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.
Attended a wonderful event in London on Tuesday night, organised by Wise Women, called “Transition Towns Come to London”. It took place in Conway Hall, and was, I realised when I got there, the first actual public talk I have ever given in London. A few people have asked for the presentation I gave, you can download it here, but as usual with my presentations, it probably doesn’t make much sense without notes as to what I actually said. Mike Grenville started the evening with a powerful overview of peak oil and peak water, and of the need to act. Then I gave my talk about Transition, during which I read out a rather wonderful quote by Brian Eno about the power of visioning given to me by Lucy Neal of Transition Town Tooting just before the talk. I think I’ll go on to use it regularly… A few people asked me for it, so here it is…
Here are the Minutes from the recent Transition Network Structure Document Strategy Day at the Full Moon in Bristol. The day was the last round of the discussion on this key document, and it was very productive. The final version is now in preparation and will be available soon. This has been a fascinating process, one which has involved many peoples’ comments and input. When the final document emerges (as it will soon) It will be very useful, and I look forward to its regular revision, keeping it fresh and up to date. Thanks to everyone who made it to Bristol and to everyone who contributed to the Transition Chat on the subject a couple of days prior to that.
In Totnes, one sometimes hears the term ‘old hippy’ used as a term of abuse. Last week in Totnes, Albert Bates, an old hippy of the highest order, thrilled a full house at the Methodist Hall with the story of the Farm Ecovillage in Tennessee. It was a delight for me, as I first heard Albert speaking in 1995, when I was a fresh-faced, just qualified permaculturist who was lucky enough to get a bursary to attend the ‘Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities’ conference at Findhorn. The speech Albert gave there, one long evening, was a life changing moment.
I guess this links back to the recent discussions around whether Transition projects should campaign against stuff or now, but I have been very impressed with the work that Transition Leicester have been doing recently. Faced with a proposal to build one of the government’s controversial ‘Eco-Towns’ on the edge of the city, rather than joining the uproar of protests, Transition Leicester responded with an alternative, a mixture of less housing and more food production. You can read their excellent report here, and see a piece from the local TV news below.
My Speech at the Launch of the Lewes Pound(reconstructed from my notes, and therefore possibly missing some of the spontaneous asides… a few people asked for this so here it is….)
I am deeply honoured to be here tonight. This is a historic occasion, one that will be commemorated in song, in story, and you never know, someone might even brew a beer in its honour. We live in extraordinary times. Fast moving times. Bewildering times. Frightening times. Exhilarating times.
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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Attended a wonderful event in London on Tuesday night, organised by Wise Women, called “Transition Towns Come to London”. It took place in Conway Hall, and was, I realised when I got there, the first actual public talk I have ever given in London. A few people have asked for the presentation I gave, you can download it here, but as usual with my presentations, it probably doesn’t make much sense without notes as to what I actually said. Mike Grenville started the evening with a powerful overview of peak oil and peak water, and of the need to act. Then I gave my talk about Transition, during which I read out a rather wonderful quote by Brian Eno about the power of visioning given to me by Lucy Neal of Transition Town Tooting just before the talk. I think I’ll go on to use it regularly… A few people asked me for it, so here it is…
