11 Mar 2011
Something for the weekend… Richard Heinberg in Totnes
A week ago today, Richard Heinberg gave a stunning talk in Totnes on ‘The End of Growth’. Thanks to our dear friends at nuproject, I can now unveil the film of his talk. Enjoy… .
An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent
Monthly archive for March 2011
Showing results 16 - 20 of 24 for the month of March, 2011.
11 Mar 2011
Somerset Transition reversal raises questions over localism agenda
You win some, you lose some. In July 2008, Somerset County Council, then a Liberal Democrat-controlled council, passed a resolution supporting its local Transition initiatives. It was much lauded as a visionary piece of policy-making, a council noting the vibrant activity of Transition groups within the county and deciding to honour that and to begin seriously to explore with them the potential overlaps and interfaces between those two ‘tiers’ in the community. However, it has become clear that what started so boldly and with such great promise has since fallen away. In the spirit of learning from such reversals, this piece explores what we can learn from recent developments in Somerset, and also what we might draw from them in relation to the government’s current ‘localism’ agenda.
7 Mar 2011
‘Confronting Change’ films now online
I wrote a while ago about Transition Finsbury Park‘s fantastic ‘Confronting Change’ event at the South Bank Centre just before Christmas. Well, thanks to the fine efforts of Miguel Faliero, Simon Maggs, Dan Roberts and the TFP team, the films of the event are now available for your delectation. Here they are, in order of appearance, Polly Higgins, Michael Meacher MP and then myself. The Q & A that followed can be viewed here.
Polly Higgins.
3 Mar 2011
Ingredients of Transition: Strategic Thinking
Context
ENERGY DESCENT ACTION PLANS (4.1), SOCIAL ENTERPRISE/ENTREPRENEURSHIP (4.2), STRATEGIC LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE (4.4), COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP OF ASSETS (4.6).
The Challenge
Creating an Energy Descent Action Plan and/or the intentional relocalisation of a community will raise a lot of questions. How much arable land surrounds the settlement, how much food, fuel and fibre might it produce, what productive role might back gardens, allotments and new urban market gardens play? How much energy infrastructure is needed, and how much could realistically be installed? Failing to ask these questions will hamper attempts to think strategically about relocalisation.
2 Mar 2011
Your photos capturing ‘the spirit of Transition’
Transition Norwich's Knitting group bond over needles and wool © Charlotte Du Cann.
I asked a while ago for people to send me in photos that they felt captured the spirit of Transition, that I could use them in the book. Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures, I am very grateful. Here is a small selection of what I was sent, I hope you enjoy them. Thanks everyone! I hope they all come out OK, formatting them has been a bit tricky….
