Reflections on my REconomy Roadtrip – big challenges and big possibilities
By Laura Whitehead 6th September 2012
Fiona Ward, Project Manager with the REconomy project recently visited a range of Transition initiatives to find out how their work creating a new economy for their community is going. Below she shares a summary of her journey.
‘Road trip’ sounds better, but it was of course a rail trip, taking in 10 places over 1,500 miles in 22 train legs in 11 days – from Totnes to Maidenhead, Lewes, Brixton, Norwich, Durham, Dunbar nr Edinburgh, Slaithwaite, Manchester and Hereford then back to Devon.
Why these places? I knew that each of these Transition Initiatives had started or seeded new enterprises, and I was keen to learn more and do some cross-pollination.
I heard about 26 new businesses that are providing employment and boosting community resilience, and met with lots of lovely Transition people – read on to find out the common themes that emerged, the exciting range of new enterprises being born, the very real issues that REconomy work faces on the ground, and the sense of hope and possibility with which I returned home…
If this interests you, please join us at the REconomy Project day on 14th September in London (then stay on for the rest of the Transition Conference).