For historical purposes, we’re listing our older events, in the interest of transparency, dialogue and rampant joy! This is the second post in the series.
The Transition SFV was formed at the urging of Bruce Woodside in September 2009 (after a few weeks of e-mailing back and forth). We met every couple of weeks, plotting and planning and laughing and getting to know each other before, slowly, things started to emerge.
From January to March, we came out, ideas ablazing. a total of six meeting were proposed and executed: the C-Realm Salon, Mead-Making, The Future is About Resilience, Intro to Transition, Transitioning in Place part 1 and Transitioning in Place part 2.
Then, hot on its heels came Cycle II and we came out to meet the public — you! And we were very happy to meet you.
APRIL 17 – 18, 2010: TOPANGA EARTH DAYS
10:00am-6:00pm (2 days)
At the Topanga Community House Fair Grounds, 1440 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA
Type: Festival (as a guest, affiliated event)
Topics: Transition facts
Category: Head
Transition held a place at the 11th annual Topanga Earth Day festival, a 90 percent waste-free non-profit event, meant to unify people from around the world in celebration and promotion of ecological awareness, cultural respect and music. Set in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles’ original conscious-living community, the festival gave attendees the unique opportunity to learn about a variety of sustainable and holistic-living solutions through guest speakers and workshops, a healing village and ecological vendors who were “living by example” including Klean Kanteen founder Robert Seals.
Thanks to Transition L.A. Founder Joanne Poyourow, Transition SFV hosted a table at the event and was proud to have Joanne there as well, speaking to people at noon on Sunday.
http://www.topangaearthday.org/Welcome.html
And in Other News…
While some of us were in Topanga, Bruce was representing Master Gardeners at the Santa Clarita Earth Day celebration on the 17th of April, and talked up Transition to the attendees. On the 18th, Bruce was working another Earth Day celebration in Burbank, helping people pot plants they could take home. Several Transition flyers were handed out and we connected with the Burbank Green Alliance.
APRIL 22, 2010: CSUN EARTH DAY FAIR AND GLOBAL VILLAGE
10:00am – 2:00pm
At the Bayramian Hall Lawn, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA
Type: Festival (as a guest, affiliated event)
Topics: Transition facts
Category: Head
The 40th Anniversay CSUN Earth Day Fair & Global Village offered environmental-themed giveaways, craft projects, street performers, environmental Speakers, 30 environmental organization info/vendor booths, eco-friendly car and transportation demonstrations, cash for cans competitions (all proceeds went to Habitat For Humanity), clubs and organizations “Best Booth” competitions (all proceeds went to Habitat For Humanity), interactive art walls for adults and children, eco-art competition with cash prizes, a global village featuring international cultures, and free international food from 12 different counties.
Thanks to the generosity of Nikki Maxwell, Transition SFV co-hosted a table there in conjunction with Northridge Freecycle, whose Free4All booth gave away free donated items throughout the day.
http://www.csunas.org/earthday/index.php
APRIL 22, 2010: VALLEY WATER EXPO
6:00pm – 9:00pm
At the Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Blvd. Encino CA 91316
Type: Festival (as a guest, affiliated event)
Topics: Transition facts
Category: Head
Transition SFV was proud to be at an event that raised awarness and educated people about how to save water in the San Fernando Valley. Table presentations began at 6:00 pm and speaker presentations were from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. The evening was designed to further awareness of the drought crisis that we face as a community and provide information and tools to embrace water conservation. There was guest presenters who offered a panel discussion and Q & A. Water conservation information tables provided information as well as products. There was also representatives from non-profit organizations, which make vital contributions to Los Angeles County.
http://valleywaterexpo.blogspot.com/
APRIL 24, 2010: WHOLE CHILD, WHOLE PLANET EXPO
9:30am – 18:00pm
At Highland Hall Waldorf School, 17100 Superior St., Northridge, CA
Type: Festival (as a guest, affiliated event)
Topics: Transition facts
Category: Head
The Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo is the premier natural parenting and family expo to introduce and educate families, professionals and friends about the benefits of sustainable living practices, holistic medicine, non-toxic products, organic foods, better nutrition and enrichment learning programs. Their mission is to educate the community about important health and environmental issues and provide the resources and tools necessary to protect our families, and the planet.
This year’s FREE community event featured non-stop education for all those willing to learn – kids, students, parents, teachers, friends, grandparents – with FREE workshops throughout the day, hands-on enrichment projects for kids, and healthy entertainment – for all ages.
Thanks to the generosity of Kathy Arnos, Transition San Fernando Valley hosted a table there!
MAY 2010
We planned for a few things in May but instead, by consensus, took a little break. Except, it wasn’t so much a break as a chance to marshal our resources and apply for official Transition Status. Which we got. 
We are the 68th Transition group to emerge in the United States, 309th in the world. Our official designation is a Local Transition Hub (http://transitionus.org/initiatives/scales) which means our overall purpose is to seed the Valley with a number of Transition Initiatives before ultimately dissolving into our own Local groups.
http://transitionus.org/initiatives-map
We came back in June with a passion.
JUNE 12, 2010: BASIC TRAINING – 3 Actions for Emergency Preparedness
2:00pm – 4:00pm
In the Ballou Room, Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society, 9550 Haskell Boulevard, North Hills, CA
Type: Workshop
Topics: Health
Category: Head, Hands
This event ended up with a really interesting twist. We invited health advocates and professionals to help us increase our resilience and prepare for the sort of emergencies that life brings to us all. We then invited the public — you — to come and learn some basic first aid, where to get a kit and how to improvise. In a hands-on exercise we promised to work out how to make a plan - our own household emergency plans. Planning ahead, we believed, was the first step to a safer, calmer and more assured disaster response.
While talking with the CERT provider, we discussed getting away from the “here’s what could happen; go build a kit” format and skew more towards how to empower people if they CAN’T get to help or supplies. What do we need to focus on? What do we absolutely need in a house to maintain our basic safety? How can we recognize and treat basic, non-life threatening injures.
Just a couple of days before the event, the CERT provider called in sick with the stomach flu. Being the consumate professional, she had already lined up a backup provider. No problem. Well… at least until 20 minutes before the event when the backup provider called in; there had been an emergency and HE couldn’t show up!
We found ourselves in exactly the situation we were proposing. Concerned about health but without access to expert services. So, in true Transition fashion, we inventoried our resources as attendees came to the event. It turns out one person had some CERT training a couple of decades old and another was in the middle of EMT training! The next thing you know we, as a community, were pulling together, trading tips and trying to reason out exactly what we could do with the minimum amount of resources necessary (everything from keeping a bottle of vodka handy for sterilization and as anaesthesia to why one of the most important things you can have by the side of your bed is a good pair of shoes and a crowbar).
JUNE 19, 2010: COMMUNITY — A WORKING VOCABULARY
2:00pm – 4:00pm
In the Garden Cottage, Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society, 9550 Haskell Boulevard, North Hills, CA
Type: Workshop
Topics: Community
Category: Heart, Head
Don Dwiggins (from the Steering Committee) created a workshop to explore ways to create the strong, resilient communities we’ll need to meet the challenges of the post-carbon future. There was a short talk based on Don’s wiki site, followed by an open dialogue which Don hopes will be the seed of a community of practice devoted to strengthening our local communities.
Don’s wiki site can be found at http://dwigki.wikispaces.com/On%20Community
And that, as they say, was that. Our second 3 month cycle, from April to June 2010. We’ve now been out in the public eye for half a year. What do you think?
