Robin Krabbe of Live Well Tasmania, Meg Ulman of Relocalise Hepburn (aka Hepburn Relocalisation Network) and Lisa Gibson of Transition Bridgetown shared their stories (recorded) followed by informal discussion (not recorded) at a zoom meeting on Monday 13 February 2023
Scroll down for a video of each story.
Robin Krabbe – Live Well Tasmania, in Wynyard on the north west coast of Tasmania
Robin from Live Well Tasmania talks about Participation Income: A Community Capacity Building Proposal and why we need it. Participation Income is a liveable wage for those who provide a good or service beneficial to society. The proposal would be a step towards a Universal Basic Income. The vision is aligned with Transition ideas – imagine if you could design your own job and get paid, with collaborative projects, people working together to reduce our ecological footprint following permaculture principles of earth care, people care, fair share. Examples: community food projects, reducing waste, active transport, housing solutions, addressing isolation, increasing biodiversity, community supported schooling.
Meg Ulman – Hepburn Relocalisation Network in Daylesford Vic
Meg Ulman tells her story of moving from Melbourne to Daylesford in Hepburn Shire, Victoria, and why she was attracted to the Hepburn Relocalisation Network (HRN) and became a facilitator of their events. Meg speaks of the focus on positive stories, living and celebrating according to the season, the concept of “community sufficiency” rather than “self-sufficiency”, the sharing economy, skill-sharing workshops, the annual Terra Nullius breakfast sharing grief and truth-telling, the Hepburn Herbal club called “Wild Fennel”, and the proximity to David Holmgren and Su Dennett’s permaculture property. Meg sums up with “grow your own food, be in touch with your soil, say hello to your neighbour”.
Lisa Gibson – Transition Bridgetown in southwest WA
Lisa talks about Transition Bridgetown, a group that aims to connect local groups and individuals and foster resilience through co-operative efforts in the town towards a low-carbon, healthy and happy future. This is done with both top down and bottom up approaches, both influencing government policy and instigating community action. The most popular Forums and Open Spaces were on topics such as community energy, sustainable housing, food localization, waste & recycling, caring for our wildlife, waterwise gardening and The Regenerators.
Ongoing projects have arisen from these community events. An umbrella group Blackwood Events of the Earth (BEE) embraces all local groups with a regenerative focus such as community gardens, a seed bank, permaculture, landcare, biosecurity, small landholdings, friends of the forest. Ideas in embryo for 2023 include the clothing industry, intergenerational activities, indigenous environmental wisdom, and continuing to progress existing initiatives on housing, recycling and “all things regenerative”.
Notes edited by Mary Stringer and Kit Shepherd
March 2023