Group Discusses Building West County Resilience

Theme is awareness and preparation for the future

(4/7/09) About 45 people from the hilltown region joined together April 7 in what is hoped will be the first of a series of discussions about Building West County Resilience.

Tina Clarke, a Transition Town trainer, presented the Transition Town movement in Ireland and the United Kingdom which is now spreading to the US. The group then split into smaller groups focused on specific issues: Outreach/Networking, Education/Awareness-Raising, Heart & Soul, Access Points/Actions, Local Food Systems, Buildings, Money, and Transportation.

The group agreed that it was important to bring into the Conversation as many people with as many different perspectives as possible to build a sense of community and to stimulate creative energies. The group is planning a series of educational events to raise awareness regarding the situations we might face in the coming years.

People who attended were involved in one or more of the following local groups: Buckland Select Board, Buckland Police Department, Common Good Bank, Earthwork Programs, Franklin County Regional Council of Governments Public Health program, Healing Grace Sanctuary, Katywil Ecovillage, McCusker’s Market, Natural Communities, Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, Shelburne Falls Senior Center, Shelburne Falls Water and Fire District, Shelburne Grange, and West County Sustainable Energy Committee.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 28, at the Buckland Town Hall, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. All are welcome.

Other upcoming resilience-related events:

April 19: Climate Change Leadership Workshop, Smith College, www.pvclimate.org

April 25-26: Transition Town Training, Amherst. www.pvsustain.org, or call Tina Clarke at 863-5253 or 413-658-8165.