All Polk County residents interested in joining a worldwide group dedicated to the goal of moving away from oil dependency and supporting sustainable communities are invited to attend the introductory meeting of Transition Polk County.

Transition Polk County will become part of the Transition US organization, which is designed to support economic and social change to produce sustainable communities.

The problems created by rising prices of food and fuel, coupled with the economic contraction that began in 2008, can only be solved by people working creatively together to strengthen their local economies and to build local resilience, say Transition organizers. In the next few years community responses to economic threats, fossil fuel depletion and climate change will take shape in many hundreds of communities across the United States.

Transition Polk County will be designed to show how these profound and inevitable changes can have a positive outcome.

According to the Transition handbook, Within peak oil and climate change is the potential for the greatest economic, social and cultural renaissance we have ever seen.

Transition Polk County is open to everyone. The introductory meeting will be held at Isothermal Community College Tuesday, July 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The evening will include refreshments, a movie and discussion.

For more information, call Mary Parker at 864-279-0140.

For more information on Transition US, check www.transitionus.org and www.transitiontowns.org.

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