Announcing the Festival of Transition
By Ben Brangwyn 17th April 2012
We are delighted to be able to announce today the Festival of Transition, an initiative of new economics foundation, Transition Network, the Ramblers, the arts charity Mission Models Money and the UK Youth Climate Coalition. The idea is that rather than flying to Rio, putting nearly 4 tons of carbon dioxide into an atmosphere that really doesn’t need yet another 4 tons of CO2 put into it, we stay at home, and do stuff that models the kind of world we want to see. It is a celebration of change, of practical responses, of community. All kinds of great events are already being planned over the time of the Festival. The crowning glory will be the 24 Hours of Possibility, a real life experiment in living differently, in showing what’s possible, on the day the Earth Summit begins – 20th June.
We’re launching this in the UK with UK-based partners, and we’re hoping that other countries and cultures will adopt a similar set of ideas.
The idea is simple. You imagine different ways in which a post-transition society might also be a better one, and then try them out as a real-life experiment during a 24 hour period starting at dawn on 20th June 2012. Activities could involve family, friends, work colleagues, fellow students, community groups or even people you’ve never met before. It could involve the whole town or it could be more personal. You can come to the website to explore a menu of suggested ideas and activities, or add your own.
Here’s some ideas to get you thinking:
- 24 hours of only eating local food
- 24 hours of exchange without using money
- 24 hours of dawn breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight feasts out on our street
- 24 hours of life lived outdoors
- 24 hours of dancing in the streets
- 24 hours of guerrilla food growing
- 24 hours of bringing disused premises back into use
- 24 hours of talking with strangers
- 24 hours of slow everything
- 24 hours of consensus decision making in my school
- 24 hours of imagining a day in 2062
- 24 hours of transforming a derelict site
- 24 hours of getting active
- 24 hours of not using a car
- 24 hours of inter- generational gatherings
- 24 hours of swapping roles in my workplace
- 24 hours of activity in my local museum
- 24 hours of feasting and planning for the next generation
- 24 hours of getting the high street closed and having a carnival on the street
- 24 hours of making things for other people
- 24 hours of working less and living more
- 24 hours of reading together
- 24 hours of new community celebrations and ceremonies
- 24 hours of creating a community garden
- 24 hours of installing solar panels
- 24 hours of sharing your skills
- 24 hours of random acts of kindness and spontaneous beauty
- 24 hours of dreaming a new world awake
So this is an invitation to start having a think about what you might like to do for it, having some conversations with the people around you, and seeing what ideas it stimulates. We think this could be a great celebration of what Transition does best, showing on the ground the kind of change that is possible when we gather together with our friends, neighbours and colleagues. It’s over to you…
You can also read what Andrew Simms of nef said about it here.