Transition Culture

An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent

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Archive for “Peak Oil” category

Showing results 226 - 230 of 635 for the category: Peak Oil.


28 May 2008

John Papworth on Transition: From Fourth World Quarterly Review

4wdQuite suddenly and almost by accident, a wholly new political movement has exploded upon the scene. It erupted in Totnes, an ancient town on Devon’s River Dart of only 7,500 inhabitants. Scarcely two years ago, a small group of its citizens took note of the announcement that the global supply of oil had ‘peaked’, (meaning that against a rapidly expanding demand for a resource which has been the basis of industrial development and economic expansion for at least 150 years, the supply would sooner or not much later run out or become unaffordable). So did a lot of other people of course, but the Totnes group were unique in deciding to do something about it. They realised that what was at stake was an urgent need to change an entire lifestyle, currently based on the availability of oil, to one based on local resources.

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22 May 2008

“How Are We Doing?”: TTT Takes a Pause to Catch Up With Itself

posterOn Wednesday night, on the same night as the rather wonderful Champions League Final (which some idiot timetabled for the same night.. oops it was me… doh) and on the evening oil began touching $135 a barrel, Transition Town Totnes held an evening called “How Are We Doing?”, an opportunity for TTT to update the community on how it is doing, and on all the range of activities and projects underway, as well as getting feedback. In the event over 100 people came, and the evening was very positive and constructive.

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21 May 2008

It’s Not That Bad, Is It? The Changing Role of the Peak Oil-Aware

windyI enjoyed Sharon Astyk’s recent piece about energy descent “Our Tails Get in the Way”, and its use of Winnie the Pooh as a metaphor. I am similarly reading Winnie the Pooh to my youngest at the moment, and rediscovering what wonderfully written books they are. As I read last night, I found a bit that illustrated something I have been musing on over the past couple of days. Pooh and Piglet are out walking one a very windy day….

“Supposing a tree fell down Pooh, when we were standing underneath it?”

“Supposing it didn’t,” said Pooh after careful thought.

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20 May 2008

Why Planning for $200 Barrel Oil is so Important, or, Why Government is Failing Us in Times of Transition

signWith the oil price looking pretty settled at $126 a barrel having reached as high in recent days as $128, what does the UK Government estimate the future oil price to be? Clearly one would imagine that as the most responsible body in the land, charged with making long term decisions that affect us all, they would have their fingers on the pulse of this one. Unfortunately the official position is as insulting as it is pathetic.

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16 May 2008

Clare Short MP Proposes Transition Birmingham

csClare Short: Birmingham should become a transition city. May 13 2008 By Clare Short.  From the Birmingham Post.

Just before Easter, I accepted an invitation to contribute to a course on development at Schumacher College which is situated in the grounds of Dartington Hall, near Totnes. The college is famous for its commitment to environmental sustainability as is the Dartington Trust. On the road sign for Totnes someone has painted “Twinned with Narnia”. It is a beautiful part of the world and large numbers of green minded, alternative sorts of people live there. This has made Totnes the ideal place for the birth of the Transition Towns movement.

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