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I've heard people talking on the radio about Transition Towns and I've found this link to the Transition Town Homepage:

http://transitiontowns.org/Main/HomePage%7C

Does anyone know anything about this? Are they working?

Enjoy looking round.

I know very little about it, although they've been talked about for at least 7 years that I first heard about them... But thanks for the link, I've always wanted to find out more about it. One of these days, when I have time to do all these things I want to do...

I went to a workshop on Transition Towns. Really interesting and inspiring. In a nutshell its about groups of people coming together off their own back, to organise how they will cope once the oil economy collapses. It can involve anything from seed swaps to implementing a local currency. I really recommend having a look.

"A generic flyer which will identify your project as a Transition Town project and reduce your graphic design costs
Access to graphic design at reduced cost for your Transition logo"

- come on!- here we are, hurtling towards the ecological abyss, and what are they doing.........reducing their logo design costs! (by getting one of their cronies the business.....!)
I think in it's essence, it's a thumping good idea that has turned into a sort of middle class tea party/"enterprise initiative".........

Yeh, I'm a bit concerned about the logo thing, but
I've been to a Transition Town event in Leicester & the audience was very representative of Leicester's population. The awareness raising & other events being planned are very encouraging.

I'm going to a workshop tomorrow about how rural communities are tackling climate change. Rob Hopkins, founder of the TT initiative is one of the speakers, so I'll report back after that. Eventually.

Saw the Transition Town handbook in a bookshop today and bought it - so I'll be reading up on it when I get the time...

I quite like the look of the handbook - let us know what its like and whether its worth a read!

eccentric_emma wrote:I quite like the look of the handbook - let us know what its like and whether its worth a read!

Will do - but for now I must get the house into a state fit for other Ishers to enter - in between doing my normal job - as the Wombats are coming tomorrow!

So - after that. Remind me if I forget; there's so many books to read...

haha i know what thats like, now we have moved house, we have set aside a seperate small bookcase for all the books that we own but haven't read, or started and not finished but got distracted by something else etc. It's 4 shelves and its completely full. So I understand!

Have fun entertaining the Isher's tomorrow!

We went to a talk on Peak Oil and Transition Towns locally by the founding man, Rob Hopkins. It was indeed inspiring, as was the number of people who attended.

Dunbar set up a local group and a website which looked promising. However, despite us having a lengthy chat with the Dunbar group leader after the talk, he has now chosen to ignore us completely even when we pass him on the street or on the train platform in the morning.

I emailed the website coordinator regarding a possible avenue for direct action regarding the number of cars that come into the train station to pick up people on their return from work. (A large proportion of these people live in the new build boxes that are within walking distance of the station!). These cars sit there, waiting, with their engines running, lights on, headrest mounted DVD screens playing for little Torquil and Miranda in the back (God forbid they be amused with a book, or a game of I Spy!) or the air conditionining on in the summer. Sustaining Dunbar's response was to copy and past my email (without my consent) onto their comments page of their web site "to see if it provoked a discussion".

Rob really gave the talk audience something to think about but it appears that in Dunbar at least, this has resulted in setting up numerous sub-groups and sub committees that have endless meetings and have scant little to show for it. Or, if I am wrong, then I have not seen any evidence to the contrary. Sadly, their website is unavailable, so I could be proved wrong...

Martin wrote: I think in it's essence, it's a thumping good idea that has turned into a sort of middle class tea party/"enterprise initiative".........

There's one not far from me which I was interested in getting involved in, but the organiser seems hellbent on nothing taking place and rebuking any ideas for it, so who knows what will happen with it!

I joined ours but have not really had time to join in properaly as been busy for every meeting so far. Not sure yet if it is a good thing or not. Seems to me that some can be really positive, its all down to the people there.

If anyone lives in Swindon or around and is interested in the Transition Initiative. Here's the basic blurb, or contact me if you have any questions.

Swindon Climate Action Network is very lucky to have a talk by a significant speaker on positive environmental action coming in May:
"Transition Towns - how Swindon can adapt to a low carbon future" by Ben Brangwyn of the Transition Network.

Transition Towns are a community-led initiative responding to the twin threats of climate change and diminishing oil supplies. Come and hear what has been done in other places and what can be done in Swindon.

at Swindon Borough Council, Civic Centre, Euclid Street, SWINDON, SN1 2JH. Wednesday 21st May 2008 7.30pm Price: free

Finally made it back here,
The workshop on rural communities tackling climate change was incredibly inspiring.

Rob Hopkins is an excellent speaker & has a message which starts doom-laden but is ultimately very positive. The other speakers were from Sustainable Youlgreave & Ashton Hayes (aiming to become 1st carbon-neutral village) - amazing projects run by these communties.

In the end the success of the individual Transition projects depends on those involved. We've got a Steering Group who are really moving things on. I've joined the Local Foods group & we have our first brain-storming meeting at the beginning of June. I'm really excited about it. Also saw the film Cuba: The Power of Community last week - very encouraging.

We have a local Initiative. Unfortunately the steering group seem determined to do nothing whatsoever except show films forever. They are totally uninterested in actually doing anything and it just seems like one of those things where it'll be talked about forever and never happen.