Transition Streets – a Personal Plan Explore the facts, effects, actions & costs in reducing your personal impact on the planet, and plan ways you can go net-zero Transition Streets is about working with others in your community to make your home and your street more sustainable. Getting together and looking at key issues – Energy, Food, Water, Waste, and … Read More

Understanding Climate Change & Impacts through a Game Climate Fresk is set up as a collaborative game of cards, played out on a table. Each card contains a fact, a graph or a physics mechanism related to climate change (i.e. melting sea ice, rising sea levels, disrupted water systems, sea currents, sources and sinks of CO2, fossil fuel burning and … Read More

A Local Government Area focused Climate Change Game This is a full board game kit – locality maps , game play rules, player tokens, temperature change and impacts scenario cards, response and adaptation cards. The game incorporates the local government area ( council or city ) maps, data, planning, budgets & climate response projects and initiatives – the players get … Read More

Farming the Suburbs …….. Transition Streets 3.21 There are plenty of examples of households making their garden productive and plentiful ……   but not everyone has the space or ability to grow their own food. Joining a Community Garden is one option, but another is to be part of an Urban Farm  ————————————————————————————————- URBAN FARMING IS GROWING OR PRODUCING FOOD IN … Read More

If you like to hear what others are doing in the face of the overwhelming challenges of our world, these online events are for you. You can watch videos of previous speakers on our YouTube channel here. We (the organising team) aim to create a relaxed, informal tone, with time for everyone to introduce themselves and to hear three inspiring … Read More

On Monday 7 November three Transition groups shared their stories online (recorded), followed by informal discussion (not recorded) Speakers: Tim Drylie, Transition Creswick, Vic Monica Winston, Transition Streets Geelong, Vic Karen Majer, Transition Margaret River, WA A couple of themes emerged: (1) COVID and coming out of lock-down and (2) how to be sustainable in our sustainability projects. Balance. Passion. … Read More

During 2021, with ongoing lockdowns and limitations on face-to-face gatherings, two members of Transition 3081 took advantage of a local Council program to learn skills in digital storytelling – combining the tradition of storytelling with digital technology. Here is the video Yennie Yong and Yukima Cameron created, highlighting what Transition 3081 is all about. We invite you to sit back … Read More

Discover where you stand …….. Transition Streets 1.3 A quick online quiz from Transition Australia ( click the answers to estimate your Earth load ) Or download an Excel version of the My Ecological Footprint worksheet from the Transition Streets online course guide. The Earth-Global Hectares concept used in the Excel worksheet can be a bit technical – but one idea … Read More

We Are Not Alone…!!! Just check out the Transition Town groups and National Hubs!! The map is a bit out of date – so if your group is missing – log in and add it. And add the Transition Network Blog and News to your regular check ins. Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2021

What if we took our stories to the streets? Covid has changed how we can meet, run events, and even work in community gardens. Now this is an example from a group in the UK, but what about creating super flexible pop-up, mini festivals of information, inspiration, and connection? With a pilot funded by the Transition Network the first pop-up … Read More

Turning an old orchard into a thriving co-operative farm Faced with retiring and selling up their productive apple, pear, and stone fruit orchard in mid North-East Victoria, Hugh and Katie Finlay created a legal co-operative entity that allows individual farming businesses to share the expenses and collectively lease the land. The co-op currently includes – a productive vegetable supply business; … Read More

Transition: Stories of Communities Leading Change . Published as an Issuu ebook – “Transitions” tells the stories of more than 25 Latrobe Valley and Gippsland residents who see a bright and healthy future for the region beyond the traditional coal industry. The 86-page magazine features profiles of workers in the healthcare, renewable energy, transport, agriculture and coal power sectors, as … Read More

Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2021

Learn how to do it…with the help of this community of gardeners? PermaBee   19 videos on all aspccts of regenerative agriculture The official playlist for workshops run through the PermaBee program at the Randwick Sustainability Hub. The PermaBee program provides the public with the opportunity to get involved in an active community of gardeners and food producers interested in regenerative … Read More

Boomerang Alliance – Plastic Free Places The Boomerang Alliance, a peak community not-for-profit working on waste minimisation and recycling has produced a series of resources and informative web pages that explain the steps to achieving a plastic free takeaway service and cafe culture. Using Reusables for Takeaway during COVID-19 – Clare Sullivan, Plastic Free Byron Project Coordinator This is a … Read More

Biodegradable – Compostable – OXO-degradable plastics. Nearly every material will biodegrade, given enough time. But the length of the biodegradation process is highly dependent on environmental conditions including oxygen levels, humidity and temperature, and on the mechanical impacts – mixing, vibration. So just claiming that a plastic is “biodegradable” without stating conditons and time frame is totally misleading to consumers. … Read More

You can explore the current electricity market….in detail. An Open Platform for National Electricity Market Data The OpenNEM project aims to make the wealth of public National Electricity Market (NEM) data more accessible to a wider audience. We hope that improved access will facilitate better public understanding of the market, improve energy literacy and help facilitate a more informed national discussion on Australia’s energy transition in the long term … Read More

What exactly is in those comfortable stretch jeans…? Meg McGowan – a Permaculture Coach on the NSW Central Coast – found out by putting a pair of stretch jeans through her compost routine – household compost, hot compost, and a worm hotel. After a year – the result was quite shocking. These are reported as pure cotton with 3% elastane, … Read More

Emily Paddon-Brown talks about a weekly action you can take to help save the planet! Emily is an actor and music theatre performer, a parent of a young family, and active in her neighbourhood. Early in 2020 she decided to combine her skills with her experience and make series of short weekly video chats about actions anyone could make, that … Read More

Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet? The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health brought together 37 world-leading scientists from across the globe to answer this question: Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries? The answer is yes, but it will be impossible without transforming eating habits, improving food … Read More

A United Nations board game for 8-10 years ( and older ) Based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This is a full board game kit – the A3 game board page, a set of rules, templates for a dice and tokens, and 85 question cards covering the 17 goals. Designed for 8-10 years, but suitable for … Read More

How do we figure out our best actions…….. Transition Streets 5.1.1 Working out your transport footprint is complex. There is data on modes of transport defined in green house gas emissions, general pollution, and other health impacts. But we also need to consider the changes in these results when the number of passengers ( or the amount of freight ) … Read More

How to read your Water Bill …….. Transition Streets 4.1 Sorry – we are updated the guide at the moment ( August 2021 ) Contact Tom Danby 0425 711 935 Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

How to be a Facilitator …….. Transition Streets 1.2 Sorry – we are updated the guide at the moment ( August 2021 ) Contact Tom Danby 0425 711 935 Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Where is the Water…….. Transition Streets 4.3 Sydney Water have made this chart to show where water is used and roughly how much. Appliance/source Litres (lt) used Shower Regular showerhead Water efficient showerhead 10 lt / minute 6-7 lt/ minute Bath Average bath 110 lt Toilet Single flush toilet Older dual flush toilet (1983s model) Modern dual flush toilet (2005 or … Read More

Capturing that waste water…….. Transition Streets 4.4 Apart from a bucket in the shower, and using a sink insert bucket when washing up, the only way to capture that waste water is by inserting a diversion point into the plumbing.     This can be as simple as a rubber funnel inserted into the inspection hole on the out flow … Read More

A quiz to estimate your water use …….. Transition Streets 4.2 Hunter Water developed this quick quiz to estimate how much water your household might use – Water Use Calculator. How did you compare? Did it match your household water bill? Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Shaping your garden for water …….. Transition Streets 4.7 Swales – taking advantage of any slope in your garden to slow and capture rain water, or creating mini storage areas in the ground itself, by building earthworks and ditches. Canberra Permaculture Design have written a detailed account of one of their projects. And Gardening Australia made this video – Series … Read More

Rainwater Collection …….. Transition Streets 4.6 Diverting, collecting, cleaning, and storing rainwater is a complex task. The most simple is a down pipe diverter running into a small storage tank. The more complex become total water management systems – to get into the technical details use the ATA Tankulator – tank size estimates, tank materials, tank placement and more. And … Read More

More than a purple hose …….. Transition Streets 4.5 Systems for treating the grey water can be super complex and expensive. So have a look at this Living Big in a Tiny House video – a Permaculture based Grey Water Treatment system – effective reuse of both water and materials. Other systems can built using settling tanks and reed beds … Read More

Using water efficiently…….. Transition Streets 4.8 Constructed systems that use water efficiently, that reduce evaporation, and that give you better control over nutrient levels, can vastly increase your crops and decrease overall water use. Vertical Gardens – the growing locations are stacked in layers, the watering system constructed for self-watering, water reuse, and controlled nutrient delivery. One example is the … Read More

Electric Vehicles to Own…….. Transition Streets 5.5 Some of the world’s commercially manufactured electric vehicles are on sale in Australia. At June 2020 – it included the following models: New Vehicles BMW i3 $68,700 Plus Hyundai Ioniq $46K Plus Hyundai Kona Electric $60-64K Jaguar I-Pace $120K Plus Mercedes EQC $138K Plus Nissan LEAF 2018 $50K Renault Zoe $50K Plus Renault Kangoo $53K ( Commercial Van ) Tesla … Read More

A Mobile App to help you cut your greenhouse footprint One Small Step is a profit-for-purpose environmental enterprise that uses behavioural science and technology to help Australians adopt green habits and reduce their carbon footprints. Their June 2018 crowdfunding campaign with ING and StartSomeGood raised $28,400 and in May 2020, they released the first version of the One Small Step … Read More

Litter Action…….. Transition Streets 6.7 Illegal dumping and general litter costs local government around $70 million a year in collection and clean up costs. Community and volunteer groups like “Clean Up Australia” the various “Adopt A ….road, highway, town” groups, and bodies like “ Riverkeepers” are running clean up and collection events, and campaigns to raise public awareness. There are … Read More

Zero Waste Festivals …….. Transition Streets 6.6 Festivals, food fairs, and large public events can be murder on waste. Plastic food containers, drink containers, zip-ties, packaging, and souvenirs generally end up in landfill. A typical music festival of 16,000 people can create 8 tonnes of waste. Community Groups, Land Care & Environmental groups, and many event organisers are working to … Read More

Repair It, Fix-It, Service It, …….. Transition Streets 6.5 Repair Cafés and Fix-It Initiatives are free meeting places, all about repairing things and keeping stuff out of landfill, of getting joy out of that favourite thing again. You’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. On clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, ….. … Read More

Buy Nothing – Get Everything…….. Transition Streets 6.4 The Buy Nothing Project is about setting the scarcity model of our cash economy aside in favour of creatively and collaboratively sharing the abundance around us. Local groups form hyper-local gift economies that are parallel to local cash economies; Some people join to get rid of things that are cluttering their lives, … Read More

Your Waste Action Plans…….. Transition Streets 6.3 The new strategy pyramid is to avoiding waste first, and making disposing of waste the least attractive option, but we still have start with our household bins. Councils are giving detailed support -for example Nillumbik ( outer North East Melbourne ) have a useful A-Z guide on their website, with active links for … Read More

Highlights and Data…….. Transition Streets 6.2 The ABC TV’s War on Waste was a rating success. One commercial waste company has provided this summary and breakdown of the facts and data from both series. War On Waste Statistics And if you want more information on recycling – Sustainability Victoria has this page – Make It Easier to Recycle. Tom Danby, … Read More

Everything About Our Waste…….. Transition Streets 6.1 Compared with many other developed economies, Australia generates more waste than the average and the proportion it recycles is a little less than the average. This 126 page Federal Government report gives detailed data on our waste sources, waste streams, recycling programs and processes, and our comparison to international programs.   Tom Danby, … Read More

Fewer Cars = Better Transport…….. Transition Streets 5.4 With reduced overall car ownership, no servicing and maintenance costs, and break-down support – what is not to like about car share programs? One of the services – Car Next Door – gives a good summary and comparison here Most councils are allocating dedicated parking spots for car share cars, and some … Read More

App Smart Transport…….. Transition Streets 5.3 The commercial car hire, taxi, and ride-share programs are starting to use phone apps to make booking, sharing, and using easier. They vary in cost and function, but are making car ownership less attractive, and transport easier. Compare the Ride Share Apps here Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Riding Your Bike Safely…….. Transition Streets 5.2 There is more to it than not falling off – make sure your bike is in road-worthy condition, you have the right equipment, and you know the local road and path rules. Bike Safety Pdf  Australian States have some differences in road rules – look for your States guidelines – a sample from … Read More

Where must we make changes…….. Transition Streets 5.1 The Climate Council has issued a comprehensive report on the impact of Transport and where we must make changes to meet the reduction targets to address climate change. Waiting for the Green Light – Transport Solutions to Climate Change   – pdf download 3.1MB Transport is now Australia’s second largest source of greenhouse … Read More

Transition Streets Handbook – List of Resources 1.1 Global Transition Movement 1.2 Facilitator Guides – To Be Added 1.3 Global Footprint Quizzes 2.1 Understand Your Energy Usage 2.2 Electricity and Gas Usage Worksheets 2.3 How Many Energy Servants Do You Need 2.4 Energy – websites, books, and further resources 3.1 The Real Cost of Food 3.2 Thinking About Your Food … Read More

How much water to grow our food?…….. Transition Streets 3.20 Melbourne University research looked at the amount of water used in irrigation, to grow the food eaten in Greater Melbourne. This did NOT include natural rainfall, and it does not include the water used in processing food prior to distribution. The result – 475 litres ( twice the amount of … Read More

Edible Native Plants…….. Transition Streets 3.19 Edible Australian native plants like muntries, finger lime, warrigal greens, apple-berry, native pig-face, midgen berry, and sea-celery, can add spice to small gardens. In larger spaces, trees like riberry, and macadamia can provide both shade and food. Sustainable Gardens Online – explore the edible Australian native plants, plus gardening tips. Interest in Bush Foods … Read More

Another Way to Sell…….. Transition Streets 3.18 This is a new and unusual story – The Open Food Network is a not-for-profit organisation that has created a software platform to underpin a new food sales and distribution system that is fair, local, and transparent. They also run events and projects that help community food enterprises thrive. Their mapping technology makes … Read More

Grubby Grower to Grateful Cook!…….. Transition Streets 3.17 Where do you start? There are local food swaps – a great way to swap excess food, meet local folks, talk about gardening and sustainability, and just generally get some hints, and buy a little food – like this food swap group in Darebin, Victoria. Some areas have VERY active community networks … Read More

What Fish is That?…….. Transition Streets 3.16 More than three-quarters of our world fish stocks are fished right up to their limit. Commercial fishing methods also kills millions of animals every year, including turtles, dolphins and seabirds. Very few fisheries are actually certified as sustainable throughout the world. But we can make good choices and still enjoy seafood today, while … Read More

Low Cost and Free Food…….. Transition Streets 3.15 There are many ways to get low cost and free fruit and vegetables. The most basic is guerrilla gardening – cultivating otherwise unused spaces, and establishing food gardens and edible forests. There are also organised systems of sharing excess produce – like Spare Harvest and Ripe Near Me.   You can also search … Read More

Save Energy while Cooking…….. Transition Streets 3.14 Treehugger website wrote a recent general article on The Green Kitchen  and there is a good post –10 Ways to Save Energy while Cooking plus there is more on Efficient Cooking methods here.– pdf And if you are keen – check out this from Harold McGee. Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

What to do with Leftovers?…….. Transition Streets 3.13 Thoughtful planning means no wasted food, just enough for the one meal, or a cascade of left-overs into other meals. Lacking inspiration? Check out these 28 leftover recipes from the BBC Or these 49 recipes from the Jamie Oliver Kitchen Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Is this Compost?…….. Transition Streets 3.12 Compostable Food Waste? The most basic is fruit and vegetable peelings and cuttings saved for your compost bin. What you can compost this way is outlined here from Sustainable Gardening Australia. But by using a Bokashi type fermentation system, prepared foods, meat, dairy, egg, coffee & tissues can also be turned into compost. This … Read More

Is this Engineered Food?…….. Transition Streets 3.11 Ready to Eat – highly processed foods, while convenient and tasty, have an ingredients list that highlights the salts, sugars, colourings, and flavour agents needed to give these an appealing appearance, a long shelf life, and to use up cheaper base ingredients. There is little choice, you have to check the ingredients list –  … Read More

Can I preserve this?…….. Transition Streets 3.10 There is real value in having longer life preserved foods – dried fruit, vegetables, and meats; dehydrated products like spaghetti; bottled and canned foods (oxygen, bacteria, and mould free); jams & passata. It is convenient at meal time, and help us extend seasonal foods. Check out these Preserving Basics on a handy web … Read More

Is it safe to eat now?…….. Transition Streets 3.9 Raw & Fresh – hygiene and storage. Wash all food preparation areas, wash and scrub home harvested produce before bringing inside, and wash and rinse produce just before eating or making into the meal. Go here for more from the Food Safety Council guidelines on handling fruit and vegetables. And more … Read More

Can you recycle it?…….. Transition Streets 3.8 There is no reason (apart from economic) why food packaging is not fully recycled or reused. There are government standards that label recyclable plastic, and programs like REDcycle that manage soft plastics that otherwise are rejected at transfer stations and then become land-fill waste. Sustainability Victoria has a guide to the types of … Read More

Is Food Wrapping a Bad Idea?…….Transition Streets 3.7 Some plastic wrapping and packaging may be necessary for processed and bulk foods, and there are studies that show that the plastic waste from fresh food packaging is less climate damaging than the negative effect the 20%, or more, of that food being wasted through damage or spoiling in shipping, storage, and … Read More

Organic, Chemical Free ??……Transition Streets 3.6 Organic fruit, vegetables, milk, eats, and even biscuits….what do the labels mean? A short Local & Home Grown (pdf)  for a quick round up of the terms – Organic, Chemical Free, Biodynamic,and Permaculture. Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Pesticides and You…….Transition Streets 3.5 Large scale, industrial farming, both for food and for things like cotton, has relied on pesticides to maintain their production rates. Any monoculture is open to “weeds” and “pest insects” because the natural balance has been broken. Quick information on Pesticides  [pdf] Explore much more with Friends of the Earth The most common pesticides 1. … Read More

A Brief Intro to Food Miles…….Transition Streets 3.4 Because the transport of food uses fossil fuels, there is a hidden cost to the environment. But it is much more than that – it also means “globalised seasonal foods” – like blueberries in winter – and weirdly, the stages of picking and packaging can occur hundreds of kilometres apart. More information … Read More

Eat Ethical – Eat Seasonal……Transition Streets 3.3 Being aware of when foods are at their freshest, and of when it is the best time to harvest or gather, makes a lot of sense. These foods are at their peak nutritional value, and at the most natural “harvest” time for the plants. And, as a bonus, they should be at their … Read More

Ready for a Food Audit……Transition Streets 3.2 Buying food and preparing meals can get a bit automatic – are you ready to do an audit of what you have in your pantry and fridge, and then look at what you eat, and what you throw away? Download pdf –  a general pantry, and fridge food audit worksheet Tom Danby, Moonee … Read More

There is a hidden cost to food……Transition Streets 3.1 Food costs more than just the price at the shop. The industrial way food is produced, the social changes this has forced, the cheap fossil fuel energy needed, and the overall CO2 footprint, means there are huge hidden costs – and yet this large scale production will not be enough.   … Read More

Kids Fun – Energy Servants…….Transition Streets 2.3 If 1 kWh is like having a “servant” for an hour – can you work out how many “servants” you have in a typical week? Hint: Toast for breakfast can add up to 1 “servant” Watching TV a few hours each night can add up to 4 “servants” in a week. Boiling a … Read More

Reducing Your Energy Use…..Transition Streets 2.2 Where does your energy go?  Heating [15%] – Cooling [6%] – Lighting [8%] –  Cooking [8%] – Hot Water [25%] – Appliances [25%] – TV & Games [14%] But there are things you can do to reduce your total energy needs – download this short pdf guide to Reducing Your Energy Tom Danby, Moonee … Read More

Your Energy Usage Worksheet…..Transition Streets 2.1 How much electricity and gas do you use? This Energy Usage Worksheet will help you understand your bills, and then gather a picture of your overall energy use compared to the national averages. [Energy Usage Worksheet – pdf ] Tom Danby, Moonee Valley Sustainability, 2020

Transition, not just local……Transition Streets 1.1 Transition started in one small town, but the idea spread worldwide. As the number of groups grew, they started to work together, to share ideas, and to support each other. Out of that grew Transition Hubs – working groups that are building more structure, definition and resilience into their part of this network. Discover … Read More

Transition Australia has a workbook to guide you as you start making big changes – by starting in your street. The Transition Streets workbook is designed to be informative, inspiring, constructive and fun. We hope you will discover new ways of doing things together that make life in your home and street more energy and water efficient and less resource-dependent. … Read More

The 2019 Transition Australia Convergence was held on Sunday 15th September in Melbourne with the theme: Networks for Action It’s no exaggeration to say that we face a crisis. We need to do more than stop emissions, pollution, waste and habitat destruction but also rapidly reverse course to enable developing countries to bring their populations out of poverty. It can ... Read More

Transition Streets   Start your journey to a more sustainable life The news is filled with dire warnings about climate change and the impact it will have on our planet. It is easy to feel like there is nothing you can do, but you can make a difference. Transition Streets is about joining with others in your community to make ... Read More

This is an edited version of an article Rob Hopkins wrote after interviewing Graeme and Cathy Stuart, Transition Newcastle, when they introduced Transition Streets to Australia. Since this interview Graeme and Cathy have worked closely with some Melbourne transitioners to create the national version of the workbook, and Transition Streets groups are springing up in Melbourne and Geelong and other … Read More

Highett Neighbourhood Community House created a 5 tip series that illustrates sustainable tips from the Transition Streets booklet to share with their members. These three Transition Streets bite-sized tips were shared to remind members that small changes make a big difference. They were shared on the Facebook page and in a monthly newsletter and could be used in conjunction with the … Read More

The Transition Streets program has really taken off in Geelong, with at least 8 groups so far and growing. Here is Monica’s story of how it all started. At the beginning of 2017 I was feeling burned out. I had been a founding member of Geelong Sustainability and on the committee for 5.5 years and had organised a host of … Read More

  In the lead up to climate change talks in Paris, Rob Hopkins launched his book  21 Stories of Transition: how a movement of communities is coming together to re-imagine and rebuild our world. Transition Streets in Australia was one of the 21 stories, submitted by Graeme Stuart of Transition Newcastle. The book tells the stories of ordinary people who … Read More

Transition Streets – Bamfield Road commenced in May 2015 with approximately 10 neighbours and a few other occasional guests. We were guided by the Transition Streets workbook which was adapted to the Australian context, and printed for us free, thanks to a council grant. Together we explored topics like Water, Energy, Food, Transport and Consumption/Waste over monthly delicious potluck dinners … Read More

Megan lives in Greensborough, a suburb of Melbourne. She is a member of Transition Banyule and started a Transition Streets group in 2015. In 2017 she started Sustainable Greensborough. Here is her story of how she became involved: Transition Streets is a program that has helped me and my neighbours become more sustainable in our daily lives and save money. … Read More

Kingston local government area is in the south east suburbs of Melbourne. Transition Kingston people were part of the Transition Streets National Working Group that created the National Transition Streets workbook. Then they started a Transition Streets group, which grew to become Transition Kingston. Here is their story. Transition Kingston supported by Kingston Council have introduced a neighbourhood sustainability program … Read More