2. What are ‘Transition Towns’?
A grass roots movement responding to:
problems
• of climate change
• reduction in oil supplies and other resources
• unfair distribution of resources and risk
and
opportunities
• to build stronger local
communities
3. What do Transition Town groups do?
• Start by raising awareness and getting organised
• Local peoples’ ideas for building local resilience
• Aim to develop a local ‘energy descent plan’
• Each place, community and group is different
4. Transition Town groups’ work so far..
Local food
Garden sharing, community gardens, orchards, fruit
trees, growing food on unused land, preservation
Energy
Power from farm waste, wind turbines, small hydro,
improving insulation, group purchases, planning for
lower energy communities in the future
Transport
Car sharing schemes, bike trailers, bike repair skills,
car clubs
Money
Local currencies in Totnes and Lewes
Skills and networks
Sharing skills for living with less energy, building
community networks
May 2009 Each place and group is different, but these are the types of things groups often work on: Pictures: Local money - The Totnes Pound – stays in the community, Transport – eg West Bridgford TT group gave out bike trailers Local food – potatoes grown in a tub – mine – they were delicious Energy and food – windmill Community – groups sometimes ‘ Heart & Soul’, or ‘spirit’ –
May 2009 Other examples : Local money : local currency also Lewes in Sussex. Credit Unions, ( widespread including Nottingham), Loyalty card for local independent shops ( London), oil vulnerability audits for businesses in Totnes Local food : Totnes aiming to be nut tree capital, Arkwright Meadows community gardens and St Anns Allotments in Nottingham, plant a fruit tree project in Bristol, Derby delivering organic veg to older people by bicycle, Beeston seed swap event Energy - Torrs Hydro in High Peaks, built small independent water-powered turbine now supplying the Co-Op, Hockerton housing wind turbines, now also developing with village Transport – W Bridgford deal with local car hire company, bike trailers Skills - Nottingham series of skills-charing workshops 2008 – bike repairing, independent computer software, food preservation, home brewing, mending things, making clothes Community - networking with other groups, looking at psychological and sometimes spiritual aspects, building community, and having fun - a revlotion which is a party - , plant a fruit tree, railway cuttings park, reskilling, energy descent planning Examples from Nottingham wherever possible:
Linking up with Sherwood Community Association, Transition Sherwood has a community food garden at the back of the centre in Mansfield Road, opposite Woodthorpe Park. The ‘food garden’ idea emphasizes growing food, with a mix of shared areas and mini-plots gardened organically by individuals, while aiming to keep the overall feel and look of a garden rather than allotments. May 2009
