Nelson earns position among ‘Transition’ towns

While Nelson usually aims to be number one, this is a case where number five is just as good.

“We were pleased to be named the fifth official Transition Town in Canada,” said local ‘transitioners’ Tara Williams and Russell Precious. “The Transition Town movement is gaining international recognition and we’re excited to be part of it.”

The Transition Town movement started in 2006 in England, in response to the twin challenges of climate change and the end of cheap oil. It’s a positive, grassroots movement that focuses on building resilience – a healthy, locally engaged community that can withstand future shocks and changes.

“In a society utterly dependent on a finite supply of fossil fuels, it’s not hard to grasp the unsustainability of it all,” said Williams.

“The trajectory we’re on points towards significant change and our aim is to help absorb that change skillfully. The Transition movement helps us with an approach and tools for our community to manage the transition.”

A group of 15 local residents have come together to launch Transition Nelson. The steering committee meets regularly and is planning community awareness and engagement events. They also helped organize a Transition training workshop in July, in co-operation with Selkirk College. About 30 people from around B.C. attended.

It was during that workshop that the group learned that Nelson had been officially designated as the fifth Transition Town in Canada after Guelph, Peterborough, Dundas and Victoria. Ottawa was recently designated the sixth Canadian initiative.

“Over the next few months, we want to do a lot of community education and outreach, both about the issues and about what the Transition movement has to offer as a response,” said Precious.

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