February 2016 – Transition Network Newsletter
By Mike Grenville 4th February 2016
Our main newsletter feature this month is on Burnout – what it is both individually and for groups, and more importantly, what we can do about it; there are also stories on how making drinks has helped create community and pointers to a local economy; and book reviews including of an acclaimed new book ‘The Urban Farmer’.
BURNOUT TALES
‘Burnout Tales’ of those who’ve burn out, and found a way out the other side.
‘Burnout is a Risk Where People Are Passionate About What They Do’
There’s a saying that “in order to burn out, you need to first be on fire”. Burnout is a risk where people have a strong sense of passion behind what they do. In this interview with Chris Johnstone, a resilience specialist and writer, author of ‘Active Hope’ and ‘Find your Power’, he talks about how when we get down, how do we climb back out again? Read it here.
‘My name is Claire and I’m in recovery from addiction to activism’
Transition Network’s new Inner Transition Coordinator shares about her transformational experience of recovering from extreme burn out, read it here.
The risks of the ‘Energy of Yes’
Chrissie Godfrey was formerly a co-ordinator of Transition Town Taunton (which she co-founded in 2008), but in 2012 suffered from a serious case of burnout. We asked her to tell her story, and we are deeply grateful for her honesty and for sharing her experience, read it here.
Transition and Burnout: the Australian experience
That so many of us in Transition experience burnout suggests we haven’t quite achieved the balance says Clare Power, a Lecturer at Western Sydney University. Read it here.
Transition and burnout
On Managing Burnout
A Winter Solstice wreath-making party in Albany, CA. was a wild success with 50 adults and children having a whale of a creative time declares Catherine Sutton. “And I wasn’t even there! My burnout is officially over.”
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/catherine-sutton-managing-burnout-albany-ca
‘Neighbouring’: a Burnout and Build Up Again Story
Thriving is about ‘Neighbouring’, a new verb that invented by the Transition Initiative of Linda-a-Velha (in Portugal). They share their story of our particularly unique and mysterious path, one that invites us to reflect deeply on the mysteries of human nature, of relationships and of what really matters, of what is essential in order for us to thrive.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/neighbouring-burnout-and-build-again-story-0
Balance or Burnout?
Republishing the Editorial piece from Sophy Banks that focuses on the causes of burnout – the physical, the personal, the cultural and some of the unconscious processes that are much harder to spot.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/editorial-sophy-banks-balance-or-burnout
How Sustainable Is Your Group?
Here is a set of activities that will help your group to make decisions, perhaps one of the trickiest of things for Transition groups to do! Step-by-step guide here.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/activity-fortnight-how-sustainable-your-group
OUT AND ABOUT
The unstoppable rise of ‘Demain’
The film ‘Demain’ (‘Tomorrow’) is proving to be one of the most remarkable catalysts for Transition and other bottom-up approaches that has ever been made. A review in Le Monde described the film as “a phenomenon of society” adding “In a France darkened by crisis and terrorism, this documentary is a ‘breath of hope’.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-02/unstoppable-rise-demain
“To See the New Economy Through a Glass of Beer…”
Rob Hopkins reflects on the explosion of the craft beer movement and how, in many ways, it models the kind of local, appropriate scale economy that Transition seeks to create.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/see-new-economy-through-glass-beer
The Story of Unthinkable Drinkable Brent
One day, in the park, Leo Johnson got overtaken by an old Italian man. “Excuse me,” he said to him on impulse, “but do you know how to make wine?” The inspiring story of how making “borderline undrinkable” wine brought a street together.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-02/story-unthinkable-drinkable-brent
Learning From the Past in Kensal and Kilburn
Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn recently held a celebration of a great oral histories project they had recently completed, ‘Old Stories for New Times: inspiration for sustainable living’.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/learning-past-kensal-and-kilburn
Low-carbon Neighbourhood Planning – key policy changes and scope for influence for Transition Initiatives
Amy Burnett of University of Reading and Dan Stone from Centre for Sustainable Energy give an update that’s vital reading for any Transition groups doing Neighbourhood Planning.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-02/neighbourhood-planning-and-transition-initiatives-update
BOOK REVIEW
The Urban Farmer:
growing food for profit on leased and borrowed land.
“Curtis Stone’s brilliant new book ‘The Urban Farmer’, is one of the most important contributions to Transition thinking over the last 10 years” says Rob Hopkins. It sets out in great depth and detail what it could look like if large swathes of land in our towns and cities hosted beautiful, diverse, abundant gardens growing good food and viable incomes.
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-01/book-review-urban-farmer-curtis-stone
Transition In Depth
A recently published book ‘The Secure and the Dispossessed: how the military and corporations are shaping a climate-changed world’ asks the question “What if the world’s leaders have decided it’s easier to deal with the impact of climate change than to tackle the underlying causes? It has a chapter about ‘The Transition movement in global perspective’ which you can read here:
www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2016-02/transition-movement-global-perspective-thomas-henfrey-justin-kenrick
COMING UP
Transition National hub for England and Wales
5 March, London
A group of Transitioners are coming together to develop a Transition National hub for England and Wales, we are meeting to begin to discuss how this development might happen. If you are interested in getting involved and/or coming to this meeting then please sign up here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transition-hub-for-england-and-wales-initiating-meeting-tickets-21340706628
More events
https://www.transitionnetwork.org/events
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
‘Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming’.
Alice Walker