Lunch & Learn: “Stories to Action”

Join us for a preview of the “Stories to Action” learning cohort, which will launch in early 2022! The goal of the Stories to Action cohort is to support participants in replicating these inspiring models in your own community, with guidance from experienced project organizers and support from Transition US.

In this Lunch & Learn session, you will learn about the 3 inspiring initiatives we will feature in the learning cohort:

• “Community Bikes,” a community-based bike upcycling program that makes fossil fuel-free transport accessible to all;
• a “Permablitz” program where neighbors work together to transform their yards, neighborhoods, and public lands while growing food, habitat, and community; &
• “Climate Conversations: Bringing Climate Change Home“: an awareness-raising event series that you can customize to your own community to help people understand what is going to happen where they live, and practical actions they can take today to be more prepared tomorrow, making the idea of adapting to climate change more manageable.

Leslie MacKenzie lives in Minnesota where she is a writer and community organizer. She is a co-founder of Transition Longfellow (Minneapolis) and was a co-organizer of a 6-part Climate Conversations speaker series as well as a year-long preparedness email series.

Portia Sinnott is the co-founder of LITE Initiatives, the parent of Community Bikes, and was active in leading Transition Sebastopol from 2009 – 2015. A long-time member of the Sonoma County Local Task Force on Integrated Waste Management, in 2018 Portia was instrumental in initiating the county-wide goal of Zero Waste by 2030. An advocate consultant, she leads and takes part in cutting-edge waste reduction, recycling and Zero Waste related projects across North America. She also serves as Program Director for Zero Waste USA and is Vice President of the Northern California Recycling Association.

Shawn McFarland is a local green architect who grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Houston. She completed Permaculture Design Certification in April of 2000 and began facilitating a class which includes her specialty in green and low carbon design. She has just completed a course with the Texas Master Naturalist program. Shawn is also a member of the Transition Houston steering committee. Transition Houston has completed more than 15 Permablitzes and 4 Repair Cafes.

While currently working in the field of IT at Rice University, Sarah Gonzales works and volunteers for several groups to promote sustainability and social and economic justice. She completed her permaculture certification in 2019 and she and her husband John have converted their backyard into an edible paradise. Our goal is a garden on every street. Sarah is a steering committee member of Transition Houston, which has been active in the Houston community for over 10 years. Through Transition, she has transformed her life through food, living sustainably, and is looking forward to her next adventure: living in Texas’ first cohousing community.

This lunch &learn is being offered as part of the 2021 Regenerative Communities Summit. Please click here to learn more and register using our pay-what-you-can donation-based system to participate.

REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT!

Feel free to bring your lunch to this Lunch & Learn session!