by | April 19, 2013 · 4:34 pm

Reminder: Members’ Meeting this coming Thursday @ Reading Room

 

Logo-Coaching-home2
Transition Sooke invites you to an Open Space gathering at the Reading Room Café from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 25th. You, our members, have the power and desire to help our town respond to the major concerns of the global Transition Town movement – climate change, fossil fuel dependence and economic instability. The “Open Space” process allows attendees to set the agenda, identify key issues and offer concrete directions. You will have a chance to express your point of view, add your creativity, listen deeply, and vote with your feet as well as with colourful cards. Open Space meetings can result in transformative experiences for the individuals and groups involved. Let’s see what happens! ~ regards, Michael Tacon on behalf of the Sooke Transition Town Core Team (Yvonne, Margaret, Andrew, Lee, Stephen, Erik, Sofie and Jeff)
13534872-diversity-tree-hands-illustration-background

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

by | April 11, 2013 · 11:33 pm

Call to Action: Make Vancouver Island a GE-Free Zone

Elected officials of Vancouver Island and the Coastal Communities need to know that we, the people, are against genetically engineered foods being grown on our island. So declare Vancouver Island a GE-free zone!

 

Where: Prestige Hotel, Sooke

When: April 13 from 11:30-12:30

Paint your message on a placard

Wear green as a sign that natural is where it’s at on Vancouver Island

Bring a GE-free seed and a friend

What have you got to lose….clean local food!

Let everyone know and show up!

Take a look at our Event Facebook page!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

by | April 4, 2013 · 4:44 pm

April Calendar: Spring Showers, May Markets

calendar_april2013Sunday, April 7: Transition Town Café, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Reading Room Café. Transition Sooke founder Michael Tacon will host our monthly mixer on what’s forecast to be a wet weekend – come in from the rain for great conversation and java! (Note: If you’re from Shirley or Otter Point, your time will likely be best spent at the OPSRRA Annual General Meeting, 2 p.m. onwards at the Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department.)

Monday, April 8: District of Sooke Council meeting, 7 p.m. at Municipal Hall. Public input is sought on the town’s Corporate Strategic Plan for 2013/14, the latest draft of which can be read here + Please come out and support Jo Phillips as she asks council (during the early stages of the meeting, i.e. you can make some noise, then get home early) to endorse GE Watch Comox Valley’s campaign to “ban the import, export and growing of plants and seeds containing genetically engineered DNA on Vancouver Island.”

Wednesday, April 10: Awareness Film Night screens Salmon Confidential in the EMCS Theatre, 7 p.m. Special guest: Wild salmon crusader Alexandra Morton … Also that night: Mayor’s Public Advisory Panel on Community Health & Social Issues, 7 p.m. @ the Prestige (all welcome, chaired by Nicky Logins, director of the Sooke Family Resource Society).

Weekend of April 13/14: Rally in support of GE Watch Comox Valley’s campaign to ban GMOs on Vancouver Island as the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities holds its AGM at the Prestige. Stay tuned for details on day and hour.

Thursday, April 18: Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Economic Development, 7 p.m. at the Prestige, chaired by Royal Roads University’s Steve Grundy, all welcome. Learn more about the upcoming Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium in Sooke (May 26-28), the Mayor’s “Promote Sooke” task force & more.

Thursday, April 25: Sooke Transition Townies are warmly invited to participate in an essential “Open Space” priority setting and planning session at the Reading Room, 7 p.m. Help shape the future of your local Transition Town and participate in a lively “dotmocracy” process led by core team members Andrew Moore and Michael Tacon … also that same night @ the Prestige, 7 p.m., the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Arts & Beautification chaired by Brenda Parkinson. It will likely focus on spirited plans for an educational arts centre in the former Mulligans Bar & Grill at the edge of John Philips Memorial Park.

Saturday, April 27: Expect a few early-bird vendors to be setting up tables at the Sooke Country Market, which doesn’t open officially until the second Saturday in May.

And while you’ve got the daytimer out …

Saturday, May 4: Sooke Rotary Club’s 23rd annual Auction & Spring Fair at Seaparc Arena, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.  + Sooke District Lioness Club‘s annual 32km Galloping Goose Walk in support of Camp Shawnigan.

Sunday, June 2: The 5th annual Sooke Secret Garden Tour, a fundraiser for the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sunday, August 18: The return of Sooke Food CHI’s delightful Farm Tour

PS For more, regularly check out the Sooke Voice News events board – the definitive article when it comes to what’s happening here in town week in, week out. [Oh, and as Britt Santowski points out, the one in the Sooke News Mirror is pretty fantastic too! ;-) ]

Leave a Comment

Filed under Events

by | · 3:30 pm

Plotting The Course Ahead: Wide Open Spaces @ the Reading Room, April 25

CALLING ALL SOOKE TRANSITION TOWNIES: AN INVITATION TO AN OPEN SPACE GATHERINGImage
 
Sooke Transition Town invites you to an Open Space gathering at the Reading Room Café at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25th, 2013.
 
Three years into our evolving history, Sooke Transition Town is again inviting our members and supporters to collectively plot the course for a brighter, more sustainable future right here in Sooke. We’ve done this twice before, and continue to do so informally with our monthly Transition Cafe gatherings. Now with spring busting out all over, your core team again wants your ideas, enthusiasm and input. 
 
You, our members, have the power and desire to help our town respond to the major concerns of the global Transition Town movement – climate change, fossil fuel dependence and economic instability. The “Open Space” process allows attendees to set the agenda, identify key issues and offer concrete directions. You will have a chance to express your point of view, add your creativity, listen deeply, and vote with your feet as well as with colourful cards.

Open Space meetings can result in transformative experiences for the individuals and groups involved. Let’s see what happens!

 
We look forward to seeing you there on April 25th!
Regards,
Sooke Transition Town Core Team
 


Michael, Margaret, Andrew, Jeff, Yvonne, Erik, Stephen, Lee and Sofie.
 
Image

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

by | March 5, 2013 · 11:19 pm

Creating Sustainable, Affordable Housing Communities in Greater Victoria

To register  for the  March/April/May/June dialogue sessions (details in the link and pasted below): https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PRWBVCB

Village Building Dialogue Sessions:

Exploring Possibilities for Creating Sustainable,

Affordable Housing Communities in Greater Victoria

Intention

The purpose of this series is to help generate community readiness for creation of sustainable, affordable housing communities in the Capital Region. These facilitated dialogues will bring together the expertise of featured resource people and the creativity of diverse participants.

Upcoming dates, topics and resource people:

Thursday, March 21st – Strategizing to Attract Land and Capital, with Gene Miller, Linda Ross, William Ross & Veronica Doyle

Thursday, April 4th- Developing Co-ops and Co-housing, with Marty Frost, Joy Emmanuel, Margaret Critchlow and Bill McKechnie

Thursday, May 2nd – Designing Living Buildings, with Ann and Gord Baird

Thursday, June 6th - Conserving Water and Using “Waste”, with Anita Wolfe; Ann and Gord Baird

Details

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (doors at 6:45)

Location: Garry Oak Room (1335 Thurlow, off Moss St)

Cost: by donation (suggested $5 – $20) – refreshments provided

Facilitator: James Pratt (for more information, contact james@prattconsulting.ca)

Participants: people interested in learning about, and potentially co-creating, sustainable and affordable housing in this region!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

by | February 18, 2013 · 10:49 am

Video & Dessert Night @ The Little Vienna: Stephen Hindrich’s playlist

In case you weren’t able to gather with the lively crew at the Little Vienna on Feb. 16, here’s the full playlist of videoclips presented by Stephen Hindrichs. Once you’ve selected a clip, either watch it on your mobile device or switch the setting to “desktop” for full-screen playback. Thank you Stephen and the Little Vienna’s Susan Nyikes for your hospitality, and to all who turned out for a lively, inspiring and conversationally rich evening.
1. Co-Housing Ecovillages around the World

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=MtNjZaXDGqM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMtNjZaXDGqM

2. Growing Food One Million Gardens
3. Enlightened Simplicity Masanobu Fukuoka
4. Permaculture by Sepp Holzer
5. God made A Farmer ad
6. God made a Farmer Spoof
7. Where the Hell is Matt
8. Hugelkultur 60 seconds
9. Doing it ourselves
10. Two Options
11. Low tech High impact Bio Char
12. Community; How to create your own Village
13. The Story of Streetbank

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

by | February 6, 2013 · 2:32 pm

Daytimer for the month ahead

Potentially busy month ahead for Sookies of all ages interested in new possibilities and radical-shift thinking about themselves and the community at large. Here’s a countdown of what’s ahead on the calendar.

1. Awareness Film Night, Wed. Feb. 13 @ EMCS, 7 p.m. A festival of short films of interest to Transition Town disciples followed by three presentations: Frederique Philip on her downtown beautification campaign (which she calls “boatification” for good reason); Susan Nelson & Vivi Curutchet on the Village Farm Ecovillage; and Margaret Critchlow on the Harbourside, the senior cohousing project set for Ralph Hull’s Sooke Ocean Resort

2. Harbourside Information Session, Sat. Feb. 16, 1 to 4 p.m. @ Sooke Ocean Resort, 6669 Horne Rd. Find out more about the senior cohousing and the RRU course. Free Admission but please RSVP to seniorcohousing@gmail.com

3. Video & Dessert Night @ the Little Vienna, Sat. Feb. 16, 7 to 9 p.m. The JDF Cycling Coalition’s Stephen Hindrichs presents his second night of short films and friendly conversation at Sooke’s favorite bakery/bistro. Free admission + coffee, tea and sweet treats at a special price.

4. The Power of Hope @ EMCS, Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 16 and 17. The celebrated Pacific Northwest youth empowerment organization returns to Sooke for the first time in a decade with a special weekend arts and leadership camp titled “Positivity: Creativity, Diversity & Community Building” (exactly what Transition Town’s all about, in other words). Know any teenagers aged 14+ who might be interested? Point them to the EMCS Society registration page.

5. Sierra Club of Victoria film screening,  Wed. Feb. 20, 7 p.m. @ Sooke Community Hall (2037 Shields Rd.). “White Water Black Gold” is about three hikers who follow an imaginary drop of water from the Columbia icelands through the Alberta tarsands focusing on the effects the tarsands is having on our water supply. There is no charge for the event and the club is trying to arrange for the director David Lavallee to be present, at least for the film’s introduction.

6. Seedy Saturday, Sat. Feb. 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ Sooke Community Hall.  Sooke Region Food CHI Society’s annual seed sale and exchange promoting biodiversity, heritage plants and education. Drop by and say hello to Transition Town core-team member Sofie Hagens at our table.

7. Transition Town Cafe, Sunday, March 3 @ the Reading Room Cafe. Another monthly chance to share ideas, plot practical actions and enjoy lively dialogue with local Transition Townies.

8. Royal Road University presents “Aging Well in Community,” two Saturdays, March 9 and 16 @ Sooke Ocean Resort: Learn how to “get your head out of the sand and enjoy the second half of life.” Led by Transition Town’s Andrew Moore and Margaret Critchlow and limited to 20 participants, so please register early. PS This is the first-ever RRU course offered in Sooke, and the start of many to come, it’s to be hoped!

Image

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized