Hi,

I live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia and, along with other permaculturists, we have been busy working on regional powerdown projects for the past few months.

In late July we are trialling a new permaculture course based on David Holmgren's text which will generate the start of our regional energy descent action plan, along the lines of the wonderful work Rob Hopkins has done in Kinsale.

In early August we are opening the house at our permaculture community gardens as the Sunshine Coast Energy Action Centre and we will offer information, education and networking opportunities for the community to become involved in local powerdown projects.

Our local Council is very supportive and we are very hopeful that this will be a success and lead to real preparedness on the Sunshine Coast.

Having read Powerdown I see our model as following the powerdown / life boat building / preservationist - which is very much permaculture anyway, just in another form.

I finished reading the Oil Depletion Protocol just yesterday and will draft that into our communication with local decision makers and also encourage individual households in our local area to adopt the protocol when they visit the energy action centre.

The money from our first course will go back into buying resources for the community - books, dvds etc.

Keep up the good work,
Sonya

Very interesting information. Thanks to the author.