Transition Northfield UW Fox

PATRICIA BENSONBOARD OF DIRECTORS,

TRANSITION US

Transition Northfield

Sharing information and resources is a principle of Transition – many of these slides were produced by others in the Transition Network. With many thanks!

Pop. 20,000Rice County – ruralDakota County – metro fringeProximity to Twin Cities: 30 miles and getting shorter!

The Cows The Contentment

1855 began as an agricultural town, primarily corn & wheat

Cannon River provided power for grain and lumber milling

As wheat moved west, dairy and diversified farming replaced grain

Grain elevator closed as the city is urbanizing

River city with historic district

Vibrant community with education, entertainment & service opportunities

Socially connected community

1970’s completion of I35 resulted in growth as a bedroom community

Historical Northfield

Carleton College St. Olaf College

Cassat & Memorial Halls, LEED Gold certification

Students for a Greener Carleton purchased a wind turbine and installed a green roof

Arboretum with over 60% of 1050 acres planted to native species

Eco-dining (locally grown, compostable dishes, food garden on campus)

Education and research Community engagement

Regents Hall LEED Platinum certification

15 local producers and Stogrow (student run organic farm) provide food to Bon Appétit

All composting used on campus land

Wind turbine supplies 1/3 of campus energy

Restoring natural lands Education and research Community engagement

The Colleges

What’s Happening in Northfield?

Engaged Local Government Environmental Quality

Commission Northfield Energy Task Force Non-Motorized

Transportation Task Force An engaged citizenry

Local sustainability organizations

St. Olaf College and Carleton College


LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Northfield, MN

Environmental Quality Commission

The City of Northfield Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) advises on matters concerning environmental quality and natural resources, including the implementation of the environmental policy enacted by ordinance.

The commission consists of seven members, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.

Non-motorized Transportation Task Force

Established by Northfield City Council in 2007

To enable and promote walking, cycling, and other human-powered activities as safe forms of transportation, thereby creating healthier, more vibrant, and more energy-efficient communities.

Energy Task Force

Established by Northfield City Council, May 2007

The Task Force goals include assessing opportunities to develop energy efficiency and clean energy projects, assess the value of creating a municipal electric utility or special energy district, and recommend a citywide target and prepare a plan for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to meet the City's commitment to the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCPC).

Reports to the Environmental Quality Commission

With Hope: A Resilient Community

An Action Plan for Northfield Area Energy Sustainability

Charge 1: To assess opportunities to

develop local energy efficiency and clean energy projects that will:

a) protect the community from future energy price and supply instability

b) enhance local economic development

c) provide local, regional and global environmental benefits.

Charge 1: Viable Options for City Government

Lead clean energy projects and model energy conservation/efficiency to create social norms

Direct City staff to consider climate, energy, environmental, economic, and social impact of all decisions using life cycle analysis and monetary impact analysis.

Create/expand city policies, ordinances and guidelines to reflect sustainable design criteria

Charge 1: Viable Options for City Government

Develop local policies and initiatives that help create demand for green collar occupations through public sector investments and incentives that drive private sector investments

Create an Energy Commission reporting directly to City Council

Set up a 1-Stop-Shop for energy and staff it with a qualified energy coordinator



Charge 2:To assess the efficacy of

creation of a municipal electric utility or special energy district in achieving parts a,b and c of Charge 1.

Charge 2 Recommendations

Not pursue a municipal utility at this time of economic uncertainty because costs are so great

Work with key stakeholders to ensure that any new industrial park be powered by renewable energy, use best environmental practices, and attract green businesses.

Work toward establishing a special energy district for combined heat and power (CHP) and cooling that would service existing industrial/institutional users.



Charge 3: To recommend citywide target greenhouse gas emission reductions to fulfill Milestone 2 of the City’s commitment to the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCPC).


Set significantly more aggressive targets for Northfield and the surrounding, partnering townships, such as Carbon Free by ’33 (100% reduction by 2033) 15% reduction by 2013 50% reduction by 2028

Begin annual measurement/inventory update immediately. Inventory results reported by June each year via the City website to the Environmental Quality Commission, City Council, and the public.



Charge 4:To develop an action plan to meet the CCPC targets identified in Charge 3 and report to City Council by the end of May 2008.


Use local government policy tools to facilitate achievement of CCPC targets listed in Charge 3.

Recommend a Climate Action Plan of 10 items.

NORTHFIELD APPLIED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT PROGRAM AND IS ON THE

WAITING LIST, 2009.

Minnesota Green Step Cities

What is Green Step?

Green Step Cities is an action-oriented voluntary program offering a cost-effective, simple pathway leading to implementation of sustainable best practices that focus on greenhouse gas reduction. Technical assistance will be available from state agencies, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. Cities will be recognized for past steps and new actions.

Green Step: Goals & Objectives

Achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases and other positive environmental outcomes

Provide assistance for local governments to achieve best practices in energy use reduction and sustainable development

Provide a "Pathway to Sustainability" that is cost-effective, pragmatic, and achievable for all cities

Identify specific existing state agency staff and others who are committed to and technically able to help cities implement each specific best practice

Promote innovationInspire and assist residents, businesses, and community

institutions to take actionRecognize local governments for their past accomplishments

and their new efforts spurred by the program.

NORTHFIELD JOINED IN DECEMBER 2009 TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

THROUGH DECISIONS REGARDING LAND USE, BUILDING PRACTICES,

TRANSPORTATION, AND WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING TO

REDUCE GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

EPA Community Climate Change Initiative

ON THE ROAD

Northfield, MN

Transportation Options in Northfield

City bus runs from 8:30 – 4:00 Takes you anywhere in town for $1 Summer passes available to students

under 18Metro Express (October 2009)

Commuter service to the Mpls/St. Paul area and airport in 4 round trips daily

$8 ticket or commuter discount passBike lanes on multiple streetsConnected, paved greenway

trails connect residential districts to bike lanes on roadways

First ‘Walk or Bike to School’ day

On the Road

AT THE TABLE

Northfield, MN

Options Education

Local Food Action Network Loose coalition with

representation through multiple organizations and businesses involved in local food movement

Liaison to Environmental Quality Commission

Just Food classesJust Food’s Compost

publication Permaculture classesInformed via colleges

At the Table

Local CSAsCollege gardensFarmers MarketJust Food Co-opOrganic and whole food

sections in 2 local grocery stores

Community gardensCity land use requires

organic practicesCity orchard pending

Local Food Challenge

IN THE HOME

Northfield, MN

How do Northfield’s citizens fit into the picture?

Several congregations in the community have “Creation Care” teams engaging households in sustainability efforts.

Several organizations doing sustainability work have strong membership representation in town.

The City has great plans but no money to hire a sustainability coordinator.

Many citizens are aware and engaged, but far more are unaware and unengaged.

NORTHFIELD RANKS 7 T H IN STATE2,705,180 LBS CO2 REDUCTION

$250,925 SAVINGS IN ENERGY DOLLARS332 MEMBERS – IN A CITY OF 20,000

SEEKING MORE HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION

Minnesota Energy Challenge

TheTransitionMovement

The Transition movement represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people and communities to take the far-reaching actions that are required to mitigate the effects of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Furthermore, these relocalization efforts are designed to result in a life that is more fulfilling, more socially connected and more equitable than the one we have today.

Who is looking at Transition?

(Proportionate – enlarged for presentation)

How are they organising?

Transition Movement Understanding:

PO + CC ≠ “business as usual” Adaptability, creative NOW

7 Buts 12 Steps Transition Network Transition US


Initiating

Group

A small core, usually 3-5 people, who serve as Transition catalysts in the local community.

Founders and pioneers, these folks serve up to 2 years and from the beginning plan their own demise.

Objectives: Awareness Raising Great Unleashing Form Working Groups Form Core Team


Our Vision (goal)

We envision a vibrant, resilient, and socially equitable community committed to respect and care for each other and our natural world that is prepared to meet our basic needs by relocalizing our sources of food, energy, and health care in the face of oil depletion, climate change, and economic instability.


Our Mission (how we will get there)

Approved by the Initiating Group October 31, 2009.

In the spirit of collaboration we will use Transition tools and our community’s diverse wisdom to create an energy descent plan and move us from our current non-renewable ways of meeting our basic needs to a sustainable, localized culture.

How to start?

What’s stopping us? (1)

Dominant myths of today– Things are getting better– Economic growth is good– We must keep shopping– Technology will solve all our problems– There is no alternative– You can’t stop progress– Living standards are rising– Humans are selfish and greedy by nature– The market will solve it– We’re all doomed…

Transition Model – 7 “buts” (1)

1) we don’t have funding

2) “they” won’t let us

– no enemies… apparently

3) turf wars with other

green groups

Transition Model – 7 “buts” (2)

4) no one cares about the environment

5) it’s too late anyway

6) I don’t have the right qualifications

7) I don’t have the energy to be doing that

Can we respond?

Going up the energy slope, we used– ingenuity– creativity– adaptability– cooperation

Going back down…– if we’re early enough– if we’re cooperative– the future could be a

whole lot better…

Where are we going?

Indu

stri

al A

scen

t

• Energy use• Resource use• Environmental degradation• Pollution

Peak Energy?

Techno-Fantasy

Green-Tech

StabilityGreen-Tech

Stability

Earth

stewardshipPost Mad Max Collapse

Great Grand Children

Agriculture10.000yrs BP

Industrial Revolution

Baby Boom

Pre-industrial culture

Historical Time

Future Time

Creative D

escent

(Perm

aculture)

What’s stopping us? (2)

Cognitive Load Theory (fruit salad experiment) Short term vs long term thinking

– rational vs emotional, neocortex vs mammalian vs reptilian Belief in authority figures

– electrocution experiment - 65% gave lethal dose– obedient children survive

Sunk cost, or investment in the present– “it’s difficult convincing a person of something when his job

depends on him not believing it” Optimism

– an optimistic outlook is neurochemically self-fulfilling

Transition Process - Step 1

Set Up a Steering Group and Design Its Demise from the Outset

atrophy personal agendas humility stages 2-5 reforms from subgroups


Awareness raising allies and networks prepare community movies talks events


Lay the foundations other groups existing projects official bodies businesses collaboration


Organise a Great Unleashing coming of age powerful, passionate, informative,

inspirational timing content making connections

Transition Model - Step 5

Form “working groups” starting new groups bringing in existing groups guidelines training working groups and the

steering group


Use “Open Space” shouldn’t work! one long coffee break World Café

Harrison Owen - Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide

Peggy Holman and Tom Devane’ - The Change Handbook: Group Methods for Shaping the Future


Develop visible practical manifestations of your project

not a talking shop chose carefully lure in fence-sitters team building potential getting dirt under your fingernails


Facilitate the Great Reskilling Grandma, what was it like when you

were a kid? repairing, cooking, fixing bikes,

natural building, loft insulation, dyeing, herbal walks, gardening, basic home energy efficiency, making sour doughs, practical food growing (the list is endless…)


Build bridges to Local Government

becomes crucial don’t wait too long… open door Community Development Plan elections…!


Honor the Elders elders as a community

resource 1930 to 1960 – moving from oil

scarcity to abundance oral history community infrastructure not about going backwards


Let it go where it wants to go… focus on the questions unleash the community any sense of control is illusory


Produce and start to implement the Energy Descent Action Plan

assess current situation create 15-20 year vision for all

key areas integrate with community plan if

possible identify steps needed to get there start the work

Energy Descent Action Plan

1. Establish a baseline2. Get hold of existing

local community strategy plans

3. Create an overall positive vision of the community 15-20 years in the future

4. Create a detailed vision

5. Backcast in detail

6. Transition Tales to provide a tangible sense through creative media

7. Pull together the backcasts into an overall plan

8. Create a first draft9. Finalize the EDAP10.Celebrate! Always a

good thing to do.Free download Transition Primer @ www.transitionus.org

Resilience Indicators…..

While some indicators will be universal, many will be place-specific and will emerge from the EDAP process.

Percentage of food grown locally Amount of local currency in circulation

as a percentage of total money in circulation

Number of businesses locally owned Average commuting distances for

workers in the town Average commuting distance for

people living in the town but working outside it

Percentage of energy produced locally Percentage of local trade carried out

in local currency Quantity of renewable building

materials

And more….

What are the resilience indicators for your community?

Proportion of essential goods being manufactured within the community of within a given distance

Proportion of compostable "waste" that is actually composted

Ratio of car parking space to productive land use

Amount of traffic on local roads Percentage of medicine prescribed

locally that have been produced within a given radius.

Amount of 16 year olds able to grow 10 different varieties of vegetables to a given degree of competency

Percentage of local building materials used in new housing developments

THE TRANSITION NETWORK SUGGESTS A

LIST OF SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF

TRANSITION THAT ENABLE A DIVERSIFIED

RESPONSE GROUNDED IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT.

Seven Principles of Transition

Positive Visioning

Transition initiatives are based on a dedication to the creation of tangible, clearly expressed and practical visions of community life beyond dependence on fossil fuels.

Trust and Empower-ment

Transition initiatives are based on telling people the closest version of the truth that we know in times when the information available is deeply contradictory, and then empowering appropriate responses.

Inclusion and Openness

Successful Transition initiatives depend on the unprecedented coming together of diverse sections of society.

Sharing and Networking

Information sharing and learning are key principles of resilient ecologies that are central to transition.

BuildingResilience

How communities respond to shocks is critical to the transitional path beyond fossil-fuel dependency. The movement is explicit in its intention to build resilience across key economic sectors (including food, energy and transport) and across a range of appropriate scales – from local to national.

Inner and Outer Transition

Transition is a catalyst to shifting values and unleashing the energy and creativity of people to do what they are passionate about.

Subsidiarity

Self-organization and decision making at the appropriate scale are key principles drawn from resilient ecological systems.

Assuming these are accurate IFs……..

If/Then scenario

Continuous growth within a finite system (such as planet earth) is impossible.

Reductions in fossil fuel energy availability is inevitable

Industrial society has lost the resilience to be able to cope with energy shocks

Peak Oil, Climate Change and Financial Instability require urgent action

Determining these are reasonableTHENs….

It is better to plan for change than be taken by surprise

We have to act together and we have to act now

We are the people we have been waiting for!

We demonstrated phenomenal levels of ingenuity and intelligence as we raced up the energy curve over the last 150 years, and we can use those qualities, and more, as we negotiate our way down from the peak of the energy mountain.

If we plan and act early enough, and use our creativity and cooperation to unleash the genius within our local communities, then we can build a future that could be far more fulfilling and enriching, more connected and gentler on the earth than the lifestyles we have today.

Training forTransition

Cost: Dependent on the local host to cover expenses, generally about $200/participant for 2 days with 2 trainers.

Who: Those who are in Transition or interested in starting a local initiative

Have a clear understanding of the context for Transition Initiatives, the current global situation and the transformational possibilities that arise from climate change, peak oil prices and the economic crisis.

Know what the Transition process is–including an in-depth look at the 12 steps, from inspiration, setting up the initiating group, all the way to having active and effective working groups.

Have experienced a joint visioning process. Understand how to organize effective meetings such

as public talks, open space days, and small theme working groups.

Understand the purpose and principles of an Energy Descent Action Plan.

Have the outline of an effective and inspiring talk on the Transition movement.

Have formed useful contacts with other Transition initiatives and individuals interested in the Transition model.

Have a plan of action for themselves and their locality.

Cheerful Disclaimer!

Just in case you were under the impression that Transition is a process defined by people who have all the answers, you need to be aware of a key fact.

We truly don't know if this will work. Transition is a social experiment on a massive scale.

What we are convinced of is this:

If we wait for the governments, it'll be too little, too late

If we act as individuals, it'll be too little

But if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time.

INSPIRATIONENCOURAGEMENT

SUPPORTNETWORKTRAINING

WWW.TRANSITIONUS.ORG

Transition US

Transition US

Working board of directors2.25 position office staffProvide information on best

practices, share stories, provide tools, resources, online and in-person training and networking, encouragement, support, and respond to the needs of 61 Transition Initiatives in the United States

National hub for the international Transition Movement

Contact info:

Patricia Benson 952.607.9775 [email protected]

Transition Northfield www.transitionnorthfield.org

Transition US www.transitionus.org

City of Northfield www.ci.northfield.mn.us

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.transitionnorthfield.org/

http://www.transitionus.org/

Transition Northfield UW Fox

Documents

Transcript of Transition Northfield UW Fox