Transition Network Newsletter: October 2007

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Transition Training

First course delivered to critical acclaim!

The first of the Transition trainings took place in Totnes last weekend (19 to 20-Oct). Maximum kudos to long-term Totnes transitioners and professional trainers Sophy Banks and Naresh Giangrande who put the material together and delivered what was a very highly rated two day course.

Ratings by participants were up there at Torvill and Dean levels.

  • Overall score: 4.4 out of 5
  • Usefulness to Transition process: 4.6 out of 5

Some quotes from the attendees:

"Great to have facilitators with so much experience and passion for TTT. Very well planned, facilitated, covering a vast range of material.. Thank you, I feel more confident and much clearer about [my local transition project] and my own role."
"Thank you – very safe, helpful and engaging couple of days."
"Really good, hard work but that is not a criticism!"
"I think it would be very difficult to offer anything more rounded or useful."
"I would like to... thank them [Sophy and Naresh] both for covering so much in such a short space of time and so eloquently."

The 18 participants were from as far afield as Birmingham and Maidenhead and as close as Lostwithiel. Congrats to all of them for handling the two days with abundant enthusiasm and enriching the future training material with their insights.

Next training dates

  • Bristol: 2 to 3-Nov-07 (Friday and Saturday) - FULLY BOOKED
  • London (BedZED): 8 to 9-Dec-07 (Saturday and Sunday) - OPEN FOR BOOKINGS
  • Totnes: 26 to 27-Jan-08 (Saturday and Sunday) - OPEN FOR BOOKINGS

Completed trainings

  • Totnes - 19 to 20-Oct-07 (Friday and Saturday)

Who can attend

  • we want to keep this as open as possible, while recognising that existing official transition groups are able to take this learning back and put it to immediate use in their current active projects
  • we recommend that two individuals from each community attends - that way the knowledge is shared and there isn't just one person with "the knowledge". Not that we think there are any megalomaniacs out there, but, y'know, just in case...
  • if more than two apply from a single community, we'll probably rely on your steering group to select the final attendees

How to register for courses

  • London course (8 to 9-Dec) - by 20-Nov-07, email me to register your group's interest and the names of the individuals likely to attend
  • Totnes course (26 to 27-Jan-08) - by 10-Jan-08, email me to register your group's interest and the names of the individuals likely to attend
  • it won't be a "first come first served" selection - we'll use criteria that balance out the mix of people and keep it fresh, based on size, geography, how long you've been going, official/unofficial Transition Initiatives
  • once we've selected the attendees, we'll send out confirmations
  • we'll follow up with full course details and joining instructions closer to the date

Content

The training will be a full-on 2 days' worth of critical skill building that you can take back to your own community, enabling you to accelerate, broaden and deepen your transition initiative.

The course is designed to give a detailed introduction to the most important skills necessary to successfully set up, develop, and run a Transition project in your locality. It is designed for people who are already in a group working to achieve this, or are thinking of creating such a group.

At the end of the course participants will:

  • Have a clear understanding of the context for transition towns, the current global situation and the transformational possibilities that arise from climate change and peak oil and gas.
  • Know what the TT model is – Including an in depth look at the key 12 steps from inspiration, setting up the initiating group, all the way to having active and effective working groups.
  • Have experienced a joint visioning process.
  • Understand how to organise effective meetings such as public talks, open space days and small theme working groups.
  • Understand the purpose and principles of an Energy Descent Plan.
  • Have the outline of an effective and inspiring talk on Transition Towns.
  • Have formed useful contacts with other Transition initiatives, and met some of those involved in the Totnes project and Transition Network.
  • Have a plan of action for themselves and their locality.

This training will follow the transition model in paying attention to both the outer work and the inner work necessary for a successful transition process. This will be a participatory process, with delegates invited to share their own experience and learn from the many different TT’s represented at each course.

Costs

We're aiming for £90 for the two days. If you can't afford the £90, then perhaps others in your group can make up the shortfall. Bursaries are available, but we don't give them away. Well, actually, we do, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Meanwhile, back in the batcave...

... we're planning transition trainings for Wales, Scotland, Midlands and beyond...

We're also putting together an additional training course that has the snappy working title of "PO + CC = TI". Which unravels to: peak oil plus climate change equals transition initiatives. Further notification will be through batmail.

The scale of this effort is massive - 70 cities, 15,000 towns/villages and any number of smaller rural communities in the UK are going to have undergo some kind of transition or energy descent. It'll either be proactive, or reactive. Looks like this kind of training will get as many as possible to become proactive.

All we need to do now is train up a veritable army of people to handle it... Oh yeah, and then there's the rest of the world too...

The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is a major supporter of these efforts - hearty thanks to them for their vision and commitment!

Whaddabout the Government?

Indeed! Maybe, inspired by these efforts, someone in government will run the course "PO + CC = Government taking it all seriously and adopting resilience and carbon reduction strategies", but I'm not planning on holding my breath for that.

New logo for Transition Network

Despite imprecations from Saatchi & Saatchi, David Hockney and Banksy, each of whom was gagging for the kudos of dreamlining the Transition Network logo, we settled for a local supplier. After the usual umming and aahing, effing and blinding, and countless shattered creative egos, here's what we've arrived at.

If you hate it, don't tell us. We're going with it anyway.

And if you don't like it 'cos you're an arachnophobe, remember that we could have added a big hairy spider with its 8 eyes and deadly jaws.

Just say you love it to make us feel good.

And if you're not feeling that charitable, remember that it didn't cost £400,000, doesn't cause epilepsy and, we're hoping, may even be around after the 2012 Olympics have stopped emitting their monstrous CO2 legacy.

Totnes office - misleading photo alert!

I was recently accosted by a potential transitioner who congratulated me on being so dedicated to the cause. He cited the fact that we were prepared to work in a tin shack as evidence of our commitment.

It never occurred to me that anyone would think the picture on the right from the previous newsletter was actually the Transition Network office, despite the deft use of PaintshopPro. I've marked the photo unambiguously now.

So rather than wallow in the misguided accolade, I'll come clean. The real offices are a rather wonderful building on the main street in Totnes rather than something out of the Blair Witch Project.

Those of you familiar with Totnes will recognise them for sure.

Just for the record, the address is: 43 Fore Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5HN.

New Transition Initiatives

Congrats and kudos to this pioneering band setting forth on their transition journeys. Each one of them is at the cutting edge of social transformation. If you need to get in contact with any of them, let me know. (Full list of official Transition Initiatives here.)

You'd be forgiven thinking that you've stumbled into a Transition Holiday Brochure with all these beachy sunsets. If I were post-rationalising the choice of pictures, I might say that we're at the sunset of the oil age... but that would be a bit corny.

Brighton&Hove, UK

  • Wiki link to Brighton&Hove
  • London's "riviera"
  • Population close to 500,000
  • Prides itself on being very forward looking
  • Home to the UK's first earthships
  • Has a history of innovations in transport:
    • Has the world's oldest operating electric railway
    • In July 2006 Brighton imported Tuc-Tucs from Asia, as a new and fun way to get around the city. Brighton is the first city to have Tuc-Tucs outside Asia.
  • On 1-Sep-07, hosted the annual World Beard and Moustache Championships
  • Has a bunch of hardcore surfers who spend hours bobbing up and down on gentle ripples, dreaming of the right hander point breaks along the Sunshine Coast in Australia

Sunshine Coast, Australia

  • Wiki link to Sunshine Coast
  • The first of our southern hemisphere Transition Initiatives, and an oustanding example of proactive resilience building and carbon reduction
  • Sunshine Coast had already travelled far on its powerdown journey before encountering the transition movement. Clearly the transition meme has been slowly emerging around the world in the last few years. We're honoured that they want to be part of this growing network.
  • Unlike Brighton, has a bunch of hardcore surfers who spend hours actually surfing on real waves
  • Transition centre is based around the Sunshine Coast Energy Action Centre where they have:
    • a peak oil and climate change education centre which opened about 2 months ago offering free education to the community
    • a great website and resource centre for sustainable living
    • permaculture trainings and much more

Portobello, Scotland

  • Wiki link to Portobello
  • Coastal community in Edinburgh
  • Like Sunshine Coast, Portobello has been undertaking its own transition based on the pressures of peak oil and climate change for a number of years
  • Were inspired early on by Kinsale's EDAP and didn't wait for the Transition Network to get into gear - they just got on with it
  • Population of 10,000
  • Successfully fought off a superstore in 2005
  • Currently organising a gruelling transition speaker tour of Scotland for December. I'm looking forward to haggis and bagpipes, but not the drizzle...

Market Harborough, UK

  • Wiki link to Market Harborough
  • Population 20,000
  • Somewhat harsh entry in wikipedia re economic resilience, "Due to the council's decision making, Harborough town centre is starting to be over-run by large, faceless companies like Starbucks and Subway."
  • However, they're fighting back with the Harborough Chamber of Trade's campaign, "Shop Harborough: Support Your Independent Traders."
  • Continuing the resilience angle, apparently it has an ailing sewerage system, "Pub in Market Harborough town centre pub had suffered serious sewage floods in four of the last six years". Mebbe they should stop flushing the stuff away and compost it instead.
  • No beach, but a lovely canal
  • And on a lighter note, town traders have agreed not to sell eggs or flour to unaccompanied under-18s in the run up to Halloween. The inevitable unintended pun appears on the poster, which says, "Leicester police are cracking down on..."

Notable new "Mullers"

It's only a matter of time till Interpol starts intercepting our phonecalls. We're often saying things like, "The rate of new mullers is explosive!". Trouble is, mullers can sound like "Mullahs", and that innocent terminology will get those hair trigger terrist alarmbells ringing faster than you can say "rendition". If Transition Network goes quiet for a while, you'll know why...

In fact, the rate of new mullers getting in contact is somewhat overwhelming. We're getting at least 5 per day, with New Zealand going crazy following a visit by one of our advisors, Richard Heinberg, and now at 26 mullers.

Ireland is at last picking up with new mullers from County Clare, County Wexford, Newport and Tralee.

Belgium's on the map now with Antwerp, and another Canadian Island, Cortes, has been in contact.

Mexico and Uruguay are the first from Central/Southern America with Ciudad Victoria and Montevideo.

The official list of "mullers" is here.

Recruitment - your network needs you

The Transition Network requires an Office Manager to help build an organisation that's worthy of the communities who are heading off on the transition journey.

Here's what's needed:

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Our exciting new national charity, Transition Network, requires an experienced, adaptable and adventurous individual to help set up and manage a busy office.
Transition Network has been set up to inspire, encourage, support, train and network communities to creatively plan their local responses to Peak Oil and Climate Change. Initial funding has been secured from the Tudor Trust and Esmee Fairbairn.
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you'll be expected to handle the demanding role of office administrator with a meticulous eye for detail and the no-nonsense efficiency of a seasoned diplomat.
Your IT skills (MS Office) will be highly valued, as will your ability to set up procedures around cash, diaries, post and office supplies. Experience in running events or conferences will be a distinct advantage.
The role may involve periodic travel around the UK.
  • Contract: initially for 12 months
  • Hours: 37.5 weekly
  • Salary: £15k (1% paid in Totnes Pounds)
  • Location: central Totnes
  • Interviews: will commence from 5-Nov
Preference will be given to low carbon commuters.
Please send your cv by email, explaining how you could make a great addition to our team to: benbrangwyn AT transitionnetwork DOT org

New content on Transition Network website

14-Sep-07, Rob on hi-def video: IFG Teach-in

Rob's video, from conference held in Washington last month is now available for download. Rob didn't fly, instead he sent the video to the International Forum on Globalisation’s Teach-in: "Confronting the Global Triple Crisis - Climate Change, Peak Oil, Global Resource Depletion & Extinction", thereby saving nearly three tonnes of CO2.
If you'd like the high definition version of this for showing at an awareness raising event, follow the link below. The file is called "Rob Hopkins Washington IFG Conference Oct-07.mpg" and it's 330.98 MB, so don't expect it to download in a twinkle.
Download the hi-def video file here.
This presentation is also available in "lo-def" at YouTube: part I, part II, part III

This month's "something to get you pissed off "...

... and ready to take action on.

It's us vs the Climate Change trivialisers.

And they'll be there in their droves in Bali for the UN meeting that the US were shamed out of boycotting. Will Gordon be able to deliver on his July 07 assertion "we must agree the outline for a bold climate plan"? Unlikely, seeing as he believes the EU's 20% CO2 reduction by 2020 to be an outrageously excessive target .

So what can you do? Apart from transitioning as if your life depended on it, you could join the National Climate March in London on Saturday 8-Dec. See details here.

It's part of an International Day of Action and one of many demonstrations on climate taking place all around the world on the same day, midway through the UN Climate Talks in Bali.

Transition Initiatives Primer

Now up to version 24 . For those who want to know what's changed, there's a section at the front called "Significant Changes".

80,000 brilliant engineers looking for potential transition project

Every few days something pleasantly shocking happens within this emergent transition movement.

A short while ago, I heard from a new recruit at IMechE - the venerable Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

He's one of four new arrivals at very senior positions there, and it's their job to drive ecological thinking and sustainability into the heart of the organisation and beyond, using the institute's considerable influence within government and business. There's one person for each of: energy, transport, waste and environment.

So a week or so later I'm marching up the stairs of the very impressive building near Whitehall to discuss the role that IMechE can play in transitioning our fossil fuel addicted way of living to something sustainable.

My cynic's antenna was on overdrive, but relaxed a bit in the lobby were I saw a screen giving realtime data on the carbon emissions of the building, along with a list of the actions they're taking to reduce CO2.

Any residual cynicism was allayed during my meeting. This institute is absolutely determined to use the prodigious talents of their members to make our way of life more sustainable.

There was no pretending we're not facing serious problems with fossil fuels. "Localisation" meant exactly the same to him as it does to me. We shared a very similar vision of a renaissance of local manufacturing.

Inevitably, we danced around the "economic growth" question, but the institute's primary aim of "decoupling ecological devastation from economic growth" is very worthy, and some would say, practicable.

Funds and engineers, looking for a project

IMechE are looking for, and have budgeted for, a potential showcase engineering project within one of the transition initiatives. I'm envisioning an ingenious but non hi-tech engineering solution to, perhaps, a waste or energy problem that'll demonstrate IMechE's ecological intentions and deliver significant value to the transition initiative. If you think you have a candidate project - lemme know.

Who'd have thought it, eh?

Partners' corner - Schumacher college

Ethical Pioneers course

Transition Network works very closely with Schumacher College. There's an interesting course entitled Ethical Pioneers coming up and we've arranged a 50% reduction in fees for a limited number of places for those involved in a Transition Initiative (even if it's at an embryonic stage).

Here's a quick summary:

In these times of great change, how do we create projects, organisations and businesses that engage with sustainability and ethics?
This residential course provides a unique opportunity to explore this question. You will develop practical skills to build capacity and motivation to help you achieve your vision. This highly interactive course is designed for existing and aspiring ethical entrepreneurs who are developing a project and want to move their vision forward.
Dates: November 26 – December 8, 2007

On a personal note, the college made a massive contribution to my own journey into this transition role. Getting Gaia'ed by Stephan Harding was a highlight, as was the "Life beyond Oil" course I attended last year. Something happens to people when they attend a course at Schumacher. There seems to be a significant ecological shift inside and nothing's quite the same again.

Please email me directly if you want to pursue this.

Partners' corner - new economics foundation

Clone Town Britain Survey II

Local economies are like leaky buckets. And the more national and international chain stores and businesses you have, the leakier it'll be.

This is one of the first "resilience indicators", and we see it as a very useful first step in figuring out just how resilient your community might be.

So, is your town a Home Town or Clone Town?

Completing the Clone Town Britain Survey II is simple. Download it here, print it out, spend 30 minutes strolling along your high street filling in the survey, then send it back to nef. They'll collate the results and use the research with their usual genius and aplomb.

Lewes has done theirs. If you've done one, please let us know.

Toolkit for exploring community enterprise opportunities

nef are looking for partners to run a trial version of a new community enterprise tool. This toolkit follows the highly successful 'Plugging the Leaks' tool for local economic development, and now brings a new focus on enterprising solutions to local environmental sustainability.

This process will involve collaborating to map local resource flows and raising awareness on environmental sustainability, typically leading to the discovery of new enterprising opportunities by local people.

If you live in a community that would like to get involved with this project, please get in touch with nef on 0207 820 6310 or email Tim Chambers at nef.

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