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
13 Dec 2007
I picked up a copy of the free paper Metro yesterday. In the light of the recent announcement that the Government plans to expand the amount of offshore wind as part of its half-hearted attempt to assure everyone that business as usual is still possible, the usual tired old rubbish wheeled out against wind power has been aired once again on the radio and in the papers. A letter in Metro however, raised an argument against wind power that I have never come across before. A letter from David Hill of the World Innovation Foundation, ran thus;
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12 Dec 2007
**3. Are people in Transition Initiatives forming “public” institutions like town banks, business incubators, workshops, working bees, getting-rid-of-homelessness etc committees?**
In Transition Town Totnes at the moment, some of these are being addressed. Forming new banks is very very difficult in the UK given the regulations, but the town already has a Credit Union, and we are looking into the creation of new investment models that can allow people to invest their money in such a way as to support the relocalisation process. The Totnes Pound is, I suppose, a kind of ‘public institution’, and is currently setting up as a Community Interest Company (CIC). One of the most exciting developments is that TTT,
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11 Dec 2007
**Cornwall Climate Change Bike/Bus/Train Relay for Transition on 8th December 2007. Climate Change Action Day.**
Anyone who was on a bike or waiting for a bus or train on Saturday could not doubt the effects of Climate Change, as a group of dedicated people carried messages from Mayors across Cornwall to Truro supporting Global actions to help the planet, and highlight the work of Transition Towns. On what was called by a Cornish weatherman ‘the worst weekend of the year,’ two cyclists from Penzance started from the Guild Hall at 10:00am and travelled to Helston, where at 12:00pm they passed the message from their Mayor and Mock Mayor to the Mayor of Helston, who adding his letter handed them on to 3 cyclists setting off for Falmouth.
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11 Dec 2007
**Ted Trainer** is author of the essential Renewable Energy Cannot Power a Consumer Society, which is one of the best arguments for the inevitability of energy descent yet to appear. He has spent many years arguing for localisation, reduced consumption and the end of affluence. He recently received the Transition Primer, and was highly enthused by the whole concept. He sent me a list of 17 questions about it all, which my crap typing has thus far prevented me from launching into. Given the assumption (which I have observed repeatedly as a teacher) that if one person has a question, it is usually the case that it is also a question that lots of other people would like to ask too, and given also that they are great questions, I am going to work my way through them, 2 a day, here at **Transition Culture**. It is also an opportunity for readers who are involved in Transition Initiatives elsewhere to chip in their thoughts, and perhaps how they might have answered the questions, thereby offering a snapshot of the Transition movement in relation to these questions. So, here we go, Question One…
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10 Dec 2007
Many of you will be familiar with the **Totnes, the Nut Tree Capital of Britain** project that has been running for a while now, with the aim of planting as many productive trees within the town as possible, as a food security project as well as an awareness raising one. The first plantings were done with the Mayor earlier this year, and a second round of plantings has just taken place which was sponsored by the Tree Council. A big tree planting day is planned for Sunday 17th February, and we’d like to make it a really impressive scale of tree planting. We are also training people up in the community as Tree Guardians to look after them.
We’d like to invite your help. Are you struggling to think of a Christmas gift for a friend or loved one? Do consider making a donation to Nut Tree Capital of Britain project. We’ll send a card to the recipient, with whatever message you want, and a thank you from TTT. Please help out in whatever way you can to enable the creation of a veritable nut grove next February. You can make your donation easily via PayPal here, or to use other lower-tech means, contact Teresa on 01803 863 110 or teresatotnes(at)yahoo.com. Thanks!
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I picked up a copy of the free paper Metro yesterday. In the light of the recent announcement that the Government plans to expand the amount of offshore wind as part of its half-hearted attempt to assure everyone that business as usual is still possible, the usual tired old rubbish wheeled out against wind power has been aired once again on the radio and in the papers. A letter in Metro however, raised an argument against wind power that I have never come across before. A letter from David Hill of the World Innovation Foundation, ran thus;
