Our Human-Powered Move
Change need not be a hairshirt excercise. It can be something that is exhilarating, has a feel of being a historic process, and is a collective call to adventure. (Rob Hopkins)
Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement in Totnes, England, explains that one litre of motor oil contains the energy equivalent to one person performing hard manual labour for five weeks. Incredibly, one average thankful of gas (40L) contains the energy equivalent to one person performing hard manual labour for four years. As we pack and organize the dear old CGC office in preparation for our zero-carbon move to 181 Station Street – an incredible and positive transition to a location with more light, more space, more people and more resources – we find ourselves face to face with the fact that we do not personally possess the astonishing get-up available in that one litre of oil. What we do possess however, and what is infinitely more satisfying and sustainable, is a whole community of friends. What do we mean by zero-carbon move? We mean that the total contents of our office as well as the ten additional desks and chairs we are buying from local thrift stores are being transported, shelf by shelf, box by box, filing cabinet by filing cabinet, on foot, dolly, and even bicycle trailer (thanks Aaron!) the 4 city blocks to their new home. Why bother? Because we have resolved to simply begin in this moment, where we are and with the opportunities we have, to change our world. Moving and expanding an office without the accustomed help of trucks and cars forces us to think outside the box, engage friends, family, and alternative resources like bicycles, and make plain old work into a bonafide community event. Having to haul all of CGC’s accumulated possessions with muscle power also reminds us that lightening our load is definitely a good thing. The back of the office on Craig Street has proven itself to be a veritable wellspring of old brochures and outdated reports, tattered event signs and old-school computers, broken chairs, hoarded newspapers, half-filled paint cans and used ticket stubs – in short all the colourful flotsam and jetsam of seven years of heart-felt community activism. Cleansing the office has required collective dedication, thoughtfulness, discussion, and a lot of recycling (again, thanks Aaron!). This is a big transition for Cowichan Green Community, a chance to honour where it has come from and, with excitement and hope, envision where it is going. Opting for a zero-carbon, human-powered transition seemed to us a perfect way to evolve by working together. Just what CGC has always aspired to do. Check our Rob Hopkins’ beautifully succinct and inspiring explanation of the Transition Movement here: http://greenbooks.co.uk/store/transition-handbook-p-273.html