Photo: C.W. Clark via Flickr.
Transition Staunton Augusta is a group of local citizens who’ve united to make a difference in our community. Our mission is to help Staunton and its surrounding area in Augusta County, Virginia, to build a 21st century economy for our area. This economy will be about using energy in a smarter way and about making more of our stuff closer to home, including some of our own energy.
We can build resilience for our community while also creating good jobs and lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs by re-localizing our economy. We need to ramp up local food, services, and even manufactures. At the same time, we will work with other communities in Virginia and on the federal level to build passenger rail and other infrastructure necessary for a 21st century economy.
Transition Staunton Augusta will help in four main ways:
Educate Our Citizens
We will show films, hold discussions and workshops, and produce and distribute educational materials on the convergence of opportunities arising from the global fossil fuel economy and how we can enhance our energy, climate, and economic security.
Promote Local Business
We will partner with entrepreneurs in such areas as local food, transportation, walkable development, energy conservation and clean energy, and light manufacturing in order to build a profitable local market for businesses beyond fossil fuels.
Advocate for Policy Changes
We will approach local governments with policy proposals in areas such as economic incentives, zoning and development ordinances, and taxation to create the optimal environment for transition.
Help Build Community Infrastructure
We will work with other citizen groups on projects such as urban farms and community gardens, farmers’ markets and craft markets, historic preservation, and land conservation to make our community more resilient, to ensure prosperity and good local jobs.
A Cheerful Disclaimer
If it appears that we think the Transition process is defined by people who have all the answers, please understand that none of us involved knows for sure if this will work. Transition is a social experiment on a massive scale.
What we are convinced of is this:
- If we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little, too late
- If we act as individuals, it’ll be too little
- But if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time.
Structure
Led by its steering committee, Transition Staunton Augusta is the 61st Transition Group in the U.S. and an official affiliate of Transition United States. We are committed to civil rights, equal opportunity, freedom of expression, the right to keep and bear arms, and the other freedoms recognized by the US Constitution. We also adhere to the UN Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of December 10, 1948). We accept tax-deductible donations through the Virginia Organizing Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please invest in our work today!
