“Hi, neighbor!” After work Michelle Colussi’s husband sits on the front steps, attracting visitors young and old. This bit of neighborliness encourages relationships which come in handy — like bailing out one another’s houses when the nearby creek flooded. Co-founder of Transition Victoria (BC), Michelle organized her neighbors to join in a five-week “Transition Street” initiative to discuss and improve household practices around conserving water, growing food, and reducing waste, energy and transport. She says we need projects at the street level on up to regional levels. We also need to shift values from the “I’ll take care of me” ethic to valuing cooperation and collaboration. Enjoy her heartfelt three-word song at the close. [communityrenewal.ca, resilientneighborhoods.ca].
Building Community from Your Front Porch
By Janaia Donaldson, originally published by Peak Moment Television
June 1, 2015
Janaia Donaldson
Tags: building resilient communities, resilient neighborhoods, Transition Streets
Related Articles
Why language is central to the survival of cultures and communities
By Rachel Donald, Mike DiGirolamo, Mongabay
Deep cultural connection to land and nature are inherent to the human experience and a birthright, says Jay Griffiths, author of WILD: An Elemental Journey (2006). But what happens when communities become displaced, either voluntarily or through force?
March 29, 2024
Climate change has toppled some civilizations but not others. Why?
By Kate Yoder, Grist
The new research, published in a peer-reviewed biological sciences journal from The Royal Society, suggests that resilience is an ability that societies can gain and lose over time. Researchers found that a stable society can withstand even a dramatic climate shock, whereas a small shock can lead to chaos in a vulnerable one.
March 29, 2024
Can we evolve? Part 1
By Gunnar Rundgren, Garden Earth
We must use our extraordinary abilities for a planned retreat, ensuring that we take care of the wounded and saving what is most valuable in our current culture.
March 29, 2024