Transition Culture

9 Mar 2010

A March Round-up of What’s Happening out in the World of Transition

We’ve got so many wonderfully diverse and inspiring activities to show you this month…ideas for getting people involved and having fun! And they’re here for the sharing…

In the UK, TT Luton is organising a series of Grow Your Own events to relocalise food production and consumption, with discussions and a quiz to encourage people to grow their own fruit and vegetables, while Southend-on-Sea in Transition organised a day’s introduction to Permaculture with more events lined up that you’re invited to get involved with. TT Leek is getting hold of allotments and orchards so they can plant more trees and increase production of native British apple varieties, while  TT Nailsea is sharing its gardening skills with other local people to increase self-sufficiency in food production, strengthen local resilience and encourage people to think more about their carbon footprints. 

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8 Mar 2010

The Story of Transition Tales

Mara, Jeff, and Steph – the 2009 core group

The Story of Transition Tales by Simon Robinson (MSc student at Schumacher College).

This is the story of Transition Tales, a small group within Transition Town Totnes. One of the aims of this project is to raise awareness within Primary and Secondary School children of the transition solution of community led response to the twin challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change by creating positive stories. This is done in partnership with local schools in the Totnes area, either as part of class time, or in after-school clubs. In writing up their story, I hope to highlight many successes, challenges and issues that will be of interest to those who wish to set up a Transition Tales initiative within their own Transition Town or Transition Network project.

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4 Mar 2010

Time to Organise Those Transition Hustings!

A while ago we published here a draft guide for Transition initiatives wanting to hold Transition hustings with their local election candidates, in particular to explore themes around resilience.  Thanks to everyone who sent in comments and changes, and I am delighted to announce that the final document is available now to download here.  It runs over 8 pages, so in theory it should be able to print out as a rather nice A5 booklet.  The first such husting to have reached our ears was held on 25th February by Transition Luton.  You can read a detailed report of the event here, including their reflections on how to do it better if they did it again and a rather ropey film that gives a flavour of the event.  Do let me know (rob (at) transitionculture.org) any stories of hustings you hold, and we’ll report them here.

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25 Feb 2010

Tim Kasser on Consumerism, Psychology, Transition and Resilience. Part Two

What can local government do to promote those four things because clearly in our consumer society people tend to feel less safe and are becoming less and less competent?  Relatedness is breaking down and people feel they have less control over the democratic process.

I’m not a political scientist, I’m a psychologist, but my sense is that what has to be developed are structures in the political economy and in the social system and the way that decisions are made that ask people what are the things in our community right now which are barriers to the satisfaction of these psychological needs and I’d imagine that different communities are going to have different barriers, but somebody there in your community knows the answer and if they can say what it is and put their finger on it, probably other people are going to say yes, and add to it.

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23 Feb 2010

Transition South East Conference: Don’t Miss It!

Saturday 13th March, Brighton, find out more here, download the poster here, should be a fantastic event. Here’s the rather good poster.

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