An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent
Transition Culture has moved
I no longer blog on this site. You can now find me, my general blogs, and the work I am doing researching my forthcoming book on imagination, on my new blog.
I am currently in heads-down Totnes Energy Descent Plan editing/writing mode, which is proving hugely time-consuming, so posts at Transition Culture will be a bit erratic over the next few days.I am currently working on the food section, which is fascinating.We have been lucky enough to get a grant from Landshare to allow us to commission Geofutures in Bath to take Simon Fairlie’s Can Britain Feed Itself? paper and to focus it on Totnes and its surrounding ‘foodshed‘. It is fascinating work, and the first public unveiling of it will be on Monday May 18th, at an event in Totnes called, imaginatively, ‘Can Totnes Feed Itself?‘.
Transition Brixton just posted a couple of clips from a recent event they ran about food. The first clip features Rosie Boycott, London’s ‘Food Czar’, speaking about food security for the city.
Burn out is a real and present danger for anyone involved in Transition, as indeed for any kind of community work or environmental activism. I have known several green activist/campaigners who suffered from terrible burnout, that led to depression, withdrawal and cynicism. At this year’s Transition Network conference there will be a workshop on dealing with burnout, a subject that has been a regular feature of Transition gatherings since its inception. When I visit Transition groups around the country, burnout is raised regularly as a concern, given that most initiatives are self-funding and driven by volunteers. I am not immune to it myself, but I was wondering the other day how come, given the incredible amount of commitment and energy people around the world are putting into Transition, there isn’t far more burnout than we actually see. In yesterday’s paper I read a fascinating piece that offered an interesting insight into this.
So Shaun, you’ve just got copies of the first book you’ve ever published in your hand. What does that feel like?
Wow, what a question! Relief I think! It’s been a long process, and it feels so good to finally see the fruits of everyone’s labours that have gone into this book, and to feel that it can now go out and be a help to people. And I can’t get over how much I love the cover design – we spent ages getting it right, and I’m totally in love! I think it’ll be a while before it all sinks in. (Below is a short promotional film for the book produced by Green Books).
Here is a great film from Australia about ‘permablitzing’, and about edible backgardening. It features Asha Bee, who is currently working here with Transition Network doing a book about Transition in cities. Enjoy.
You can download a hi-res version for screenings in your local initiative here.
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