Transition Towns

[BodhisatvaJohn]

Have you all heard of Transition Towns? A way for us all to get involved in our local communities, to combat the effects of carbon emissions and a way to survive, once Peak Oil starts taking effect. There are now over 175 Transition Towns in the Uk, have a look at the web site and find one near to you, or start on up. Copenhagen has shown us that we ca no longer depend on politicians to sort the mess out, but the only way ahead is by local actions, involving communities. here is a bit of info about the Transition Towns movement.

http://transitiontowns.org/

What is a Transition Town (or village / city / forest / island)?
Here's how it all appears to be evolving...
It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change?
They begin by forming an initiating group and then adopt the Transition Model with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a Transition Initiative.
A Transition Initiative is working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:
"for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"
After going through a comprehensive and creative process of:
· awareness raising around peak oil, climate change and the need to undertake a community lead process to rebuild resilience and reduce carbon
· connecting with existing groups in the community
· building bridges to local government
· connecting with other transition initiatives
· forming groups to look at all the key areas of life (food, energy, transport, health, heart & soul, economics & livelihoods, etc)
· kicking off projects aimed at building people's understanding of resilience and carbon issues and community engagement
· eventually launching a community defined, community implemented "Energy Descent Action Plan" over a 15 to 20 year timescale
This results in a coordinated range of projects across all these areas of life that strives to rebuild the resilience we've lost as a result of cheap oil and reduce the community's carbon emissions drastically.
The community also recognises two crucial points:
· that we used immense amounts of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability on the way up the energy upslope, and that there's no reason for us not to do the same on the downslope
· if we collectively plan and act early enough there's every likelihood that we can create a way of living that's significantly more connected, more vibrant and more in touch with our environment than the oil-addicted treadmill that we find ourselves on today.
If you want to find out more, check out the other menu items on the left hand site of the page.
Cheerful disclaimer!
Just in case you were under the impression that Transition is a process defined by people who have all the answers, you need to be aware of a key fact.
We truly don't know 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.
Everything that you read on this site is the result of real work undertaken in the real world with community engagement at its heart. There's not an ivory tower in sight, no professors in musty oak-panelled studies churning out erudite papers, no slavish adherence to a model carved in stone.
This site, just like the transition model, is brought to you by people who are actively engaged in transition in a community. People who are learning by doing - and learning all the time. People who understand that we can't sit back and wait for someone else to do the work. People like you, perhaps...

Final point
Just to weave the climate change and peak oil situations together...
· Climate change makes this carbon reduction transition essential
· Peak oil makes it inevitable
· Transition initiatives make it feasible, viable and attractive (as far we can tell so far...)

[Richard]

Hi John,

I had a look around that Site, very interesting.

I like to be positive if possible. Do you feel that it's a great and good idea, but only if everyone does it?

What Copenhagen taught me, if anything, was of similar feeling - everyone has to agree and participate, or it just won't work.

ie. We could do a wonderful job in this country only to be polluted by other countries who aren't towing the line.

We in our homes, people in towns, cities, countries and continents have to pull together.

I strongly dislike the attitude of many....'Not my problem, I'll be dead and gone by that time'. I desperately want to leave this World in the knowledge that my genes are going to be carried forward by family who will live a healthy, peaceful, loving and long life.
We are simply custodians for a very short time and it's our duty to try and leave the world a better place than when we came into it.

Also, I don't want to be a part of a generation which will be looked upon and judged in years to come by our incompetence.
The world as in Nations is probably as close as it ever will be, so now is the time to pull our fingers out and act.

Sorry, finding the words hard to find, but hope you catch my drift.

Richard

[Sunny B]

I'm sure some of the towns are making an effort, but others just jumping on the bandwagon. There is a transition Penwith group, but still public transport is being slashed and the latest mad scheme is concreting over part of the beach by the lovely listed art deco lido in Penzance to make another car park and ferry terminal.

[wendy]

Thank you Richard, you put that so much better than I could, but my thought also.
Wendy

[manda]

I think the idea of transition towns is a great one - something has to start somewhere.
I'm not sure re individuals actions not being enough - I suppose it would depend on how many individuals were in action. It may be that those individuals aren't coordinated and I think everyone would acknowledge that this is the most efficient way of establishing change but en mass the "individual" would effect change.
I have to admit I am deeply saddened by the inability of the representatives of countries to set aside their agenda's to look at what is globally important. I agree that communities need to start taking some responsibility for our planet and it's future.
People (individuals) can effect change simply by choosing how they "consume" (not just eating ).

Unfortunately for us all the Governments do need to make legislation so that businesses do not have to involve all sorts of packaging with their products....and that those businesses that pollute don't just trade carbon credits for theirpollution but have to do something about it. The list is endless I know but it has to start somewhere.
Packaging is one of my biggest bugbears as it has such enormous consequences for the planet it's not number one on the list but when you consider all the resources that are required not only to make but dispose of packaging it is way up there. I can't say that I have obliterated packaging from my life but I have made a conscious decision to reduce it as much as possible and consume accordingly - it's here I believe individuals can effect change - complain to the companies and stop buying their over-packaged goods - I think people have been told for too long what it is they want to buy rather than doing the telling.

Communities need to start telling their representatives (councils / government) what it is they need from them. I worry of the message put over that we have voted in these people and that we should then leave them to it. What if we don't like what they are doing? If communities are concerned they are not being represented effectively then they should challenge that representation, I agree with Richard I don't want future generations to look at what is going on now and feel that we had the opportunity to take care of our planet and didn't.

I don't feel like I'm saying what I want to say but I'm sure you get my drift (my defence is I'm at work and it's after midnight )

[BodhisatvaJohn]

Hi Manda

I agree with all you say. We can no longer leave politicians to try to deal with the planet and the mess it's in. politicuians work on ego, and we all saw its results at Cophenagen didn't we. The Chinese became upset, because Obharma made them 'lose face'. The Americans had to 'play, to the Senate, back home. if it wasn't so desperate, it would be laughable! The expression 'Boys with their toys,' comes to mind. I feel there could be a good case for hauling them all before an international criminal court on charges of gross neglegence! They are playing mind games with each other, whilst the planet slowny (or more quickly now), dies! Talk abour Nero fiddleing whilst Rome burns!

I see you are from NZ. I read recently that NZ was voted the country most desirable to live. On many counts. You have a non - nulear weapons stragegy, for one thing, low crime rate and so on. I've always longed to go to NZ, but never Australia. You aloso have Tranition Towns in NZ now too. I read an article in Positive News about one of them in NZ, it was also an item on one of your TV channel news programmes.

Packaging is my big bug bear too Manda. last night at the meeting of the Horncastle Transuition Town group, we decided to try to make Horncastle plastic free. Have you seen the web site, set up by Rebecca Hoskin? She's A BBC camerawoman, who saw what was happening to mamals in the seas aboud the Carribean, from plastic; when qworking on a documentery. Birds, seals and all sort of animals either choke on it, from ingestion or become entagled in it. Did you also know that plasic doesnt bio - degrade, but photo degrades, that means it never breaks down totally, and stays in the enviroment for up to a 1,000 years!

Every piece of plastic that has ever been produced, is still out there somewhere? Plastic resin is covered in what are called 'plasticisers,' to make it mallable, those are not part of the molecular structure of plasics, and have now been shown to be carcinogenic, and to think we use plastic to cover food!

Sorry for this ramble, but if everyone know the facts about plascic, I don't think anyone would go near to it.

Here is the excellent website about Morbury, there are loads of facts on there about placic, and some awful video clips, if you can bear to watch hem, of sea animals dying from plastic ingestion and entaglement.

http://www.plasticbagfree.com/facts.php

John

[manda]

Whilst NZ does have crime it is still something that shocks people (even the smallest crimes are frowned at). I have the lifestyle I always wanted here (could never have afforded our set up on the UK )
I'm ex of the UK and it was one of the main reasons I moved here to be honest. We do have a lovely lifestyle (I think) and more importantly our children do. It is a country of so many contrasts and (unlike OZ) no deadly animals - well there is a spider that can give you a nasty bite.

Yep NZ has transition towns - http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz

Oh the packaging!!!! Trouble is there isn't just one of those floating patches of hell!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
When you get a global look at the problem it's amazing plastic produces haven't been strung up!

[BodhisatvaJohn]

Are you a member of a Transition Town group over there Manda? Maybe our local town group could do a twinning with yours? Here is our site.

http://transitionhorncastle.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


John

[manda]

No - Rangiora isn't a transition town yet but I know there have been meetings in Christchurch regarding this - don't know how far down the track they are as yet though

Good site for your town

[Stig]

On the Copenhagan talks I think you've hit the nail on the head BodhisatvaJohn. By delivering an ultimatum to the chinese Obama single-handedly ceased any futher negotiation and created a scapegoat in one fell swoop. Sad, the whole world was so optimistic about him when he was elected, but it appears he is as beholden to the Senate & big business as any of his predecessors.

I also heard (though not from any official source) that Obama entered into a behind-closed-doors agreement with the major economic powers whilst totally excluding all the developing countries that will bear the brunt of climate change. Seems like he single-handedly torpedoed the entire event!

[BodhisatvaJohn]

Hi Stig

Yes, Obharma entered into secret negotiations with some of the richer countries, but when the smaller, vulnerable states heard about the dealing, they were livid and threatened to walk out of the conference.

There was an amazing, by all accounts alternative meeting taking place, away from the main conference hall, attended by activists, NGO's and many alternative minded people. Over 50,000 were there, to hear a wide range of speakers. There was none of the ego nonsense displayed by the 'official' delegates, over in the main hall either.

On the whole I like Obharma a lot. Still after Bush, I would welcome Mickey Mouse as president! Obharma is in thrall to big business and the desperate fight of the climate change deniers. We should all wish him luck. I think we are going to get a reaction now from the deniers and some of them are getting very angry indeed.

I along with a growing amount of others, now see the way forward, to be via in local communities like Transition Towns and other initiatives.

[Sunny B]

Michael Portillo visited Totnes on his railway journey programme last night. That is a place I'd consider living in, if it wasn't so hideously expensive. They really are living the green way, not just paying lip service to it. One chap was running a taxi service with a tuktuk run on old chip fat, he said it cost him about £2.50 a week to run!

[BodhisatvaJohn]

Yes, they are Sunny B, and the guy, Portillo talked with, Rob Hoskins, is the co-founder of the Transition Towns Movement. He is going to become very well know within the nest few years. As he says, the way forward now, is based on local initiatives, how we become resilient to the twin effects of peak Oil and Greenhouse gas emissions! Totnes is a shining example of what can be achieved, by local people, pulling together, and can be a lot of fun too. When oil becomes too expensive for us to buy, we will have no option, than to do things locally. It isn't just about growing your own food, but about how we all need to stop thinking globally, even the drive of 10 or more miles to work every day, will become impossible soon, never mind visits to the dentists, or hospitals. We will no longer be able to afford to import cheap goods from China, or winter strawberries from Spain.