Lyons Recorder Newspaper - Local news from Lyons, Colorado for over 60 years

For the entire Transition Movement, worldwide, the large defining question remains the same, for the large cities as well as the few small towns involved. “For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of peak oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of climate change), and, in the process, greatly strengthen our local economy (in response to economic instability)?”

In the worldwide Transition Movement there has been a lot of growth since the last column of the Transition Town Lyons Journal last appeared in the October 21 issue of the Lyons Recorder. You can begin your knowledge base buildup about Transition at the new website which replaces the older transition towns’ website: http://www.transitionnetwork.org. Visiting that site, you will see Lyons listed as number 93 in the worldwide list (number 5 in the USA); Transition Colorado (formerly Boulder County) is number 53 (first HUB in the USA). The official Transition Initiatives in the world now total 377, fifty-three more than seven months ago. Currently there are about 375 communities, mulling it over, in 34 countries.

There are now 90 initiatives in the United States, fifteen more than seven months ago, in 27 states. Canada now has 19 initiatives, two more than seven months ago. As of this time there are none yet in Mexico, but Ensenada in  Baja California is mulling it over. There are no other initiatives in the rest of North America.

The new US site, http://transitionUS.org, has a complete list of the US activity and a wonderful interactive map. Your time in investigating these websites will be richly rewarded.
Focusing upon the progress of Transition Lyons, Coco Gordon who is very active in the Town of Lyons and a long-time member of the transition and bio-regional movements, was asked the question: “How do you view the Town of Lyons today with regard to its accomplishments in the arena of Transition Movement goals?” Following are some of her answers.

“We are in a good situation where the core groups of permaculture, food-shed, and reskilling are concerned. And transition-type movies are readily available to individuals and groups. Transition has upped its consciousness in Lyons. Those who have been permaculture  certified help now by serving on town commissions and boards. The WTL Twee Board has a permaculture certified plant management (landscape knowledge) well sewn up in a Transition core way.

“For example, Karen Strawn, on the Sustainable Futures Commission (SFC), is working with advising the town on new building codes to include more up-to-date resilience in our homes and lives. Another, Sapan Rinpoche, serves on the Library Board to understand the core relationship between inside and outside needs for the health of both humans and nature in siting a new community-enriched library facility with upped transition-type education as a part. I (Coco) am involved via SFC with waste-water and all water systems upgrades for the community & town, as well as teaching a basic Permaculture 101 course through the Town Parks & Recreation Department, that also uses the Transition Handbook, using Transition exercises in each class, as well as apprising the Town Boards on food-shed and economic localization’s impact on Town wealth and ecological economic policy. Betsy Burton at the Lyons Farmette has taken over in a very big and appreciated way the reskillings, cooking and permaculture community assets like vermi-composting, aquaponics, and seed saving that Lyons’ folks gratefully support.

“We are on the cusp of getting a new group together to host a coalitions day to weigh-in for most-effective-transition-actions and activities to-date in Lyons and what we know is going on in Boulder County. The group will use consensus facilitation process: no overlords, or hierarchies. We all have a voice and a process to practice.

“We want all Lyons core groups to feel they are a healthy part of the fabric of Transition resilience.To this end we will focus upon actions, with little emphasis upon meetings, including but not limited to an educational circle using the handbooks and training, and serving as transition Town liaisons to all town groups. If a core group emerges to wish to cover programs and activities not already covered, so be it! Blessings to the highest order of Transition Towns.”

So, we can see that Transition Lyons has been moving forward during 2010 and into 2011 in such good ways. Our continuing goal is the formation of more sub-groups, with interested citizens focusing on specific aspects of local life, which is where Lyons will really be tapping into the collective genius of the community in the process of working towards the creation of an “Energy Descent Action Plan” (EDAP), which is the ultimate goal in terms of the energy component of the transition movement. Quality of life will hopefully be a prime component that evolves out of the sub-group processes. 
Coco Gordon had this to say, about the EDAP: “The town Comprehensive Plan is being implemented now.  Transition Town Lyons can implement the EDAP as supported by the Comp Plan. Transition Town Lyons  has given out certificates to those who carry out Transition so well in Lyons, including honoring the Town of Lyons. We will keep this going by using our membership in the Lyons Chamber of Commerce bought with transition income from the permaculture classes, to issue blasts rounding up action on the EDAP. At the same time the Comp Plan can activate the creating of the EDAP while helping the Town to integrate all boards and groups in collaborative action and granting plans. This will fulfill the BOT announcing the need to revamp Town emergency protocols.”

Some of the ideas for working sub-groups that have occurred in the movement are Arts, Economics, Education, Elder Community, Energy, Food, Heart and Soul – the Psychology of Change, Housing, Liaison with Local Government, Livelihoods, Medicine and Health, Permaculture in  a variety of forms, Relocalization, Reskilling, Slow Money, Social Networking, Tools, Transportation,  Trouble-Shooting, Visioning, and so forth. Thinking about the working groups that would interest you is a good way to become involved in the transition movement processes.

The community will also come to recognize two crucial points. First, that we used immense amounts of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability on the way up the energy up-slope, and that there is no reason for us not to do the same on the down-slope. Second, if we collectively plan and act early enough, there’s every likelihood that we can create a way of living that’s significantly more connected, more vibrant, and more in touch with our environment than the oil-addicted treadmill that we find ourselves on today.

For more information on how you can become further engaged here with Transition Town Lyons, visit the Transition Colorado site, www.TransitionColorado.com, where you will also find the TTLyonsCo website. The specific URL is a long one, but you should go there: www.TransitionColorado.com/group/transitiontownlyonsco. Join in with us by signing up as a member of this Transition Town Lyons group, and sustain us with your involvement in your special areas of interest. That will be a very good  action in support of our efforts here in “Transition Lyons – Jewel of the Front Range!”