April 2015 – Transition Network Newsletter
By Mike Grenville 2nd April 2015
Creative Responses to Climate Change could have you in stitches, reaching for the stars or even going to Berkhampsted for the TN roadshow. Find out what sort of animal some groups are and how quiet people can find their voices. Some ideas on what to do now that everything has changed plus what went into the new book Playing for Time – Making Art as if the World Mattered and other book reviews. There is more too..
Transition Road Show
Berkhamsted 19 April
Tickets are selling fast for the last TN UK roadshow in the current series. Come to lovely Berkhamsted for a day of connection and inspiration, plus a farmers market and a castle! Organised by Transition Initiatives from across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Review the packed programme:
http://transitionberkhamsted.org.uk/roadshow2015/
Transition at Trinity: the Bristol Roadshow
Bristol was the first official ‘Transition City’ and Transition Bristol has been instrumental in many pioneering initiatives in the city, such as the Bristol Pound, the UK’s first Peak Oil Report produced by a city council, the Food Resilience Plan to name just three. Rob Hopkins reports on the penultimate Transition Roadshow there that both looked back to the group’s beginnings as well as forward to what comes next.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/transition-trinity-bristol-roadshow
Seeing Transition Take Flight
Rob Hopkins reports on an inspiring a day in Luxembourg.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/seeing-transition-take-flight-day-luxembourg
THEME: Social Change and the Arts
The Creative Response to Climate Change
For over 25 years Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey have worked together in mediums including sculpture, photography, architecture, ecology and biology. Rob Hopkins asks them ‘What does a creative response to climate change look like, and why do we need one?’
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/ackroyd-harvey-creative-response-climate-change
Changing the World One Backstitch at a Time
Sarah Corbett runs the Craftivist Collective, which she describes as “activism through needlework” and “slow, gentle, joyful activism”. She says “These are great tools for slowing down, thinking critically, using it as a way to have conversations with people and ice breakers”.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/sarah-corbett-changing-world-one-backstitch-time
SWIMBY the Musical: an update. “you have to reach for the stars”
The original working title ‘Transition Town: The Musical’ has been renamed SWIMBY – Something Wonderful in my Back Yard. Matt Harvey (poet/lyricist), Thomas Hewitt Jones (composer) and Chloe Uden (producer) are hard at work actually writing it. So Rob Hopkins met in Matt’s shed to find out where they’re up to and what happens next.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/podcast-swimby-musical-update-you-have-reach-stars
The Transition Agony Aunt
“Help! Our meetings are boring us to tears”…
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/transition-agony-aunt-help-our-meetings-are-boring-us-tears
How to respond to elections
What is your advice about how Transition groups should respond to elections?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/transition-agony-aunt-how-respond-elections
On helping quiet people find their voices.
Any suggestions for how we might coax quiet people to get more engaged?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/transition-agony-aunt-helping-quiet-people-find-their-voices
Transition Health Check: The ‘Transition Animal’
We’ve asked some people who’ve used the Transition Animal (an exercise that’s part of the Transition Health Check) for their thoughts on how it worked for them.
Until recently part of Transition Taunton, Chrissie Godfrey found it a fantastic way of seeing where you are doing things well, shining a light on particular strengths and generally helping a group feel great about itself.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/transition-animal-one-transitioners-experience
Sally Ludwig of Transition Guelph liked the way its use invited engagement by volunteers with varied styles of learning and communication.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/sally-ludwig-transition-guelph-transition-animal
REconomy
New support is being launched this week for UK communities and organisations to develop local economic plans and strategies.
http://www.reconomy.org/5000-available-for-communities-developing-plans-for-economic-development/
Announcing Inner Transition week!
Running from 20 – 24th April, the week will launch a series of short films on the ‘inner’ in Transition. If you have stories or questions about Inner Transition – something you’ve included that’s helped you or your group, or something you’ve been wondering, please send them to Sophy Banks and we will include as many of them as possible in the week.
The deadline for inclusion is April 13th.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/sophy-banks/2015-04/announcing-inner-transition-week
THINKING ALOUD
This Changes Everything. So Now What?
What we need are ideas which are radical enough to cause widespread change, yet practical enough, that folks living in the suburbs could put them into practice. Russell Evans, from Transition Lab proposes a blueprint for how we can all get to work right now with some of the steps needed to creating the change we need.
http://www.transitionus.org/blog/changes-everything-so-now-what
Home Growing Produces Ten Times the Food of Arable Farms
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-03-26/home-growing-produces-ten-times-the-food-of-arable-farms
An Orchard from a Single Tree
At some point in your childhood, Brian Kaller hopes, you ate an apple and hit upon the idea of planting the seeds. If your tree survived long enough to bear fruit, you probably noticed something strange: the seeds from that Golden Delicious apple do not necessarily grow into a Golden Delicious apple tree.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-03-30/an-orchard-from-a-single-tree
Flat Earth News
Charlotte Du Cann reports from the Real Media gathering to form a new grassroots media network.
http://transitionfreepress.org/2015/03/16/flat-earth-news-tfp-at-real-media-gathering-manchester/
BOOK REVIEW
Playing for Time – Making Art as if the World Mattered by Lucy Neal
For the last two years Charlotte Du Cann has been working with Lucy Neal to help edit and shape this essential guide to moving ourselves and our communities into a downshifted, more friendly future. Here is some of what went into creating its 400+ pages.
http://charlotteducann.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/making-art-as-if-world-mattered.html
Playing for Time – £5 discount
While not quite as great as buying the book from your local bookshop, Transition folks can get a £5 discount here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/lucy-neals-playing-time-now-published
‘How to Save Town Centres’ by Julian Dobson
A radical agenda for the future of high streets
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/book-review-how-save-town-centres-julian-dobson
Happier People, Healthier Planet by Teresa Belton.
The powerful idea of the book was to dive deeper into the causes and meaning behind the lifestyle of these people who answered yes to the questions: Do you live a life of modest material consumption? Are you happy with your lifestyle?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-03/one-minute-review-happier-people-healthier-planet
AFTERBURN: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels by Richard Heinberg
Explores the opportunities and challenges of the inevitable and rapidly approaching end of the oil-coal-and-gas era in sixteen essays that address subjects as varied as energy politics, consumerism, localism, the importance of libraries, and oil price volatility.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-03-27/announcing-afterburn-society-beyond-fossil-fuels
COMING UP
Transition Network International Conference
18-20 September.
Plus fringe events leading into the weekend.
The main event will also be online with a live webcast. Details will be announced soon.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2015-03-17/transition-movement-returns-its-devon-roots
Permaculture Day 2015
Sunday 3rd May
Celebrating International Year of Soils
http://www.permacultureday.org/permaculture-day-2015-calling-soil-supporters-everywhere/
The Economics of Happiness
Embercombe 24-26 June
With Helena Norburg Hodge
http://embercombe.org/explore-our-programmes/personal-development/the-economics-of-happiness/
MA in Economics for Transition – Schumacher College
Creating an economic system fit for the ecological, social, economic and spiritual challenges of the 21st century.
Closing date May 1st for September 2015.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/ma-economics-transition-schumacher-college
More events
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/events
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Film Reviews
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/films
Transition Youtube Channel
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Resources — Editor’s Picks
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/resources
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