Transition Streets

The Practical Action Plan

Transition Australia — Creative Commons Copyright 2020, Transition Towns Australia Inc

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Your Group's Schedule and Contact Information

Topic	Date & time	Host	Coordinator
1. Introduction
2. Energy
3. Food
4. Water
5. Transport
6. Waste
7. Next Steps

Name	Phone	Email	Address

Licensed under Creative Commons - Conditions on page 31

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Introduction

Transition believes that by coming together at local levels, we can:
- reimagine and rebuild our world
- rebuild a caring, connected culture
- reconnect with nature
- reclaim the economy
- re-skill and reimagine work

The program in this workbook has been developed to help you start that rebuilding beginning with simple, practical changes to your home and your habits. A fun journey to a lower energy, less resource consuming way of life, that also helps you save money, reduce your carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, and help minimise your household's reliance on fossil fuels, and as a bonus, improves your health.

More about the Transition Movement can be found here [1.1] - see back cover.

The program is based on seven group sessions. Five of these cover areas of our lifestyle where we can easily reduce energy use, and save money.

Session 1: Getting Started	Session 4: Water	Session 6: Waste
Session 2: Energy	Session 5: Transport	Session 7: Next Steps
Session 3: Food

• Groups meet every 2-4 weeks for 2 hours having read the chapter for that session. Extension materials, practical action plans, and detailed background information is available online for each session.
• Transition is democratic and inclusive, so while each session requires a coordinator, a notetaker, and a timekeeper, these roles should be shared and rotated - for more support, comprehensive session facilitator guides can be found here [1.2]
• This first session is also about Healthy Groups - learning how to work well together. So before you start - read through, discuss, and agree on the group guidelines.
• The program is about change - so discover where you stand now through one of the online Global Footprint Quizzes [1.3] or the worksheet at the end of this session.

Group Guidelines

It is important to agree on some guidelines for how your group will work so it will be a more satisfactory experience for everyone. These agreements are in place to support the unity and stability of the group, and to create an atmosphere of mutual support and trust. It is important that all group members collectively agree to these at your first session. You may want to revisit them, and feel free to edit, adapt, or add to them as your group sees fit.

✔ Confidentiality: We agree to respect the privacy of any personal information shared at the meetings and we agree not to discuss this information outside the group in a way that would mean a person could be identified.

✔ Respect: We will strive to ensure that time is shared equally between team members in terms of speaking and listening, and that differences of opinion are allowed and respected. Our abilities to change will vary, based on a variety of factors such as income or time, age or disability.

✔ Punctuality: We agree to arrive on time for each session and to start promptly so that everyone can benefit from the full two hours.

✔ Support: When possible, we will offer practical and emotional support to any team member who is experiencing difficulty in attending the sessions (or achieving the actions).

✔ Commitment: We commit to attend all the sessions when possible, and to let the other group members know when we cannot. If someone is attending in our place, we will ensure they know what's been discussed previously. We also commit to have read the relevant workbook section before each session and be prepared to take some actions each time.

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Session 1: Getting Started

Item	Time
Read through, discuss, and agree on the group guidelines.	10 min
Introduce yourselves – who's in your household, where you live and your situation; whether or not you or your household have explored sustainability issues before; why you've decided to participate in Transition Streets, and what you hope or expect to get out of it.	30 min
Use the worksheet on Page 2 to plan your group schedule for discussion sessions — how often, where, and who will facilitate the discussion - also complete the contact details.	10 min
Share the results of your Global Footprint Quizzes around the group and note what areas you want to work on or learn more about - remember the Group Guidelines in your discussion, this is the starting point of the journey.	30 min
Transition groups are great at helping people develop visions of the future they want, and then making possible the steps towards it. Take time now to imagine and describe some of those future worlds.	30 min
Before you close Session 1, take time to reflect on how the session went, think of steps that might be taken in the next session, consider how the others are reacting and responding. Think Head, Hands, & Heart.	10 min

Imagining the Future You Want To Create

Close your eyes and imagine walking down the street in 2030.

Urban Agriculture: Food will be grown closer to home, organically, in intensive systems that enhance biodiversity, and we'll all have the skills to do it. It will change the way our towns and cities look and feel.

Water: Cooperation between industry, agriculture, and urban infrastructure to harvest, preserve, and fairly distribute, fresh, clean water to communities in balance with the needs of the natural environment.

Waste: Community networks to handle unwanted or surplus items in a circular fashion - refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, re-gift, recover, recycle - rethink.

Productive Trees: In the future, why would we plant ornamental, unproductive trees, when we could plant fruit or nut trees? Let's reimagine our towns and cities as food forests.

Neighborhoods: Planning and decisions made in a decentralised, engaged, bottom-up way, with the role of government being to support what communities are deciding. Networks that share skills, information, and tasks, so everyone is both supported and enabled to give back.

Community Energy: Power generation, and distribution, will be in community ownership, creating local jobs, energy equity, and reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Cycling: Part of global sustainable transport, learning bike repair skills, supporting new cyclists to gain confidence, developing CO2-free local distribution networks.

The waste hierarchy wheel: Rethink (center) → Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Re-gift, Recover, Recycle

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My Ecological Footprint (Worksheet)

Circle your answer and add up your score for each section.

Food

	All	Most	Half	Some	None
1. ___of my food is packaged	100	75	50	25	0
2. I waste __ of my food each day	100	75	50	25	0
3. __of my food is processed	100	75	50	25	0
4. I compost my vegetables & fruit	-100	-75	-50	-25	0
5. __of my food is grown locally	-100	-75	-50	-25	0

1. Each week I eat meat: More than 7 times [600] / Each Day [400] / A Few Times [300] / Eggs/Dairy only [200] / None [0]

Water
1. Shower or bath ___ minutes: >10 [200] / 10 [100] / 4 or less [50] / flannel [25] / None [0]
2. Flush the toilet ___ time: Every [50] / Half [25]
3. Brush teeth with tap left ___: On [50] / Off [25]
4. Have Low Flush Toilet: No [50] / Yes [-50]
5. Have Low Flow Shower & Taps: No [50] / Yes [-50]

Energy Use
1. Winter Thermostat set on ___: >23 [150] / 18-21 [100] / 18 or less [-25]
2. Use a dishwasher: Often [100] / Sometimes [50] / Never [-50]
3. LED lights: None [50] / Some [25] / All [-50]
4. Energy Efficient Appliances: None [50] / Some [25] / All [-50]
5. Leave and Turn off TV & Lights: No [50] / Maybe [25] / Yes [-50]

Shelter
1. My house is a: big block [50] / small block [25] / terrace [0] / apartment [-50]
2. Our second home is: Holiday [400] / Rental [200] / None [0]
3. Rooms per person: >3 [200] / 2-3 [100] / 1-2 [100] / One [-50]

Transportation
1. Cars per driver: 2+ [200] / One [100] / Half [0] / None [-25]
2. Time we use the car: Hour+ [200] / 30-60 min [100] / 0-30 min [50] / None [0]
3. To school/work by car: Alone [200] / Shared [100] / Bus etc. [25] / Walk-Bike [0]
4. Car Size: SUV [200] / Sedan [100] / City [50] / None [-25]
5. Each year I fly ___ times: 2+ [400] / 1-2 [200] / None [0]

Goods & Services
1. New set of clean clothes each day: Several [100] / Once a day [50] / Sometimes [0]
2. Wear clothes that have been mended: No [0] / Yes [-25]
3. My clothes are always new: Yes [200] / Some [25] / No [-50]
4. I donate surplus clothes: No [100] / Some [25] / All [-50]
5. __% of my clothes are never used: 75% [100] / 50% [75] / 25% [50]
6. Pairs of new shoes each year: 7+ [100] / 3-6 [75] / 0-2 [25]
7. Electronic devices at home: 15+ [200] / 10-15 [100] / 5-10 [75]

Waste
1. All my garbage would be ___ litres: 100 [100] / 50 [50] / 15 [25] / None [-50]
2. Recycle paper, cans, glass & plastic: None [200] / Some [100] / Half [50] / All [-100]
3. Clean & reuse things many times: No [25] / Yes [-25]
4. Repair things when possible: No [25] / Yes [-25]
5. Always bring my own bags: No [25] / Yes [0] / Make them [-25]
6. Shop online ___ times a year: 15+ [200] / 10-15 [100] / 5-10 [50] / 0-5 [25]

Add up your scores → Total ÷ 300 = Earths → Earths × 2 = (global) Hectares

Food	Water	Energy	Shelter	Transport	Goods	Waste

Total: ____ Earths: ____ Hectares: ____

2016 Global Hectares Footprint per Person (H) and remaining bio-capacity (R)

Country	H	R	Country	H	R	Country	H	R
Australia*	6.6	5.7	USA	8.1	(-4.5)	Canada*	7.7	7.4
France	4.4	(-2.4)	Japan	4.5	(-3.9)	China	3.6	(-2.6)
Brazil*	2.8	5.9	Indonesia	1.7	(-0.4)	Kenya	1	(-0.5)

Except for large open countries (*), we are already in deficit in every part of the world. Based on the Conservation Station worksheet and data from Open Data Platform [data.footprintnetwork.org], including info on Overshoot Day — the day in the year when we start "eating" the Earth. [1.3]

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Session 2: Energy

Demand for energy continues to grow faster than the world's population due to:
- rising living standards and increasing energy demands in developing countries
- increased heating and cooling in all countries due to climate instability
- the surge in electricity-powered technologies

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) still dominate electricity generation, and these are becoming even higher CO2-emission industries as accessible mining sources run out, and as bulk export/shipping of natural gas expands globally.

Nationally, 81% of electricity is produced from coal or gas, and 19% from renewable sources — a third each from wind, hydro, and rooftop solar (2019). Mix varies by state:

State	Non-Renewable	Renewable Mix
NSW	83% (mostly black coal)	17% - hydro, wind, roof PV, biomass, large PV
VIC	83% (all brown coal)	17% - wind, roof solar, hydro, bit of biomass
QLD	91% (black coal, then gas)	9% - roof solar, bit of biomass, hydro, large PV
WA	92% (gas & black coal)	9% - wind then roof solar
SA	49% (gas)	51% - wind & roof solar, bit of large PV
TAS	5% (gas)	95% - hydro
NT	96% (gas)	4% - solar

How Much Energy Do You Use?

Your electricity bill shows meter readings, usage (kWh), supply/connection charges, and household comparisons. Go to energymadeeasy.gov.au for a detailed comparison by postcode and season. Worksheets: [2.1]

Where does energy go in the home? Heating 14% · Cooling 25%(shared w/ lighting slice)· Lighting · Cooking 8% · Hot Water 25% · Appliances · TV/Games 14% (approximate breakdown per chart) — our climate is kind to us and major appliances/systems are fairly efficient (check energy rating stickers), but hot water systems are often old tech, and stand-by items are energy hogs. More: [2.2]

Low-No Cost Tips for Saving Energy at Home

Living Areas
- In summer, keep cool by closing windows, doors, curtains and blinds.
- Use fans instead of air conditioners; set air conditioner to 26°C.
- Aim for natural cross-flow ventilation when the sun is off the house.
- In winter, reduce draughts by closing windows, doors, curtains.
- Set central heating to 18°C, dress warmly, use blankets/throw rugs.
- Put in LED lights and turn them off when not needed.
- Switch off appliances at the wall — most use energy on stand-by.

Kitchen
- Ensure plenty of space around the fridge for efficiency.
- Check fridge door seals; keep door firmly closed.
- Don't overfill fridge/freezer.
- Use lids on pots and pans to reduce cooking time.
- Wait till dishwasher is full before running it.

Bathroom and Laundry
- Use cold water for washing hands and clothes.
- Use a clothesline instead of the dryer.
- Set hot water to 60°C; use hot water sparingly.
- Wait till washing machine has a full load.
- Fit low-flow shower-heads and tap aerators.
- Shorter showers — no more than 4 minutes, use a timer.

Pools
- Use a pool cover; install an efficient filter pump.
- If heating, use solar heating.
- Only use lighting needed for safety.

Planned Spending for Saving Energy at Home

Heating & Cooling (21% of energy use)
- $$ Draught-proof and ventilate — seal gaps, add self-closers, cover fireplaces, use rugs/carpets.
- $$$ Insulation — ceiling to R4.1, underfloor to R2.25, walls to R2.4.
- $-$$ Shading and ventilation — shade trees, verandahs, shutters.
- $-$$$ Double glazing — DIY shrink film through to installed double glazing.
- $$ Personal fans — ceiling/zone fans instead of large zone systems.

Lighting (8%)
- $ LED lights (10x more efficient).
- $$ Solar-powered LED skylights in utility areas.
- $ Timer/motion-sensor switches.
- $$ Rewire — one light per switch.

Cooking (8%)
- $ Mini electrics — small ovens, microwaves, rice cookers, sandwich makers for short-time efficiency.
- $$ Induction cooking — less wasted heat and CO2 than gas.

Hot Water (25%)
- $ Thermostat control — 40°C for showers, 50°C for dishes.
- $$$ Heat pump hot water — very efficient; can act as a solar "battery" if linked to PV, timed to heat midday.

Appliances (25%)
- $$-$$$ Replace — compare energy ratings, age, repair costs (e.g., front-load vs top-load, chest vs upright freezer).
- $ Placement & ventilation for fridges/freezers.
- Zero Retirement — air dry, hand sweep, sell/gift, borrow via libraries of things.

TV & Games (14%)
- $ Power controllers to reduce stand-by.
- $ Timers to limit use.
- Zero — explore other activities.

Solar Power & Renewables

Switching to "Green Power" with your supplier won't save money but ensures more renewable sourcing. Domestic solar PV, roof-mounted and grid-connected via inverter, is now in over 2 million homes (17% nationally). Most states offer rebates; payback as short as six years.

Challenges

• One week: Take a meter reading, wait a week, take another. How much did usage drop? Did it hurt?
• One week/day: Go without TV, lights, or heating.
• One week: No more than one light globe per person on at a time (mind safety).
• Kids Fun: 1 kWh ≈ a "servant" for an hour. How many "servants" does your household use weekly? Toast ≈ 1 servant; a few hours of TV nightly ≈ 4 servants/week; kettle ≈ 1 servant; tram commute ≈ 2 servants. More: [2.3]

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Energy	30 min
Low Cost Actions	30 min
Planned Spending	30 min
Challenges and Fun Ideas	10 min
Reflect (Head, Hands, Heart)	10 min

Further info: [2.4]

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Session 3: Food

Global food production doubled from 1960 to 2000 via industrialised agriculture; a further 70% increase is predicted needed by 2050. Ecologic cost of out-of-season, imported, convenience packaged food is huge — 30% of our ecologic footprint:
- processing, packing, transport, storage, waste disposal consumes fossil fuel & energy
- monoculture depletes soil & causes erosion
- modified "high yield" crops need oil-derived fertilisers/pesticides
- industrialisation concentrates ownership and control
- convenience packaging needs salt & fructose, colouring for marketing
- large-scale farming needs locked-in, large volumes of water

More: [3.1]

Food Audit

Track your typical mix of food types (meats, veg, fruit, dairy, grains, fish, nuts) across breakfast, lunch (workday/weekend), dinner, snacks. Full detailed audit: [3.2]

Keep a meal diary for a week noting: source (imported/Australian/local-home), packaging type, degree of pre-processing, waste component, cooking energy required. Estimate percentages, and using a Season Food Guide [3.3], estimate how "seasonal/sunlight" vs "fossil-fuelled" (out of season/hot house) your meals are.

The Issues Around Food

Sources of Food
- Food Miles: A Melbourne study of 29 common food items found total transport distance of 70,803 km — twice around the earth. [3.4]
- Pesticide Residues: apples 15%, lettuce 4%, bread 2% [3.5] — monoculture invites pests/weeds; industrialisation raises worker exploitation and factory-farming animal welfare issues.
- Local and Home Grown: know your growers, keep money local — but understand what "organic," "chemical free," "biodynamic," "permaculture" actually mean. [3.6]

Types of Packaging
Some packaging reduces spoilage waste (up to 20% of food otherwise wasted) [3.7], but should be fully recyclable/reused — check government labelling standards and programs like REDcycle. [3.8] DIY: shop local/low-food-miles, carry your own bags/containers, use beeswax/silicone wraps.

Pre-Processing
- Raw & Fresh: hygiene and storage matter — wash prep areas and produce. [3.9]
- Half Processed: dried, bottled, canned, jams — check ingredient lists. [3.10]
- Ready to Eat: engineered food — high in salt, sugar, colourings, flavour agents. [3.11]

Waste Component
- Compostable: peelings/cuttings; Bokashi fermentation extends to meat, dairy, eggs, coffee, tissues. [3.12]
- Everything Eaten: plan portions and leftovers to avoid waste. [3.13]
- Water Waste: plan collection/reuse for growing food.

Cooking Energy
Cook multiple meals together; consider pressure cooking, matched pans, microwave, solar/turbo ovens. [3.14]

Spending On Food Options

• Nil Free Food — food swap groups, excess-produce apps, guerilla gardening, dumpster diving. [3.15]
• Nil-$ Go Vegetarian — plant farming is 20-50x more efficient than meat, 5-30x less GHG. Try meatless meals/smaller portions; quality over quantity, grass-fed over grain-fed.
• $$ Sustainable Seafoods — use a sustainable seafood guide. [3.16]
• $ Farmers Markets, food swaps, farm gate sales, community gardens. [3.17]
• $-$$ Shop via OpenFoodNetwork.org — specialist shops, wholesalers, co-ops, organic farms. [3.18]

Grow Your Own
- $ Small space container garden — herbs, salad greens, strawberries, dwarf tomatoes, chillies.
- $ No Dig Garden — "lasagne" of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) layers on wet newspaper.
- $$ Suburban Bush Tucker — muntries, finger lime, warrigal greens, apple-berry, pig-face, midgen berry, sea-celery; riberry and macadamia trees for larger spaces. [3.19]

Waste & Compost
- $$ Worm Farm — funnel to 3-layer structure; Tiger/Indian Blue worms compost kitchen waste and produce liquid fertiliser.
- $$ Bokashi System — extends composting to prepared foods, meat, dairy, eggs, coffee, tissues.

Extending Shelf Life
- $-$$ Food Preservation — bottling kits, preserving jars, dehydrators. [3.20]
- Nil Minimalism — rotate stock, don't overpack fridge, store potatoes/onions dark/cool/separate (they off-gas and spoil neighbours, like bananas).

Water note: In Melbourne, household water use averages 262 L/day, but the food for that household uses 475 L/day. [3.20]

Challenges

• One meal: Source everything locally (maybe just from your farmers market).
• Forever: One meatless day, then try adding more.
• One month: Letter-box survey neighbours on composting/chooks/worm farms; start a food-scrap-share program.
• One weekend: Visit a community garden, food co-op, organic farm, or wholefood grocer via OpenFood Network.
• During the year: Look up Permablitz.
• Kids Fun: Carrot-top garden, egg-carton seedlings, own garden space, illustrated street recipe book.

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Food	30 min
Issues Around Food	30 min
Planned Spending	30 min
Challenges and Fun Ideas	10 min
Reflect	10 min

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Session 4: Water

Only 2.5% of world water is fresh; two-thirds locked in snow/ice, a third underground, only 0.3% available in rain/rivers/lakes. Climate change is making rain events more unpredictable — water conservation is crucial.

Most fresh water use is agricultural; other industries include manufacturing, electricity/gas, mining (QLD/WA), and commercial business. National average household use is 262 L/day/person, varying by state:

State	L/day/person	State	L/day/person
NSW	204	WA	322
VIC	177	TAS	189
QLD	214	NT	602
SA	177	ACT	209

Water bill shows meter readings, service/supply charges, comparisons with prior year and other households. Worksheets: [4.1]

Where Do You Use Water at Home? [4.2] — Shower 29% · Outdoor 25% · Taps 19% · Clotheswasher 14% · Toilet 12% · Dishwasher 1%

When choosing appliances, look for the water rating sticker.

Why Save Water at Home?

• Reduce energy use/GHG: pumping, treating, and heating water all take energy. [4.3]
• Support environment/wildlife: water-awareness at home extends to broader consumption/political choices.

Low-No Cost Tips for Saving Water at Home

Anywhere with a Tap
- Fix leaks; turn off when not in use; collect and reuse clean water; install aerators/low-flow heads.

Kitchen
- Don't rinse under running tap — use a bucket/second sink; save veg-wash water for plants; fridge-defrost instead of running water; wait till dishwasher is full (modern dishwashers use less water than hand-washing).

Bathroom
- Low-flow shower head; tap off while brushing teeth; shower timer (3-4 min); basin/sponge baths; collect cold shower water before it runs hot; ban baths (or minimal water for kids).

Toilet
- Two-button low-flush cistern; tank inserts for old cisterns; only flush when necessary.

Laundry
- Check if full-machine washing is needed; 4-star water/energy efficient front-loader; full loads, right settings.

Outdoors
- Redesign garden — replace lawn or let it go brown in summer; plant local natives (drought-tolerant); water deeply/infrequently; mulch deeply; sweep don't hose paths; hand water, supervise sprinklers; pool covers, cartridge filters, rain-water top-up.

Planned Spending for Saving Water at Home

Greywater (bathrooms/laundry, some kitchen — not toilets/dishwashers)
- $ Grey water diverter funnels (not for edible plants). [4.4]
- $$$ Grey water systems — settling/filtering/treatment for whole-garden use. [4.5]

Rainwater Collection
- $$ Downpipe diverters to garden beds/tanks. [4.6]
- $$$ Tanks — need flat stable bases (1L water = 1kg), clean input; may need a pump (1m height ≈ 1.4 PSI vs 40 PSI garden tap).
- $$ Swales — reshape garden flow, mini dams/barriers. [4.7]
- ⚠️ Warning: standing water breeds mosquitoes.

Garden Beds
- $$-$$$ Wicking Beds — waterproof membrane, inlet standpipe, sand/gravel layer, geo-fabric, soil bed; water rises via capillary action. [4.8]
- $-$$ Soaker Hoses — above-ground weeping hoses, below-ground slotted pipe, drip/micro-spray kits.

Challenges

• One day: Fill a 10-15L bucket per person; go without turning on a tap (UN target: 20L/day/person).
• One week/day: Collect and measure all used water; compare to state average.
• One week: Restructure washing/showering/dish habits, plant arrangement for efficient watering.
• Kids Fun: 3-minute shower songs; choose a native plant; path sweeping and hand-watering duties.

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Water	30 min
Low Cost Actions	30 min
Planned Spending	30 min
Challenges and Fun Ideas	10 min
Reflect	10 min

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Session 5: Transport

Transport (cars, trucks, public transport, domestic flights, shipping) contributes 18% of GHG emissions, second only to electricity (33%), growing 10%/decade. Cars/vans/utes/light trucks make about half of that (equal to Queensland's entire coal/gas electricity emissions), due to:
- some of the world's worst polluting cars (no emission standards, many old inefficient cars)
- high car use — 87% travel by car to school/work (only 5% public transport, 5% walking, 1% bike); 8,800 km/person national average distance
- low public transport usage despite it being ~1/3 cheaper per km than net car costs, and underfunded infrastructure

Per the Climate Council's Waiting for the Green Light: better city planning, public transport investment, shifting to active/public transport, and renewable-powered EVs/buses/rail together could cut global GHG pollution 15-40% from business-as-usual by 2050 (IPCC 2014). [5.1]

Transport Mix Worksheet

Track km or ✓s for Car/Ute/SUV/Van, Tram/Bus, Train/Light Rail, Bike/Walk, Car Pool/Ride Share, Deliveries — Mon through Sun, plus overseas/interstate/local holiday travel. Circle choices forced by poor urban planning or safety concerns; big-tick where good planning supported your choice.

CO2 Emissions by Mode

Approximate gCO2/passenger-km (fuller vehicles = better): Plane (highest) > Bus City > Big Car (1.5 occupants) > Small Car (1.5) > Motorbike > Big Car (4) > Bus Intercity > Small Car (4) > Train > Bicycle (lowest). Freight gCO2/kg-km: Air freight (highest) > Semi-trailers > Delivery vans > Train > Sea freight (lowest). A diesel city bus averages just 12 passengers/trip. More: [5.1.1]

Tips for Transport Efficiency

Walk or Ride: 50% of trips are under 2 km — often faster by bike than car, plus exercise/mental health benefits.

Driving Well (when you must)
- Check tyre pressure (under-inflation raises fuel use 3%, cuts tyre life).
- Service regularly (well-tuned car uses 15% less fuel).
- Slow down — 90 km/h uses 25% less fuel than 110 km/h.
- Don't idle beyond 10 seconds; drive smoothly.
- Under 70 km/h, open windows instead of AC (AC raises fuel use 10%; over 70 km/h, open windows cost more via drag).
- Secure fuel cap; travel light (extra 50 kg raises fuel use 2%); remove roof racks when unused.

Plan Ahead
- Batch errands; consider phone/email instead of a trip.
- Use Google Maps to compare walk/transit options including parking costs/time.
- Explore ride-sharing/car-pooling; keep a transit card topped up.

Planned Spending for Better Transport

Bicycles: $ basic bikes (fitted properly) · $$ e-bikes · $$$ cargo bikes (can replace a family car). More: [5.2]

Hybrid & Electric Cars
- $$ Petrol hybrids — electric motor assists petrol engine at inefficient RPMs; charges while driving.
- $$$ Plug-in hybrids — electric-first with petrol support under heavy load; charge from home/fast stations.
- $$$$ Electric Vehicles — full battery-electric, 200-300 km typical range, quick/nimble. [5.5]

Car Share: Nil car-pooling · $ ride sharing [5.3] · $ car share services (reduced ownership/maintenance costs) [5.4]

Holidays: Local is best — boosts local economy, decentralises tourism spend.

Challenges

• One week: Travel diary → map on Google Maps → identify missed walk/transit options.
• One weekend: Visit a bike/e-bike/cargo bike shop.
• One weekend: Plan a public-transport picnic outing.
• Ongoing: Organise a "Walking School Bus."
• Anytime: Plan a local holiday.
• Kids Fun: Wheeled shopping trips (bikes, scooters, skateboards — even a wheelbarrow).

Space comparison: 1 train carriage (54 sqm) = 4 buses (144 sqm) = 200 cars (1500 sqm) = 1 bike path (400 sqm), all for 200 people.

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Transport	30 min
Efficiency Actions	30 min
Planned Spending	30 min
Challenges and Fun Ideas	10 min
Reflect	10 min

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Session 6: Waste & Consumption

Annual waste totals 3,300 kg/person — a third household, a third commerce, a third construction. Overall ~53% recycled/reused, varying by type: Building 72% · Green 54% · Ash 43% (mostly roads) · Hazardous 27% · Paper 60% · Metals 90% · Plastics 12% · Other 80% (incl. farm waste) · Glass 57% · Clothes 4%.

We use roughly 70x as much raw resource as the final kilogram of "waste" — and much waste was never used at all (1/5 of food bought is never eaten). More: [6.1]

Facts from ABC's "War on Waste" [6.2]

• 85% of soft plastics from bags/packaging end up in landfill.
• ~1/3 of household rubbish is food waste.
• Supermarkets/retailers send ~170,000 tonnes of food to landfill yearly.
• 3/4 of purchased clothing is thrown out within a year (2,700 L water per garment).
• 1 billion single-use coffee cups used yearly in Australia, not recycled.
• Glass is infinitely recyclable but only 56% is recycled.
• 1 billion plastic water bottles bought yearly — only 20% recycled.
• One school sent 9 tonnes/week to landfill, costing $2,300/month.

Bin Audit

Rate how full your Red (general), Yellow (recycling), and Green (garden/FOGO) bins typically are on collection day.

The Waste Hierarchy

avoid & reduce (refuse, rethink, reduce) → reuse → recycle (rehome, repurpose) → recover energy (rot & compost, recycle) → treat [council] → disposal [council]

The original 3Rs got action started but didn't design waste out of the system. Current policy focuses on avoidance first.

Refuse, Rethink & Reduce
- Refuse plastic bags; go prepared with reusable bags/containers.
- Reject poorly packaged options; try other outlets.
- Rethink source — farmers markets, local suppliers, question production methods.
- Rethink services/conveniences to cut materials and energy use.
- Question every purchase — actual need vs. advertising reaction.
- Use natural cleaners (vinegar/lemon juice, bicarb) instead of chemicals.
- Refuse PVC (dioxins are carcinogenic during manufacture/use/disposal).
- Return excess packaging on consumer items/electronics.
- Favour pre-used materials; support circular economy.
- Choose biodegradable options.

Reuse
- Long-life items — refillable bottles, stainless lunchboxes, metal cutlery, cloth napkins/handkerchiefs.
- Research repairability, recyclability, toxicity, durability before big purchases.
- DIY carry bags, beeswax wraps.
- Bulk-food stores with clean container refills (incl. wine, milk).

Rehome, Repurpose (recycle)
- Charity op shops, Gumtree, Freecycle.org, neighbourhood Facebook groups.
- Garage sales/swap meets.
- Repurpose old furniture/materials — chipped cups as pots, sheets as cloths, suitcases as pet beds, broken pottery as mosaic tiles, mattress springs as vertical planters.

Rot & Compost, Recycle
- Compost bin or Bokashi (extends to meat/dairy/eggs/coffee/tissues).
- Cardboard/newspaper as weed mats or carbon-rich compost/mulch additions.
- Plan grey-water separation for growing food.
- Recycle glass separately to avoid contamination.
- Take apart items for art/toys; recycle clean parts only.

Treat & Disposal (what you can't handle yourself)
- Waste recovery programs — Cartridges 4 Planet Ark, Mobile Muster, fluoro tube collection points.
- Council e-waste, paint, and oil collections.
- State sites (e.g., Sustainability Victoria) for item-specific search. [6.3]

Other New Ideas & Actions

• Buy Nothing Project — global gift-economy network; try 7 days without buying anything. [6.4]
• Repair Cafe & Fix-It — free community repair meeting places with tools and volunteer expertise. [6.5]
• Zero Waste Festivals — reusable dishware + wash stations; one 16,000-person, 4-day festival cut landfill from 16 tonnes to one 240L bin. [6.6]
• Tool Library / Library of Things / Sharing Sheds — subscription lending of tools and household items.
• Community Litter Action — illegal dumping costs local government ~$70M/year; groups like Clean Up Australia, Adopt-A-Road, Riverkeepers; apps like Snap Send Solve. [6.7]

Challenges

• One week: Replace commercial cleaners with natural alternatives (borax, eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt).
• One month: Diary single-use tools/implements; consider sharing or donating.
• One month: Revisit the bin-collection quiz — did waste reduce?
• Kids Fun: Op-shop pocket money; junk craft day; toy/game clean-up (keep-gift-donate).

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Waste	30 min
Where Did You Stand (War on Waste)	30 min
The Waste Hierarchy	30 min
Challenges and Fun Ideas	10 min
Reflect	10 min

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Session 7: Next Steps

The Transition Town movement started in 2004, applying permaculture principles [7.2] to the problem of Peak Oil [7.3] — how would communities survive if cheap fossil fuels became scarce? Communities that created a shared vision of an energy-independent future found that individuals, streets, neighbourhoods, businesses, and local government each contributed to realising it. The scope has since expanded to climate change and globalisation's social/civil/economic instabilities, but the same collective-vision approach still works. [7.1]

Environmental scientists talk about Tipping Points (cascading environmental changes) and Behavioural Spill-Overs — small personal changes that trigger further action in the same or related categories (e.g., water-saving triggers garden redesign; waste-sorting triggers deeper energy engagement). Spill-overs are strongest when seen or shared by others.

Turning, Tipping & Spill-Over Points

Reflect on earlier sessions — what actions triggered further action, personally/family and among friends/neighbours, across Energy, Food, Water, Transport, Waste?

Resilient Communities

The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (NEMC, 2009) identifies four core features:
1. Functioning well under stress — members connected and cooperative.
2. Successful adaptation — positive response to change, focus on capacity not just vulnerability.
3. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency — not dependent on long supply chains or external finance.
4. Social capacity — trust, cooperation, strong relationships.

An Activism Plan
1. Practice working together — small (community garden) to large (sustainability festival) projects; focus on listening, delegation, sharing.
2. Develop skills overall — bring in skilled teachers, organise talks/films/resources.
3. Build micro-networks and mesh communications — localise systems, use technology for transparency.
4. Be human together — integrate diversity, flatten hierarchies, listen and engage.

How Active Do We Get?

Balance personal capital and surplus — your time, energy, money, and stress tolerance vary with work, life stage, family, and mental health. It's fine to temporarily spend capital on a key project, but allow time to rebuild. Activism burn-out is real.

Level	Description
Integrated Activism	Demonstrated through everyday behaviours — work, home, shopping, clothing, transport choices. Low surplus.
Support Activism	Volunteering in organised group activities — community gardens, fundraising, working bees, social media. Mid surplus.
Engaged Activism	Committed scheduled volunteering — repair cafes, litter campaigns, permablitz, food banks, info nights. High surplus.
Planned Activism	Organiser + volunteer roles — sustainability events, repair cafe/library-of-things teams, protests. High surplus, dips into capital.

Skills Audit

Tick skills you have (any level — beginner to expert) across: Clothing, Gardening, Transport, Animal Husbandry, Building, Energy Use, Food Preparation, Household, Outdoors, Wellness, Play/Creative, Message (teach/write/lobby/PR), Family (care roles). Full checklist available in the source workbook — use it to map what your group/street can contribute.

Groups & Activities

Extinction Rebellion · Fridays for Future · School Strike 4 Climate · 350.org · Get-Up · Avaaz.org · RenewEconomy · Friends of The Earth · Town Teams/Street Teams · Permaculture/Permablitz · Repair Cafe Australia · Street Library/Little Library · Boomerang Bags · Melbourne/Brisbane Free University · Time Banking · Community Gardens/Sustainable Gardens

(Further links to be inserted by local groups.)

Suggested Session Plan

Item	Time
Catch Up	10 min
Review Spill-Over	30 min
Resilient Communities & Surplus	20 min
Skills Audit	30 min
Groups & Activities	20 min
Reflect	10 min

Send feedback on the Handbook or Sessions to Transition Australia.

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How to Use this Handbook

This handbook is part of a collection of resources from Transition Towns Australia. Reference numbers like [1.1] point to further info/links on www.transitionaustralia.net — search by the item number, or go to Resources → Transition Streets to browse the full resource bank.

Comments & Feedback: . To use, adapt, or start your own group with this handbook, they're happy to help.

Licensed under Creative Commons — Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike 4.0.

Acknowledgements: Inspired by previous Transition Streets editions (Australia, UK, USA). Special thanks to Transition Newcastle (NSW) and the Transition Streets National Working Group (NSW/VIC): Aaron Hodgson, Alicia Martin, Allan Evans, Ben Ewald, Cathy Stuart, Christine Bruderlin, Emily Grace, George Stuart, Gillian Harris, Graeme Stuart, Hunter Water, John Merory, Julie French, Karen Toikens, Lesley Edwards, Liza Pezzano, Mary Stringer, Maureen Beckett, Max Wright, Rebecca Tyndall, Rosemary Nugent, Tom Danby, Tony Proust, William Vorobioff.

Creative Commons Copyright 2020, Transition Towns Australia Inc —