What you can do
Some ideas on things you can do right now to get started on your own Transition journey…
1. Shop, eat and drink local From bacon to beer, boost our economy by buying local produce whenever you can. If the shop/restaurant/bar doesn’t have local stuff, ask why not and when it’s coming. Local organic produce is best of all, as organic farming doesn’t rely on the oil and gas-based pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional farming.
2. Have a go at growing your own Nothing (well nothing printable) beats the pleasure of growing, harvesting and tucking into your own home-grown food. You don’t even need a garden; you can grow tomatoes, peppers and loads more on the windowsill. You just need seeds, sunlight and water…and hey presto: your own fresh, fabulous, food-mile-free produce.
3. Help get more allotments up and running Not a lot of people know this, but if six or more people in a parish want an allotment, the local authority is obliged to provide one. Amanda Griffin has been working tirelessly to get more allotments provided across the Island, so if you’d like your very own growing space get in touch – amanda.griffin@manx.net
4. Make soil, not waste Compost everything from kitchen scraps to cardboard to create rich, nourishing stuff to nurture your plants with. Turbo-charge the process with a wormery and you can have it in just six weeks.
5. Join a local group There are lots of Manx groups taking action on things like energy and the environment, so now’s the time to join one. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re making a difference, and good fun too. Check out the selection under ‘Links and local contacts’.
6. Plant a tree Trees give us heating fuel, building materials and food, making them vital to our future self-reliance. The Dalby community woodland scheme is giving them away free to good homes, so whether you’ve got land for several or garden space for just one, call Brian on 843471. Or treat yourself to a locally grown apple tree – call Mill on 480882.
7. Learn something new… For free advice on saving energy, generating renewable energy and everything else to do with modern green living, call into the Green Centre at the Chester Street complex near Shoprite in Douglas. Open every Saturday from 10am to 2pm or later, members of the Manx Energy Advice Centre, IOM Friends of the Earth and Zero Waste Mann are there to help.
8 …or something old From woodwork to willow-weaving, many traditional skills are likely to come in very handy in the future – and they’re immensely satisfying things to do in their own right. The Isle of Man College runs some good courses, while Island groups like the Beekeepers can give expert guidance.
9. Try your hand at permaculture Permaculture is all about designing sustainable human habitats – in other words, ways of living that are better for us and for the world. Permaculture food gardening is fantastically creative and rewarding, recreating natural systems to give the most yield for the least effort. Ramsey Library has a whole section devoted to permaculture, or why not do a one-day introductory course with the IOM Permaculture Association – call Mill on 480882.
10. Support Fair Trade Because Fair Trade encourages organic farming and other sustainable production methods, it helps some of the world’s poorest communities to be self-reliant too. We depend on these people for everything from coffee to cotton, so it really is only fair to make sure they get a good deal.
And last but most definitely not least, you can use your voice. Write to your MHK and commissioners. Ask how they plan to boost our self-reliance in view of peak oil and climate change, and encourage them to support the Government energy and food initiatives already underway.