Sustainability Action Plan. Working together to create a sustainable community

8/12/2019 Sustainability Action Plan. Working together to create a sustainable community

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You hold in your hands a community-created plan outlining a rangeof possible projects aimed at strengthening our local economy, ourcommunity bonds, and our community resilience while reducingour dependence on - and emissions from - fossil fuels.

What future do YOU envisage for our community? Better? Worse?About the same as today? The media is full of regular warnings

about various energy, environmental and economic crises that oneway or another, are likely to impact our quality of life here on themountain.

Individuals and governments around the world are beginningthe difficult task of preparing for and dealing with these loomingchallenges. But perhaps the best place for effective action is at thecommunity level, where we can choose to re-localise critical socialsystems like food, water, energy, healthcare, transport and so-on.

If we choose to plan and act together with creativity, purpose andpassion we could create a more local way of living thats even morerewarding than the quality of life we enjoy today, and certainlymore sustainable.

Note: This evolving plan will benefit immensely

from continued input of the entire community,

and we invite you to participate in this ongoing

collaborative effort. Any suggested actions in

this document are intended as suggestions only;

they are not exhaustive or complete because we

need input from all community members.

Version1,

August

2011

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Introduction............................................................5Tamborine Mountain Today.....................................7The Road Ahead......................................................8

1. Food...................................................................112. Water.................................................................14

3. Energy................................................................164. Health................................................................185. Housing..............................................................206. Waste Management............................................227. Transport............................................................248. Education and Re-skilling....................................269. Communication..................................................2810. Business, Finance and the Local Economy............30

11. Manufacturing and Repair..................................32

Where to now.........................................................33

Appendix 1: Life in the Future on Tamborine Mtn.....35Appendix 2: Personal and Household Preparation....39Appendix 3: Further Reading....................................40Appendix 4: How this plan was created...................42

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Few now doubt that climate changeis caused in whole or in part by burning fossil fuels andreleasing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that have added to our

planets natural greenhouse effect, thus warming the planet. This is causing droughts, floods,severe storms, habitat loss, is making agriculture more difficult, raising sea levels, and it couldget a whole lot worse.

The decline in world oil supplyis harder to see (even if we keep an eye on the global price ofcrude), but it could affect us even more than climate change. We know oil is a finite resource.So at some point, discovery and production must peak and simply wont be able to keep upwith growing demand. According the International Energy Agency, the peak occurred backin 2006 and oil output has already begun its slow but inevitable decline. As it gets scarce oilwill get expensive. So at some point well have to get used to living without, or at the very

least with less of, this cheap, abundant energy source.

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In the early twenty-first century most of us in the western world have come to take forgranted a degree of material wealth that previous generations could only dream of. That

wealth, and the life style it makes possible, are now under threat because of the globalchallenges of climate change and a decline in world oil supply. Most householders these daysare becoming acutely aware of the increasing pressure on their wallets as the cost of livingcontinues to rise. The prices of petrol, electricity and gas, food and other supermarket goodsare all rising steadily.

Many of these cost increases are tied to global forces we can do little or nothing to change.There is now a general acceptance that oil supplies are indeed waning and food security isthreatened by climate change. The responses of governments in Australia and overseas tothese challenges could also contribute to further rises in the cost of living. Nevertheless, here

on Tamborine Mountain we can take action to create a more sustainable local economy inways that will enhance our communitys prosperity and well-being and ensure that our (andour childrens) future is more resilient and more secure.

If we are to survive and thrive as a community, a re-localised economy is not optional, butinevitable. At present, 95% of all transportation relies on oil-based fuels. As oil suppliescontinue to shrink, global trade will diminish and we will need to turn instead to localresources and skills. This shift from reliance on a global economy need not mean we must sinkto a third-world standard of living. If we embrace a positive vision of a re-localised economyand act to bring it about, we could reap many benefits, such as

1 ABC News 28 April 2011: Age of Cheap Fuel is Over: IEA.www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/28/3202209.htm

healthier food more active lifestyles greater self-reliance a sense of connection to place and products the enhancement of our local identity an emphasis on quality over quantity of consumer goods a meaningful common goal and sense of purpose.

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Critical social systems like food production, manufacturing, transport and indeed our entireeconomy, totally depend upon the availability of cheap oil. No other energy source can easilyreplace it, and we live at a moment in history when its availability has ceased to increase, andwill instead start to decline. One country in particular, Cuba, has already gone through thisprocess.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba became the first country faced with a reductionin oil supply. Suddenly a supply of 13 million tons of oil a year dropped to one million. Therewere power outages and people would try to get to work with whatever transportation wasavailable only to discover that there was no electricity at their jobs.

The Cuban government imported 2 million bicycles for transportation. However, the biggestand most immediate problem became food scarcity. There was no fuel to transport foodand no electricity to refrigerate it, and the massive use of fossil fuel for pesticides and farm

machinery had disappeared. Within the first few years of this crisis most Cubans lost anaverage of 20% of their body weight. What happened next was nothing short of remarkable.Cuba shows us what a future of less oil availability might look like, and how communityactions can lead to an even better quality of life in a stronger, more robust community thanthe one we have now.

How smoothly we transition Tamborine Mountain away from total oil dependence to amore sustainable, resilient community is up to us.

2 For more information, watch the documentary The Power of Community How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,www.powerofcommunity.org

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Quite simply, like the rest of the modern world, weve become totally dependent on oil. Itsbeen such a cheap and abundant source of energy compared to the muscle and animal powerwe used to get things done in pre-industrial times. The typical western person uses the energyequivalent of 8000 slaves to live the lifestyles weve come to think of as normal.

Because of these issues, some in our community have asked, How can we make TamborineMountain more resilient? More sustainable? Less impacted by global challenges, with a robustand vibrant local economy?

Were off to a good start with a wide range of active community groups, such as Landcare, theGarden Club, Community Care, Slow Food, Bungunyah Community Gardens, Local ProducersAssociation, Creative Arts Centre, Sports Association, and various faith-based communities.There are many more. Such groups rely heavily on community involvement, much of it ona voluntary basis. While most of these groups do not have a focus on sustainability, such

networks of civic-minded people are a great source of community strength.

Furthermore, with rich volcanic soils, a local food network, self-reliance in terms of water andwaste-management, a natural population cap, clean air, good rainfall, cool temperatures andabundant sunshine, Tamborine Mountain is ideally suited to be a pioneering community inthe transition to a more sustainable future.

In the area of food, for example, were fortunate to have a large number of local producers, aweekly local farmers market, community gardens, a cheese and yoghurt factory, two bakeries,plenty of water, several wineries, a distillery and brewery. Even with all this, there is still a

lot to do to improve our food security on the mountain.

Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on goods and services from beyond our region. Cooperationwith other nearby communities, each with their own local plans and needs, will strengthenus all.

Re-localisation will make our community more resilient in the face of cost-of-living pressuresthat seem inevitable as energy and other resources become more expensive and/or declinein availability. When food, energy and other essentials are locally produced, our wholecommunity is strengthened, with more local businesses and jobs.

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In order to give this document some context, its worth considering what we, as a community,think the future will be like. Will the next twenty years be just like the last twenty? This seemsunlikely given that this would mean using more resources in the next twenty years than allthe resources ever used before (e.g. oil, coal, gas, fish, fresh water, fertile soil, forests, copper,

iron, etc.).

So will the future be characterized by collapsing energy availability, collapsing economies,anarchy, panic, mass starvation, severe climate change, etc, a scenario summed up by theword crash? We certainly hope not. But we have to acknowledge that its a possibility.

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Will the future look more like pre-industrial times, such as the American Wild West ornineteenth century English village life? Likely not, but perhaps there are things we could learnfrom these times and how they functioned without the comforts and resources we now takefor granted.

Our community, and this document, needs to focus our efforts on preparing not for every

possible future scenario, but rather on what we think the most likely future scenario to be. Asevents unfold, the future were preparing for will likely evolve

In 2011, at the beginning of what some call the decade of change, heres a snapshot of whatwe as a community, for the purposes of this document, consider a likely future we shouldstart preparing for now.

Rising costs. The 2008 peak in the price of a barrel of oil was $147, an event which was

immediately followed by, perhaps not coincidentally, the current Global Financial Crisis. Theoil price could spike to as much as double this when the full ramifications of the decline ofworld oil supply are realised by the market. The cost of electricity is on track to double by2016, and the power grid could become unreliable as it ages and demand grows. And whilealternative, renewable sources of energy are being developed, such as solar, wind and tidepower, now and in the near future its unlikely these will be able to provide for our growingpower demands.

Governments appear to be pursuing tar sands, shale oil and coal-seam gas to maintain businessas usual. But these have terrible environmental consequences, and in any case, its unlikely

that these fuels can be produced cheaply enough and our national transport fleet convertedon the scale, and in the time required, to enable us to make a smooth transition from our oildependence.

Rising energy prices will raise the cost of everything, especially goods and services from faraway and those that require a lot of energy to produce. Food prices will climb dramatically,making local, fresh, organic food more cost-effective, and backyard gardens more common.

Increased volatility. We will likely witness repeated financial crises from an unravelling of thecurrent financial/economic model based on unprecedented levels of national and householddebt in most western countries. This may include severe credit contraction, either repeatingcyclically or sustained, and an inevitable end to the unending growth economic model. Asthe world population increases and available resources decline, there will be severe economicramifications. Rather than a crash, this could follow a repeated step downpattern, wherethings stabilise for short periods between crises, but the trend in international economic activityis most likely downwards. Local economic activities will correspondingly gain importancerelative to global forces. Local and global economic instability will make reacting to thechallenges of resource depletion and climate change all the more difficult. Therefore it makes

sense to begin the transition now.

3 How the future might unfold is discussed in more detail in Appendix 1.

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Combined, these energy, economic and environmental crises compound one another, makingaction all the more difficult yet even more pressing. If we wait for governments to act, its

likely to be too little, too late. If we each act alone, it will be too little. But if we act now asa community, it might be just enough, just in time to create a more sustainable, more resilientlocal society and economy.

Lets now look in more detail at some of the key issues we will need to address to build ourcommunitys resilience.

Food

Water

EnergyHealth

Housing

Waste Management

Transport

Education and Re-skilling

Communication

Business, Finance and the Local EconomyManufacturing and Repair

Continued environmental degradation and increasing climactic instability. More droughts,floods, storms, and severe weather events. Increased risk of bushfire. Species and bio-diversityloss. Creeping changes to seasons, habitats, glaciers, weather patterns. Increasing challenges toagriculture resulting in global crop shortages and rapid price hikes, reducing food access for

the worlds poorest and altering consumption patterns for the rest of us. Growing shortage offresh-water, sometimes described as the oil of the 21st century. Conflicts over access to freshwater. Possible significant sea-level rise of 1 to 7 metres, displacing billions of people. Possiblerun-away climate change due to accelerating methane releases from the permafrost.

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As oil becomes more expensive, the cost of food production and food transport will risedramatically. Large-scale commercial food production is totally reliant on oil which is requiredfor ploughing, planting, cultivation, herbicides, pesticides, harvesting and transport. Fossilfuels are the raw material for all chemical fertilizer inputs and much agricultural equipment,such as poly pipes for irrigation. Demand is growing for natural fertilizers at the same time asthese are becoming scarce and are increasing in price. The same is true of chemical fertilizers

based on fossil fuels.

Food production is also affected by climate change. During the last decade supplies of manyfoods have been interrupted because of extreme weather events throughout Australia. Giventhe vulnerability of the globalised food system, a greater emphasis on locally produced foodwould improve food security, affordability and quality.

Tamborine Mountain is extremely fortunate to have a well-established horticultural industry,but many larger growers are being affected by increasing production costs. A small but growingproportion of food production on Tamborine Mountain is based on organic methods usingnatural inputs, such as animal manures and natural fertilisers, and by manual labour inputsrather than mechanisation. The Community Garden is providing valuable experience andtraining in small-scale food production. The Green Shed market is well established, providingan efficient marketing service for small growers and sponsoring training to teach people howto grow their own food organically. Many fruits and vegetables are grown but a wide rangeis absent from the mountain. Tamborine Mountain is at present possibly 10% self-sufficientin food if home gardens are included. No grains, meat, milk or sugar are produced here, andthere is limited production of eggs. We are fortunate to have some local food processing

facilities for making cheeses, bread, beer, wine and liquor.

With climate change, uncertain seasons will make food production ever more difficult andunreliable.

Crop diseases may spread quickly, become endemic, and reduce harvests of core crops.

Both chemical and natural fertilizers will become even more expensive and harder toaccess.

Food supplies, especially from outside our region, will become increasingly expensiveor interrupted. Temporary food shortages could occur and some foods may simply beunavailable.

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Should electricity supply be interrupted or power lines damaged by extreme weatherevents or bush fires, bore water supplies for irrigation would be difficult to access.

Large scale farms in particular will be severely affected by the rising costs of oil forproduction.

Greater emphasis on home food production and storage.

Information and training to ensure people have the skills and knowledge to produce asubstantial proportion of their own food or to work in food production industries.

Greater encouragement for farmers to take on young people as school-basedapprentices.

Support for the establishment of a range of food processing industries, including avocadoand macadamia oil.

Community farming of available arable land to increase production of fruit andvegetables.

Substitution of high energy-input farming strategies with more labour-intensive, organicfarming strategies and the education of farmers to enable them to make this transition.

Establishment of more markets for locally produced food.

Planting of more food trees, including citrus, mulberries, avocadoes, bananas and nuttrees, suited to the mountain.

Building of shade houses for year-round production of food crops.

Development of further community gardens.

A seed swapping practice and a seed savers network.

Community warehouses to store food after harvest.

A chicken coop in as many homes as possible.

The establishment of cattle and dairy farms for beef, milk and cheese production.

Public awareness campaign concerning the need for composting and the establishment ofneighbourhood compost collection and production facilities.

A system to generate and transport compost fertilizer to crops across the mountain.

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Suggestions include

Form a food working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies and priorities,and then implement them.

Increase public awareness of the potential problems through newspaper articles and guestspeakers.

Make food production and methods of preservation training available through communitygardens and other venues.

Encourage gardening, food production, cooking and nutrition classes in schools anddevelop a volunteer brigade to teach children and teachers the necessary skills.

Encourage re-training of existing food producers in organic methods.

Promote and support the school-based apprenticeship program in horticulture.

Establish more markets at North Tamborine and Eagle Heights for locally produced food

as supply becomes available. Develop a plant a food tree program where everyone is encouraged to plant a food tree

each year and given the training to look after their trees.

Encourage restaurants to have local food menus and to source their fresh food locally.

Build a second community garden on the southern end of Tamborine Mountain.

Develop community share farming in public spaces.

Establish more dairy cows on the mountain.

Set up more bee hives (including native bees) in a range of locations.

Support the Witches Chase Cheese factory and encourage the establishment of other food

production and processing businesses. Develop expertise in smoking and preserving meat.

Establish more chicken coops in private homes across the mountain.

Build community warehouses to store food after harvest.

Set up food preservation facilities in public places as well as private homes.

Educate people to propagate seeds across multiple growing seasons.

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Suggestions include

Form a water working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Conduct an awareness campaign to encourage water resource management and enhancedrinking water quality (concerning the necessity for maintaining cleanliness of watercatchment areas, water tank hygiene and self-cleaning capture and storage of water).

Provide information about and encouragement of filtration of drinking water via (non-electric) carbon or charcoal filters.

Provide information about means of making contaminated water safe in an emergency.

Encourage the installation of wind or solar-panel generated pumps or back-up manual(siphon) water pumps on bores.

Develop local resources and expertise for maintaining and testing rainwater andgroundwater systems for water quality.

Encourage the installation of gravity-feed water tanks on stands, hand pump or tap outleton tanks.

Identify local tradespeople (fitters and turners, plumbers etc.) capable of maintaining andrepairing tanks and electric, wind, solar and manual water pumps.

Encourage the drilling of intelligently positioned and contamination-proof water bores forcommunity use.

Collate a list of bores presently in use on the mountain, in case of a water shortage crisis.

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Our modern world our homes, businesses, food system, transport, economy (both local andglobal) almost everything we rely on every day in our modern lives is dependent on theavailability of cheap, expanding supplies of energy, almost entirely supplied by finite reservesof fossil fuels, predominantly oil, coal and gas.

Oil has fuelled exponential global population growth and the extraordinary social andtechnological achievements of the last 150 years. It is the single largest energy source for theworld economy, and therefore the lifeblood of industrial society.

In April 2011, the International Energy Agency acknowledged that conventional crudeproduction reached its maximum output in 2006. Global oil extraction has already begun itsslow but terminal decline. Peak oil, as this event has become widely known, represents anhistorical turning point, from an era of growth, to an era of contraction.

Other energy sources, whether gas, coal or uranium will inevitably peak in production atsome point also, and sooner than expected given the current trend of exponential growth inhumanitys energy demands. For example, coal extraction is expected to peak by 2030.

While renewables may help, they will not, and likely cannot, solve this imminent energy crisis

cheaply, quickly or easily, if at all. Ultimately this issue may force a shift toward lifestyles lessbased around consumerism, and better integrated with natural processes and cycles. Shiftingaway from a dependence on fossil fuels may force a reduction in greenhouse gas emissionthat has hitherto been unachievable politically. Climate change means we should use less fossilfuels. Peak oil will likely force us to. Either way, this is a future better planned for, than reactedto.

Almost all homes and business rely on electricity supplied via the national electricity grid.The predominant source of electricity is coal-fired power stations outside our local region

that supply the grid. Electricity is used for lighting, heating, cooling, cooking, refrigeration,water, communication, tool-use, and more. Electricity prices are rising rapidly and are widelyexpected to at least double within 6 years. A small number of homes and businesses on themountain have small-scale grid-connected photovoltaic solar power systems, and there arevery few off-grid renewable wind/PV systems.

Energy is critical for food and water supplies. Many residents overlook the availability orvalue of local food production, and instead are dependent on the national food system. Thenational food system, including farm inputs of fertilisers and pesticides, transport, storage,processing and retailing, relies completely on fossil fuels oil, gas, and coal-based electricity.Our transport infrastructure, not only for our personal vehicles, but also the movement ofgoods and services relies completely on liquid fuels, predominantly oil.

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4. F. Birol, IEA Chief Economist, quoted in ABC News, 28 April, 2011: abc.net.au/news5. D. Hughes (2008), Coal: Some Inconvenient Truths. Proceedings, ASPO-USA Peak Oil Conference. Sacramento, California.

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Rising electricity prices will continue to put upward pressure on household expenses,doing business, and acquiring necessary goods and services.

Local extreme weather events, made more severe and/or more frequent by global climate-change, could disrupt energy supplies, including electricity and liquid fuels. Extreme weatherevents and political instability elsewhere in the world contribute to oil price-shocks.

Peak oil could escalate oil prices to unprecedented levels, rapidly raising the cost of transport,food, energy.everything. Early signs of this have already been seen both locally and inthe developing world where rising costs of living have destabilised governments, bothdemocracies and dictatorships.

It appears inevitable that goods, services, food and transportation will all be much moreexpensive, perhaps prohibitively so, forcing changes in how and where people live,work and travel; and a necessary and inevitable reassessment of priorities at a personal,household and societal level.

Oil price shocks could create and/or exacerbate global economic volatility. Economicvolatility will very likely have the unfortunate effect of reducing investment in energysolutions, and hindering the maintenance of existing energy infrastructure.

Electricity supply may become more unreliable, with black outs, brown outs and powerspikes, all of which can exacerbate electronic equipment problems and hasten griddegradation.

Local transport solutions less dependent on fossil fuels bicycles, walking, shared publictransport.

A reduced dependence on travelling off-mountain. e.g. by growth of our local economy,providing work, as well as most personal and household needs, especially food.

Locally generated energy supply.

Household and business sustainable energy solutions e.g. solar panels, wind turbines,battery storage, possible new electricity generation technologies, energy efficiencymeasures, wood heaters and cooking facilities.

Suggestions include

Form an energy working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Encourage local residents and businesses to invest in small-scale renewable energysystems.

Support the establishment of larger-scale renewable energy systems (e.g. wind, solar)whether private, commercial or community-owned.

Promote energy efficiency in homes and businesses.

Support national schemes to reduce our nations dependence on fossil fuels. e.g. the ZeroCarbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan to replace our electricity production completelywith renewables within 10 years (see beyondzeroemissions.org).

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We are very fortunate to live in a time of abundance and easy access to a wide range ofmedical professionals and pharmaceuticals, giving most of us an excellent quality and length oflife. However, a perfect storm of factors threaten our health system as we know it today:

Oil. Many of the medications, antibiotics and medical consumables available today aresynthetically produced from oil-based chemicals. This reliance on oil as a precursor ingredient

makes pharmaceutical production dependent on a constant supply of oil at reasonable cost.Should oil prices spike and/or its availability diminish, it seems likely that pharmaceuticalproduction will decline. Availability of pharmaceuticals to the public will become restricted,expensive and the variety more limited.

Abuse of resources.The rise of resistance to antibiotics is inevitable. The abuse of this preciousresource through blatant overuse of prophylactic antibiotics in intensive animal rearing,and the unnecessary dispensing for human conditions that do not require them, has causedacceleration of mutant superbugs, resistant to even the most potent antibiotics man hasdeveloped.

Global warming. Should we see a rise in temperature over the next 50 years, we will likelysee a rise in vector-dependent infectious diseases and other diseases once unknown on theAustralian continent. Malaria, Lyme Disease, dengue fever and cholera could become morecommon. It seems likely that people living in tropical and sub-tropical areas will be mostaffected.

Decline in healthy environment. There is an inextricable link between the health of the landand the health of the society built upon it. Many of the toxic chemicals manufactured todayinadvertently find their way into the air, soil, oceans and waterways; into our lives & foods.Combined with a more sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits, this toxic overload in

humans is linked to a range of diseases (cancer, allergies, obesity, diabetes and more), puttinggreater pressure on our already burdened medical system.

Global travel. Pandemics are a naturally occurring albeit rare phenomenon. The area affectedand rate of spread of a pandemic is increased with our continued necessity for globaltravel.

Tamborine Mountain residents have access to a great range of local medical facilities.

There are several General Practice surgeries, pharmacies, an optometrist, chiropractic,physiotherapy, dental and prosthetic dentistry clinics, as well as a plethora of alternativehealth practitioners, psychologists, home-visit nursing service, aged care facility and anambulance base.

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There are two hospitals both possessing emergency departments in nearby Beaudesertand Southport, approximately 30 minutes drive away.

Mental health services may be found nearby, both on the Gold Coast and in Brisbanesurrounds.

All medical supplies and pharmaceuticals sold or used on the mountain may originatefrom manufacturers based in Brisbane/Gold Coast, nationally or internationally.

The largest health challenge we may face will be maintaining a high level of vital health care,given we will be coping with:

Fewer and diminished range of medical resources

Compulsory diminished reliance on antibiotics due to antibiotic resistant superbugs.Infectious disease experts suggest that life-threatening bacterial infections are likely tobecome dramatically more common over the next 10 years.

According to Dr Tom Gottlieb, President of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases,the abuse of antibiotics has allowed antibiotic-resistant super-bugs to likely set the worldback towards the medical experience of the 1930s, when operations and infections nowconsidered routine often proved fatal because of unstoppable infections.

The risk of pandemics increasing in severity and extent, should pharmaceuticals becomeless accessible

The risk of an increased incidence of mental health issues e.g., depression and anxiety

An ageing population increasing demand on medical facilities

Greater occurrence of vector-borne diseases.

As a small township, and given the specialised nature of medical practices, proceduresand expertise, it is unlikely that we will be a medically-sustainable community. However,if we can rely less on our valuable medical resources, by proactively caring for our ownhealth, then the medical resources available will be there, ready for emergencies that mayeventuate.

Support our local practitioners. If we use their services, they will stay!

Suggestions include

Form a health working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Provide community support for, and education in, preventative health care, hygiene andmaintenance of good physical and mental health.

Promote greater use of man-powered transport (walking and cycling).

Eat more locally grown, nutritionally superior foods.

Continue and further develop community events based on exercise.

Support the learning and acquiring of knowledge on plants & herbs that the community

can grow and use for treatment of minor ailments, enabling us to be less reliant on vitalmedical facilities needed for more serious conditions.

6. The Australian, 8 February 2011.

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Houses are currently valued in the market for their presentation, their position and the lifestylethey provide for. These values have almost nothing to do with the features that would makea house a sustainable resource that fosters family resilience in times of scarcity. Instead, mosthouseholders assume that there will always be a steady flow of goods and services into thehouse (manufactured and delivered with cheap energy). Some domestic appliances consumea great deal of power, which is likely to rise steeply in cost or be of intermittent supply at

times. Householders do not for the most part expect to have to make or repair structures andappliances for themselves; they anticipate that such services, materials and equipment will bereadily available should breakdowns occur.

Residences on Tamborine Mountain are either on traditional-sized housing blocks or onlarger tracts of land. There are few units or medium-density housing complexes. Houses haverainwater tanks and septic systems; some have bores. Some roofs are equipped with solarpanels and/or solar water heating systems. Some households have vegetable gardens and / or

chicken runs and compost at least some of their vegetable wastes.

A future characterised by environmental, economic or energy crises may require us to re-value our homes, not as a financial investment but as a resource that contributes to our livingand thriving sustainably. Thus how we develop our properties and how we live in them mayneed to change.

The following features should be considered in building a new property or retro-fitting anexisting one: passive solar design to minimise heating and cooling costs

energy efficiency measures to mimimise use of electricity

sufficient water storage, quality and access

slow combustion heater, pot belly stove or fireplace

means of cooking without grid electricity (e.g. barbeque)

solar panels on roof and/or wind generator, with possible off grid capacity solar hot water heating or other alternative

pantry, larder and/or cellar for long term food storage

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shed and workshop for gardening tools and supplies, property maintenance and assetrepair

backyard food production, e.g. chicken coop, vegetable garden and fruit trees, compostheap and/or worm farm

proactive measures to protect property against extreme weather events.

Suggestions include

Encourage retrofitting of houses to be more energy efficient.

Form a housing working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Conduct workshops on housing sustainability and food garden development.

Support local tradespeople.

Encourage reciprocal working bees for property maintenance and development.

Community bulk buys of useful goods such as energy efficiency products or solar power.

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Management of sewage is of vital importance to the health of our community. Withoutproper sanitation sewage can contaminate ground water and cause serious disease.

While Tamborine Mountain residents domestic wastes are treated in grey/black water systems,these must be serviced regularly to be effective. These systems depend on domestic watersupplies (tank or bore) and on electricity (to run pumps).

Should power be interrupted, water pumps will not be able to flush toilets.

During prolonged droughts water may not be available for washing and flushing.

Pump parts made of plastic or rubber will deteriorate relatively quickly and replacementparts may not be available.

Public awareness of the need to maintain healthy septic or biocycle systems.

More off-grid electric pumps or back-up manual pumps to process sewage.

Local expertise and resources to maintain and repair septic systems.

Development of methods of making spare parts from locally sourced materials and / ordesign modification.

Possible introduction of composting toilets or alternative forms of human wastemanagement.

Suggestions include

Form a waste working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Conduct a public awareness campaign about septic system management.

Identify tradespeople with local sewerage system expertise and encourage them todevelop methods for making / modifying spare parts with locally sourced materials andmachinery.

Develop an information kit on safe alternative forms of human waste management.

SEWERAGE

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Our consumer-driven economy generates an extraordinary amount of waste. Many productscome packaged in non-recyclable materials and are themselves designed to be thrown awayafter a short time. The whole process of waste disposal depends on oil-based energy. Inaddition, any household food or green waste put out in rubbish bins ends up in landfill whereit contributes to the production of methane, a major greenhouse gas.

Waste is currently collected and transported from the mountain in diesel-powered trucks,sorted at a waste transfer station and processed for recycling or landfill. This whole processis energy-intensive. Many residents dump their green waste at the local dump, where it ischipped into mulch for community use. Some residents make their own compost.

Should oil-based fuel become prohibitively expensive or temporarily unavailable, the presentcouncil-run service may be unable to remove rubbish from households and community sites.

Greater community awareness of proper recycling practices.

A community recycling centre where items could be made ready for reuse as need arises.

Greater prevalence of worm farms, chicken coops or compost bins for recycling vegetable

wastes.

Suggestions include

Form a recycling working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Lobby Council for more localised and sustainable waste management systems.

Encourage a refuse / reduce / re-use / recycle campaign to make residents aware of theconsequences of their purchasing decisions.

Conduct workshops on worm farms, composting, and re-using and recycling materialsinto useful household goods.

Establish a community recycling and storage centre.

GARBAGE

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Transport of people and goods across and beyond the mountain is crucial to almost everyaspect of life. With ready access to affordable oil-based fuels, people can travel to work,goods can be restocked in shops, ambulances and fire engines can provide emergency services,farmers can use tractors to work their fields and so on, in myriad ways we currently takefor granted. Our modern world would therefore be very different without ready access toaffordable fuels.

The plateau of Tamborine Mountain is about 8 km long and 4 km wide and can therefore betraversed on foot or by bicycle if necessary. There is a limited network of bicycle paths aroundthe mountain. Almost all mountain residents rely on private motor cars to travel to shops,to work and to socialize; few people walk, use bicycles or scooters (petrol or electric). Trucksand tankers supply consumables, including liquid fuel. Public transport is extremely limited:there is a single taxi service, a trolley bus runs a limited circuit for tourists, and a door-to-doorbus service runs to Beenleigh to connect with trains twice a day. Comprehensive bus services

are provided for children attending the four local schools.

Fuel supplies for transport are likely to become increasingly expensive and perhapsinterrupted.

Commuting to work off the mountain will similarly become more expensive.

Personal, commercial and public transport costs are likely therefore to rise.

Increasing oil prices could result in the supply of almost all goods or services becomingmore expensive, intermittent or unavailable at times.

Large and small-scale farms will be seriously hampered in their operations and transportof produce to markets.

Tourism could possibly face a significant decline, placing stress on the local economy.

Road surfaces, bridges and other infrastructure will deteriorate when repair vehicles andmaterials become more expensive or less accessible.

Those who are already at risk of isolation through age, infirmity or distance from towncentres are likely to become increasingly vulnerable.

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Less reliance on private motor cars and greater use of walking, cycling and publictransport.

A public transport network across and off the mountain, via petrol, diesel, electric, or

potentially horse-drawn vehicles. Increased bike paths and footpaths to encourage cycling and walking.

Local expertise in repair of bicycles, scooters, electric vehicles, carts and footwear.

Car pooling across and off the mountain.

Regional transport of freight for essential trade.

A community-managed reserve of liquid fuels for essential public and emergencyservices.

Possible use of horses for a range of transport-related services and agriculture.

Suggestions include

Form a transport working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Develop a public transport network.

Create a network of footpaths and bike paths.

Develop an on / off mountain car-pooling scheme.

Arrange the bulk purchase of bicycles, electric assisted bicycles and scooters with panniers

or trailers. Support local mechanics who are able to repair bicycles and scooters, EVs and carts.

Encourage the development of alternative taxi services, such as pedicabs or horse-and-carts, perhaps initially offered as a tourist attraction.

Establish a community-managed reserve of liquid fuels for public and emergencyservices.

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Formal educationAs a community, we need to ensure that the education of the next generation is relevant inthe rapidly changing world that children and young people are growing up in. Schools areparticularly vulnerable to rising energy costs which are likely to have a major impact on theway education is delivered. In a difficult economic climate, public funding for education maybe eroded.

Re-skillingMany basic skills and crafts practised by former generations have been lost because of modernproduction practices and the availability of cheap consumer goods.

Formal educationTamborine Mountain has two state-run primary schools, a home schooling co-op, and two highschools, one state and one private. A number of students travel off the mountain to privateschools, some are home-schooled, and others travel up the mountain from the surroundingareas. Bus services are available to transport students to and from school, but many walk orare driven in private cars. Schools draw on a lot of electricity for lighting, heating, cooling,computers, administration, and the day to day running of classrooms. Other resources suchas paper, books, pens etc also depend directly or indirectly on fossil fuels for their productionand distribution.

Re-skillingAt present on the mountain there are a number of opportunities to learn valuable skills,including courses in growing food organically, cooking and cheese making, pottery, as well asskills development and sharing groups such as the Mens Shed, Sustainable Gardeners Society,fabric crafts and the like. Nevertheless, at present very few people have a wide range ofself-sufficiency skills. We have come to rely heavily on electrical appliances for many of ourdaily chores and hobbies and often do not have the knowledge, tools and equipment to dothese things manually. Furthermore, parts for the equipment we use depend on an industrialeconomy and materials which are often sourced from far away.

Educational programs may need to be developed and delivered that are relevant to studentsgrowing into a changing world with different career and employment opportunities.

Students and teachers may have difficulty getting to school regularly because of transportdifficulties.

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Local schools may have to accommodate extra students who are not able to travel toschools off the mountain.

Teachers may lack ready access to teaching resources like paper and writing materials,science or art materials etc.

Teachers may need to develop different teaching methods that do not rely on electricallypowered equipment.

There may be conflicts between official red tape requirements and commonsenseapproaches to community-based education.

School leavers may not be able to find employment in traditional (fossil-fuel dependent)fields or there may be more competition for those jobs that do exist.

People with essential practical skills may not be available locally to learn from.

People may have to learn how to prepare food, construct and repair things with locallyavailable resources.

Local schools with flexible curricula that include the knowledge and skills relevant to asustainable community.

Local informal all-ages learning centres.

Community donations of resources for schools and learning centres.

Transport arrangements to ensure all have access to educational opportunities.

A community shift in expectations and values from the idea of buying everything tomaking, exchanging or fixing most things.

More community members with more practical skills.

Greater access to skills within the community via, for example, a Local Exchange TradingScheme (LETS).

A collection of manual tools and non-electrical appliances (some available for loan).

In/formal schemes of local apprenticeship.

Suggestions include

Form a community education working group to consider this issue in depth, developstrategies and priorities, and then implement them.

Discuss with community educational leaders the value of sustainability skills within schoolcurricula.

Offer practical sustainable living workshops.

Establish an informal all-ages learning centre.

Value and utilise Indigenous knowledge of the local area, bush tucker, seasonal changesand connection with country.

Establish a local skills register, and set up a Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS) tofacilitate the exchange of skills.

Set up a collection of manual tools and non-electrical appliances.

Encourage Tamborine Mountain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop in/formal schemes of local apprenticeship.

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Communication is critical at all scales of human endeavour, from face-to-face talk andsophisticated two-way internet communication to the logistics that allow for global movementof resources.

At present we are able to rely on an integrated network of communications systems within

and beyond Tamborine Mountain. These include telephone (landline, mobile); radio andtelevision; newspapers (print and online); internet; postal system; courier; and HF/UHFradio. These depend on technology, electricity, fossil fuels, hardware supplies and software.Locally we enjoy the services of a library, two post offices, two free newspapers and severalcommunity noticeboards. There is also a comprehensive SustainableScenicRim.com.au websiteoffering information on local sustainability issues.

Phone and internet communication may become less certain should our electricity supplybecome unreliable.

Maintenance of communications infrastructure relies on materials and fossil-fuel transportthat may be expensive or unavailable.

Components for computers and other forms of communication technology may beirreplaceable, since these are made far away and are dependent on the just-in-time supplynetwork.

Computers have a life-span of only a few years before needing replacement.

Postal services could become more expensive, less frequent or reliable as petrol pricesrise.

Even basic materials like paper and writing instruments rely on long supply chains andmay become less readily available or more expensive.

Local communication networks such as notice boards, information centres for disseminationof important information.

Corded land line phones for use during blackouts and a battery / solar / crank poweredradio (with rechargeable batteries and solar powered recharger).

Key information resources made centrally available (e.g. in the library) in print form.

The library as a central information exchange, with notice-boards, town meetings and thelike.

Library-based computers and internet connection kept operative as long as possible.

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Ham radio licensed operators.

Means of transporting postal items not dependent on fossil fuels.

Suggestions include Form a communications working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies

and priorities, and then implement them.

Conduct an awareness raising campaign to encourage householders to acquire cordedland-line phones and battery / solar / crank powered radios (with rechargeable batteriesand solar powered recharger).

Discuss with Tamborine Mountain librarians the future importance of the library as aninformation hub and repository of information sources (print and electronic).

Encourage the setting up of neighbourhood communication hubs for sharing informationrelating to mountain resilience matters and for relaying information to essential services.

Identify and encourage the training of ham radio licensed operators.

Develop means of transport of postal items that are not dependent on fossil fuels.

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A smoothly functioning economy is considered to be the foundation of our current society,enabling stable employment, steady prices and the uninterrupted supply of goods andservices. The fragility of the present global financial system is becoming more evident andpressing, given unsustainably high levels of debt, failing economies and banks, collapsing assetvalues and an erosion of consumer and business confidence. This current system is heavilydependent on constant growth which is itself dependent upon a growing supply of cheapenergy. However, given diminishing oil reserves and finite natural resources, constant growth

is clearly not possible. Consequently there could be more frequent and severe economicupheavals both globally and locally. Governments around the world are already struggling todeal with the economic challenges of rising energy costs, massive debts, high unemployment,diminished trade, food shortages and increasing cost of living expenses.

There are about 250 businesses on Tamborine Mountain. Many of them are involved in tourism,weddings or in alcohol and food businesses. A large number of self-employed tradespeople,retailers and professionals serve the local community. The mountain is fortunate to have a

weekly farmers market and two monthly community markets. Many people travel off themountain for work because there are insufficient employment opportunities for the wholecommunity. Many creative, entrepreneurial people with a wide range of skills live and workon the mountain.

Australias credit-based banking and monetary systems may come under pressure duringglobal financial crises, hindering credit availability in our community.

Building our local economic resilience will require decoupling our economy from theglobalised system as it becomes increasingly unstable.

If the mountain community were to be largely self-sufficient in food production the existingfarmers market would need to be replicated a hundred times.

Given that local employment opportunities are not sufficient, it is significant that commutingoff the mountain for employment may become prohibitively expensive.

Local tourism operators may suffer a downturn as petrol prices rise. Conversely, theymight benefit from increased regional tourism as interstate or international travel becomesprohibitively expensive.

Small businesses of all kinds, whether existing or new, will struggle during economicallychallenging times.

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More local businesses facilitating mountain sustainability in both practical and economicterms.

Thinking practically, new business opportunities might include additional farmers markets,clothing manufacture and repair, bicycle maintenance and local energy creation.

Importantly, there may be an increased need for local businesses involved in the manufactureand repair of goods using local materials and skills.

LETS schemes or a local currency may enable businesses to succeed in a difficult economicenvironment.

A locally owned credit union whose purpose is to make loans to local businesses to helpcreate more local jobs.

Increased trade with other nearby local communities.

Suggestions include

Form a local business working group to consider this issue in depth, develop strategies andpriorities, and then implement them.

Conduct a buy-local campaign to improve community awareness of the value andimportance of supporting local businesses.

Engage with the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop a list of newbusiness opportunities necessary in a sustainable community.

Set up a Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS) to support local trade and businesses.

Investigate the feasibility of a local currency to encourage the circulation of money withinour community.

Investigate the feasibility of a local credit union.

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Products, parts and tools are manufactured globally and distributed across large distancesvia a complex logistical network. These products are often designed to wear out quicklyand need to be replaced rather than repaired. As energy and other non-renewable resourcesbecome more expensive or less available, we will inevitably come to value products built tolast and able to be repaired. We may need to seek out locally manufactured alternatives forthose products, tools and equipment that can no longer be imported. Or we may need to dowithout. Local manufacturing may utilise a combination of old and new technologies.

Some residents on the mountain have tools for working with wood, metal, fabrics, leather andclay. There are also a small number of commercial workshops and a range of manufacturingskills and resources within the community. The Heritage Centre houses examples of pre-industrial tools and machinery as well as hosting various cottage industry groups. A MensShed promotes and practices the sharing of skills and expertise.

The supply of imported spare parts and equipment may become expensive, unreliable orsimply unavailable.

As a result trades people may need to show ingenuity in finding alternative ways of fixingor making things.

Trade between the mountain and other communities in raw materials and goods.

Local cottage industries producing textiles, ceramics, leather work and the like.

A broad range of tradespeople with ingenuity, skills and reliable and durable tools.

A community recycling centre for spare parts and materials.

Local facilities such as metal casting, blacksmithing, leather tanning, rubber moulding andthe like, for the production of materials, parts and products that cannot be imported.

Maintenance and repair of essential heavy equipment like tractors, forklifts, cranes andexcavators.

Form a manufacturing / repair working group to consider this issue in depth, developstrategies and priorities, and then implement them.

Identify trading opportunities with other communities. Support local cottage industries and tradespeople.

Establish a community recycling and storage centre.

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In the face of the challenges posed by diminishing oil reserves, climate change and economicstresses, Tamborine Mountain can develop greater resilience if we pull together as a community.If you agree that positive, proactive moves are necessary and desirable, please become partof the solution. For example you could:

join the Tamborine Mountain Sustainability Group (visit transitionmountain.net for contactdetails);

support local businesses and tradespeople;

choose an area of interest, form a group with other like-minded people, determine goalsand begin working towards realising them;

develop a skill that will be useful to our mountain community (and perhaps provide youwith a living);

ensure your own household is well prepared in the ways listed in Appendix 2, becauseyou will then be better able to weather emergencies and therefore to help others aroundyou.

Remember: none of us can do it all on our own, but if we make a starttogether, well be better prepared and more adaptable as a community.

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APPENDIX 1:

No one can determine with any certainty how events relating to energy, the economy orthe environment will unfold, which events will occur first, or how quickly. What we offerhere is not a prediction but a possible progression, summarised from a range of reputablesources. (See Appendix 3.) For clarity weve organized this brief outline according to threephases though we know that overlaps and uneven developments are more likely in reality.The future may look very different from this. And of course how it all unfolds will dependon measures that are taken (or not) in the short to medium term to avoid the worst possibleoutcomes of climate change, energy depletion and economic deterioration. Renewable energyand alternative fuel developments may mitigate some of the consequences discussed here butare unlikely to negate them completely.

These events described below may be global in nature and origin but of course have nationaland local implications for us all. While we cant make finite non-renewable resources infinite,while we cant reverse some of the consequences of climate change, while we ordinarypeople havent the power to repair broken economic systems we can buffer our householdsand community against some of the resulting changes and challenges, particularly if we takeaction now.

This phase is characterised by a business as usual attitude, though signs of serious and growingproblems are increasingly evident. Issues like resource depletion, climate change and financial

crises are discussed in mainstream news media, though many people fail to grasp the gravityand relevance of these problems to their lives.

An increasingly erratic climate is bringing threats to homes and businesses, food and watersupplies. As demand outstrips supply, petrol prices rise to $2-3 per litre. Domestic electricityprices double. Financial markets are becoming more volatile with increasing global debt andshrinking credit availability in many economies around the world. Rising cost of living pressuresare a concern for many households. Disposable incomes have shrunk, many businesses arestruggling, and governments are blamed.

To reduce our communitys vulnerability to global and national challenges, efforts have beenmade to relocalise many aspects of our lives. Workshops to improve sustainable living skillsare run on growing food, maintaining water quality, waste disposal, repairing householditems and more. Local cottage industries are valued and supported. There are now threefarmers markets on the mountain and three community gardens. The two monthly marketsare vibrant hubs for the exchange of many local goods, services and skills. Community bulkbuys of solar panels have significantly increased the number of renewable energy systemson the mountain. Community members now rely on one another more than ever, creatingstronger and deeper connections, by sharing many things, including transport, food growingskills and garden surpluses. The community increasingly values its farmers, health workers andeducators. Existing community groups and organisations are acknowledged for the vital rolethey play in enhancing our sustainability.

LIFE ON OUR MOUNTAIN

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Our economic, environmental, social and political systems are coming under increasing strain,

as problems overseas have repercussions in Australia. Crises in one sector bring deterioration

and disruption in others, though stop-gap measures enable our economy and social systems

to continue in a faltering fashion.

Man-made climate change is now undeniable, and unreliable weather patterns are making

agriculture harder than ever and increasing the prevalence and severity of fires, floods,

storms and droughts. Our soils, waterways and seas are being seriously degraded, with

negative impacts upon public health, food security and the economy. Recurrent oil price

shocks are followed by economic downturns, and basic resources necessary to our economy,

industries and businesses are also becoming scarcer and more expensive. There is rationing

or interruption in supply of petrol and some goods, including foods. The reliability of the

national electricity grid can no longer be taken for granted, with occasional brownouts and

blackouts of unknown duration. Social services are stretched to their limits with growingunemployment and hardship for many people.

Local resources are increasingly the focus of community living. A growing number of households

and businesses have installed off-grid renewable energy systems, and a community-owned

wind farm is in operation, which at present feeds into the national grid. More and more,

people are acquiring and using tools and equipment that do not depend on electricity. There

is a strong and growing network of local tradespeople who have valuable skills and showmuch ingenuity in repairs, adaptation and manufacture. They and others contribute to a busy

education centre where people are teaching or learning a wide range of sustainable living

skills that are increasingly a source of employment and income for locals. This centre, like the

local library and noticeboards in each of the villages, is a hub for exchanging information,

advertising goods and services and more generally providing social support.

A large majority of households are growing more of their food, further community farms and

gardens have been established and public spaces utilised for food production. Seed saving

and exchange are widespread. A local dairy farm provides some milk for local consumption

and cheese production. A public transport network links up the mountains settlements,supplemented by increasing use of walking, bicycles and horses. A more active lifestyle and

fresh, local produce have enhanced many peoples health. For common ailments, herbal

and traditional medicines and health treatments are increasingly valued. The community is

becoming more close-knit, as residents increasingly rely on one another.


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Diminishing oil supplies are no longer freely available on the open market, causing a collapse

of the growth-based global economy. Capital is increasingly unavailable, making a transition

to renewable energy alternatives more difficult. Ever more severe climate change is leading to

collapsing ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. Global agriculture is severely disrupted, food

riots are more common, water shortages affect more people than ever, and there is increasingconflict over scarce resources. Humanitarian, environmental and economic refugees reach

record numbers.

Many goods and services that we currently take for granted, including fuels and electricity, are

very expensive, unreliable or unavailable. Social and political upheaval is commonplace and

many public services are underfunded or no longer offered.

For many people, life is good on Tamborine Mountain. Challenging, by todays standards,but rewarding. The mountain is almost entirely self-sufficient in the production of vegetables

and fruit, dairy products, eggs and meat. Our water supply is more secure, following the

setting up of a number of communal bores that do not depend on insecure power to access

water. A local stand-alone renewable electricity grid provides energy for essential functions

and a biodiesel manufacturing plant supplies some fuel for community services.

Many people work from home on food production or in cottage industries, and a local trade

bartering system is thriving. A recycling resource centre provides many of the raw materials

used in small-scale local manufacturing. There is a busy trade with nearby communities ingoods and commodities; only critical resources that cannot be supplied by the mountain and

its surrounding regions are imported expensively from further afield. Tools and equipment

are a mix of pre-industrial and twenty-first century technology.

Local people have a range of practical skills and enjoy a network of connections; they identify

strongly with the mountain community and enjoy its strong communal spirit. They have come

to rely on each other for social support, including health services and care of the vulnerable

and aged. A vibrant creative arts culture has flourished, and small-scale festivals have sprung

up associated with the local markets. Looking back on the earlier years of the twenty-first

century, most people recognise that their lives, while not luxurious, are now more securely

sustainable and their community more resilient. They acknowledge that they have lost far less

than they have gained.


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The following list of tasks may help householders prepare for the coming period oftransition:

Get out of debt as soon as you can. In particular, get rid of unsecured debt like credit cards.Live within your means.

Have in place preparations and plans for likely emergencies, such as bushfire or severestorm.

Begin growing some of your own vegetables at a scale you can manage in your yard orlocal community garden.

Do a vegetable growing course.

Establish a chicken coop in your yard.

Build a compost heap and/or a worm farm.

Ensure you have sufficient outdoor clothing, wet-weather gear, sturdy footwear, and

gardening equipment. Where possible, have more than one source of drinking water, and a filtration system.

Ensure your water harvesting system is properly maintained.

Have a good supply of food stored for your family and pets in case of supplydisruptions.

Acquire the equipment and learn to preserve the food you have grown.

Develop and learn a useful skill that would make your community self sufficient andpotentially replace your current job.

Acquire tools for your skill.

Consider acquiring tools and equipment that do not depend on electricity.

Buy a comprehensive self-sufficiency book. See below for some suggestions. Take personal responsibility for your health and keep fit.

Get a comprehensive first aid kit. Consider doing a first aid course.

Consider the installation of insulation, solar hot water and / or a solar power system.

Reduce your household energy use and install more energy efficient lights andappliances.

Buy a bike and ride it.

Get to know your neighbours.

APPENDIX 2:

Further reading on personal and household preparationHarrison, Kathy (2008)Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens.Storey Publishing.Mollison, Bill (1988)Permaculture: A Designers Manual.Tagari Publications.Seymor, John (1975) The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency.Dorling Kindersley.Shipard, Isabell (2008) How Can I Be Prepared with Self-Sufficiency and Survival Foods?David Stewart.Stein, M (2008) When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, andSurviving the Long Emergency.Chelsea Green Pubishing.Spigarelli, J (second edition, 2002) Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guideto Home Storage and Physical Survival .Cross-Current Publishing.Martensen, Chris;What should I do? Building Resilience into your Life (website): http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/what-should-i-do

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APPENDIX 3:

The problems

Heinberg, R. (2003) The Partys Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies.NewSociety Publishers.

Heinberg, R., and Lerch, D. (Eds) (2010) The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the Twenty-firstCenturys Sustainability Crises.Post Carbon Institute.

Lovelock, J. (2006) The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth is Fighting Back - and How we CanStill Save Humanity.Allen Lane.

Martensen, C. (2011) The Crash Course: The Unsustainable Future of Our Economy, Energy,and Environment.Wiley.

Martenson, C. The Crash Course(website) http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourseMcKibben, B. (2010) Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.Henry Holt.

Post Peak Living(website): postpeakliving.com

Post Carbon Institute(website): postcarbon.org

The Oil Drum: Discussions about Energy and Our Future(website) theoildrum.com

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (documentary): http://www.oilcrashmovie.com/index2.

html

Food, Inc.(documentary): http://www.foodincmovie.com

Home: The Movie(documentary): http://www.homethemovie.org

Money as Debt:http://www.moneyasdebt.net/

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream(documentary)

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-end-of-suburbia/

The Story of Stuff (YouTube video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

What a Way to Go: Life at the end of Empire(documentary): http://www.whatawaytogomovie.com/

300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Seconds (YouTube video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w

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The solutions

Hopkins, Rob (2009) The Transition Handbook: Creating Local Sustainable CommunitiesBeyond Oil Dependency.Finch Publishing.

Harrison, Kathy (2008) Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens.Storey Publishing.

Spigarelli, J. (second edition, 2002) Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guideto Home Storage and Physical Survival.Cross-Current Publishing.

McFarlane, Annette (second edition, 2010)Organic Vegetable Gardening. ABC Books.

Mollison, Bill (1988)Permaculture: A Designers Manual.Tagari Publications.

Seymor, John (1975) The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency.Dorling Kindersley.

Shipard, Isabell (2008) How Can I Be Prepared with Self-Sufficiency and Survival Foods?David Stewart.

Solomon, S (2005) Gardening When it Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times.New SocietyPublishers.

Stein, M (2008) When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, andSurviving the Long Emergency.Chelsea Green Pubishing.

Martensen, Chris;What should I do? Building Resilience into your Life(website): http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/what-should-i-do

The Power of Community How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (documentary): http://www.powerofcommunity.org/cm/index.php

The Economics of Happiness,A film by Helena Norberg-Hodge et al., 2011.

Many useful books, includingthis one, are held in the

Tamborine Mountain publiclibrary.

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APPENDIX 4:

Preparing our community

In 2010 a group of people living on Tamborine Mountain came together to find ways of

creating a more sustainable future for our community. We had deep concerns about climate

change, the depletion of the worlds non-renewable resources and the degradation of our

soils, air, water and oceans. We realised that huge changes were necessary if we were to move

into the future with any sense of optimism. As individuals we felt overwhelmed by the scale

of what needed to be done and felt we could make little difference. But we were inspired

by the Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins, documenting communities like ours that were

already acting together to carve out paths to a more sustainable way of life. Our confidence

grew that Tamborine Mountain was ideally suited to make the transition to a low carbon,resilient community.

Throughout that first year, our Sustainability Group organised public film evenings, discussion

groups and Sustainable Living workshops, giving rise to many conversations in the community.

We acknowledged our fears about a challenging future that could be very different from the

present. We took courage by facing those fears together and began to imagine what a truly

sustainable future could be like here. Together we identified steps necessary to build a more

resilient mountain community.

Drawing on these discussions, The Tamborine Mountain Sustainability Group have compiledand developed this draft Sustainability Action Plan. Before the release of the plan to the

community, a draft was circulated to a number of local leaders in various fields for their

thoughts and suggestions.

This plan has been prepared by Tamborine Mountain residents as a working document for our

community to use during the challenging times ahead. It is still very much a work in progress,

and its recommendations must evolve as the challenges unfold. Our hope is that sharing the

vision we have developed so far will spark off further ideas, conversations and initiatives

in the community. We trust it will prove instructive, useful and ultimately reassuring: thattogether we can face these considerable challenges and build a strong, connected, resilient

community that continues to be a wonderful place in which to live.

This evolving plan will benefit immensely from continued input from the entire community,

and we invite everyone who lives here to share in this ongoing collaborative effort.

For more information on the Tamborine Mountain Sustainability Group,

visit www.transitionmountain.netEmail: [email protected]

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Sustainability Action Plan. Working together to create a sustainable community

Documents

Transcript of Sustainability Action Plan. Working together to create a sustainable community