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.
Come find me at robhopkins.net
23 Jun 2009
My friend Peter asked me yesterday what I thought the collective noun for curmudgeons ought to be (the context for this question escapes me…). I had no response, so he offered his, a ‘misery’ of curmudgeons. Got me thinking, as I am up to my armpits in editing the Totnes Energy Descent Plan, what the collective noun might be for Energy Descent Plans. At the moment, I think a ‘smattering’ is probably the most appropriate. As part of the Totnes research, I have had a good rummage around, helped by the excellent Post Carbon Cities website, at peak oil plans developed thus far around the world. It has been a fascinating process, seeing what’s out there, so I thought I would share it with you. Here is the round up of the plans I have managed to find, whether developed by community groups, local authorities or national government.
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22 Jun 2009
Transition Network is seeking someone who can carry out the job set out in this Job Description, orchestrating the development and implementation of Transition Network’s new, and rather wonderful, web strategy. We envisage a marriage between process and technology to create the mechanisms for transitioners to connect, share energy and information, and get/give support. In the words of one of the attendees of the Web strategy presentation at our recent conference “That’s the best web strategy I’ve seen since I first got involved in the internet and software in 1994”. Take a look at the recommendations above and see if you agree. CV’s and resumes please to benbrangwyn[AT]transitionnetwork[DOT]org by 8-Jul-09 please, with a covering letter to say what you like (or don’t!) about the recommendations. Thanks.
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22 Jun 2009
Home food production is an 'entry-level' survival tactic, says Scott McKeown.
Here is a very interesting piece from the North Bay Bohemian (great name for a paper), which offers an interesting update on the continuing spread of Transition in the US.
Cheer Up, It’s Going to Get Worse: Transition communities gear up for society’s collapse with a shovel and a smile
By Alastair Bland. North Bay Bohemian.
Three years ago, David Fridley purchased two and a half acres of land in rural Sonoma County. He planted drought-resistant blue Zuni corn, fruit trees and basic vegetables while leaving a full acre of extant forest for firewood collection. Today, Fridley and several friends and family subsist almost entirely off this small plot of land, with the surplus going to public charity.
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17 Jun 2009
Aha! A picture of Mary-Jayne giving her talk! Thanks to Mike G....
Mary Jayne Rust is an ecopsychologist and psychotherapist. At the 2009 Transition Network conference ‘Transition Everywhere’ event, she gave a talk called ‘Resilience of the Heart. It set out to address the following;
“Crisis has the potential to transform our hearts. This is a great gift. What might help us to be open hearted and resilient as we live through testing times? How do we build inner resilience, as well as resilient communities, so that we can endure and resolve conflict? What are the steps we need to take to find a different way of relating to ourselves, to each other and to the earth?”
You can download the pdf. of the entire talk here. Many thanks to Mary Jayne for the talk and for permission to post it here.
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15 Jun 2009
Quite a good article in the Telegraph on Saturday, High Street, High Noon, comparing how the recession is affecting Totnes and Chester, and how they are both responding. The reporter, Mick Brown, seemed to find his finding out about Transition rather fascinating, and following his trip to Totnes and his interviews here, he subsequently made a point of coming to the ‘Transition Everywhere’ event run as part of the 2009 Transition Network conference. A very thoughtful piece, avoiding (mostly) the temptation to write loads of stuff about Totnes being full of hippies, crystal shops and ‘gong showers’, and introducing, with care and respect, Transition thinking to the readers of the Telegraph. Quite an impressive achievement, introducing Telegraph readers to the idea that the end of economic growth might actually be quite a good thing!
Read more»
My friend Peter asked me yesterday what I thought the collective noun for curmudgeons ought to be (the context for this question escapes me…). I had no response, so he offered his, a ‘misery’ of curmudgeons. Got me thinking, as I am up to my armpits in editing the Totnes Energy Descent Plan, what the collective noun might be for Energy Descent Plans. At the moment, I think a ‘smattering’ is probably the most appropriate. As part of the Totnes research, I have had a good rummage around, helped by the excellent Post Carbon Cities website, at peak oil plans developed thus far around the world. It has been a fascinating process, seeing what’s out there, so I thought I would share it with you. Here is the round up of the plans I have managed to find, whether developed by community groups, local authorities or national government. 
