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Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on April 8, 2009 at 10:43am

I included the hot links to what I had to say on the topic in the introductory discussion area but have decided to go ahead and post it here. I really would love to hear what you and other folks around the country feel the Transition Movement is all about and what the goals are of the people involved with it.

What is Transition Ohio all about and what are the goals of the people involved with it?
by K. Jacobson, Broadwell Hill


A fellow buckeye, temporarily in Maine, recently joined Transition Ohio and asked the question: So, what is Transition Ohio all about and what are the goals of the people involved with it?.

I think this is a most excellent query! Thank you for posting it Arlene!

Of course, it is not something that just one participant can answer but I thought I'd share my perspective with the hope that others may also respond with their take on the matter.

kj's response:

If you scroll down on the main page you'll find links to lots of info about the Transition Initiatives movement that is blossoming around the globe. (I also hear the New York Times is going to be running an article about it on April 16th.)

Transition United States also has links to all the state sites, some global initiatives as well as other info.

Transition Maine has 29 folks on it at this time. I like the introduction they have on the Maine page and your questions make me think we may need to add more clarifying info right up front on the Ohio main page.

This is what they have posted on their main page:
TRANSITION MAINE is a networking site for those interested in exploring and/or implementing the Transition model in their community. This site is being created through grassroots participation, and is continually evolving. It is a spontaneously arising effort to connect 'transitioners' with each other and to encourage and support the development of local Transition Initiatives.

The Transition approach empowers communities to squarely face the challenges of peak oil and climate change, and to unleash the collective genius of their own people to find the answers to this momentous question:

For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how are we going to:
- drastically reduce carbon emissions (in response to climate change);
- significantly rebuild resilience (in response to peak oil);
- and greatly strengthen our local economy (in response to economic instability)?

Transition Initiatives make no claim to have all the answers, but by building on the wisdom of the past and accessing the pool of ingenuity, skills and determination in our communities, the solutions can readily emerge. Now is the time for us to take stock and start re-creating our future in ways that are not based on cheap, plentiful and polluting oil but on localized food, sustainable energy sources, resilient local economies and an enlivened sense of community well-being.

I would really like to hear from other Transition Ohioans about how we might improve our site. Let me know if you have any suggestions as I can add/change (most) things here.

I really like the fact that Arlene asked about our goals.

I certainly fantasize about becoming more united in our efforts toward a common goal. What would that goal be?

My contribution to the table at this time: To acknowledge the changes that are happening, to get prepared, to develop an energy descent plan and other worse case scenario plans toward strengthening our community resiliency while establishing more balanced and sustainable systems for future generations and all life on this planet.

What changes are we talking about?

Well, the economic situation is rather shaky, climate change is triggering numerous complex and dynamic shifts with related effects that are difficult to predict, we've built a civilization fueled by oil which is very toxic and bound to run out. Water resources are threatened, human and other species' immune systems are threatened...I suspect you get the idea.

So what are we going to do about it?

The Transition Initiatives model offers a very positive goal oriented approach. Instead of re-inventing the wheel and/or groping around in the dark... doesn't it make sense to learn how other folks are changing their lives, rebuilding their communities, creating energy descent plans and forming alliances with other neighborhoods all the way up to State and Federal levels? Doesn't it make sense for us to give it a shot as well while adapting it to meet our respective needs in our local communities?

It's a bottom-up/top-down systems approach that offers tremendous potential but it seems many people automatically assume that the Transition Initiatives are just about all the green stuff, gardening and other efforts environmentalists have been pursuing all these years. Don't get me wrong, such efforts are great and very much needed, it's just that the situation is urgent and in my opinion, we need to look around for other ways to make our efforts more effective.

I know there are a few folks on the Transition Ohio site who have read the materials, attended the trainings and are well-informed about the model. I'm thankful for their efforts while also hoping that more folks will feel inspired to really look into what the model has to offer, take a leadership role in their own neighborhoods and cointelligently move forward with local planning and unified action oriented projects while also linking arms in a broader collective effort.

We started a group on the TO site called "the mullers" for folks who have read the Transition Initiatives materials, who are trying to implement it in their own communities while also networking with others around the state and beyond. The group is open to everyone who has read the Primer.

The Mullers group is set up as a place to collectively explore, share perspectives and ask questions about the different Transition materials like the Primer, Handbook, etc. It's also there for information sharing, brainstorming and collective planning toward efficient and effective planning when we decide to unify our efforts. There hasn't been much activity on the group yet however.

A phrase folks may hear these days is moving from silos to systems. It depicts what many people from many different sectors feel is our biggest need and challenge at this time. And of course, to move from a silos approach to a systems approach it requires that we give increased attention to communication skills, complex and dynamic system characteristics and collective goal setting and planning.

It also requires that folks humble themselves to the fact that how we may have perceived the world around us and everything we thought, all the decisions that we've made in the past, may actually be terminally flawed. Afterall, we apparently have overlooked the unintended consequences of our actions in all sectors for a long time. It is also going to require a sincere interest to refrain from making assumptions and taking things personally while moving beyond "us vs them" mentalities and territorial, political and ego positioning.

It's not easy stuff to do as it involves evolutionary processes and shifting to another system path but we've got big challenges that require a global paradigm shift and it all starts with us as individuals. Let's start over with fresh eyes and perceptions and really listen to each other and the world around us.

I am very happy to be a part of this site even if it remains just a social networking site. Afterall, what matters most is what we each do in our respective areas but I see it having much more potential in terms of unifying our efforts toward more efficient and effective action...but as some folks say, one can't make a snake shed its skin before it's ready.

Not a lot has been focused on the doom and gloom approach of "you had better get ready" on the Transition Ohio site, or in other Transition efforts, because such an approach tends to just further overwhelm, disempower and cause folks to shut down even more.

The Transition Initiatives movement is so fun, positive and goal oriented that it is spreading like a virus. It encourages us to look at the challenges but focus on the opportunities. And, it all starts in our personal lives and local neighborhoods.

As Tom Atlee, Co-intelligence Institute shares:

Perhaps most remarkable is that the Transitions Towns approach engages people NOT by scaring them out of their wits or telling them what to do, but by providing powerful motivations, possibilities, and ways for them to explore creative local responses for and among themselves. There is no blueprint. The guidance provided involves tools, ways of talking and co-creating together, visions, and links to other people and resources engaged in this effort. What we do with all that is up to us.

I hope to hear what others think Transition Ohio is all about and what our goals are in this effort.

Love, kj