How will Transition Town Stroud achieve its aims?
Through harnessing local skills, knowledge and creativity, Transition Town Stroud should be a dynamic and multi-faceted process, facilitating range of local initiatives involving many stakeholders within the community to meet the challenge of peak oil and climate change. Transition Town Stroud could combine the following strategic pathways:
1. Focussing upon community priorities
o Ensuring local food, water and energy security
o Reducing the need for transportation
o Supporting the local economy
o Fostering local manufacturing of essential goods
2. Improving community preparedness
o Identifying local producers and suppliers of essential goods and services and supporting them
o Identifying needed skills and learning them
o Starting a local currency and/or a local investment club
o Assessing local energy: What do we have? What can we develop?
3. Anticipating Economic Depression
o High unemployment
o Barter/exchange economy
o New space for creative strategies open up
o Emphasis upon self-sufficiency and cooperation
4. Influence and/or shape local policy through established routes
5. Encourage participation in a range of initiatives, including
- Carbon Rationing Action Groups
- Solar Clubs
- Transition Town Stroud Wikki website
- Environmental Education in schools
- Conferences, guest speakers, open space events, etc
- Community Supported Agriculture
- Local adoption of the Oil Depletion Protocol?
- Others…
Transition Town Stroud is still in its embryonic phase. At the moment it is just an idea, drawing its inspiration from the activities and experiences of other communities. There are already many local initiatives in the area, such as the thriving farmer’s market network, Stroud Community Agriculture and many others, which bring a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits to the local area. These initiatives are also consistent with a creative energy descent pathway and should act to inspire others.
How to get involved?
If you would like to become involved with Transition Town Stroud in any way please contact:
David Judd: daveandali@phonecoop.coop
Molly Scott Cato: molly@gaianeconomics.org