Transition Towns Maroondah Inc. (TTM) is an incorporated community group in Maroondah, a large municipality in the outer-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. There are two parts to our purpose:
• to raise awareness about climate change, resource depletion and economic contraction; and
• to initiate and support projects that help to create resilient and sustainable communities as a positive response to these challenges. We see localisation of the economy and our way of life, and re-skilling as keys to resilience and sustainability.
We have a small Core Group to organise monthly gatherings and awareness-raising events, manage the email and website and plan the way forward. There is also a large email list, and a group of regularly involved people who work on various projects.
Our Story
Transition Towns Maroondah is part of a worldwide movement where communities recognise that we live in unprecedented times, where the health of our planet, our ecosystems, and humans (including future generations) are at great risk due to climate change, dwindling biodiversity, and shrinking supplies of cheap energy (especially oil). Transition Towns see this crisis as both a huge threat, but also a marvellous opportunity to create a new way of thinking about how we co-exist with each other, and the rest of the biosphere, to reduce our impact on the earth’s finite resources, and what’s needed to create a sustainable and sustaining future. (You can read more about the concept of Transition on the world-wide Transition Network site . Or look for Rob Hopkins’ latest book: The Power of Just Doing Stuff.) In November 2009 a small group of concerned people, with the support of the City of Maroondah, hosted a public meeting to raise awareness of the issues of Climate change and peak oil and to introduce the concept of Transition Towns.
The purpose of the meeting was to explore the interest and willingness of the Maroondah people to work together on sustainability projects which would strengthen the community and build its capacity to transition to a low carbon future. 90 people attended, and there was a strong level of interest in working together to apply the Transition principles and further on apply to become an official Transition Initiative. A Core group formed, to lead the initiative overall, and to work with sub groups to develop and implement projects. Special Interest Groups were established, focussing on the areas of Transport; Food, Water & Reskilling; Awareness-Raising; and Community Engagement. A website was developed, and is being upgraded. A small group of willing people have contributed large amounts of time and effort, and as a result TTM has been building its strength, and membership, and initial impacts.