Looking at the kind of summer we’ve had again this year it’s not difficult to appreciate that the climate is changing, and not necessarily into a better, warmer more Mediterranean one. Many of us have experienced a difficult growing season with seeds not wanting to germinate and young plants not reaching maturity within the shortened growing season.
We’ve also experienced a massive rise in the cost of petrol and diesel, which has made us all think about how we get around, get to work, heat our homes and cook our food. It seems that the world is not as stable and secure as it was a few generations ago.
These two different, but convergent, ecological and social problems have led many towns in the U.K, to look at their own security and resilience in the light of changes, which might be beyond the control of elected governments.
The first person to seriously address these issues in an academic way was Rob Hopkins. Rob was a permaculture tutor in Kinsale, Ireland. Having studied sustainable systems and read many works by leading people in the fields of climate change and post peak oil he asked his students to design a system for ‘powering down’ the town, a way of showing the town how to use less fuel and why it should use less fuel, while at the same time building a closer community.
Kinsale town council adopted the student’s strategy.
Rob Hopkins left Kinsale for Totnes in Devon and set up the same process of ‘Transition’ from a heavy fossil fuel use community to a light one.
This was the point where the name, ‘Transition Town , was coined.
If you ‘google’ transition town network, you will arrive at the main UK site for all transition towns and possibly be surprised to find that your town might be one.
Rhayader has had a transition network operating in it for nearly a year now. It began with nearly 40 people attending the showing of a powerful DVD called ‘The End of Suburbia’. Out of those 40 people a core group of 20 have developed the concept of sustainability in the town. Various sub-groups are looking at how Rhayader could be more sustainable for food, power and health.
Both the WA and the UK governments have set targets for low carbon building and sustainable communities.
Top down legislation from Government on issues like these will only be successful if they are matched by, and positively engaged with, bottom up activism from strong local communities who have identified their needs and engaged their communities.
Transition Towns actively engage and react to their possible futures in a post peak oil and climate change world.
Go to ‘transition network’ on the internet to find out more or talk to a local member.
Dorienne 01597 860167 Brian 01597 811688 Cath 01597 810583