation of all pet owners, whilst recognising that many already co-operate fully.

This was attempted last year, but we seem to have slipped a bit, and hence a slightly different system will be instituted, and it needs to be clear to all residents.

Separate letters to known pet owners will be sent with registration forms, together with a hard copy of Part 8 of the Bylaws which is the specific part referring to pets, although the last two bylaws of Part 7 (70 and 71) deals with any animals on common property are also relevant and of interest.

A register will be kept of pets in the Village (by Secretary Jane O’Connell). This will include details of Council registration, and a description, preferably with photo, and identity tags will be issued where it is practical to use them. (micro-chipping for both cats and dogs - for easy and positive identification - is highly recommended).

Cat-traps will be obtained in an attempt to rid the Village of feral cats which have caused a deal of concern, so it is important to keep pet cats inside or contained, particularly at night. The cats caught in these traps will be taken to the Council pound to be dealt with, unless they are clearly identified

Loose dogs will also be subject to impounding (with Council co-operation), although dogs probably may be recovered quite easily with the standard payment to Council.

Should you wish to check the Bylaws about pets, please read Part 8 of the Bylaws, ATTACHED to this Feed for your ready reference. You may notice that we have been concerned principally with dogs and cats, but the Bylaws apply equally to all animals, whether simply pets or whether kept for eggs and/or meat.

Naturally we have a community sensitivity to all residents and there will be a grandfather provision for those who register (with the Village) more than the single dog and/or cat allowed by the Bylaws, but only on the clear understanding and agreement that after the death or disposal of any extra animal the normal restriction will then apply.

In return we ask for owners’ co-operation too, and suggest that pets not be taken to any Village home unless it is known in advance that they will be welcome.

Richard Clampett, Presiding Officer, for the Management Committee
AAEV Animal By-Laws 2pp

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PS A stray, but related, thought for consideration (not from Management Committee) just occurred to me – for people with no pets, and who may be thinking about it, what about an informal PET SHARING PLAN?

Perhaps there are children who would enjoy part proprietorship, without involving themselves, and/or their parent(s), with the total care and responsibility, and yet experience all facets of owning and looking after pets!

Mexican Feather Grass has been inadvertently planted our garden in Olearia Walk. This grass is a declared pest, yet was wrongly labelled as a native stipa grass and we were told it was non-invasive when we bought it. 
 
We reported it to the Natural Resources Management Board as soon as we realised and it has now been removed, but unfortunately there is a real risk that it has spread by seed. Please have a look at the photos attached as we will need to look out for it over Autumn, Winter and Spring. Young plants have very green upright stems, and it spreads by seed not tuber, so the best method of removal is simply to pull it out.
 
If you are unsure, contact the Maintenance Team, or Jenni McGlennon 8556 5227

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Hearty congratulations to Kat Worth who has received an award at the Adelaide Film Festival for “Necessary Games”, a tryptich of 3 short dance films. Kat is co-director and choreographer of “Sixteen”, one of the films.

Necessary games was an investment of the Adelaide Film Festival and premeiered at the Festival on 22 February. It won best short film at last week's SA Screen Awards and took out 3 additional awards as well!

A local screening will be coming soon!

This is fantastic news as, in comparison with our “eco” image, our “arts” image has been a bit quiet recently. Well done, Kat.

Elizabeth H.

The ATTACHED set of diagrammatic instructions for setting up a dual water supply through your rainwater tank was originally handed out at the 2nd AGM of the Community Corporation.
Water tank setup

As copies seem to have become very scarce, I have scanned it into a PDF file and also posted it on the BDC Documents page at:
http://www.aaev.net/management/bdc/bdc_documents/index.html

Elizabeth H.

The Transition Handbook - Australia & NZ Edition: Creating local sustainable communities beyond oil dependency - by Rob Hopkins

Finch Publishing is excited to announce the Australian release of Rob Hopkin’s “The Transition Handbook (Australia & NZ Edition): Creating local sustainable communities beyond oil dependency. See:
http://www.finch.com.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?art_id=277&nav_cat_id=220&nav_top_id=70

Around the world, societies are facing the prospect of a future with dwindling oil reserves, an unstable climate and unpredictable food production. The Transition movement, already well established in the UK, is now in initial but rapid development here. It provides an effective model for ways we might engage our local communities to create a more sustainable future and move away from dependency on oil.

This new edition of The Transition Handbook includes profiles of Australian and New Zealand initiatives currently underway and shows the necessary steps to establishing a transition town in a local area, providing an achievable model for people who would like to transform the life of their community. These local accounts (together with inspiring reports from the UK) show how individuals have responded with their local communities to the twin threats of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

This practical book explains how we can ‘transition’ from fossil-fuel based communities to ones that are more self-reliant and generate less carbon emissions. It shows how such changes will result in a greater development of local food, local economies, local water harvesting and energy generation – and so create more sustainable communities in the longer term.