Transition Bay St Margarets

All About Off-Grid
2017-06-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-01-22 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Halifax) | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Wondering what it’s like to live without a connection to the electric grid and with no electric bill? Then this 2 hour presentation and discussion is for you.
Some of the topics that will be covered are:
o Introduction to off-grid
o Types of off-grid systems
o Off-grid for new construction
o Off-grid as a retrofit for existing houses
o Components of off-grid systems
o Energy use reduction techniques
o Trade-off choices
o Cost of some sample off-grid packages
o Discussion of off-grid living
o Ample time for questions
The primary presenter at this workshop will be Cam Farnell, who has been living happily off-grid for over five years and has no plans to go back.
This presentation has been quite popular. Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served. There is no cost to attend this workshop. Registration is not required and there will be plenty of room so please just come!
For more information please contact info@transitionbay.ca.
Chronicle Herald Article featuring Cam’s installed Solar Power System in Tantallon. http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/77109-slideshow-couple-lives-off-the-grid plus more details at: http://www.fundysolar.com/installed-systems.php?id=8
This event is free to all. If you would like to make a donation to Transition Bay St Margarets to help with the costs of our events and community programs, please visit our donate page. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Arithmetic, Population and Energy: Sustainability 101
2017-06-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Join us for a screening of the engaging presentation ‘Arithmetic, Population and Energy: Sustainability 101’ featuring Dr. Albert A. Bartlett, Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics at the University of Colorado.
This talk brings the listener to understand and appreciate the implications of unending growth on a finite planet, and closes by noting the crucial need for education on the topic.
This is a one-hour recorded lecture. Afterwards, there will be opportunity for group discussion.
For more information please contact info@transitionbay.ca.
This event is free to all. If you would like to make a donation to Transition Bay St Margarets to help with the costs of our events and community programs, you can donate here. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Community Potluck & Music Making: Happy Birthday Transition Bay!
2017-06-17 16:00 - 20:00 | Estabrooks Community Hall, 4408 St Margarets Bay Rd, Lewis Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada
This summer is our 6th birthday! To celebrate, we are teaming up with the Estabrooks Community Hall to host a community potluck!
Please join us for some good food, vibrant conversation, and a chance to make deep community connections. And music!
We invite you to bring a favourite dish to share. Whatever you would like to bring is great, but if you want a specific food assignment, please drop us an email at info@transitionbay.ca.
For those with a musical inclination, please bring your instrument of choice to share in the merry making!
This is a family-friendly event, and we’ll have fun on site for the kids as well. Bring the whole crew!

Eat Your Yard: Converting your lawn to food production
2017-05-20 13:00 - 21:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Edible landscaping is a rapidly spreading idea around the world, with many people switching from ornamentals to edibles: plants that give back by not only looking good, but also providing fresh, delicious produce to consume. The best motto: EAT YOUR YARD!

PART 1: PERMACULTURE PRESENTATION

Join us for an engaging presentation by Jenn Stotland of Halifax Earth about permaculture and edible landscaping, where we will learn easy ways to convert lawns into garden space for growing food. We will cover the basics of permaculture and edible landscaping – all aspects of increasing the productive capacity of your home during times of rapidly rising food costs.

PART 2: PERMABLITZ

Part 2 of this event will be a field trip-Permablitz to the yard a nearby St Margarets Bay resident who is starting this type of yard conversion, and will start at around 3pm and may continue to sun down.

If you are attending part 2 of the Permaculture presentation and work day, please bring work gloves, closed-toe boots, work clothes appropriate to rain or sun, sunscreen, and bug spray. Snacks and a light meal will be provided. We will be installing some basic elements of the permaculture design such as building raised beds, sheet mulching, planting trees and bushes, and more.

A Permablitz is a great way to do the essential work of earth repair quickly: The homeowner purchases the design, and volunteers help install it in a barn-raising work day. Neighbours who helped install the design can later call on the homeowners who benefited from their efforts to help install their own design, and support the designer.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Due to the overwhelming response to this event, we are asking that people register in advance to guarantee a spot. Please email info@transitionbay.ca and include the following information: name, email address, number of people coming with you, whether you plan to attend both the library and work party home visit, or just the library presentation. It would also be helpful if you include a note about where you first heard about the event.

This two-part event will be family friendly and is open to all. The address for the on-site visit will be provided at the library event to those in attendance. If you are unable to attend the library presentation but want to come by the house, please email info@transitionbay.ca for further details.

The event is free. Donations are encouraged to defer costs at the planting site.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden Spring Planting
2017-05-06 13:00 - 16:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us for starting the 6th successful year of the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden! We will be doing soil prep in the raised beds, and planting beets, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, onion, chard, kale and rutabaga.
Last year, we harvested a total of 561 pounds of vegetables for the St Margarets Bay Food Bank.
Learn how to garden food successfully while helping your community.
For more information, contact info@transitionbay.ca
Free – All welcome – No registration, just come!

The Value Crisis - An Exploration of Today's Value Systems
2017-05-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Are you concerned about the decisions being made in your community, province, or country? Perhaps you can’t understand why some people are so opposed to the things you believe are important. At last, a presentation that can open up a valuable discussion on your terms, not preaching someone else’s!

The greatest challenges facing society today boil down to conflicts in values. However, Andrew Welch believes that we all share the same values, and that what appears as conflict between human values is actually something quite different. In this ground-breaking presentation, he shares a new perspective on the role of values in our lives and in our society. You will experience a paradigm shift with wide-ranging implications, from a new understanding of frustration with the actions others, to realizations of how we might change our own lives for the better.

No matter what point you occupy on the political spectrum, this talk will resonate with your beliefs and open up a whole new way of thinking about what you do every day and the world around you.

Andrew Welch is a Nova Scotia native now living in Ontario. His book “The Value Crisis” was published in 2014 to rave reviews, and he is in frequent demand to speak on the topic to groups of all sizes (including a well-received talk for the Seniors College Association of Nova Scotia last February). In addition to studying and writing about value systems, his varied background includes being a software designer, a world-ranking town crier, an active member of the national Red Cross Disaster Management team, and the founder of Transition Erin.

Free – All welcome – No registration, just come! Contact info@transitionbay.ca with any questions.

Transition Bay Meet-up
2017-04-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Mariposa Natural Market, 5229 St. Margaret's Bay Road, Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z4R5, Canada
Are you interested in discussing ways in which we can work together to create a stronger, happier community through building resilience to global risks? Do you have a passion for local gardening and food production, skills training, alternative energy, local currencies, or other initiatives that strengthen communities? Then you’ll want to join us for this meet-up with like minded friends! Guaranteed to include lively and interesting discussion, and a great cup of tea!

Repair Café
2017-04-09 14:00 - 17:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Are you concerned about our throw-away culture? Do you have small items in need of repair kicking around your house? Would you like to learn how to keep more things out of the landfill, or help others to do the same? Then drop by the Transition Bay Repair Café!
We will have at least seven volunteer fixers on hand to help you repair your small household items, such as:

most electrical and cabling issues
basic textile repairs
general items, small appliances, lamps, hand tools
PC computer troubleshooting
the electric portion of electric guitars
woodwind musical instruments (specialty on flutes, wood or metal)
clarinets, oboes, etc. (no “brasswinds”)
wooden anything (do not bring large furniture)

If you have something you would like to have repaired, please bring it along and let’s see what we can do!
Because we are using the library program room we are not able to handle items that are especially large or messy. Please keep that in mind when deciding which items to bring to Repair Café. Not sure if your item will be a good fit for this program? Feel free to post a comment and ask.
This is a great opportunity to give old items some new life, and help each other pick up some new skills in the process. Additional volunteers with repair skills welcome!
By doing your own repairs, not only do you save money, but you build your own self-resiliency and resourcefulness.
If you would like to join the crew of Repairers, please send us an email and let us know your skill?

Transition Bay’s Annual General Meeting will take place from 2:00 to 2:15, before the Repair Cafe starts.
Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact info@transitionbay.ca

Movie & Discussion Night: TOMORROW (Demain-LeFilm)
2017-03-12 14:15 - 17:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Tomorrow

Recent news shows us that countries around the world are facing ecological, economical and political challenges. It can be difficult to look at the problems we are facing and not feel that things are overwhelming and out of our control. But Transition Bay St Margarets believes that the power to overcome these challenges is in the hands of our local communities, and are hosting ascreening of the critically acclaimed documentary film ‘Tomorrow’ (‘Demain’), to show what’s possible when people come together to effect change.

The documentary features globetrotting film makers Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent as they carry out an investigation in ten different countries. On their journey they met pioneers who are re-inventing agriculture, energy, economy, democracy and education at the community level. The film introduces us to these farmers, teachers, researchers and small-town participants that have found their own methods for combating issues like global warming, food shortage and general economic meltdown.

Is it possible that change at the community level can solve the ecological, economical and social crises that are facing people around the world?

Join us at Tantallon Library on Sunday, March 12th as we explore these ideas. The movie will start promptly at 2:15, and we will follow with a group discussion until 4:45. Light refreshments will be provided. Admission is free.

For more information, contact info@transitionbay.ca
This enormously successful French film is now available in English. Come to this first showing in the Metro area.

Your Compassionate Coastline: Sea-Level Rise in St. Margaret’s Bay & What We Can Do!
2017-02-12 14:15 - 17:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z 1H3, Canada
We all need to know more about what to expect in our area for sea-level rise. It is happening. There is much more to come. Effects are serious. But we can do much positive in response. All of us can help. So join us!
Our speakers will lead us in exploring the most critical issues with a focus specifically on St. Margaret’s Bay. You will be offered the latest information, including sources for ongoing learning. We will engage in documenting your concerns and questions with a special interest in your local knowledge of specific impacts and vulnerabilities, including what you say needs to be done here. This is for everybody whether you live here, or on the coast, or not. Organizations are particularly urged to send representatives.
“Sea-level rise is impacting our coastal communities more and more every year and it’s not expected to let up in the future. Communities need knowledge, they need tools, but most importantly they need to feel empowered to do something about it.” Samantha Page, EAC’s Coastal Adaptation Coordinator.
Samantha will present evidence and tools recently developed and fully up-dated. The Ecology Action Centre has teamed up with the Department of Fisheries & Oceans to create an informative website and workshop for coastal residents, fishermen, and municipalities about rising seas that are specific to our region and communities.
This project is designed to:

Help communities learn about sea-level rise and how it affects them,
Provide access to tools that have been developed locally with the latest climate change information available,
Show the need for incorporating sea-level rise into future plans.

Kelly Schnare will be presenting an interactive workshop with Sierra Club of Canada Atlantic’s Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050, (RAH2050.org) which aims to inspire and identify with our waters for the next generation. Story sharing using the ‘Swim Drink Fish’ program called #mywatermark will engage participants to document their coastal experiences.
“Personally inquiring and reflecting on Saint Margaret’s Bay is essential to this workshop. Re-imagining SMB in 2050 asks: how do you talk about the Bay, how do you interact with it? Collectively a shared vision for the next generation uses a blue lens to look at our community to uncover a cultural, watershed, and species dialogue to allow us to further understand the centre of our community.” Kelly Schnare, Program Coordinator with Sierra Club Atlantic.
Sign up (encouraged but not required) by emailing coastal@ecologyaction.ca or by calling 902.442.5046. Snacks and drinks will be provided. All Welcome, No cost. — Can’t make it to the workshop? We would still love your feedback on the website content.
Hosts: Transition Bay St Margarets and Ecology Action Centre. More information at: transitionbay.ca/events and at: ecologyaction.ca/issue-area/coastal-and-water-projects.
Transition Bay St Margarets works on the need for adaptable and resilient local communities as part of the International Transition Movement – focused on building resiliency back into local areas in a project-driven approach. We have launched a number of successful projects in the Bay and also continue to host regional workshops on related topics.
https://www.facebook.com/Act-for-our-Coast-Now-113275042072820/ https://www.facebook.com/rah2050

Cultivating the Heart of Compassion: A One-Day Contemplative Workshop
2016-11-12 | St. Luke’s United Church Lower Hall, 5374 St Margarets Bay Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
The need for compassion in our personal, organizational and societal lives is increasingly evident. In the past several years training programs, based in ancient wisdom and modern science, have been developed that helps bring forth the compassion inherent in all human beings.
“Imagine the profound transformation in society if our interactions with one another in our personal lives and in our work in groups and institutions were based on compassion,” says David Wimberly, “Very many decisions and process would have profoundly better results.”
In this workshop we will explore and engage in training practices to make compassion a core part of our daily activities and decision making. In a compassionate, collaborative, interactive environment we will explore ways to bring compassion into the daily life of the organizations as well as our personal lives. The workshop will provide an entry point for an ongoing collaborative process.
This workshop is organized on four major themes in compassion training:

Setting our view and intentions
Developing self-awareness
Practices for cultivating compassion for oneself and others
The process of Compassionate action.

Contemplative practice is the fundamental tool we will use to explore each of these themes.
“Because compassion action occurs in communication and relationships among and between people the workshop will involve contemplative exchange with others as well as personal practices.” offers Jim Torbert, “Together we will create and experience an environment infused with compassion for self and others.”
No previous experience with contemplative practice, compassion training, meditation, or mindfulness is required.
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2016 9:00 AM-5:00 PM – Please arrive at 8:30 to register and be seated for a 9:00 AM start.
Facilitators: Jim Torbert, David Whitehorn, and David Wimberly
Location: St. Luke’s United Church, Tantallon.
Cost: $80 (lunch provided). A generosity policy applies so that anyone interested can participate, regardless of ability to pay. Volunteer help encouraged.
Registration: Please send an email to jtorbert@eastlink.ca to register.
Payment can be made by Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6PZQY2JZG7KFN), E-transfer (jtorbert@eastlink.ca) or cheque (made out to the Atlantic Contemplative Centre and mailed to 6009 Inglis Street, Halifax, NS B3H1K9).
For questions please contact: jtorbert@eastlink.ca
The workshop is presented by the Waves of Compassion Association and the Atlantic Contemplative Centre
www.wavesofcompassion.ca and www.contemplativecentre.org and hosted by Transition Bay St Margarets www.transitionbay.ca
David Whitehorn, PhD, MSN, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and a Director of the Atlantic Contemplative Centre. He has been involved with contemplative practices for more than forty years and has conducted numerous workshops on compassion and related topics for healthcare providers and the general public.
Jim Torbert, BArch, MHSA, is a Director of the Atlantic Contemplative Centre and co-director of the Waves of Compassion Association. He has over forty years of experience with contemplative practices. He has facilitated a wide range of programs for business, healthcare and public audiences on contemplative practices essential to the cultivation of compassion.
David Wimberly is a Director of Transition Bay St Margarets. He has engaged in contemplative practices for over forty years. He has facilitated numerous events, projects, and organizations on living compassionately, sustainably, and equitably on this Earth.
For questions please contact: jtorbert@eastlink.ca
For more information: Waves of Compassion and the Atlantic Contemplative Centre

Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse: Up!Skilling Festival & Expo
2016-10-29 09:00 - 17:00 | St. Luke’s United Church Lower Hall, 5374 St Margarets Bay Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
We live in uncertain times. Who knows when the world as we know it well might take a dramatic shift. Without electricity how long can you and your family keep securely in terms of food, heat, and everything? What happens if the petrochemicals run out? Those old traditional skills our grandparents and their grandparents relied on to get them through without the modern conveniences we have today might be urgently needed. Besides, these skills are a joy to learn and practice at any time! They uplift and empower us while providing great joy.
Whether it be skills for building, or entertaining, or food growing and preparation, or safety, or forms of energy we could personally access, we are looking for presenters who can help us all build the community some old-time skills – and have fun while doing it.
The format will be small group presentations, with multiple presentations operating concurrently. Each presentation will last 60 to 90 minutes so you can attend a delightful variety, up to 6 full presentations.
Don’t be a Zombie! Use your brainnnssssss while you still have them! Come learn helpful and fun skills!
If you are interested in presenting or need more info, please contact info@transitionbay.ca
Are you in? Wear a costume for extra fun if you wish!
Here is our schedule of events, skills, and presentations for all ages to enjoy and learn from:

Admission – $20, flexible. Snacks and hot drinks provided. Nourishing lunch offered for $5 to first 100, so be early and remember:

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Fall Harvest
2016-09-24 09:00 - 11:30 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us for the big Fall Harvest of the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden from 9:00am to 11:30am on Saturday, September 24th (rain or shine) – two weeks before Thanksgiving! Over the summer, garden volunteers have already harvested over 160 pounds of Swiss chard, kale, carrot and beets. We should have a bumper crop at this year’s final harvest, despite the dry summer weather.

The garden is maintained by volunteers from Transition Bay St Margarets and the St Margarets Bay Food Bank. It is intended to inspire one and all in the values, health and quality benefits of ‘Grow Your Own’ vegetables. The garden rekindles the fact that most residents maintained gardens decades ago. Local food resilience helps to build a strong local economy. The Garden is one of many projects of Transition Bay St Margarets (see: www.transitionbay.ca).

SMB Community Hub Vision Workshop and TBSM Birthday Party
2016-06-19 13:00 - 16:00 | Acadian Maple Products, 13578 Peggys Cove Rd,, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia , B3Z 2J2, Canada
Fifth annual Vision Workshop and Birthday Party, Sunday, June 19th from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the Acadian Maple Products meeting room.

For this year’s workshop, we will be discussing the potential for a SMB Community Hub. Our guest speaker and co-facilitator will be Laurie Cook, Director of the United Way Hubs Project (see: http://hubsproject.wix.com/unitedway). Laurie coordinates discussion among a wide variety of active hubs in HRM and beyond, and she can give us the big picture on what is happening with hubs in our region.

You can see a submission by the SBM Seniors Assoc. to the Hubs Project at http://hubsproject.wix.com/unitedway#!blank/b7vii. Don’t miss the ‘Resources’ section.
The vision session will be conducted from 1:00 to 3:00pm and we will discuss the potential content and make-up of a hub. There is a whole range of possibilities including a commercial kitchen, greenhouses/gardens, art & culture studios, meeting spaces, a community ‘living room’, paid coordinator, etc. Then, we will spend some time discussing where, how and who. This portion will get into ideas on potential locations for a hubs, including existing buildings, land for community gardens, funding, etc., etc.
It would be extremely helpful if someone from each area group concerned with this was able to attend. Other area groups will be represented. Please let us know if you would like to attend, or if you would like to recommend someone else to attend as well. This event is by invitation, but we want to be inclusive of all stakeholders. So do send us a message saying why you want to come! And thanks for the interest!
You might find the final report for the hubs project supported by the United Way interesting.
Link is: http://hubsproject.wix.com/unitedway#!final-report/kqvr3

A good example of success nearby is from the Musquodoboit Harbour Hub process.
The Musquodoboit Harbour Community Vision was developed during an extensive consultation process in 2006. It was approved by Halifax Regional Council in 2007. Musquodoboit Harbour was the first rural community to go through this pilot process. To date, the vision has resulted in the identification and adoption of an old school as a community hub called The Old School Community Gathering Place, development of a local cooperative transportation service called Musgo Rider, and creation of a peer support group called Eastern Shore Mental Health. Various efforts to bring water and sewer to the community to ensure it stays a ‘village’ have also been explored. Currently, the Musquodoboit Harbour Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs is now working on a conceptual plan to realize the vision further, and secondary planning.
Read about that at: https://www.halifax.ca/visionhrm/MusquodoboitHarbour/MHVisionandActionPlan.php

Laurie Cook is a local facilitator / convenor. She currently works with the Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia. She is also a member of the United Way Halifax Neighbourhood Council, and recently led a six month project sponsored by the United Way to look at how neighbourhood hubs can help build strong neighbourhoods. Laurie has also worked as a community developer with the city. She is a co-founder of the Old School Community Gathering Place in Musquodoboit Harbour, and she was Chair of the Visioning Process in Musquodoboit Harbour that also identified a need for a hub in that community. She is also a board member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCED-NET).

Basic Schedule for Sunday:
1pm – Arrival / Getting Settled
1:15 – Introductions & 3-5 min backgrounder / overview — Intro for Laurie, Introductions of people attending
1:30 – Imagining your hub; small group / pairs or trios conversations & then harvest with whole group
2pm – Asset mapping; what have we got going for us
2:15 – Action Planning / Next Steps
3pm – Closing & Wrap
3:15 – Party

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Planting Day
2016-05-14 14:00 - 17:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us for the fifth annual planting of the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden! We will be planting those types of vegetables which are easy to grown and easy to store – potatoes, carrots, onions, rutabaga, parsnips, cabbage and beets. We will also plant nourishing and popular leafy greens – Swiss chard and kale.
Saturday, May 14th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Rain or shine! The event is open to the public – bring the kids. You are welcome to stay even for just a few minutes and help out.
The Crossroads Garden is maintained by volunteers of Transition Bay St Margarets, and all harvest is donated to the St Margarets Bay Food Bank.
For more information, contact: info@transitionbay.ca.

Zero-Mile Diet Workshop
2016-04-30 13:00 - 16:00 | Unnamed Venue, St Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
Most of us have heard of the 100-Mile Diet – where someone focuses their diet on only food produced within 100 miles of where they live. In these times of increasing food costs and decreasing food quality, more and more people are recognizing the benefits of making their home a productive asset which supplies some portion of their diet.
Join us for a Zero-Mile Diet Workshop – how to grow most of your own food at home in suburbia. This half-day workshop includes a tour of a working home-microfarm in St Margarets Bay, and will cover aspects of vegetable gardening, year-round greenhouse growing, orchards, vineyards, berry crops, beekeeping, vegetable storage & larders, and food preservation.
The workshop is limited to 25 participants. There is a fee of $20.00. Pre-registration is required. Coffee/tea/snacks will be served for the discussion at the end of the workshop. Contact: info@transitionbay.ca to register.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Reinstallation
2016-04-24 14:00 - 17:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
We are re-installing the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden, following the fantastic landscaping that was done at the Crossroads last fall!
Join us for this great community event. We will be re-installing raised beds, the educational kiosk and benches – all in preparation for spring planting in May.
This event will happen rain or shine on Sunday, April 24, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. For more information, contact: info@transitionbay.ca.

Converting Your Vehicle to Run on Used Vegetable Oil
2016-04-16 13:00 - 17:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z 1H3, Canada
This workshop focuses on a unique and innovative system never before offered in any public presentation. The system has brilliant features making it particularly useful in cold (or any) climate while being elegantly simplified. It is the result of 55 years of experience by a retired physics professor and has been perfected in a series of vehicles to operate reliably.
The workshop will include the following:

Introduction to basic concepts, related physical properties, and technology; including a brief hand-on encounter with some plumbing and electrical related construction substance.
Explication of the exceptional system developed by Philon Aloni, including its unique benefits for our climate as well as how to do this yourselves.
Examination of an operating example of a converted vehicle done by Philon will be available for examination by participants, along with explanation.
Presentation of the merits of various kinds of pre-engineered conversion kits.
Discussion of supply issues: how to obtain used vegetable oil, process it for use in vehicles, and store it.
Introduction of the Waste Bio-Diesel Co-operative approach to solve the supply issues in a low-cost, low-fuss, and low-time method.

This design has been successful in solving basic issues that might limit the approach of used vegetable oil as vehicle fuel, even in a cold area like the North. For example, only a one or two minute start with diesel before switching to veggie oil is needed, even in regular cold winter operation, and then the vehicle will be ready to roll. This is extraordinary! It even offers the highly useful option of not requiring an initial use of diesel to warm the vegetable oil, even in cold winter temperatures. While such a start is not recommended for regular use it is still quite a breakthrough!
Led by physicist Philon Aloni who did his first conversion 55 years ago of a fishing vessel to use waste fish oil. He has converted numerous engines ever since focusing on automobiles. Philon will present on his own improved system for Converting Your Vehicle to Run on Used Vegetable Oil. This is the first time ever that Philon has offered a workshop on this achievement.
Also presenting is Diego Medina, a sustainable energy consultant with years of experience, much international, including building a range of sustainable power systems ranging from diversified systems for communities of over 500 persons to individual vehicle conversions. Diego will present about installing various pre-engineered conversion kits. And he will present about the “Waste Biodiesel Co-op”. Diego has built numerous waste vegetable systems that were incorporated into several types of vehicles and diesel generators to produce electricity. He has learned how to work with these systems in different climates of the world and learned about how climate can change the design of the system. He is knowledgeable about the collection of the fuel itself and effective processes of how to clean the fuel and prepare the fuel for use in these various systems. He is deeply familiar with and supportive of Philon’s unique and useful system.
Coffee, tea, and light refreshments will be offered. Free, but donations gratefully accepted to keep us going.
Presented by Transition Bay St Margarets — www.transitionbay.ca & www.facebook.com/TransitionBay.
Direct enquiries to info@transitionbay.ca
So that participants can concentrate on understanding the presentation, we will be making a basic audio recording that will be shared with participants. Anyone wishing to make a video recording of this event, please contact us. That would be welcome, as would photography. This event focuses on a unique and brilliant approach that has never before been offered in any workshop or public presentation. It would have greater interest.
There will be ample time for questions during the presentation, questions are highly encouraged. The presenters will be offering their contact information to participants for further consultations after the event. This “How to do it” workshop is particularly recommended for the do-it-yourselfer and the aspiring do-it-yourselfer.
Saturday, April 16, 1-5 pm. Tantallon Public Library. Free – All Welcome. No Pre-registration. Lots of room

Voices of Transition Film & AGM
2016-03-31 18:45 - 20:45 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Voices of Transition presents innovative, inspirational – and concrete – solutions to the food security challenges we humans are increasingly facing. It is a fully independent, 65 minute-long documentary that examines the danger posed to agricultural production by energy and resource scarcity. It depicts organic agricultural alternatives in France, the Transition Towns movement, and urbanized food production in Cuba as forerunners of the transformation of food production away from industrialized agriculture and towards small-scale, decentralized production methods. Showing this film has already resulted in numerous Transition Towns starting!

10 minute AGM then film at 7. Discussion to follow film. Free popcorn & tea/coffee.
Come enjoy a movie evening with like minded friends. All welcome. Free, but donations welcome to defray cost of film.
More information at www.transitionbay.ca
Trailer and lots more at Voices of Transition

COMPASSION TRAINING WORKSHOP
2016-03-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z 1H3, Canada
Like so many of you, we see the need for compassion to play a more prominent role in our personal and professional lives, and in society altogether. Recent scientific research has confirmed that compassion training, using simple contemplative activities and practices, can deepen and broaden our ability to express, and act upon, the compassion that is inherent in all human beings.
Waves of Compassion has been exploring ways to make compassion training available locally. They have facilitated 5 three hour workshops and 1 all day workshop for over 120 people. During the workshops four themes are developed:

how to create a compassionate environment,
contemplative tools for enhancing compassion,
the importance of self-compassion, and
compassionate action in the world as a contemplative practice (bringing compassion into the daily activities of businesses, churches, NGO’s, government, schools, family etc.).

We are pleased to offer a three hour workshop on Saturday, March 26th, 2016. Anyone with an interest in compassion training is welcome. The workshop will be held at the Tantallon Library just off Exit 5.
There is no charge for attending, but donations are welcome. Coffee, tea, & cookies will be offered. It would be helpful if you would preregister, using the link below. (Of course, you are welcome to attend without pre-registering, if you prefer).
http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/accsat/3-hour-workshop-compassion-training-26mar/
The workshop is facilitated by the Waves of Compassion Association and the Atlantic Contemplative Centre, and hosted by Transition Bay. We very much look forward to exploring compassion and compassion training with you on March 26th. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the presenters at: jtorbert@eastlink.ca
The workshop will be led by Kim MacAulay, Jim Torbert, and David Whitehorn, Directors, Waves of Compassion Association and Atlantic Contemplative Centre.
More at wavesofcompassion.ca/ and at contemplativecentre.ca/
Just imagine how this can better the life of, and life at, groups of all kinds, as well as lives of individuals!
Please join us. Please share this. And please encourage all the groups you are a part of to send delegates to explore this with us and to bring it back to the groups.

"Gentle Dragons" and FarmWorks Information Session
2016-01-28 18:30 - 21:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Food Producers – if you’re looking to start, grow or promote your food related business, the Dragons would like to hear from you! Gentle Dragons is a popular event and venue to pitch your plan, get great feedback, and enjoy local food and conversation. Transition Bay is proud to co-sponsor this event with FarmWorks (www.farmworks.ca), an investment co-operative helping to drive the food innovation sector – with over $1 million invested in NS businesses to date.
All types of food-related businesses are welcome to submit an application, including those involved in:
Farm/Producer, Caterer/Prepared Foods, Specialty Food Items, Winery/Beverages, Food Processing/Packaging, Restaurant/Bar, Distributors/Marketers
Applications to pitch to the Dragons can be found at: http://farmworks.ca/about/lending/farmworks-appliction-form/
All public are welcome – see your local entrepreneurs pitch their businesses. Local refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.
For more information, contact:
info@transitionbay.ca
lbest@ns.sympatico.ca

Want still more information? Then read on!
Are you interested in starting, or growing, a farm or food-related business in Nova Scotia? Have you heard about FarmWorks “Gentle Dragons”? They’re helpful Dragons – they ask questions and make suggestions! During November the Dragons will be travelling around Nova Scotia hearing from farmers and food producers who may need money, mentoring or marketing. We’d love to hear about your business! Please check FarmWorks calendar to find the date and location closest to you. Everyone is welcome! Would you like to meet and hear from local producers, enjoy local food and conversation and learn about FarmWorks and other organizations? FarmWorks has already loaned more than one million dollars to 44 businesses across the Province and more businesses are looking for our support. Please check FarmWorks calendar to find the date and location closest to you. FarmWorks’ Mission is to promote, and provide strategic and responsible community investment in food production and distribution in order to increase access to a sustainable local food supply for all Nova Scotians. Money invested by Nova Scotians in FarmWorks is loaned to businesses that meet FarmWorks criteria. Whether or not you want to apply for a loan, we’d like to hear your promotion of your business – there will be potential customers in the audience. If you’re interested in applying please fill in the Application Form and send it to lbest@ns.sympatico.ca. Please email or phone 902-542-3442 with questions.

Why do we treat our soils like dirt?
2016-01-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
In celebration of 2015 International Year of Soils, Phil Warman, PhD, PAg, will present a lecture and discussion on the importance of building and maintaining good soil health for home, garden, and farm.
With the participation of the audience and the use of a few props, Phil will describe the fundamental differences between soil and dirt. Then the discussion will focus on how farmers and land owners can maintain soil quality so that their soils do not degrade to dirt, as has happened in past civilizations and still continues today throughout the world.
http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/en/

Compassion - The Foundation That Binds Communities Together
2015-11-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z 1H3, Canada
Recent scientific research has indicated that training in compassion, using simple contemplative activities and practices, can deepen and broaden our ability to express, and act upon, the compassion that is inherent in all human beings. In this session we will explore the elements of compassion training that facilitate compassionate action.
Imagine what it would be like if we all made decisions and actions based on true compassion, informed by wisdom, and with daily practice. Even just 10 minutes twice a day results in genuine progress. Imagine the positive changes if every elected official and public service employee practiced compassion this way! Image if every corporate manager, owner, and employee included compassion every day in every decision.
Want to become a “Compassionate Organization’? We invite every group to send representatives to explore this with us. Share the benefit.
James Torbert will be our presenter. Jim is a Co-Director at Waves of Compassion www.wavesofcompassion.ca/ (see also www.contemplativecentre.ca/). The intention is to draw in participation from many local organizations as this is very helpful to a wide group. This will be a practical introduction to a useful skill. They are doing some exciting work towards introducing compassion as a core value and a cultivated practice in a wide variety of settings, including the public sector, the social action sector, and well, everywhere. People often think of compassion as just something one has or does not have. However, research shows that compassion has an element of a skill that one can develop through practices that can be taught. And that can transform lives and organizations. Waves of Compassion is dedicated to that training and to helping people understand the nature of compassion more deeply.
Free. Registration not needed.
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Here is a response from a fellow activist that took the Training for Transition program here:
A few weeks ago a post from George Monbiot (Common Cause Foundation) pointed out a new study which concluded that:
“Humans [possess] an enhanced capacity for empathy, an unparalleled sensitivity to the needs of others, a unique level of concern about their welfare and an ability to create moral norms that generalize and enforce these tendencies.”
He also cited a review article in the journal Frontiers in Psychology that pointed out that …..humans … are ultra-social: possessed of an enhanced capacity for empathy, an unparalleled sensitivity to the needs of others, a unique level of concern about their welfare and an ability to create moral norms that generalize and enforce these tendencies..
These new studies reinforce what has been well documented by Jeremy Rifkin in his 2009 670 page tome “The Empathetic Civilization” in which he chronicled the evolution of empathy. Rifkin examined the new view of human nature that is emerging in the biological and cognitive sciences that is forcing us to rethink long-held beliefs that human beings are by nature, aggressive, materialistic, utilitarian, and self-interested. He feels that the dawning realization that we are a fundamentally empathetic species has profound and far-reaching consequences for the future of society. http://empathiccivilization.com
Hopefully the paradigm shift in attitudes and policies that we are now experiencing in Canada will move us forever beyond the Hobbesian inspired dictates that the Harper government unleashed on our country to a point where the compassionate Canada we once knew again defines our nation, all be it with different policies, responding to the complex emergencies the world now faces.” – Janet Eaton

Off-Grid Housing Workshop
2015-10-24 12:05 - 15:30 | St. Luke’s United Church Lower Hall, 5374 St Margarets Bay Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
This workshop will consist of a presentation followed by a tour of a nearby modern off-grid home.
Some of the topics the presentation will include:
o Introduction to off-grid
o Types of off-grid systems
o Off-grid for new construction
o Off-grid as a retrofit for existing houses
o Components of off-grid systems
o Energy use reduction techniques
o Trade-off choices
o Cost of some sample off-grid packages
o Discussion of off-grid living
o Discussion of the house that will be toured
o Ample time for questions
The tour will allow participants to see an off-grid house in action. On the main level it will become apparent that, in this house, off-grid living looks a lot like on-grid living. In the utility room of the lower level you will get to see the inverters, charge controllers, batteries, and so on that make the system go.
This home includes a geodesic dome greenhouse where vegetables are grown both summer and winter without the use of fossil fuels for heating and the greenhouse will be part of the tour.
The primary presenter at this workshop will be Cam Farnell, who has been living happily off-grid for over five years and has no plans to go back.
The fee for this event is $20.
Pre-registration will be required to confirm a place on the tour of the Off-Grid House which will be limited in number available. Because of space and time constraints, the tour will be limited to 40 people. Register now at: registration@bitflipper.ca
The tour is available only to people who attend the workshop and to be eligible for the tour you must be at the workshop and signed in prior to the start time. There is far more space available for the rest of the workshop.
The tour will include a working bioshelter greenhouse, a design appropriate for the challenges of climate change.
For more information please contact: registration@bitflipper.ca or info@transitionbay.ca
Keep in touch for updates!

Already Done! -Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Fall Harvest
2015-09-27 13:00 - 16:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Already Done! Already Harvested! A record amounts of veggies were harvested this year – 421 pounds!!! All the veggies were donated to the St Margarets Bay Food Bank. The garden was harvested earlier than planned – conditions were such that they just had to be harvested quickly.

This garden is maintained by volunteers to inspire the community the benefits of ‘Grow Your Own’ food gardening. All vegetables are donated to the St Margarets Bay Food Bank.

The final 2015 harvest came in at 421 pounds as follows:
Potatoes (Yukon Gold and Red Chieftain) – 96 lbs.
Onions (Talon) – 45 lbs.
Beets (Detroit Red) – 50 lbs.
Cabbage – 28 lbs.
Kale (Borecole) – 50 lbs.
Chard – 38 lbs.
Carrots (Nantes) – 55 lbs.
Parsnips – 15 lbs.
Rutabagas – 44 lbs.

Let’s us know if you can help with the 2016 Spring Planting !
The garden is maintained by Transition Bay and St Margarets Bay Food Bank volunteers. For more information, or if you would like to get more involved: info@transitionbay.ca (Note the dates listed by this automated system are just to keep the notice up for a while -the harvest is already done.)

Food Preservation by Traditional Ways: 7 Fun Ways to Do It Yourself
2015-09-19 09:00 - 17:00 | Cooking School Kitchen, Upstairs, Tantallon Superstore,, 5178 Hwy 3, Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z 4G3, Canada
Do you want to learn about traditional ways of preserving foods? The tried and true.
Please join us for a fun-filled day of building food resilience.

We’ll learn why we preserve food & how it relates to our modern world and future.
Methods covered will include:
Canning (hot water bath),
Dehydrating & Vacuum Packing,
Freezing,
Fruit & Vegetable Cold Storage, including Basement Root Cellars,
Fermentation,
Jams and Jellies.
Experienced food preservers will demonstrate and explain and answer all you questions.
There will be a handout of weblinks to clear instructions for each method as well as lists of supplemental resources.
You will gain the knowledge and confidence to do it yourself!

Cooking School Kitchen, Upstairs, Tantallon Superstore, 5178 Hwy 3
Cost: $55 – $30 for half day – $30 for youth under 30.
Coffee, tea, and dessert will be provided. Bring your bagged lunch.
Preregistration strongly encouraged due to limited space available. To register contact andrewsperaw@yahoo.com, or phone 209-2866.
Please share this with others. Bring a friend!

Up!Skilling Expo
2015-08-23 09:30 - 16:00 | Margaret Hennigar Public Library, 135 North Park Street, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, B4V 9B3, Canada
Develop your self-sufficiency skills at Bridgewater’s first Up!Skilling Expo! Have you always wanted to start keeping chickens in your back yard for eggs, or fermenting your own kombucha? Join us for a day of demonstrations of a wide variety of skills like this! Attend five 1 hour workshops throughout the day to learn skills like bee keeping, bicycle maintenance, back yard chicken keeping, fermentation, tool sharpening and more! This exciting new event is inspired and supported by Transition Bay St Margarets. The event is being hosted by Art Happening Bridgewater and the Bridgewater Development Association. The Up!Skilling Expo is by donation and is open to all ages! You may pack a brown bag lunch or purchase lunch from 27 West Cafe in the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Learn more about presenters here.
Location
Margaret Hennigar Public Library, 135 North Park Street, Bridgewater, NS B4V 9B3
Schedule
9:45am – Opening Ceremony
10:00am – Session 1
11:00am – Session 2
12:00pm – Lunch
12:30pm – Tour of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre, highlighting LEED elements
1:00pm – Session 3
2:00pm – Session 4
3:00pm – Session 5
4:00pm – Up!Skilling Expo closing

COMMUNITY LAND TRUST WORKSHOP: Towards Housing Affordability & Ecological Sustainability
2015-07-15 15:30 - 20:30 | Rath Eastlink Community Centre, 625 Abenaki Road, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 0G6, Canada
A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a blended land ownership model. It secures socio-economic and environmental goals through non-profit ownership of the land and leasing it back to private owners or organizations focused on community benefit. Affordability and other goals are built into the lease creating a powerful and balanced means of blending private and community benefits.
This unique land tenure model has proven itself to actually increase housing affordability over time, both for rentals and owner occupied housing. This workshop will elevate these applications as a priority. In addition, CLTs have several other applications. Two will be touched on in this workshop – how it can be used to facilitate the transfer of land to a new generation of ecologically conscious young farmers or foresters, and the provision of affordable workspaces.
Sound interesting and relevant? We hope so. Come and spend 5 hours engaging with Michael Lewis, who is one of the most knowledgeable speakers in Canada on CLT’s.
Mike Lewis is well known in Canada and internationally as a practitioner, author, educator, and leader in the field of CED and the social economy. His experience cuts across the full range of functions connected to community renewal and development. He has built and advised a wide range of businesses, organizations, and governments all over Canada and internationally as well. An innovator, activist, and thinker with a penchant for linking practice with policy and the micro and macro, Mike’s leadership in CCCR (communityrenewal.ca) and elsewhere continues to help us connect the dots and stay ahead of the curve.
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 15, 3:30pm to 8:30pm
Cost: $ 55.00. Dinner and refreshments are included.
Location: Rath Eastlink Community Centre, 625 Abenaki Road, Truro, Nova Scotia.
The RECC is clearly visible from the Veteran Memorial Highway #102 as you drive through Truro, Nova Scotia. Take exit 13, head towards the town, and gain access to the RECC parking just off of Abenaki Road.
To register: linda@novascotia.coop Pre-registration essential.
For more information: transitionbay.ca . Event co-sponsored by Transition Bay St Margarets and by Nova Scotia Co-operative Council.
Participants will be offered a comprehensive information package downloadable to your USB Flash Drive. This workshop will be a solid foundation on a proven way to make affordable and protect land for housing, farming, workplaces, and conservation. Please don’t miss this opportunity.
Ask for our email flier to share with your contacts and organizations.

Visioning Session & 4th Birthday Party
2015-06-21 13:00 - 17:00 | Mariposa Natural Market, 5229 St. Margaret's Bay Road, Tantallon, Nova Scotia, B3Z4R5, Canada
Transition Bay St Margarets, one of over a thousand Transition Towns globally, is celebrating its 4th year in The Bay with a Public Visioning Session! Your projects and ideas are welcomed as you are invited to just come and listen as well as share and meet with other community members. Our successes in the Bay have been numerous and you can get involved — building and use your skills to work together for community resiliency and sustainability.
From off-the-grid housing to gardening workshops, to helping found the Tantallon Farmers Market, to food preservation and skills-sharing workshops, we are building diversity and local value into the St. Margaret’s Bay community fabric. Visit transitionbay.ca, see our documentary videos published on YouTube where you can learn more now, and on June 21st at Mariposa we look forward to meeting you again and building capacity to face global challenges, locally. 1 – 5 pm. The Sunroom of Mariposa Natural Market, Tantallon Crossroads. Free. No reservations needed. Cake & refreshments provided. All warmly welcome.
