THE TRANSITION TOWN MOVEMENT: Embracing Reality and Resilience

By Carolyn Baker

Sunday, 04 January 2009

For several months I have been meaning to write a review of Rob Hopkins' The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience, but other things got in the way-like a planetary economic meltdown and out of control climate change that exceeds some of the most dire predictions by climate scientists. I should have spoken out earlier in support of this movement, but I didn't. Now, as we commence this new year, I am.

I will begin this book "review" by telling you that I find nothing-absolutely nothing wrong with The Transition Handbook. If that then makes this article into a commercial for the book instead of a review, so be it.

For nearly a year I have been emphasizing in my writing that a positive vision must be held in consciousness alongside all of the abysmal events unfolding around us. Even as I have been insistent on staring down the collapse of civilization, I have embraced at the same time, what could be and have held in my mind and heart the threads of the new paradigm that so many of us are working to create.

Thus it has been with great pleasure and relief that I have looked deeply into the Transition Town movement and found it to exemplify everything that I believe comprises effective relocalization and the shaping of alternative economies and vibrant communities. Not only am I in awe of what the people of Totnes, the first Transition Town in the U.K., have accomplished, but more so, that the Transition Town model has become contagious and is spreading to a variety of places throughout the world, in the United States, and closer to my own local community here in Vermont. I'm additionally pleased that the Transition Handbook is now being distributed here in the U.S. by a Vermont publisher, Chelsea Green.

The Transition Town movement is all about preparing for energy descent and climate change and addressing the relationship between the two by essentially viewing them as two different aspects of the same problem. James Howard of Powerswitch <http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/>  in the U.K. states:

Peak Oil and Climate Change are a bigger threat together than either are alone. Our biggest hope is to similarly converge our understanding of them, and how to deal with the problems they present. Peak Oil and Climate Change must be fused as issues-an approach is needed to deal with them as a package. If we are looking for answers, the environmental movement has pushed suitable ones for a long time. Peak Oil presents a tremendous chance to push those solutions ahead; failure to incorporate a full understanding of Peak Oil into the solutions argument for Climate Change would be an abject failure.(38)

Fundamental to the Transition Town movement is the notion of resilience. It is defined in the Transition Handbook as "the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change, so as to still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks." (54) In other words, resilience does not mean putting a fence around one's community, refusing to allow anything in or out. It means "being more prepared for a leaner future, more self-reliant, and prioritizing the local over the imported." (55)

Three requirements for a resilient system are: Diversity, Modularity, and Tightness of Feedbacks. Diversity simply refers to the number of elements in the system-people, species, businesses, institutions, and sources of food. What matters is not so much the number of any of these entities but the connections between them and the diversity of responses to challenges, the diversity of land use, and the diversity between systems. Not only does an analysis of the diversity of the place make top-down approaches redundant, but it reinforces the wisdom of "working on small changes to lots of niches in the place, making lots of small interventions rather than a few large ones." (55)

Modularity of a structure refers to the parts of the system that can re-organize in the event of a shock. It is a key facet of designing an energy-descent plan because the more modularity, the less vulnerability to disruptions in wider networks. As the Transition Handbook states: Local food systems, local investment models, and so on, all add to this modularity, meaning that we engage with the wider world but from an ethic of networking and information sharing rather than of mutual dependence." (56)

Tightness of feedbacks analyzes how quickly and strongly one part of the system can respond to changes in another part. Globalization and national systems can weaken feedbacks, whereas in localized systems, the results of our actions are more obvious and allow the community to bring the consequences of its actions closer to home. (56)

In summary, it is possible that a future with less oil could be more positive than the current addiction to fossil fuels, but only, says the Transition Handbook, "if we engage in designing this transition with sufficient creativity and imagination" which is indeed what the handbook is all about.

The format of this mini-workbook sized manual is extremely appealing. It is printed on heavy recycled paper, designed with simple, natural color tones, and is chock-full of exceedingly practical group exercises for clarifying and practicing its principles.

To its credit, this book does not sugar-coat the daunting reality of Peak Oil and Climate Change, but rather, offers a positive vision of preparation and myriad practical steps for manifesting it. An entire chapter is devoted to the somewhat paralyzing terror of everyone's "End of Suburbia <http://www.endofsuburbia.com/> " moment and the resulting "post-petroleum stress disorder", but also emphasizes that alongside that epiphany, we must cherish not only a positive vision, but one that we can realistically and pragmatically implement.

A fabulous chapter in the middle of the book on the "Psychology of Change" underscores how change happens and how we tend to proceed through it emotionally, emphasizing that "change doesn't happen all at once. Rather it occurs in increments or stages." (85) The various stages of change are explored, with emphasis on their characteristics and what may be helpful to move people on to the next stage of the process. Some aspects of addiction diagnosis and treatment are utilized in order to address the depths to which most people in the developed world are addicted to the fossil fuel/consumption-based lifestyle. Fundamental to this addiction, as with all others, is the belief that change isn't really possible. With remarkable skill, the Transition Town movement utilizes a number of effective strategies for assisting people who are stuck in abject pessimism by helping them envision the possibility of change and the certainty that it can be made.

At the core of the Transition Town movement is the Transition Initiative which is an "emerging and evolving approach to community-level sustainability", and many of these initiatives are appearing not only in the U.K. but in the U.S. They are based on four key assumptions:

"1. That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is inevitable, and that it's better to plan for it than to be taken by surprise.

"2. That our settlements and communities presently lack the resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will accompany Peak Oil

"3. That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now

"4. That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us to creatively and proactively design our energy descent, we can build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognize the biological limits of our planet. (134)

At the core of the Transition concept is permaculture, which while difficult to explain in one sentence, is essentially a design template for assembling the various components of any community-social, economic, cultural, and technical in the most efficient way possible. (137) The 12 Principles of Permaculture, established by its founder David Holmgren, are explained, and examples are given regarding how they have become the foundation of Transition Towns throughout the world. How the principles will be implemented-in fact how any aspect of the Transition concept will be implemented anywhere, depends on the unique people and conditions of that place, which is one of the jewels of this movement. It does not offer cookie-cutter prescriptions but rather, possible strategies that can be uniquely applied to one's community and region.

An entire chapter is devoted to how to start a Transition initiative, and although not directly related to the addiction to a fossil fuel lifestyle, Twelve Steps of Transition are offered. The most impressive of these for me is the first one: "Set up a steering group and design its demise from the outset." What a relief! No chance of this group becoming an entrenched, hierarchical, power-driven monster; no chance of success unless the entire community is engaged and becomes more effective in bringing about transition than is the steering group; no need for one or two individuals alone to try to save the world.

The last half of the book is primarily devoted to an analysis of the first year of transition in Totnes and some of the practical manifestations of transition there. And finally, the book concludes with the "viral spread" of the Transition Town concept throughout the world. An extensive appendix includes a generous offering of further exercises, forms, questionnaires, and an energy descent action plan.

How does a Transition Town know if it has become resilient? What is the measure of viable transition? Here are a few resilience indicators:

The percentage of local trade carried out in local currency  The percentage of food consumed locally that was produced within a given radius  The ratio of car parking space to productive land use  Degree of engagement in practical transition work by the local community  Amount of traffic on local roads  Number of businesses owned by local people  Proportion of the community employed locally  Percentage of essential goods manufactured within a given radius  Percentage of local building materials used in new housing development  Percentage of energy consumed in the town  Amount of sixteen year-olds able to grow 10 different varieties of vegetables to a given degree of competency  Percentage of medicines prescribed locally that have been produced within a given radius.

Are these not the most axiomatic of preparations for Peak Oil and Climate Change? The Transition Handbook offers both stunning inspiration and an assortment of ingenious, yet commonsensical tools, for actualizing the concept of relocalization.

The Handbook concludes with these remarkably uplifting words:

While Peak Oil and Climate Change are understandably profoundly challenging, also inherent within them is the potential for an economic, cultural, and social renaissance the likes of which we have never seen. We will see a flourishing of local businesses, local skills and solutions, and a flowering of ingenuity and creativity. It is a Transition in which we will inevitably grow, and in which our evolution is a precondition for progress. Emerging at the other end, we will not be the same as we were: we will have become more humble, more connected to the natural world, fitter, leaner, more skilled, and ultimately, wiser.

With all my heart, I want to support Transition Towns in my community and around the world with the hope that their implementations are not too little, too late. Yet, even if they are, I cannot think of a better place to direct one's energy, time, and passion--regardless of outcome, as we navigate with realism and resilience, the collapse of civilization. 

2008 YEAR END REPORT

THANK YOU!

Along with all the Transition Initiatives in Colorado, we at Transition Boulder County have set our sights on rebuilding the resilience and self-reliance of our communities in the face of peak oil, climate change and economic instability—a mission our global heart cannot deny, in response to difficult-to- grasp but deeply-felt forces that are altering our lives. Many people are responding. For this, we bring forward our many feelings of gratitude:

• We are thankful for those who can see, understand and can act in response to The Long Emergency by preparing for difficult times, renewing skills or crafts, sharing their knowledge and talents, contributing their resources, and learning about the changes taking place in our world.
  
• We are thankful for those who can envision a future where our communities have transitioned away from dependence on fossil fuels and have dramatically reduced carbon emissions; a future where life is more socially connected, more meaningful and satisfying, more sustainable and equitable; where production and consumption occur much closer to home; where long and fragile supply chains have been replaced by interconnected local networks, where the total amount of energy consumed by businesses, citizens and government is dramatically less than currently unsustainable levels.
  
• We are thankful to those who are dedicating their lives to this vision of Transition and who are encouraging patience in the developmental process.
  
• We are thankful to those who are willing to shed their isolation to collaborate with others.
  
• We are thankful to local growers who honor the atmosphere and the planet, who generate healthy soil and conserve precious water, and who provide nutritious, healthy produce.
  
• We are thankful to our sponsors, partners, members and volunteers who support and inspire us to move forward. This is just the beginning of our preparation for the future, and we are thankful to be doing it together.

From the head, heart and hands of Transition Boulder County, we thank you all.

2008 SUMMARY 

For Transition Boulder County, 2008 has been a year of major operational and strategic reorganization, and this process will continue into 2009. Here’s a quick look back:

• Early in 2008, after three years of alignment with Post Carbon Institute, and being one of the more successful efforts within the Relocalization Network, the organization decided to align with the Transition movement and applied for recognition as a Transition Initiative. In May, Boulder County Going Local was officially recognized as the first Transition Initiative in the U.S. (prompting a name change), and quickly began operating as the first Transition Hub in this country. Co-founder Michael Brownlee traveled to the UK to go through Training for Transition in Scotland and to meet with Transition founder Rob Hopkins and Ben Brangwyn (head of the Transition Network) in Totnes, England about bringing the Transition movement to the U.S.
  
• Following conversion from a for-profit social venture to a non-profit organization, the organization was granted 501c3 status by the IRS. We began the year with the able and dedicated assistance of Board and staff members Jeff Graef, Erik Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, Laurie Loughrin, and Lisa Shapiro. By mid-year, staff was reduced to two full time employees (Michael and Alice Kelsey) and two part-time employees (co-founder Lynette Marie Hanthorn and Don Hall). Lynette Marie was appointed Executive Director in August, and as of Dec. 1 she is working in that capacity full-time. 
  
• Throughout the year, the organization delivered approximately 3,597 people-hours of public awareness events (including Chautauqua forums, but not including Permaculture classes), and 3,529 people-hours of presentations by Michael. In addition, adopting a key Transition strategy, we delivered 4,050 people-hours of Great Reskilling instruction. A high point in our events was the highly successful Chautauqua Summer Sustainability Forum Series of seven public presentations and panel discussions. Tabling at the Boulder Farmers’ Market, an arduous awareness activity, was championed by Jeff Frant and Don Hall, plus scores of volunteers.
  
• We conducted a two-day Training for Transition for 61 people in September and have been supporting the development of several Transition Initiatives in the area, including Transition Lyons (now officially recognized by the Transition Network), Transition Louisville, Transition Boulder, Transition Longmont, Transition Boulder Mountains, CU Going Local, Transition Naropa University, Transition Niwot/Gunbarrel, Transition Loveland, Transition Denver, Transition Westminster, Transition Evergreen, Transition Manitou Springs, and Transition Ft. Collins. 
  
• In December, Michael and Lynette Marie became certified Transition Trainers for the Transition Network U.S. In addition, in August, Michael became a member of the Transition Network U.S. Initiating Group, and will become a board member of Transition Network U.S.; he is also becoming a national spokesperson for Transition, and will be involved in bringing Transition to members of the Relocalization Network.
  
• Transition Boulder County appeared in numerous national media (print, radio, video, YouTube) throughout the year. Michael was a featured speaker at national conferences including Community Solutions’ “Plan C” Conference and Michigan Future: Energy, Economy and Environment Conference in November, and was the keynote speaker at the Great Unleashing for Transition Sandpoint, Idaho (attended by more than 500 people).
  
• We also sponsored or co-sponsored several important local events, including an 8-month Permaculture Course with Sandy Cruz and Becky Elder, Permaculture Certification with Midwest Permaculture, Cornucopia of Local at the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, and Buy Local First Week with Boulder Independent Business Alliance.
  
• In November, Transition Boulder County published an updated online version of Boulder County’s Eat Local Resource Guide (at www.eatlocalguide.com). Amy Telligman, CU graduate student, managed the two-month updating process with daily calls to growers, producers, restaurants and related organizations. 
  
• With Les Squires, we created a social networking website for Transition Initiatives, which is now available at TransitionColorado.ning.com (with 465 members to date).
  
• By applying principles of Permaculture, we have made significant efforts to develop a sustainable funding base. Individual contributions, our valued sponsors and partners, and the Boulder County Council on Economic Development represent the infrastructure of this support, providing both essential financial resources and connections into the community. 
  
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was the inspiration for our introducing Community Supported Relocalization—engaging members of the community in a unique partnership, a form of membership, to support relocalization through Transition. More than 30 individuals signed on with volunteer and monetary commitments. 
  

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

The organization is still in the process of shifting from its primary role as being a catalyst for relocalization in Boulder County to functioning as a Transition Hub, providing inspiration, support, training, networking and coordination for Transition in the county and beyond. With more than three years of relocalization experience, we are ideally positioned to play a key role in the Transition movement in the U.S. and even internationally. However, our primary focus will be the proliferation and support of Transition Initiatives in this area. And while we will continue to produce major county-wide projects and events, and will continue to catalyze activities in the county related to our five original Boulder County Going Local themes (Eat Local, Grow Local, Buy Local, Local Energy, and Local Currency), much of the on-the-ground work will shift to the emerging involvement of Transition Initiatives in Boulder County and the neighboring region. 

As a Transition Hub, we offer local initiatives inspiration, training, support, networking; coordination of Transition movement on county-wide and regional levels; occasional county-wide and regional events; ongoing coaching/consulting/guidance; non-profit fiscal sponsorship; logo design; networking website (and the training and support that goes along with that); ongoing training (Skilling Up for Transition for initiative leaders, speaker training; Training for Transition; publicity; materials that can be adapted to local initiatives (brochure for now, others to come); loans of AV equipment, documentary films; discounts on books, videos for sale; speakers for key events; relevant PowerPoint files and speaker notes; promotion of important local initiative events; exposure in Transition Times; connection with Transition U.S.

The goals of relocalization via the Transition model are to regenerate community resilience and self-reliance, to transition away from fossil fuel dependence and reduce consumption and carbon emissions, and to strengthen local economies while improving environmental conditions and fostering social equity. The Transition model appropriately calls for development of an Energy Descent Action Plan for each community, which is a multi-year process. Meanwhile, in view of a dramatic economic downturn, apparent peaking of oil production, growing food crises, and anticipated short-term impacts from global warming and resource depletion, the organization will also quickly accelerate efforts to significantly increase community resilience to withstand potential near-term energy shocks, economic shocks, and food shocks.

Our greatest strengths lie in the experiences garnered over the past three years of relocalization efforts in response to The Long Emergency—peak oil, climate change, and economic instability. Transition Boulder County is uniquely positioned to engage public and policy leaders and to present both the challenges and needed responses. Our task now is to partner with existing organizations and maximize our involvement, while encouraging, supporting and training Transition Initiatives to take on Transition and relocalization activities in their communities. 

The success of transitioning from fossil fuel dependence relies on the degree of individual and community action to reduce consumption, rebuild local food production, increase local production of goods and energy, and to relocalize currency, governance and culture. However, the first priority is still awareness raising—both about the challenges of The Long Emergency and the opportunities that Transition provides—and all the local initiatives will be engaged in awareness raising activities. This should greatly increase penetration of relocalization/Transition into Boulder County communities, and provide sufficient momentum for these communities to apply the Transition process. Transition Boulder County will continue to be a powerful catalytic resource in all these efforts.

2009 GOALS AND STRATEGIES

Revenue—secure funding for 2009 Transition Boulder County operations with diverse support; implement a membership program for additional fundraising via individual contributions; launch Transition Consulting Services; deliver Transition trainings and workshops; launch Transition Times as an advertiser-supported online publication; offer sponsorships as appropriate.

Transition Initiatives—develop a system of support for local initiatives which can be a model for other Transition Hubs, including integrated web platform; add at least six Transition Initiatives to official status in Boulder County by end of 2009; launch Transition Speaker Training and a Speakers Bureau; launch Transition weblog; strengthen Transition presence at Farmers’ Markets; build flexible tabling team in partnership with local initiatives; incorporate Transition Colorado as a non-profit organization to act as a state-wide Transition Hub (anticipating 25 active initiatives by year end).

Internal Organization—seat new and expanded board of directors; completely redesign and relaunch the Transition Boulder County website; implement use of Holacracy in Transition Boulder County, and make this technology available to other initiatives and groups as needed; implement an Advisory Council for Transition Boulder County (organized around key issues, e.g., local currency, emergency preparedness, transportation, BALLE chapter, local jobs, zero waste/carbon neutral, foodshed alliance, and local Transition Initiatives).

Projects—form an initiating group for Emergency Response and Resilience (food, jobs, shelter); build The Great Reskilling by integrating offerings from other community organizations; stimulate job creation in the local economy; for the Boulder County Food and Agriculture Policy Council, research existing food emergency preparedness plans and linkages with other organizations, and prepare white paper on reducing fossil fuel and greenhouse gases in food and agricultural systems.

Events—host a county-wide Great Unleashing, partnering with local and county governments, organizations, and Transition Initiatives; establish a county-wide BALLE chapter; partner in key regional events ( e.g., BALLE conference, GreenFest, EarthWorks Expo, and Colorado Bioneers); host the first Transition U.S. conference.

Publishing— in a collaborative venture, publish the prototype edition of Transition Times as an online magazine in early 2009, with accompanying Eat Local, Great Reskilling, Think Local First, and Greenbuilding/Retrofitting Guides.

Strategic Partnerships—build long-term partnerships with Colorado Bioneers (CU Environmental Center), EarthWorks Expo and Chautauqua; also build effective working relationships with BALLE, Boulder CarShare, Boulder County Economic Development Council, Boulder Green Building Guild, Boulder Independent Business Alliance, Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, Center for Resource Conservation, ClimateSmart (City of Boulder), Colorado Friendship, David Johnston, EcoCycle, eTown, Everybody Eats!, Boulder County Farmers Markets, Green Heart Institute, Indra's Net, Longmont Small Business Association, Malowany Associates, Naropa University, Pachamama Alliance, Rocky Mountain Institute, University of Colorado, and Work Force Boulder County.

OPENING UP NEW TERRITORY?

The first working day of the new year brought a poignant call from Judy Leaf, who for the last seven years has been on staff at the Genesis Farm in New Jersey. There are folks there who have been considering Transition for a while, and they have been studying the Transition Handbook at the Farm. Some apparently attended a recent Training for Transition in Boston with Alastair Lough (when Naresh Giangrande was on hand, beginning his U.S. tour), but they came away disappointed and decided that they would go their own way and essentially create their own Transition workshop.

Judy, on the other hand, feels that it's important that the work be "closer to the Source," and has been speaking with Jim Cole (she's part of the Pachamama/Awakening the Dreamer network) about his experience. Jim recommended that she contact us. 

Our conversation very quickly went deep, and she became convinced that we were the right people to bring Transition to the area. It's a big area, Hudson Valley, and the whole NY-Philadelphia-D.C. corridor. She has a big network, and has recently left the Genesis Farm (she's in transition, it seems). We talked about the possibility of doing a training out there in March, maybe even a series of trainings and a train-the-trainer, developing a whole strategy for Transition in the Northeast. 

Interestingly, Judy lived here in Colorado in the late '60s, in Nederland and then in Boulder--about the same time I was going to school here.

This seems auspicious, a great way to begin the year, causing us to think differently about what our role is becoming. We must be alert, cautious, and wise.