Relocalisation Taking Off? Visit www.livelocal.org.au

Once again – amazing. No sooner do I realise Victoria is getting into relocalisation and Transition Towns than I see Sydney is right into it too – and involving Robert Pekin of Brisbane’s successful Food Connect.

The live local website http://www.livelocal.org.au was launched last night in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Green Pages reports that the function was well attended by experts in sustainability, business leaders – including Lucy Turnbull – social media gurus and TV personalities including Guerilla Gardener, Mickie Quick.

About The Website

At this website people can upload stories, pictures and videos about their attempts to ‘live locally’.

It is free and people are already sharing ideas and inspiration.

What is living local?

“To live local is to make the most of your community.

• meeting your neighbours and the people who work in your community
• eating delicious food grown as close to where you live as possible
• minimising use of fossil fuels, especially for transport*

* This will be hard..walking, bicycles and public transit are good ways to reduce but this challenge is about experimenting and being creative, not about absolutes. See Rules #2 and #3 below.

Rules
1. Send an email to info@livelocal.org.au and state when you’re starting or post a comment here. (You don’t have to do this, but you’ll be offered love and support if you do!)
2. You can’t be disqualified or fail. You are merely trying, and thinking about how hard and/or easy it is to live locally.
3. If you HAVE to drive a car somewhere, we’re more interested in you discussing the factors that led to that. If you’ve gotta fly to Melbourne, what reasons made this necessary? And when you do manage to avoid driving or flying, what compromises did you make?
4. Document! The idea is for people to share in and get inspired by your experience and your victories and trials and tribulations. Blog, Twitter, call your friends, talk about it during meals.
5. Or, why not add an experiment to tell the stories about some or all of your adventures?”

Website Principals

Businessman Piers Dawson-Damer and Founder and Principal of design agency Digital Eskimo, Dave Gravina share concerns about the threat of Peak Oil and climate change but see ‘re-localisation’ i.e. re-connecting with our neighbours as a creative, positive, accessible and optimistic response to the problem.

The Live Local Challenge

Popular Twitterers Rebecca Varidel and Kate Carruthers have started the Challenge and are off and twittering.

Dave Gravina has already signed up to only eating locally sourced food, biking and walking where possible and getting to know their local businesses, neighbours and community better.

Looks like Sydney is well and truly organised! What’s happening on the relocalisation front elsewhere around Oz? Love to hear..