The Transition Movement is an emerging and evolving approach to fostering community-level sustainability and resilience. Originally conceived in Ireland and developed in England in 2006, the movement is spreading rapidly to communities around the world. There are currently about 200 official transition communities with many more in the planning stage. Nelson is Transition Town #192, the fifth in Canada to date.
The Transition movement is based on the assumption that we are at the end of the age of cheap, abundant oil, and that climate change and Peak Oil are twin challenges that must be addressed simultaneously. When the maximum production of oil has been achieved from all sources, we have reached “Peak Oil”. Production from many countries has already past its peak. Beyond that point, production tends to drop-off quickly and the oil becomes more difficult, costly and unpalatable to access and extract. Because of the climate changing effects of prolonged fossil-fuel use, it is better to leave as much of the remainder in the ground instead of the atmosphere.
It is the goal of the Transition Movement to facilitate, on a community scale, the smooth transition from fossil-fuel dependence through resilience-building, collaborative initiatives aimed at adapting lifestyles and developing resources to meet these converging challenges.
- Transition Culture – http://transitionculture.org
- Transition Towns WIKI – http://www.transitiontowns.org
- Transition Movie– http://vimeo.com/8029815
The following books are available at Otter Books in Nelson:
The Transition Handbook: From oil dependancy to local resilience by Rob Hopkins
http://www.transitionbooks.net/the-transition-handbook-from-oil-dependency-to-local-resilience-by-rob-hopkins/
The Transition Timeline: For a Local Resilient Future by Shaun Chamberlin
http://www.transitionbooks.net/the-transition-timeline-for-a-local-resilient-future-by-shaun-chamberlin/
The Transition Companion: Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times by Rob Hopkins
http://www.transitionbooks.net/transition-companion-by-rob-hopkins/