Creating a Sustainable Sunshine Coast - Nambour to Mooloolah

After months of hard work and community consultation - more than 150,000 hits on our website, numerous email of support and hundreds of visitors dropping in to our community education centre we, the Sunshine Coast Energy Action Centre (www.seac.net.au), are taking a break over Christmas and New Years and we've closed down the until February 2008.

But we won't be sitting around twidling our thumbs as there is plenty behind the scenes work to keep us out of trouble.

Firstly, we have an EDAP to complete to draft form. Once this is done, it will go back to all the participants who contributed to it, to ensure their views are expressed correctly and that it is representative of what went on during the Time for an Oil Change Course (This is a unique Australian first course we've written and delivered - resulting in this Australia's first ever Energy Descent Action Plan.)

It is due to be delivered to local government (who are going through a mammoth amalgamation process bringing three relatively large councils into one mega-council - yes I know this is exactly the WRONG thing to be doing at this time - but we have to work with what we've got!!).

Also over the break we will be on the hunt for a robust data projector to really kick off our outreach program (POWER - Peak Oil Workshops Everywhere in the Region) in the community and we can start talking to groups who perhaps have not heard of peak oil. We can buy one thanks to a generous donation from the public.

We are also brainstorming serious ideas of how to get what we've done so far (and thankfully enjoyed success with) out to a much broader audience, much quicker and with much more impact. This will take some planning but we think we are onto something BIG!

POWERINGDOWN the region (in our case via an EDAP) is a key strategy for a better post carbon future and we are receiving positive feedback from around Australia and across the Tasman in New Zealand. People want this information and they want true action.

Thank goodness for the international resource bank out there - this relocalisation network, the post carbon institute, transition towns in the UK and community solutions in the US.

I'm also writing to our new Federal Government leader (who was born and bred right here on the Sunshine Coast) asking for support for community leadership in the face of climate change and peak oil.

Next year we will also focus on more lifeboat building in the community - getting small action groups happening and communicating with each other, lots of reskilling opportunities, and of course my own local projects with the Eudlo Relocalisation Group and my own back yard of organic vegie gardens.

Personally we are also getting a solar hot water system connected (part of a community bulk buy SEAC organised) and we will also install a grid connected PV system.

Well, better go, I've got a meeting tomorrow with a group from Northern NSW and Brisbane who want to establish a food production bio-region, community supported agriculture and other food solution systems.

Hopefully Father Christmas will bring me PEAK EVERYTHING - WHICH BY THE WAY, HASN'T REACHED AUSTRALIAN BOOK SHOPS YET!!!!! Hint Hint.