The Great Unleashing

The Great Unleashing of Transition Carrboro-Chapel Hill took place on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at the Carrboro Century Center.

Thanks to our supporters!

See photos by Dave Otto

According to the Transition Model that originated in Britain beginning in 2005, the Great Unleashing is the coming together of the people in a community to envision a positive, resilient future in response to climate change and the end of cheap oil. We added economic instability — another crisis that has had an increasing effect on community life since 2007.

Over 150 people turned out to the Carrboro-Chapel Hill Unleashing, and we ended the day with 21 action groups. Jane Norton and Brian Russell led us in a day of Open Space networking. This process began with participants raising issues and suggesting ideas for discussion. From these suggestions, 28 discussion sessions were scheduled in four periods — two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Rapporteurs in each group made notes of the discussions. You can read those reports here.

Between the morning and afternoon sessions, there was a delicious lunch provided with the help of our supporters, a greeting from Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton, and an inspiring speech by Norm Christensen, founder of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

At the end of the day, participants proposed action groups. Twenty-one action groups were formed. Not all the groups remained active (click here for a list of the groups that are currently active, each of which has its own web page and discussion forum). The 21 proposed action groups were:

• Affordable Homes with energy-efficient/green features
• Children’s Sustainable Experiential Education
• Communal Gardening
• Community Beautification
• Energy
• Garbage Reduction & Composting
• Health & Healing
• How to Organize Spirit’s Guidance in our Community
• Humanure Approval as a Resource
• Mapping & Sharing Resources (has merged with Networking & Communication)
• Measures (to gauge where we are and what we’ve accomplished)
• Models (learning what projects have been implemented successfully elsewhere)
• Networking & Communication
• Personal Integrity, Personal Power, Authenticity
• Political Accountability and Shaping Public Policy
• Resilient Neighborhood Economies/Bartering/Time-swapping
• Shop Mob (skill-sharing) & Bartering
• Story Telling
• Sustainable Vocations
• Transportation
• The Two-Way Street (diversity & connecting with our neighbors)

The person who proposed each action group agreed to convene at least the initial meeting of the group. Some groups may decide to merge, and additional groups will be added over time. A current list will be maintained here, with links to pages for each group, including a means for you to join the group if you would like to do so.

We finished the day with some socializing, celebrating, and entertainment.

As we move forward, the action groups will set up projects they deem important. They will collaborate with each other and with existing organizations and individuals already doing work in the spirit of Transition. They will join with these existing entities to envision an Energy Descent Action Plan that will lay out the actual work that will transition us to a strong, interdependent, resilient Carrboro/Chapel Hill in a post-fossil fuel economy 50 years from now.

Approximate Schedule followed during the Unleashing