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.
The shift towards seeing Transition in terms of the rebuilding of local, resilient economies continues apace. One of the key evolutions in this, a step change in thinking about what Transition looks like in practice, took place in Totnes yesterday. Called the ‘Local Entrepreneur Forum’, it was introduced in the promotional material thus:
“There’s never been a greater need to rethink our economy, especially at the local level. Social and sustainable enterprise represents the future, and here in Totnes, we’re not just waiting for the future to happen. We’re inventing it”.
The idea was to bring entrepreneurs, investors and experts together, inspire them with possibilities, mix them up and see what happens. It was to prove a heady brew.
Here is a great film that beautifully captures the Atmos Totnes campagn launch last week outside Totnes station. My deep thanks to Chris Watson of Smith & Watson Productions for making it:
This morning saw the launch of a 6 month campaign in Totnes to bring the former Dairy Crest site into community ownership. Over 200 people turned out on a misty March morning outside the site to show their support, alongside writer and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, one of the campaign’s patrons. The campaign is the work of Transition Town Totnes and Totnes Development Trust. The campaign’s comprehensive website was just launched (and on Twitter @AtmosTotnes), please have a look, and please add your name to the list of supporters. For a sense of what the campaign is about, here is a press release issued earlier this week:
A fascinating post over at Leaving Babylon by Vera Bradova called Tedium and black magic: the trouble with Energy Descent Action Plans (EDAPs) raises some interesting questions about Transition and planning, and EDAPs in particular. The version published at EnergyBulletin.net pulls out some of the most salient comments. It offers a very good opportunity to revisit the role of the EDAP in Transition, and how that has changed over time, an issue I am very grateful to her for raising.
I wrote a while ago about a whistle-stop tour I did of Belgium and the Netherlands a few months ago. Transition Towns Nederland have just posted the film of the first talk I gave there, entitled ‘Where Transition comes from and where it’s going…’ which focused in particular on how Transition groups are working with local councils. After I tweeted yesterday that it was now online, a few people asked me for the slides that accompany it, so here they are.
How might our response to peak oil and climate change look more like a party than a protest march? This site explores the emerging transition model in its many manifestations
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