What do we mean by Transition?
Totnes was the first to declare itself a Transition Town - what does that mean?
Transition Town initiatives began in 2006 and Totnes was one of the first towns to declare itself to be in transition - so what does that mean?
The initial impetus for Transition was peak oil - the idea that the rate of oil production would peak and irreversibly decline. Our dependency on oil production and cheap fossil fuels is problematic, not least for its impact on the planet as one of the main causes of climate change but for our reliance on it for so many things we take for granted in our everyday lives.
To mitigate this, the transition movement recognised that we needed to change the way we live now and find new ways of doing things, such as heating our homes, that respect the biological limits of the planet. Many of the projects and proposals that have come from Transition Town Totnes explore ways we might do that. Imagine if we can design all our everyday activities so they work more like plants or, even better, a woodland ecosystem. There are no waste bins in natural woodland - anything that is produced by one plant or creature is used by another, especially CO2.
Since Transition Town Totnes established itself as an official charity helping people to live more sustainably, it has evolved along with the people that have been involved in various projects. It's about so much more than saving carbon. It's about the environment, the economy and our individual and collective health and wellbeing. It's about social justice and supporting people out of poverty - one of the side effects of a world that's dependent on fossil fuels.
It's about each and every one of us taking positive action together in a changing world. Are you in?
