Scenes from the third annual Winter Squash Party. Delicious food, fine company, and even some dancing!

Holiday Sharing Expo

Neighbors sharing goods,,skills, and more!

TIME CHANGED: 1-3PM (Expo only)

Sunday, December 8 – FREE!

Common GroundGround Organic Supply & Education Center

http://www.commongroundinpaloalto.org

559 College Ave, Palo Alto

Come join us for our annual Holiday sharing expo, and ring in the holidays with your neighbors, old and new! Share crafts, books, clothes, toys, and any garden items (or bring garden produce to the Garden share earlier in the day). We’ll also be sharing holiday goods and decorations.

We’ll be bringing you old and new things to see and do: You can tune up your bike, Start composting, make rugs from t-shirts, sharpen your knives, share on video, and taste some mulled cider. More demos to come as well!

PLEASE NOTE: The Garden Share will continue to be at 11am on the second Sunday of each month, including December 8. Please join the Garden Share, grab lunch, and stay with us at the Expo afterward!

THE EVENTS:

Composting – Annette P will teach composting basics, how you can get started, and a great way to keep food out of the landfill while enriching your garden.

Rag rugs – Anna will demonstrate a brilliant use for tons of old t-shirts – useful rugs you can make yourself.

Knife sharpening – William will help you save those dull blades with tue right techniques for getting a clean, sharp cutting edge.

Bike workshop – Tom and David will be on hand to help you learn to get your bike running on all speeds, safely.

Clothes, toys, and books – Bring your gently used clothes, toys, and books to share, or take something interesting. Please no stained, broken, or torn items.

Garden share -While the garden share is happening at 11am the same day, same place, please bring your garden produce there and stay for the expo.

Crafts -Bring your arts and crafts supplies, holiday crafts, and other knickknacks in good condition to our craft table for sharing.

Refreshments – We will be making mulled cider to share, but feel free to bring local or homemade food items only to share. Bring a reusable cup to drink from. If you come empty-handed, you’re still welcome!

Throughout the Bay Area, neighbors are Coming together to share skills and goods. Our event is supported by Transition Palo Alto,,Common Ground, Fabmo, Deborah’s Palm, SCRAP, Acterra, Planetshifter.com, Opalz, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Slow Food South Bay, and Transition Silicon Valley.

The Common Ground store is open during the event, so plan to stop in to get any supplies you need. Also, the event is only 3 blocks from the California Ave Farme’s Market (9am to 1pm), so you can shop and eat beforehand. The Garden share is also at Common Ground 11am to noon, so you can share your garden bounty, grab lunch,then join us for the Expo at 1pm.

Please note: In case of rain, the event will be cancelled.

Questions? Email rani – bacraftswap at gmail.com

On the first rainy night of the season, author and columnist Kurt Cobb met with local Transition people to share ideas on topics ranging from energy supplies to building “anti-fragile” societies. Kurt has worked with Bart Anderson for years, and as Bart says, “there’s no one there’s no one better at explaining energy and resource issues in understandable terms.” And all with intelligence, good spirit, and humor. 

Kurt’s approach is “non-creedal.” Guided by processes and evidence rather than a preconception of how things should be, Kurt thinks flexibly and is open to creative ideas.  Here are some of the thoughts he shared:

• Instead of thinking about the climate and energy crisis as impending, we should recognize that we’re already in the crisis. Doing that can have a liberating effect. We can start reaching out to people about how to manage and mitigate the effects of the crisis, instead of feeling stressed that we need to do something NOW or else.
• Kurt is originally from the Midwest, and emphasized how important it is to communicate with people based on where they are, not where we might want them to be.
• Social innovation is an important part of the response to the crisis. Innovations such as car sharing might ultimately be more effective at changing the pattern of energy usage in this country than waiting for policy to happen at the government level.
• He’s intrigued by the notion of an “anti-fragile” society, in which lots of creative ideas are tried. Many will fail, but some may succeed beyond expectations. Silicon Valley is a great model for that type of thinking. (For more info, see the book Antifragile – Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb).
• Ultimately, it’s essential that we take care of ourselves. Each of us is limited in what we can do. The challenge is to do what we are passionate about and able to do, without regretting that we can’t do more. 
  

Kurt Cobb is an author, speaker, and columnist focusing on energy and the environment. He is a regular contributor to the Energy Voices section of The Christian Science Monitor and author of the peak-oil-themed novel Prelude. In addition, he writes columns for the Paris-based science news site Scitizen, and his work has been featured on Energy Bulletin, The Oil Drum, OilPrice.com, Econ Matters, Peak Oil Review, 321energy, Common Dreams, Le Monde Diplomatique, and many other sites.  He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

Inspired by Transition founder Rob Hopkins’ challenge to “step things up,” and in hopes of expanding local Transition efforts, TPA leaders and activists met Nov 2 to harness our creative genius – or more prosaically, to envision our future and plan what projects we should do in 2014. We’ll be kicking off working groups in the areas of food, leadership, clean energy, community space and projects, public banking, resource mapping, language study, leadership gathering, reskilling, forums, and more.

We need you! To get involved in any new or existing working groups, send email to transitionpaloalto@gmail.com, and we’ll hook you up with the working group of your choice.

See Transition Core Values for the list of Transition core values that Romola Georgia wrote up. Images from our planning sessions are included below.

Films of Vision and Hope

What does it mean to stand up for what you believe in?

Film and discussion
When:  Friday Nov 22, 7:30 pm (come at 7:15 for social time)
Where: Fireside Room
Palo Alto Unitarian Universalist Church
505 E. Charleston Avenue, Palo Alto
Directions

BIDDER 70 is the story of a principled young man and the bravery of his commitment to a livable world.

On December 19, 2008, Tim DeChristopher, aka Bidder 70, bid 1.8 million dollars for 22,000 acres surrounding Utah’s pristine National Parks with no intention to pay or drill and brought the BLM auction to an abrupt halt.  One month later, Barack Obama became president and new Interior Secretary, Salazar, invalidated the entire BLM auction.  Nevertheless, DeChristopher was indicted on two federal felonies with penalties of up to ten years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

BIDDER 70 follows Tim as he maneuvers legal purgatory, waiting through nine trial postponements over two years.  With the threat of prison looming, DeChristopher steps up his activism and evolves into a climate justice leader. On February 28, 2011, hundreds of his supporters demonstrate in the streets of Salt Lake City as Tim’s trial begins.  Judge Dee Benson disallows every defense DeChristopher’s lawyers put forth and Tim is found guilty on both counts.  On July 26, 2011, Tim is sentenced to two years in federal prison, and is taken from court in chains. In solidarity, his supporters sit down in the busiest intersection in Salt Lake City, block traffic and trains, and refuse to move.  Twenty-six supporters are arrested.

Here’s a link to Transition Founder Rob Hopkins’ recent visit to California, including his visits to Oakland and the Building Resilient Communities Convergence. Good stuff!!

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-10/letter-america-4-five-extraordinary-days-california

This moving KQED report on hunger in the Central Valley features the inspiring work that Sarah Ramirez is doing with sister initiative “Be Healthy Tulare. “
http://www.kqed.org/news/specialcoverage/hungerinthevalleyofplenty/index.jsp

It was the  first ever Transition – Permaculture Convergence – at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA.

Transition founder Rob Hopkins was there, along with leaders and activists from the Bay Area, California, and beyond. Speakers included peak oil expert Richard Heinberg; Andy Lipkis of Tree People; environmental activist Julia Butterly Hill and Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth.

Some thoughts from the convergence…

• With the threats facing the world, we need to step things up, to do more to make our communities thrive.
• Environmental justice and social justice are all of a piece. Exploiting resources and exploiting people are all the same story, and solutions must address both.
• So many things are needed – don’t hesitate to do stuff, whether it’s bringing people together, getting hands dirty in the garden, promoting local businesses, carrying signs to make your voice heard, or more…
• Trans-local partnerships can tie together local efforts across regions and nations.
• If you get support of others beyond “the choir,” it’s necessary to talk their language, and maybe even dress like them.
• Permaculture principles are a rich foundation for resilient solutions.

Hopland, California Oct 11-13 2013.

When:  October 25, 7:30 pm (come at 7:15 for social time)
Where: Fireside Room Palo Alto Unitarian Universalist Church — NEW LOCATION
505 E. Charleston Avenue, Palo Alto
Directions

Director Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of electric vehicles (EVs).

“Brilliant. Revenge is the inspiring story of titans racing to get their electric car out first.  One of the most interesting and  entertaining documentaries I have ever seen…both my thumbs here are way way up!” The Movie Banter

Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale is a shining example of Transition in action. Transitioner  Victoria Armigo and all of the other dedicated Full Circle Farm volunteers, staff, and supporters have worked tirelessly to build a local farm to educate, serve and share bounty in the local community.

It’s a challenging endeavor, and the farm needs help. Please take a minute to read this letter written by farm General Manager Charlie Key and see if you can help out with time, money, or connections.

http://www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org/fresh-news-september-2013/