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.
Ian and Margaret Campbell of Transition Town West Kirby recently researched and published, together with the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), a report called ‘Allotment Waiting Lists in England 2010’. The report, which you can download in full here, is an up-to-date detailed look at what is happening in terms of allotment provision. They found that waiting lists have grown 20% just in the last year, and that in some parts of the UK, some people will need to wait as much as 40 years for an allotment, but the average wait is 3 years. They estimate that nationally, 180,000 people are waiting for allotments, and that while Councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments, most are failing to do so. Publication of the report generated a lot of press coverage, including this piece in the Telegraph, and pieces in the Sun, Mirror (see top left) and the Express. A fantastic piece of work, and great to see Transition initiatives getting this kind of coverage.
A few weeks ago I did an interview, via Skype, for the City of Edmonton in Canada. The conversation was for part of a series called “The Way We Green”. They have now posted it online, and you can find it below (in two parts). I seem to be doing a lot of these Skype things these days, I did one yesterday to the Nova Scotia Planning Directors Conference which went very well.
This post was prompted by an email from Brian Davey on behalf of the Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) Group in Transition Nottingham. The subject under discussion is EDAPs (or Community Resilience Plans… or whatever you want to call them), and how one does them for cities, or even if one does them for cities. Their questions give me an opportunity to reflect on the Totnes EDAP process, and to explore some emergent aspects of Transition, especially in the urban context. The Nottingham group have given me permission to reprint their initial email in full, so I will start with that, and then move on to my reflections on the points they raise. This post is as much an invitation for your comments and thoughts as anything else….
This is a new position of significant responsibility and profile to enable Transition Town Totnes to successfully navigate new terrain and expand its reach and impact through starting the process of implementing its recently launched Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP). This is a unique opportunity for an entrepreneurial individual of proven professional management capability, ideally with experience of social enterprise creation and community engagement. Job share arrangements would be considered if the right complement of skills and experience are matched.
Back in 2007, UEA academic Gill Seyfang wrote that despite the growing interest in the area of Transition initiatives, there is still a “dearth of” research on the topic. Since then, we have Gill’s studies on Transition nationally and on Transition Norwich, Niamh McDonald’s dissertation about Somerset County Council and Transition, and Alp Pir’s thesis about the TT Totnes food group, but little else. I am delighted therefore to introduce you to to a study by Anna Höynälänmaa at Bournemouth University, entitled “Spreading Seeds of Sustainability: factors affecting the development of the Transition movement in Dorset”, which she did for her BSc dissertation. You can download the document here. It offers a very well put together study of how Transition is bedding down in Dorset. Her conclusion? “Although a young movement, the Transition Movement has clearly established a strong network of motivated and enthusiastic Initiatives in Dorset and shows great potential for growth and development”. Many thanks to Anna for allowing me to post her thesis here.
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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Ian and Margaret Campbell of Transition Town West Kirby recently researched and published, together with the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), a report called ‘Allotment Waiting Lists in England 2010’. The report, which you can download in full here, is an up-to-date detailed look at what is happening in terms of allotment provision. They found that waiting lists have grown 20% just in the last year, and that in some parts of the UK, some people will need to wait as much as 40 years for an allotment, but the average wait is 3 years. They estimate that nationally, 180,000 people are waiting for allotments, and that while Councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments, most are failing to do so. Publication of the report generated a lot of press coverage, including this piece in the Telegraph, and pieces in the Sun, Mirror (see top left) and the Express. A fantastic piece of work, and great to see Transition initiatives getting this kind of coverage.
