Naresh Giangrande and Sophy Banks helped to form the first Transition Town in Totnes, England (see lifestyle story on page 9).

The Transition Towns movement has grown to include 121 towns and communities working to meet the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change.

Mr Giangrande and Ms Banks now work full-time training people how to make their communities more self-reliant in food, energy and the many goods and services that a community needs to survive and thrive.

They are currently on a world tour of the USA, Canada, New Zealand, China and Japan as well as Australia.

A two-day seminar hosted by Climate Action Now Wingecarribee (CANWin) on February 7-8 attracted 33 participants from South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

The following weekend, Mr Giangrande and Ms Banks led a four-day “Train the Trainer” workshop to form an Australian network that could help spread the Transition Towns message.

Ms Banks said those interested in training for transition were “people who care about the well-being of their families and communities, those interested in the changes that are already happening in the world and want to find creative, positive responses rather than letting the future happen to them.”

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Friday, February 20

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