Close on the heels of World Food Week, Transition Town Comox Valley will hold its regular monthly meetup at Zocalo Café this Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
The meeting will be modelled in the spirit of Green Drinks, a social networking event grown out of the environmental movement, now commonly used to connect people working in the sustainability sector.
The meeting will also provide opportunity for people to make short verbal presentations on any projects they may be working on — including seeking help on— followed by plenty of time for informal networking.
Green Drinks is a commonly used term to describe such meetings in other locations. The opportunity for people to propose their project ideas proved popular at the 10 (minutes) times 10 (people) café offered as part of World Food Week last week.
"Many people working locally in the sustainability movement would agree that there is plenty of amazing work happening right here in the Comox Valley,” says Nancy Hofer, Transition Town steering committee member.
“There is a genuine desire for collaboration — it came up as a key theme in both the housing and food forums last week. We as a community know that sustainable ideas require the participation of many.”
TTCV has been offering educational, programmed monthly meetups for over two years and note that many participants have reported that the informal discussions is where most of the ‘magic’ happens in turning ideas into action. Connecting and working together in small groups appear to be a critical ingredient in getting an idea to fruition stage.
TTCV is entering its third year and has established a clear direction for the following year’s work centred around this need and desire for partnership building.
This year TTCV will use the Sustainability Strategy as a guide and a reference against which to measure our collective efforts.
“Lots of work went into creating the Sustainability Strategy,” notes Hofer. “It was as well-consulted as any local plan and is endorsed by all local governments of the Comox Valley.
"The feedback TTCV has had on reviving and actively implementing this plan has been quite positive. We look forward to initiating an inventory with other groups over the coming months.”
The monthly Green Drinks will offer an opportunity to connect people working in the sustainability movement to learn about the progress of the sustainability assessment and continue to connect on current hands-on initiatives.
Green Drinks is held the last Wednesday of every month from 7 to 9 p.m. and is currently being held at Zocalo Café.
Transition Towns are a worldwide movement self-described as “a community-led response to the challenges of climate change, peak oil and the global economic crisis.” TTCV’s mission is to develop that local response.
For more information, visit www.transitiontowncv.org or call 250-898-9045.
— Transition Town Comox Valley