October 2011 Transition Network Newsletter
By Mike Grenville 6th October 2011
Transition Network newsletter – October 2011
CONTENTS
- Birthday Issue!
- NEWS
- THE TRANSITION COMPANION
- THINKING ALOUD
- DIVERSITY
- ENERGY
- MATERIALS
- PROJECTS
- COMING UP
- QUOTE(s) OF THE MONTH
Birthday Issue!
It’s this newsletter’s third birthday! Three years already! How did that happen? Seems that we’ve been publishing nearly every month now since October 2008. When the newsletter began most of the content of the newsletter was written by myself. Now we have a wealth of content coming from all directions and the number of subscribers has grown from 1,600 to just under 12,000.
In 2008 we had just published the first book on Transition. Today there 8 titles in print exploring different aspects of Transition. The film ‘In Transition 1.0’ has been translated now into 12 languages and version 2.0 is in production.
The number of initiatives has spread from 100 registered Transition initiatives in 11 countries in 2008 to 863 initiatives in 34 countries. In 2008 the Network website was a wiki and now we have a site with a host of great features. Over the last year, the Transition Network’s website has had over 300,000 unique visitors from 207 countries.
The key Transition drivers of Peak oil, Climate Chaos and economic melt down have have never felt so close and increasingly occupy the front pages of the media. So it is great that this edition not only heralds the publication of Rob Hopkins Transition Companion but also the launch of the Social Reporting project that is taking the pulse of the transition movement.
We also send first birthday wishes for many happy returns to our friends at Transition Voice who are burning a candle for the peak-ocalypse.
http://transitionvoice.com/2011/10/burning-a-candle-for-the-peak-ocalpyse/
NEWS
September Round-up of What’s Happening out in the World of Transition
There is news of food from West Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Tooting, Leytonstone, Stroud, Rotterdam, Turkey. applepluking in Holland and Toronto. Plus
energy in Worcestershire, Hebden Bridge, Worthing, High Wycombe, Bath and the launch of the Brixton Pound as an electronic currency and a whole load more here:
http://transitionculture.org/2011/10/05/a-september-round-up-of-what%E2%80%99s-happening-out-in-the-world-of-transition-2/
US Round-up Edition
Some highlights of what’s keeping Transition Initiatives busy across the US.
http://transitionus.org/stories/september-round-whats-happening-world-transition-us-edition-2011
Nearly 100
In just three short years the number of official Transition Initiatives in the USA are about to pass 100.
http://transitionus.org/initiatives
Article in the Sunday Independent
The Transition movement: Today Totnes… tomorrow the world
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-transition-movement-today-totnes-tomorrow-the-world-2364355.html
Read more Direct News from Initiatives around the world
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/community
THE TRANSITION COMPANION
‘The Transition Companion: making your community more resilient in uncertain times’ is due to be published by Green Books on October 27th. It’s a big book! 320 pages, in full colour and large format, and much time and attention has been lavished on it to produce something that really does justice to what has become one of the most fascinating world-wide social experiments of our time, It is the result of a collaborative process involving thousands of people, possibly yourself included, over the past 18 months, and picks up where ‘The Transition Handbook’ left off. It sets out what Transition has become, packed with stories and photos from around the world, of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Launch Timeline
October 12th: the London launch at Food from the Sky, Crouch End.
October 13th: Twitter Book Launch
October 27th: The official launch date from when it is available in all good bookshops
October 27th: Transition ingredients available online.
Books ordered now below will be shipped on October 13th, (2 weeks before Amazon)
Transition initiatives are able to get great discounts for bulk orders.
http://transitionculture.org/shop/the-transition-companion/
In the USA and Canada the book is published by Chelsea Green
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_transition_companion:paperback
THINKING ALOUD
Welcome to the Social Reporting Pilot
We’ve begun a grand experiment in Transition – a national blog created and compiled by 12 writers around the country that aims to communicate the real-life issues and experiences of being in Transition. We’ll be posting every day for the next three months on subjects ranging from economics to food to inner change. Guided by Charlotte Du Cann, each Sunday a guest editor will write on a chosen subject and set the theme for the following week. Peter Lipman (chair of the Network) is kicking off October, writing on The Big Picture, Sophy Banks (Transition Training) November, with a post on Inner Transition.
Our intent behind the Project is to provide a friendly and intelligent space for this reflection and appraisal, where we can pay attention to all things great and small, from the greatest metaphysical questions to the humblest vegetable on the allotment. To link up and show the pattern of Transition culture across the country – what it looks like, sounds like, feels like. All those invisible connections that make us a resilient people. What the future might hold if we can walk down the mountain together.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-09-18/welcome-social-reporting-pilot
A liminal Song of Thanks from Ed Mitchell, Transition Network web co-ordinator
It’s a story about how technology and what it represented used to bother him, and how much change he has gone through working on the Transition web project, how he learned to accept the paradoxes, and why the stories project is so important to him.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/guest-editor/2011-09/liminal-song-thanks
Transition and I – A love story
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/jo-homan/2011-09/transition-and-i
Finding the People
A tale of the stirrings of Sustainable Bungay and Transition Norwich
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/mark-watson/2011-09/finding-people-sustainable-bungay-and-transition-norwich
The Slow Journey to Change
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/ann-owen/2011-09/transition-bro-ddyfi-trawsnewid-and-slow-journey-change
How the transition town movement found Transition Heathrow
Transition Heathrow jumped on board the transition town movement at a very different stage to most. Where did it all begin?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/joe-ryle/2011-09/how-transition-town-movement-found-transition-heathrow
The Big Picture
In this guest editorial from Transition Network chairman, Pete Lipman shares his version of “the” big picture, taken to be the context in which the transition movement is experimenting, responding to the challenges we face, while we live through the unfolding of an extraordinary story.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/guest-editor/2011-10/big-picture-and-transition-response
Deep Time
The evidence is there, in our media, in our daily lives. Yesterday was the hottest October day on record in the UK. The cost of filling our community car is going up. Our income is going down. And yet we remain focused on what’s in front of our noses.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/adrienne-campbell/2011-10/deep-time
The Big Picture View from Totnes
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and recently famous for his civil disobedience outside the White House where he and thousands of activists were protesting the Keystone XL pipeline project, described the fight against carbon, as a fight. “We have to do Transition and we have to do direct action…we have no choice.”
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/jay-tompt/2011-10/big-picture-view-totnes
There isn’t space for all the Social Reporting articles published so far, plus there is more to come here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories
Who’s Storing Food Now?
If you’re considering starting to store some of your own food, why not start by learning from the experts?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/transition-voice/2011-09-16/who-s-storing-food-now
How To Reflect On How an Initiative is Doing
In the forthcoming ‘The Transition Companion’, one of the ingredients is called ‘How are we doing?’ and it looks at how groups can pause and reflect. Transition Town Totnes held an event to celebrate and reflect on the journey so far and on where we might go from here – your Transition initiative might find it useful for having similar reflections.
http://transitionculture.org/2011/09/06/happy-birthday-ttt-tools-for-stopping-to-ask-how-are-we-doing/
DIVERSITY
Final Diversity Newsletter and ending of Diversity Coordinator role at Transition Network
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-10-03/transition-network-diversity-newsletter-october-2011
Inequality as a central driver of Transition?
Following our call out for people to send in their thoughts on including “inequality” alongside climate change and peak oil in the Transition Network purpose statement, we publish the responses to generate further discussion.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/catrina-pickering/2011-09/inequality-transition-network-purpose-statement-discussion/
Diversity, Leadership and Patience in Transition
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/catrina-pickering/2011-09/louis-alemayehu-some-thoughts-diversity-leadership-and-patience
ENERGY
Japanese Researchers Venture Onto Harveys Roof
With the move away from nuclear power in Japan, Japanese researchers visited the community solar power station in Lewes.
http://www.transitiontownlewes.org/news.html#item373
Work Starts on Solar Bridge
The first of more than 4,400 solar panels are being installed by Solarcentury above the new Blackfriars station and will be the world’s largest solar bridge when it opens next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/04/solar-bridge-blackfriars-station
Switch to Ethical Energy and Earn Money For Your Initiative
Local United has teamed up with a number of leading ethical energy suppliers to offer community groups the chance to benefit financially from their members switching to one of these suppliers.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-09-12/switch-ethical-energy-and-earn-money-your-initiative
MATERIALS
Introduction to Permaculture Videos
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/resources/introduction-permaculture
Peak oil explained graphically
http://transitionvoice.com/2011/09/peak-oil-explained-graphically/
PROJECTS
Turkish Mums on Bikes
Believing that the best way to get children on bikes is to teach the parents, Transition Finsbury Park is running a bike project which aims to get parents cycling, particularly Turkish mums.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/projects/mums-bikes
Projects Sharing Engine Update and Invitation for Webmasters
We now have an 18 month project to start to bend some virtual boundaries and build some bridges between Transition Initiative websites, enabling their visitors to read and add to the projects directory all from the comfort of their own local websites.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/ed-mitchell/2011-09/projects-sharing-engine-update-and-invitation-webmasters
COMING UP
~ Transition Tales Training
~ GrowthBusters Documentary- Global Release
~ Compassionate Communication Workshop – Oxford
~ Transition:THRIVE Sustaining Momentum 19-20th November
These and more events here
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/events
QUOTE(s) OF THE MONTH
“The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome becomes bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
Cicero, circa 55 BCE
“This economic crisis is like a cancer. Get prepared. It’s not a time right now to wishful think the government is going to sort things out. …. Be prepared and act now. The biggest risk people can take now is not acting.”
Alessio Rastani, trader
http://youtu.be/lqN3amj6AcE
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http://twitter.com/#!/transitiontowns
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http://www.facebook.com/transitionnetwork
Find previous editions of the newsletter here
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/tags/transition-network-newsletter
Read this newsletter online
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-10-06/october-2011-transition-network-newsletter
This newsletter is published on the first Friday of each month.
Newsletter Editor: Mike Grenville,
from Transition Forest Row for the Transition Network
Contact: mgrenville@gmail.com
+44 (0)7974924289