The international Transition Towns Movement was founded in 2005 by UK-based Permaculture teacher Rob Hopkins in order to engage entire communities in implementing Permaculture solutions for a more resilient future. Since that time, the Transition Movement has spread to over 1,200 communities in 50 countries, including 163 official Transition Initiatives located throughout the US. These initiatives have been successfully revitalizing local food systems, strengthening local economies, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and reweaving the torn fabric of community for more than a decade now. Come learn from Transition US Co-Director and certified Permaculture Designer, Don Hall, about how to effectively apply Permaculture ethics, strategies, and principles to build a thriving movement for community resilience right where you live.

Presented By: Don Hall

Don Hall is the founder and Executive Director of Transition Sarasota. Previously, he worked for two years as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Transition Colorado (now, the Local Food Shift Group), the first official Transition Initiative in North America and a statewide hub. Don holds a Master’s in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University and is a certified Permaculture Designer and US Transition Trainer.

2016 Convergence Workshop: Effective Collaboration

While working in groups can be fun, it’s not always easy. How do we cultivate effective groups without replicating hierarchical structures or spending too much time on group process? Designed for anyone working towards positive social change, this participatory one-hour workshop will provide you with some of the perspective, knowledge, and tools you need to collaborate with others in a more skillful way.

This workshop will be a highly-condensed version of a two-day training in Effective Collaboration that was developed by the permaculture-inspired Transition Network to provide local initiative leaders with the skills needed to build resilient communities. Some of its main themes include incorporating diverse perspectives to generate collective wisdom, understanding power dynamics to deal with conflicts more constructively, and emphasizing practice as a way to integrate theory. Both the Transition movement, in general, and this Effective Collaboration workshop, specifically, are powerful tools for spreading permaculture ideas and practices far beyond the choir.

Presented By: Don Hall

Bonnie Borucki has been a member of Transition Berkeley since 2011 and active in helping to organize crop swaps, movie nights, and panel discussions on urban agriculture, alternative economies, and moving beyond cars. She is currently the chair of the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition Land Use Group.
Bonnie received her PDC form Merritt College and has taught gardening classes with elementary students and seniors in assisted living facilities. She is also an artist and graphic designer, designing plans for permaculture landscapes. Merging her longtime interest in connections between people, plants and pollinators with her community, Bonnie currently coordinates activities and workshops in the Ashby Community Garden and is a founding member of We Bee Gardeners. The mission of We Bee Gardeners is to support our local urban community by improving the soil and providing pesticide-free habitat for birds, pollinators, plants, and humans.

2015 Convergence Panel: Transition 101: State of a World in Transition