October 2013 – Transition Network Newsletter
By Mike Grenville 10th October 2013
The focus this month is the climate with our new report Climate After Growth and our Social Reporters reflect on their responses to the IPCC report. Plus our world news round-up is back and Rob Hopkins sends his Letters from America.
NETWORK NEWS & NEWS OF THE NETWORK
News Round Up
We have moved the Transition News Roundup to be published mid-month, so it will look a bit odd while it settles in. So here is the latest community round up (confusingly called August). Stories come from around the world including Bristol, Bridport, Abbotts Langley, Honiton, Eastbourne, New Forest plus several reports from the USA, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Japan and New Zealand.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2013-09-13/august-round-what-s-happening-out-world-transition
The Brixton Economic Evaluation
Transition Town Brixton (TTB) have just published their Rethinking Lambeth’s Local Economy report, the third in the series of Economic Blueprints/Evaluation. Rob Hopkins finds out more about it from Duncan Law.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2013-09-17/duncan-law-introduces-brixton-economic-evaluation
Transition Free Press: Last pilot edition now underway!
Will we continue into 2014 is the big question on our agenda? We dearly hope so.
http://transitionfreepress.org/2013/10/10/october-update-last-pilot-edition-now-underway/
Transition Movement Moves on a Step: becoming a Global Family
Gary Alexander reports on an international meeting of the Transition National Hubs from 17 countries, in and around Lyon, France.
http://earthconnected.net/2013/09/26/transition-movement-moves-on-a-step-becoming-a-global-family/
The Transition initiative that started a new school
Rob Hopkins learns about the new Swanage School built on foundations of Transition thinking.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2013-09-12/transition-initiative-started-new-school
New Report: Climate After Growth
Transition Network and Post Carbon Institute have just come together to publish a new report, Climate After Growth: Why Environmentalists Must Embrace Post-Growth Economics & Community Resilience. The report is published to co-incide with Rob Hopkins’ visit to the US, and is co-authored by him and Asher Miller.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-10/new-report-climate-after-growth
Rob Hopkins and Pete Lipman are currently touring the USA.
Here are their first three reports:
Letter from America #1: New Orleans and reflections on “awesome”
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-10/letter-america-1-new-orleans-and-reflections-awesome
Letter from America #2: Local action can change the world
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-10/letter-america-2-local-action-can-change-world
Letter from America #3: Something powerful stirs in Texas…
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-10/letter-america-3-something-powerful-stirs-texas
Life After Growth
The video of the talk Rob Hopkins at the An Innovative Society for the Twenty-First Century event in Paris – plus an interview where he talks about community energy.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2013-09-11/what-rob-hopkins-told-french-president-about-life-after-growth
The Big Debate: Fracking
During August, at the peak of the campaign against the fracking for gas at Balcombe, the BBC ran a story called Dorking ‘green’ group in favour of fracking. In the following days, Transition Network received many emails and tweets from people expressing their dismay and asking what is our official position on fracking. Rob Hopkins explores the Network’s position.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2013-09/big-debate-there-transition-position-fracking
STORIES FROM OUR SOCIAL REPORTERS
Six years on, another report… The scientists are as certain as scientists can get; global warming is unequivocal and human activity is the dominant cause. As the shrill voices of the climate change deniers echo down the empty corridors of climate policy, the social reporters have their say with a fortnight of great stories.
Responding to the IPCC report
Chris Bird takes a look at how rich life can be without trashing the planet.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/chris-bird/2013-09/responding-ipcc-report
Finding the Best Place to Weather the Storm
This IPCC report is giving me that deja vu feeling, and it’s not good. Ben Brangwyn reflects.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/guest-blogger/2013-10/finding-best-place-weather-storm
Science Friction
Science exists to unravel the mysteries of the universe. It establishes basic principles and goes on to tackle the areas of uncertainty around them. John Mason of Skeptical Science writes…
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/guest-blogger/2013-10/science-friction
Permission to Look the Other Way Granted
Kerry Lane deliberately wrote her post before reading anyone elses. She did this because she has generally not engaged with the new IPCC report and therefore doesn’t know much about it and felt that if she read everyones posts then it will tell her all kinds of things she wouldn’t have known otherwise!
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/kerry-lane/2013-10/permission-look-other-way-granted
What’s the IPCC?
“You know, the scientists that report on climate change.” We’re nearing the end of a Transition Dartmouth Park core group meeting, and Sara Ayech asked what people think of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/sara-ayech/2013-10/whats-ipcc
Living in the Light of IPCC5
The fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been published just as Caroline Jackson gets to grips with becoming a grandmother for the first time. She realises that if her grandchild lives as long as her mother he will see the 22nd century, that key IPCC date 2100.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/caroline-jackson/2013-10/living-light-ipcc5
Two Really Big Arguments that Climate Change is Happening!
Ever noticed how signs of climate change sometimes ambush you when you least expect it? These can be small things writes Chris Bird, like the time when frog’s spawn appears in the garden pond, daffodils blossom or Humming-Bird Moths buzz outside the kitchen window. Or they can be great big things like the activities of ice-breakers and submarines.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/chris-bird/2013-10/two-really-big-arguments-climate-change-happening
Reclaiming the Storytelling
Here we have Another Report telling us in no uncertain terms that unless we curb our carbon emissions, the consequences will be dire. Ann Owen asks who’s listening?
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories/ann-owen/2013-10/reclaiming-storytelling-0
More Social Reporter stories here
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/stories
WANTED: Be Part of a Great Animation Project
Are you a young animator student or similar? Do you know the basics of working with After effects? We are looking for young apprentices interested in 2D animation to help finish the last 3 episodes of a series of 6 for the effective group resources and transition network.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/training/courses/effective-groups/effective-groups-films-and-dvd
TRAINING
Transition Launch online – our first online course has begun and is great!
Read one of our participants blog:
http://villagesurrey.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/permaculture-series-transition-training-week-2-inner-transition/
Transition Thrive
Want to help taking your Transition Initiative to the next level? This two day workshop will help you to Thrive.
Next courses: St Andrews Scotland, November 16/17th, Totnes, England, December 7/8th
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/training/courses/thrive
COMING UP
Eating Ecologically – Healthy, Local and Sustainable Food
18-22 November – Schumacher
Patrick Whitefield, Fergus Drennan, Jane Pickard and Anne-Marie Mayer
Can we re-design our food growing systems to provide healthy food for all, while looking after the earth? This course explores the nutritional benefits of consuming a wide range of plant foods and how a diverse and healthy diet can be produced locally, organically and sustainably using permaculture principles.
http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/eating-ecologically
Wild Economics: Moving to a Localised Gift Culture
24–29 November – Schumacher
Join Mark Boyle, an author who has lived for three years without money, and Fergus Drennan, the UK’s foremost Wild Food forager, for a week-long exploration of the philosophies and practice of gift and nature-based economics. Charles Eistenstein will be a special guest at the beginning of the week.
http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/wild-economics
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“A week in the countryside is worth three months in a classroom.”
George Monbiot
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/07/education-children-not-feral-enough
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http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2013-10-10/october-2013-transition-network-newsletter
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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