After todays Public Forum on Climate Change and Sustainability, I really do think that Port Alberni is at the leading edge of what *really* needs to happen on the way forward.
The simple fact that 3 out of our current 6 councillors plus the Mayor and all of the senior management of the City were there to listen to Bruce Sampson and Nola Kate Seymour talk about Energy depletion, Natural Capital, Climate Change and how we move forward and address the incredible change we are facing is proof enough for me. The conversations I had with councillors and managers were incredibly encouraging.
You can see a short interview with Nola Seymour here where she talks about much the same things she said tonight.
Tonights talk was a turning point. Yes, the audience was largely tuned into Climate Change, but Bruce Sampsons main points were around Energy and Peak Oil, not Climate Change, and I think that turned a lot of heads. I think our Councillors that weren’t already Peak Oil aware and active, or just on the sidelines, now really have something to chew on. It’s been put into terms that are more familiar.
I am energized by tonights presentation. I think the debate is officially over in Port Alberni on Climate Change. There is going to be some real action come out of this, and it’s going to happen with at least a big chunk of our leaders behind it.
There is a recognition that the divisions between loggers and treehuggers of the past are over. We must all move together in order to create not only a livable planet, but also renewable jobs and a sustainable lifestyle.
I handed out really inadequate little brochures. I hope people email me about it.
I’m going to start up a Transition Town committee in town and get this ball rolling. SEPERATE from Council, we need a grassroots effort to engage people in the community and merge all of the wonderful things we have going on in this town. If we could just harness a portion of the energy that I know is out there, I am sure that we could make a huge amount of change happen very quickly.
After tonight, I have more Hope about the future than I have had for months. And Hope is what we need to get through this above all.
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