Bozeman Magazine

The Transition Town-Bozeman’s Transition Streets pilot project implemented earlier this year has resulted in numerous successes for its members, ranging from a $450 reduction in one member’s monthly power bill, to the Streamline Bus System’s usage of biodiesel and it becoming a talking point at the United Nation’s Climate Summit in Paris this December. Our local efforts are a minute part of the Transition Network, a grassroots revolution taking place around the globe, and we have had the opportunity to help spread awareness of this beneficial movement in communities throughout Western Montana.Transition Streets provides a curated guidebook to change, empowering neighbors with proven actions to conserve energy & water, reduce waste, & save money. As we face the increasing impacts of climate change, now is the time to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by taking local action to create real global change. Transition Streets brings neighbors together to implement simple household changes, turning fear into action & building community street by street. Transition Missoula has successfully launched in several of their neighborhoods, we were recently asked to speak on behalf of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization to implement Transition Streets in Helena, and are pleased to announce plans to begin guiding the Belgrade community through the informative workbook at the Desert Rose. The progressive thinking owners of the Desert Rose participated in the Bozeman Transition Streets pilot, learning to correctly monitor their energy usage, to find the power company had overcharged them $450 the prior month! Needless to say, they were eager to share what they had learned with their neighbors, graciously agreeing to host workshops to guide Belgrade through these much needed changes. The introductory meeting begins Tuesday, October 13 at 6 PM, with the five core meetings at the same time and place on October 20, November 3, 17, and December 1 and 15. The final celebratory meeting will be January 4, so whether you join us to save money over the holidays or to reduce your impact on the world around us, we encourage you to attend!