It’s been a little more than three years since NELA held it's first steering meeting. Since then we’ve hosted numerous potlucks and awareness raisings. Our newsletter list has grown to over 400 subscribers. We’ve created award winning projects and have built some respectable ties with parts of the Pasadena city government, most notably two city council people and the Public Works Department. At the Throop Garden dedication last November, Mayor Bill Bogaard said “I am hoping that the organization (NELA) might consider changing from ‘Northeast LA Transition’ to ‘Central Pasadena Transition’ in light of the historic importance of this event.” Well, we’ve been considering, and we are going to change our name to “Transition Pasadena”. We will have a new website that Qrys is putting together, and will transition over in the coming months.
We have two compelling reasons for this change. First, the heart of any transition initiative is the building of personal relationships. Through working together on projects, these personal relationships deepen and form a web of relationships or a community. A key ingredient in this process is hyper locality. Working with people who live close by, makes this process more do-able. As we move deeper into transition, a strong community will be an essential asset.
We have two compelling reasons for this change. First, the heart of any transition initiative is the building of personal relationships. Through working together on projects, these personal relationships deepen and form a web of relationships or a community. A key ingredient in this process is hyper locality. Working with people who live close by, makes this process more do-able. As we move deeper into transition, a strong community will be an essential asset.
Second, was the sense that since our work has been centered on Pasadena, that our name should reflect that. The core group that meets once a month is almost entirely Pasadena and Altadena residents. Our efforts have really gained traction in Pasadena. Two of them, the Throop Garden and Repair Café have received Green City Awards.
A perhaps related fact is that Pasadena is a hotbed of activism. Certainly with somewhere between a thousand and two thousand non-profit organizations and less organized activist groups, as well, there’s a lot happening here.
We still have active members from surrounding neighborhoods in Highland Park, Eagle Rock and even Temple City. We continue to welcome and invite all of our members and other residents in these communities to work with us as the adventure continues.
See you next month in Pasadena, in the newsletter that is.
— David Cutter
A perhaps related fact is that Pasadena is a hotbed of activism. Certainly with somewhere between a thousand and two thousand non-profit organizations and less organized activist groups, as well, there’s a lot happening here.
We still have active members from surrounding neighborhoods in Highland Park, Eagle Rock and even Temple City. We continue to welcome and invite all of our members and other residents in these communities to work with us as the adventure continues.
See you next month in Pasadena, in the newsletter that is.
— David Cutter
