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.
A while ago I was interviewed by Gregory Greene, director of ‘The End of Suburbia’, for his upcoming film ‘ResilientCITY’. He just posted the film’s trailer (it is still in production) and also edited bits from the interview I did with him…. so, here’s the trailer….
We (Transition Training and Consulting) are looking for up to 10 Transition Initiatives (based in the UK) that would like to participate in this project, helping us to shape it and deliver it. Deadline for showing your interest is 17th December. The aim of this project is to help transition communities to grow social enterprises and influence existing local businesses such that they contribute to the wellbeing of that community, and society overall (including the most disadvantaged and marginalised), rather than pursuing economic growth at all costs. We have used the term ‘business’ here but include, as appropriate, all types of private, public and third-sector organisations.
I read Michael Brownlee’s recent piece ‘The Evolution of Transition in the US‘, with a mixture of fascination and a sense of disquiet that increased the deeper I got into the piece. The concept of Transition has been regularly critiqued, a positive process which has helped to shape what it is today. Most critiques run along the lines of “Transition, nice idea, but it isn’t [ … ] enough”. So, for Alex Steffen, Transition isn’t technologically savvy or optimistic enough, for the Trapese Collective it isn’t politically savvy enough, for John Michael Greer it is guilty of ‘premature triumphalism’, for Ted Trainer it isn’t sufficiently rooted in alternative culture or focused enough, while for others it is too riven with New Age thinking and pseudoscience. Now, according to Brownlee, it is fatally flawed by not having the ‘Sacred’ at the heart of what it does.
Members of Transition Town Barcelona head off on their 'Caminata'
In Europe, exciting news from Ferney-Voltaire, which has decided to become a Transition Town and they’ve just started their awareness raising activities, so welcome to them. SQYenTransition in France have this great project with the lovely name of verger dans ma ville…an orchard in my city. And for an idea worth sharing, have a look at Transition Town Barcelona’s La Caminata, or Transition Walkabout…a nice idea that helps you get to know your town and community more, and helps them to get to know about you too.
Well now here’s something wonderful from Transition York Region in Canada. I won’t say much about it, just sit back and enjoy… can’t help wishing they might perhaps move around a bit more though…
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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