Well...it’s been busy times in Alice Springs for the last couple of weeks. The Desert Festival wound up on Sunday and since Monday, many of us have been cleaning up after the freakish storm that hit early that afternoon. It’s been inspiring to see people pull together as a town to put on entertaining musical and theatrical acts but more importantly how we just get on with it following powerful natural events such as the storm.
The key to living in this environment is working together as a community. Sharing
skills, resources, tools and time is key to ensuring we have a future herein the arid zone.
The looming economic crisis that has engulfed the US and spread across the globe is a strong signal that we cannot continue living beyond our means and must look closer to home for how we may weather the crisis here in Central Australia. The development of solar thermal technologies will provide the energy necessary to maintain commercial and residential electricity supply.
We need to rethink our methods of building to live comfortably in a carbon-constrained world. Could we make strawbale houses from all the buffel grass rendered with papercrete or other locally produced material? It’s just an idea but a possibility in cheaply providing energy efficient housing for those who need it.
We’re currently in the process of developing strategies around how ALEC can play a role in building community resilience in Alice Springs and beyond. In particular, how the town and its residents can be empowered to improve water management, produce food locally, reduce energy use, increase sustainable and affordable housing, adapt to climate change, reducing vehicle (fuel) use, increasing public and low-impact transport in town, rethinking waste management (reduce, reuse, recycle), green trades upskilling and whatever else comes to mind. ALEC will be advocating for and working towards practical local solutions that will improve our community’s resilience.
We’re meeting at ALEC on Monday September 29 at 1.30pm to start discussing
strategies as to how we can get this process happening.
If you want more information or to get involved in making the transition,
email me: info@alec.org.au Ph. 8952 2497
Some links:
www.transitiontowns.org
www.transitionculture.org
‘If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that is where it should be. Now put foundations under them.’
Henry David Thoreau
Jimmy
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