‘It seems to me that a low-carbon society would be one which
remembers that our planet is a unique gift – perhaps the only of its kind in the
entire universe – which we are indescribably privileged to be born into. It
would be a society that could look back on the six degrees nightmare scenario as
just that – a nightmare, one which humanity woke up from and avoided before it
was too late. More than anything, it would be a society which survived and
prospered, and which passed on this glorious inheritance – of caps, rainforests
and thriving civilizations – to countless generations, far into the future.”
Mark Lynas
The process of transitioning to the sort of low-carbon society
that UK journalist/environmentalist Mark Lynas describes is the focus of
the Transition Movement, founded by British permaculture teacher Rob Hopkins.
And Lynas’ thought- provoking quote is from Hopkins’ book entitled
The
Transition Handbook – From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience.
The Transition Town initiative is one way to address the
controversial issue of peak oil and climate change, from a pro-active, not
reactive stance. It teaches that small scale is big change in an industrialized
world and that individual effort can create a collective harmony between the
needs of a community and the will of local government. It is not about
survivalism in the usual sense, but about creating change before we are faced
with the absolute end of cheap oil.
My exposure to the Transition movement began while browsing
through some books in the U.K, in the exceptional book town of Hay-on-Wye, on
the Welsh border. As the Universe would have it, the next day, at another book
store, nestled in the shadows of Ludlow Castle (Ludlow is the UK headquarters
for the Slow Food Movement), I flipped through a magazine and read an article
about the very same thing. Curiosity peaked and, always searching for ideas to
inspire the community in which I live back here in Canada, I determined to learn
more. So I purchased Hopkins’ book, which outlines the concept of the Transition
Movement and lays out steps for becoming a Transition Town.
|
Moving from oil
dependency to local resilience means that a community can function and hold
together in the face of change and while enduring shocks from the outside.
|
Hopkins created the world’s first “Energy Descent Plan” for the
town of Kinsale, Ireland as part of a project with his permaculture students.
Later, this plan was adopted by town council as policy. There are now a hundred
or more communities in varying parts of the world working towards becoming
Transition Towns –.a vision that can be held by any community, as it is entirely
achievable following the steps outlined in the book. The primary driving force
is the will of the citizens. Although co-operation from town council is
desirable and helpful, this movement must be mobilized by the citizens of the
area and is not, as voiced by one chairman of a town council, something bestowed
upon the community.
Moving from oil dependency to local resilience means that a
community can function and hold together in the face of change and while
enduring shocks from the outside. It does not mean that outside influence and
commerce is not appreciated or even needed in the post cheap oil era, but that a
town has increased control of its own economy by scaling down to use as many
local resources at it can, and in doing so, reducing its consumption of fossil
fuels.
Hopkins’ passion for permaculture design is quite obvious within
the Transition model. In his Transition Handbook, Bill Mollison, considered the
founder of the permaculture movement, describes permaculture in this way: “Permaculture
is a philosophy of working with, rather than against Nature, of protracted and
thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor, and of
looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any
area as a single product system.” There are twelve main permaculture principles,
some of which are: Observe and Interact, Catch and Store Energy, Use and Value
Renewable Resources and Services, Produce no Waste, Use Small and Slow
Solutions. Hopkins believes that adapting and applying these principles to
living with alternate and reduced fuel resources is a key strategy towards
healing our economy and natural world.
|
Since the advent
of cheap oil, we have not had to design our towns based on human relationships
and communal efforts. Cheap oil meant that we were free to focus on economic
growth and town expansion, abandoning the basics of good community planning. |
It is a design system that holds the key for building
sustainable communities and social/cultural structures. Since the advent of
cheap oil, we have not had to design our towns based on human relationships and
communal efforts. Cheap oil meant that we were free to focus on economic growth
and town expansion, abandoning the basics of good community planning.
On a trip to the community of Findhorn, Scotland, I noticed some
features of town planning that we have almost altogether abandoned in North
America. Imagine: communal bicycle huts, communal gardens, walking and bike
trails as part of essential town design, designated parking lots (where cars are
not parked in front of each house…the streets are child friendly), centrally
located parks and community centers, child care facilities built free of
environmental hazards, green roofs, wind turbines, solar stations, etc. These
all seem like common sense but, in reality, we haven’t had to think this way,
because it has been so cheap to just pile everyone into the car and drive to the
local mall for just about everything we need….or has it?
There are four key assumptions of transition initiatives. They
are:
-
That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is
inevitable, and that it’s better to plan for it than to be taken by
surprise;
-
That our settlements and communities presently lack the
resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will
accompany peak oil;
-
That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now;
-
That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us
to creatively and proactively design our energy descent, we can build ways
of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognize the
biological limits of our planet
Instead of focusing on the helplessness of our present
environmental situation, the Transition Movement points out that we are free to
pull together in a holistic, optimistic, grassroots effort towards recreated
communities based on sustainable principles.
Investigating the existing groups within your community that are
already practicing and promoting sustainability, you may be surprised to learn
how much is already happening that can be pulled together to form a transitional
movement locally. Do you have a Zero Waste group, a community garden initiative,
an alternative energy project, a plan for more bicycle paths or community
supported child care, folks teaching workshops in food preservation or how to
build cold storage in the home? Do you eat locally, seasonally and teach others
to do the same? Are you and your neighbors using a clothesline or converting
lawns to edible landscapes? Guess what?! Your town may already be a few steps
away from transitioning! Experts in varying fields related to sustainability
live in every community, and many of them are excellent teachers, given the
chance.
|
Living with and
progressing past access to abundant cheap fuel is not something that we can ask
our government to do for us. We must create the changes that we desire within
our mindset and our lifestyle. |
Living with and progressing past access to abundant cheap fuel
is not something that we can ask our government to do for us. We must create the
changes that we desire within our mindset and our lifestyle, and the right
government will follow. In other words, as Gandhi said: Be the Change!
This idea is one that can unite us within our communities and
help us to focus on the possibilities ahead. After watching numerous
documentaries about the environmental quagmire we have created, I have enjoying
finding an idea that offers hope spelled out in practical terms. If you have
been inspired, learn more and start talking about it within your own town,
district, city, county or neighborhood.
I was fortunate enough to live in Poland during the 1960s. The
challenges that arose from the government of the time resulted in organized
efforts to combat considerable food shortages. Sitting on the back of my
grandfathers’ bicycle, I rode daily to our allotment garden, where we met with
our neighbors. The woods were full of mushrooms and kindling, the hedgerows
provided berries, apples and grapes. Laying hens were permitted in backyard
gardens and the town market was central to the health of the community. These
days, the free and abundant food on wild fruit trees falls to the ground and
rots, as food is shipped in from far away. As I look back now, I realize that,
although there were many drawbacks to the way things were, I still draw hope
from that resilient and resourceful time.
Learn More
The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins (Chelsea Green Publishing,
2008)
www.transitiontowns.org
Monika Carless is a freelance writer, author and publisher of
Earth Spirit Press. She follows Wise Woman Traditions and lives on an organic
smallholding in Wyebridge, Ontario. She can be reached through her website,
which is at www.wholeearthspirit.com.
The article as it appeared in Natural Life Magazine
included more information about Transition Towns. To read the complete article,
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