"If we wait for the government it will be too late. If we act as individuals, too little. If we act as communities, it might just be enough just in time" (Transition Towns)
Transition Towns, what an interesting movement! I guess you could consider it as a social experiment on a global scale. Started in Totnes in the UK, it is really about unleashing the collective genius of a community to better plan for a future that requires the use of less energy (in it current form- being the use of fossil fuels). It is a movement that is rapidly taking shape in many western countries, adapted in each town, village, or city suburb to suit each communities and their perceived future needs and wants.
It starts with an initiating group who raise community awareness and start putting forth some ideas of what they think their local community might be in need of. Working groups start to manifest.... people are interested in particular areas- such as localising food production, so they start coming together and working towards achievable goals within the community. Obviously this can result in significant change. It is a particularly fluid type movement that allows for it to work in varying context, flowing basically in the direction of where a communities interests, needs and energies lie.
Well, last weekend I was lucky enough to undertake a 2 day workshop on this fairly new movement (in a formalised global sense anyway and acknowledging the pre-existence of permaculture and other local sustainability initiatives). It was a fascinating workshop for me. Not in so much of information being imparted, but rather the facilitation process itself and in it's inspiration for seeing what is possible. It was really about getting a group of people together, and inspiring them to come up with ideas, visions, actions, processes etc.... on how we could change the way we want to live in positive ways. This certainly strikes me as a clever way forward- including all (as the collective) in re-visioning and creating a better future.
This workshop included many interesting activities such as visioning (meditation), song, open space discussions, world cafe (check out: www.worldcafe.com) , dramatic miming etc.... I believe some of this workshop also derived inspiration from Joanna Macy (check out: www.joannamacy.net)- which involves group work that demonstrates "our interconnectedness in the web of life and our authority to take action on its behalf". We also looked at our inner world and what beliefs underlie our outer world and the fact that many of us exist in our "comfort zone" without ever really reaching our full potential.There can be little question that government is being particularly slow on adopting renewable energy technologies and seemingly unwilling to change many of the ways society currently functions regardless of the fact some of these functions are grossly negligent (indeed extremely damaging) to our mother earth. No doubt they are economically driven, as much of how our society is. There can also be little doubt, that existing in the way we do in Melbourne is an extraordinarily privileged position to be in. We constitute around 2% of the worlds population in our privilege- financially and educationally. To me , this means we automatically yield extraordinary power in altering the way consumerist driven companies work and can influence government to consider alternatives in energy production.
This workshop worked on the premise that a future world could be a positive and completely sustainable place on both a social and environmental level. It was up to us, as communities to create this world. Evidently, the Transition Towns movement is just as much about social inclusion and the power of collective ideas as it is about environmental outcomes. For those who live and breath in inner north Melbourne there is a Darebin Transition Town group who is apparently pretty active, and a newly established Moreland Transition Town group.
On a personal note- as much as I would love to be a part of this movement, I think for the moment I need to actually get my ass off my warm winter chair and start slow- plant those winter veggies (that I have neglected to plant & will now be spring ones?), drive my car that one day less that I promised myself, and reacquaint myself with "The Sharehood" -a local sustainability initiative that I am already a part of- though have managed to be pitifully inactive in! So go local community, we have the power!! :)
A few websites to check out:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/
http://www.transitiontown.com.au/
http://www.joannamacy.net/
http;//www.worldcafe.com/
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
http://www.aspo-australia.org.au/
http;//thesharehood.org/
Peace and light
Briony x
What would happen if a flu epidemic, such as the one in 1918, hit Melbourne. Half the population would be incapacitated and 10 - 20% would die. Two million sick and 600 000 deaths within 2 - 3 weeks. Who would be the most important people to protect? The doctors and nurses? The politicians and police? No. Melbourne would be in danger of starving to death. Supermarkets only carry 2 days of stock. Truck drivers would be the most important people, followed by those who knew how to use bulldozers to bury the dead. If an epidemic hit a small country town the community could feed and look after itself for weeks if not months. Cities might live in luxury, but we are so vulnerable.
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