Welcome!

The Transition vision includes cooperative efforts on all fronts:

A growing sense of community in every neighborhood

A growing sense of community in our town

A health care center making affordable care available to all

Growing access to locally farmed fresh foods

Development of a local community garden

A local economy that finds innovative ways to support local businesses

Education and support for increasing green energy technology

Free classes for learning skills together, such as canning, sewing, gardening

And so much more...

Please "join" this page to receive timely updates on local events and Transition Initiative discussions.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Anti Fracking Vigil in Mt Kisco Wed. August 1st

This Wednesday, August 1st
Join your fellow Westchesterites in Mt Kisco,
 Governor Cuomo's home town, 
at the Mt Kisco Village Hall
From 6:00- 7:00pm
104 Main St, Mt 
Kisco, NY 10549
(1 1/2 blocks from Metro North train station)
Bring a poster, bring your friends and neighbors
Take action now: Tell Governor Cuomo to ban fracking
Call him: 518-474-8390
or

For more information contact Vitalah Simon
Vitalah@verizon.net or 914-683-5829

Monday, July 9, 2012

Fwd: David Brancaccio's "Fixing the Future" Shown on Wednesday, July 18, at 7: 30 PM in Pelham



Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Transition Westchester" <mailinglist@transitionwestchester.org>
Date: July 5, 2012 9:55:28 PM EDT
To: pepki@aol.com
Subject: David Brancaccio's "Fixing the Future" Shown on Wednesday, July 18, at 7: 30 PM in Pelham
Reply-To: "Transition Westchester" <mailinglist@transitionwestchester.org>

Untitled 1

Join us for a Screening and Community Discussion

Fixing the Future
A Documentary about "the Reinvention of the
American Economy"

Wednesday, July 18th at 7:30 pm
The Picture House, Pelham, NY



In recent years the news has brought daily reports of teetering corporations, vast lay-offs, and a stock market that can't find its footing. When we watch and listen to the big picture, it can feel overwhelming, and we can feel powerless.

Yet these times are also creating a renaissance of new thinking about how to reclaim stability and vitality in our communities. We may not be able to do much about the Euro crisis, however, we can buy from businesses that hire area residents and contribute to our shared local economy. Nowhere is this more evident than at the farmers market, where week-by-week, shoppers purchase directly from producers, strengthening both the local food system and economic activity.

On Wednesday, July 18th, Community Markets invites you to an evening all about solution. We're screening the documentary, Fixing the Future, a 70-minute film narrated by David Brancaccio (of public radio's Marketplace and NOW on PBS). Brancaccio interviewed people from around the U.S. who are taking on new approaches to enliven their communities. From initiatives such as worker cooperatives and "time banks" to community banks and local currencies, come hear these inspiring voices share their experiments in reinventing the American economy.

After the film, Jon Zeltsman, Community Markets Co-Founder, will facilitate a discussion about how to jumpstart grassroots solutions for our area. He'll be joined by kindred thinkers and encourage audience involvement in the conversation.

The venue is The Picture House in Pelham, NY, a gorgeous, fully-restored 1921 movie theater that seats 300 people. The Picture House is located at 175 Wolfs Lane in Pelham. Tickets are $9 online ($12 at the door) and you get can them right here.

You can also join this conversation, and many more about local food and livelihood, on our Facebook page or via Twitter: @farmersmarket5 (Westchester/Rockland markets) and @farmersmktcity (NYC markets).



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Primitive Technologies



Learning primitive technologies has never been so easy
 
 The internet and Youtube connect us instantly to the wisdom keepers and practitioners of  the old ways.
Here is a terrific website from a group based on the West coast.  http://www.primitiveways.com/
Just scanning their pages you get an idea of all the skills we humans once used to know and can relearn. 
 
 There are local primitive teachers here as well, like Mountain Scout Survival School in the Beacon area run by Shane Hobel. http://mtnscoutsurvival.com/
He teaches in the Hudson Valley and in Manhattan,
and does private and group instruction as well as parties.
A great guy!

 
 
Shane Hobel
 
Why is learning primitive skills important?
As Primitive Ways website says, these ancient skills connect us to our ancestors, remind us of our grandmothers and grandfathers who worked hard to survive and are the reason we are here today.  However, another more basic reason is the practical nature of these skills that can be lifesaving in many different challenging situations.  Oh, and they're fun to learn and practice!  My friends who have learned to start fire from sticks tell me of the elation they felt the first moment that flame came to life successfully.  The flint stones made into knives are also some of the sharpest tools out there and never need sharpening, nor do they rust.  They may chip, but so can a metal blade which has to be sharpened regularly and kept from rusting.

This bloodthirsty hot summer has its own primitive lessons to teach us.  Going lower into a basement is cooler, and a basement is like a cave. Power outages from overuse of air conditioner units tell us another primitive lesson, don't be in a hot room or you will dehydrate.  Staying cool and hydrated are two huge survival lessons Shane teaches, and he shows you how to do it. How to find water, how to stay cool. In his Wilderness Surival 1 course you will learn the basic essentials of survival http://mtnscoutsurvival.com/Wilderness1.html
  • "Wilderness Survival Class with instructor Shane Hobel is made up of many skills and is offered throughout the Hudson Valley in both wilderness and urban environments. The first class introduces you to the scope of this subject of study and particularly the Seven Arrows:
  • Shelter, Water, Fire & Food, Tracking, Awareness & Movement
  • Wilderness 1 will open your eyes to truly appreciate the gifts Mother Earth has to offer. Awaken to how capable you are and how fulfilling it is to be shed the need for today's comforts we are accustomed to. From this experience, choose your Trail of Journey and continue your modern renaissance in primitive and survival skills.
Good luck on your adventure connecting with our ancestors who had to figure these skills out for themselves and use them every day. 
 

What is a Transition Town?

Transition Towns across the globe are quickly addressing the reality of Climate Change, Peak Oil and Economic Decline with creative and positive solutions.
There are over 400 globally and over 106 in the USA.
In the US Transition Westchester is the 106th initiative.
Transition Towns avoid fear based rhetoric, they are committed folks who want to ensure a hopeful and optimistic future for our kids.
Transition Towns are made of dedicated groups of citizens focusing on the life support systems of a community: Food, energy, economy, community
Transition Towns also focus on the arts, music, play and the fun parts of life that create tightly knit societies founded on harmony and trust.