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!

Our social media team keeps the posts coming on Facebook in irregular bursts, and there’s some interesting ones that shouldn’t be missed. Such as the news that Ragley Farm’s Susan Nelson and Vivi Curutchet have an exciting vision for a Farm Village cooperative in Sooke on 125 acres of farmland north of Helgeson Rd.  Or that plans are progressing nicely for the Hope Centre affordable housing complex slated for the current West Coast Road site of the Saint Vincent De Paul thrift shop.

Stay current by ‘liking’ our FB page via this link here … and while you’re at it, check out these other excellent news & info sources of interest to local Transition Townies.

Awareness Film Night

Rotary Club of Sooke

Sooke News Mirror

Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce

Sooke Region Food CHI

Sooke Region Museum

Sooke Region Volunteer Centre

Sooke Slow Food Cycle

Sooke Youth Council

What The Sooke?

Join STTS’s Michael Tacon & friends for the next Transition Town Cafe this Sunday @ The Reading Room Bookstore and Cafe, 2 to 4 p.m. Lively chat, good company, laughs, great coffee and engaging discussion about local issues & life in general. This month’s theme: New Year Resolutions (for practical action & sustainable change).

Join our gang of regulars and a rotating cast of drop-ins this Sunday @ the Reading Room for the next Sooke Transition Town Cafe. You’re welcome anytime from 2 to 4 p.m. for lively debate, friendly chinwags and excellent food and drink courtesy Kathy and her crew.

December’s focus will pick up on themes discussed at last weekend’s STTS Public Forum on the Local Economy, which generated loads of wildmind ideas and some realistic proposals for the near future – notably a potential “resident’s card” program run through the Chamber of Commerce that will give holders price breaks and special incentives when shopping at local participating merchants.

The possibility of a local Sooke currency, the need for better high-tech infrastructure, cooperative business models and more food security initiatives were also discussed.

STTS chair Michael Tacon and several of last weekend’s participants will be on hand to share insights and lead the debate. Please drop by and add your thoughts on these ideas and contribute others on how we can better support existing business in Sooke and kickstart the local economy.

TRANSITION TOWN CAFÉ resumes on November 4th at the Reading Room Café in Sooke. Meeting on the first Sunday of each month between 2 – 4 p.m. these informal gatherings will continue into 2013.

“Public Roundtable on Sooke’s Economy – Are we ready for a local currency?”

This event is hosted by the Sooke Transition Town Society partnering with local economic and business organizations. It will be held in November with details of day, time and location yet to be announced.
Check our local media and our website for precise details.

“End of the World (as we know it!)” BONFIRE, FEAST & DANCE
Sunset, Saturday, December 22nd, 2012
This is about celebrating a new sustainable future while letting go of what no longer works for people and the planet.

Kick the Chemical Habit!

Household ingredients like lemon juice, salt and baking soda make great general cleaners. But there are easy ways to avoid harmful chemicals for even tough jobs. Did you know silver cleans up in an instant when heated in a pot of boiling water lined with tinfoil and sprinkled with baking soda? Or that a wet rag dipped in fireplace ash scours everything from pots and pans to the window in your woodstove and your glass cooktop?

Kick the Paper Towel Habit!

Whatever happened to the ragbag? Anything—from a stained tea towel to a cotton T-shirt past wearing—can be cut up with pinking shears and used instead of paper towels. Washable and reusable, rags are economical and environmentally friendly. You’ll be amazed how easy it can be to live paper-towel free!

Kick the Bottled-Water Habit!

Two-thirds of the literally billions of plastic bottles produced in North America annually end up in landfills where they leach chemicals into the earth. More and more experts, from David Suzuki to Health Canada, are telling us that just because water comes in a bottle doesn’t mean it’s better. Good-quality carbon filters on taps or in a carafe system are a better way to go.

Kick the Plastic Wrap Habit!

Plastic wrap is not recyclable, is one-use disposable and some are made from PVC, the worst of the plastics. Store leftovers for reheating in covered heatproof glass casseroles (check out thrift stores), and store other leftovers in wide-mouth glass jars.  Or cover bowls with a plate or re-usable elastic-sided bowl cover.

The first Sooke Slow Food Cycle celebrates peddle power, sustainability and the
joys of localization on Thanksgiving Sunday, Oct. 9.  It’s an initiative
of Sooke Transition Town and the Juan de Fuca Cycling Coalition in
collaboration with four community partners – the T’Sou-ke First Nation, Sooke
Food CHI, the JDF Community Trails Society and Slow Food Vancouver Island &
the Gulf Islands. Please join us for this family friendly day of fresh air,
exercise and a series of unique, Transition Town-themed workshops at farms,
homes, businesses and green spaces. Learn more at http://www.sookeslowfoodcycle.com