Civic Impact

This month Transition Toronto (TTo) will host the city's first Energy Descent Action Plan Theatre. 

The two-hour 'theatre' will combine presentations, theatre games and brainstorming sessions and will culminate in a preliminary action plan for a more sustainable Toronto. 

 

Founded in late 2009, TTo is a small but growing organization dedicated to helping communities in the city work toward a more carbon-neutral future as we grapple with climate change and declining oil reserves. The goal of the transition movement, says TTo steering committee member Andrew Knox, is to develop community-generated action plans which help people step back from the use of fossil fuels. The underlying philosophy is that localization—a world where goods are produced and circulated locally—is the key to a sustainable future.

 

"Localization means development of the local economy and the local culture. And it means making communities resilient for the inevitable decrease in cheap energy,"  says Knox. "There are lots of ways that relocalizing, becoming less oil dependent, and more resilient in dealing with peak oil and dealing with climate change can actually make our lives better."

 

Energy Descent Action Theatre, slated for October 21, is an attempt to kickstart a localization process in Toronto. Although the event is being called a theatre, there will be no actors, scripts or audience. Instead, all attendees will participate collectively in the creation of the plan. Working in breakout groups, participants will come up with specific action steps. The ideas will been transcribed and posted online where other Torontonians will be able to comment and add. 

 

"The reason that it's theatre is that we really think we need to unlock this collective genius that is in our communities and the best way to do that is in a place where they're having fun," says Knox. "We really need out-of-the-box thinking for the challenges that we need to tackle."

 

If all goes well, TTo will continue to hold theatres in different communities across the city, allowing each neighbourhood to develop their own strategies.

The first Energy Descent Action Theatre will be held on October 21, from 2:30pm to 4:30pm in the gymnasium of Trinity St. Paul's Church, 427 Bloor Street West.