Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David E Greenwald on April 18, 2009 at 6:26pm

Hi Kevin;

I am a Transition Trainer and a member of the Louisville CO Initiating Committee

We are working with Center for Resource Conservation on a number of fronts - it helps that one of our Initiators is a former Board President of CRC

they have members who live in Louisville - those folks 'get it' on Peak Oil Climate Change so they are prime candidates for joining Transition Louisville

second, we provide a PHYSICAL city and neighborhood locale for them to carry out their CRC initiatives
for example, we Transition Louisville will be sponsoring a Home Energy Open House program in September - they provide know how and marketing materials - we coordinate and provide visibility through our Awareness Raising programs -

so its a win win

my opinion? green orgs are stove pipes that do not focus in on a city or neighborhood - WE DO THIS

these are practical non theoretical differences

cheers
david

Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on May 1, 2009 at 8:40am

Hi David, Kevin and all!

We are also meeting and communicating with many people who appear to be automatically thinking that the Transition Initiatives model and movement is just anotehr green/sustainability initiative.

I am an Athens' Own team member, a for-profit business to fund our community efforts, and a number of Ohio University communications/PR students have just applied for Internships over summer. It seems the predominant assumption is that Athens' Own and the Transition Movement in general is an environmental initiative.

I wrote the following and thought I would post it here as well.

If these students decide to work with us and address this communication/PR matter we would love their work to also be of service to the greater good.

Any other thoughts as to how you see the Transition Initiative being different from other green/sustainability intiatives? If we can explain it to these students in a fashion they can comprehend perhaps they will be able to produce some public education/PR materials that can be shared between all of us.

Take it easy,
kj

Hello Constantine and all!

Also, it appears what I wrote below is an additional insight with regards to Constantine's question within the Athens' Own group...Just suppose you are trying out for the communications staff of Athens' Own, why should the pandemic information be of interest to us?)

First, do folks think that Athens' Own, with its tag line: Sustainability for Generations, is only about environmental matters?

If so, this is also a topic that provides a great educational and public outreach opportunity as Athens' Own is clearly not focused on just environmental matters.

We also know that new folks tend to assume that the Transition movement is just another environmental/sustainability movement as well.

Why is that?

Are people not reading or comprehending the information related to the Transition Initiatives model and movement?

Is it a symptom of our habits related to the ruts of our pre-programmed assumptions and patterns?

There is actually a discussion, waiting for input, on the Transition US site about this matter as it is a challenge for other folks around the country. The Athens' Own communications staff could therefore be of great assistance in clarifying this matter in a way that has the potential for national outreach and education.

How does the Transition Movement differ from environmental/green/sustainability movements?

If Athens' Own is just about environmental/green business why would AO be interested in Pandemic flu matters?

If the Transition Initiatives model is nothing than another environmental/green movement why would I feel it appropriate to post an article about the pandemic on the Transition sites?

Perhaps it would help the students to remember that sustainability is about taking a balanced approach to social, economic and environmental aspects of the system.

Perhaps it would help others to remember that permaculture is more than just applied agricultural and/or other green type projects.

Also, building local community resiliency to address the challenges and opportunities of climate change and post-oil also includes building robust community systems to address any worse case scenario as everything is so intimately connected.

If/when the pandemic hits it's going to have MAJOR impacts on our social, economic and environmental systems.

It is too bad that we haven't been able to make more progress in our communication efforts so that more folks would understand what we're talking about and a more unified effort via the Transition Initiatives could get rolling in our local community.

The Transition Ning site is indeed a social networking site but it also offers us much more potential to serve as a communications medium in efforts to collectively get our acts together in terms of preparedness and the building of resilient local systems with a bottom-up/top-down approach.

Yes, we know we want to envision the future, re-learn and practice skills and develop realistic energy descent plans for our respective areas...but we also have the reality of "now" as we are entering into perhaps the most difficult phase of the transition.

But, we all know that folks don't tend to change until they hit a crisis so there might not be much we can do except to keep trying while watching it unfold around us with compassionate caring.

It seems like this matter, whether the Transition Initiatives are just another environmental/green movement, is a great challenge and opportunity for folks looking to utilize and test their communications and PR skills though.

And, perhaps it's the root cause that we need to address as a first step toward getting on the same page regarding the Transition Initiatives Model.

Talk to you later!

kj

Permalink Reply by Clive Prout on May 4, 2009 at 9:24am

I just got back from a T4T in Seattle. The question of what distinguishes the Transition movement from other green/sustainability initiatives was an alive topic there. What I took away as the distinction are the combination of the following aspects. Transition Initiatives have:

* A grass-roots, bottoms up approach. It is all about unleashing the creative genius of the local community
* A guiding process - the 12-steps; that is designed to build broad community involvement
* A broad scope including all issues that are relevant for the community to building local resiliance
* A recognition of the importance of head, heart and hands - the combination of theory, inner (emotional) work, and practical projects
* An emphasis on vision as a creative force. The belief that we can use the challenges facing us (PO, CC and economic instability) as a catalyst for creating a preferred future together.
* An emphasis on energy descent pathways and plans as part of it's mission.

What do you think?

From another perspective, the differences are not important. Perhaps, our approach to other people/groups does not need to be based in difference. It could be something like "We are all working together towards a better, more collaborative future. Where is there greatest resonance about the future we want to create together and what can we do together to bring it into being?"

With love,
Clive

Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on May 5, 2009 at 7:03am

Hi all,

Thanks Clive, nice summary. Glad to hear that it was a lively topic at the training you attended.

I agree that looking at the differences may not get us very far and that it would be more effective to connect with the similiarities and build from there. The challenge seems to be how to find a way to inspire folks to take a serious look at the Transition Model as it offers such a good focal point and guiding path for greater resonance and actually working together in a systems approach.

It seems folks just jump to assumptions related to the term "transition" and don't feel it is worth the time to really check out the Transition Initiatives approach. The fact that it is a model and guiding path toward greater collective effort seems to be missed by many; for some reason taking a step to find a common model seems to be a stumbling block.

I ran into a similiar pattern related to "holistic management". Folk assume it is just about holistic thinking and feel they already have that down so there isn't any reason to look into it more closely. Holistic Management, like Transitions, is a tool and model to help us all get on the same page and take steps forward toward our goals.

I don't have an answer. I just know the Transition INitiatives approach is great stuff; combines many different approaches into one and offers us great potential. I am thankful for the folks in other areas who are sitting down at the table really working together to learn about the processes and take the steps to bring it into being.

I have not given up hope that I may one day be able to join forces with others in our area within a Transition approach. In the meantime, the education, outreach and applied projects seems like the best I can do.

BTW, I am the steward of 65 acres of blessed land in southeast Ohio with a motherhouse powered by off-grid PV, heated/cooled by thermosiphoning/passive solar, solar hot water, intensive garden,humanure.... It would be fun to see the land develop further into an educational land lab, trails, accessible to all but it would even be more fun to have others join me who really want to pursue a transition initiative in this area. There is a school bus camper and a dome, lots of space for camping and dreams of little shelters, meditation huts in the woods. We have lots of trees, clay, sand, water here...cob would fit in very well. Maybe I should post an invitation somewhere on this site. In the meantime, if you know of anyone looking to do an internship or simply live in the woods for awhile feel free to invite them to contact me. kj

Permalink Reply by Jean Schanen on May 5, 2009 at 11:48am

To me, the big difference about Transition is that it builds a bridge from the fear and despair of Collapse to the ecstatic joy of realization that we are moving to the way of living where we've always wanted to be, from cultural alienation (where I've been since long before learning about Peak Oil) to fully functional community. Now, I'm not a survivalist building a bunker, I'm a confident, happy realist building a comfortable home in a peaceful neighborhood.

Permalink Reply by Robert Schultz on August 31, 2009 at 2:05pm

I'm new to the Transition Movement, and active as the WA State Leader for the Pickens Plan. I've been involved in promoting renewable energy, specifically to develop a plan for American Energy Independence. Part of the frustration in that, is dealing with Congress, a large body of politicians split into 2 dominant parties, fighting amongst each other, to make any legislative changes. Talk about INERTIA!

My understanding is, the Transistion Movement works to make changes at a local level, working within the community, usually independent of the governing bodies. Making lifestyle changes through a grassroots effort, by a loosely bound organization with common goals.

Clive Prout offered this summation:
Transition Initiatives have:

* A grass-roots, bottoms up approach. It is all about unleashing the creative genius of the local community
* A guiding process - the 12-steps; that is designed to build broad community involvement
* A broad scope including all issues that are relevant for the community to building local resiliance
* A recognition of the importance of head, heart and hands - the combination of theory, inner (emotional) work, and practical projects
* An emphasis on vision as a creative force. The belief that we can use the challenges facing us (PO, CC and economic instability) as a catalyst for creating a preferred future together.
* An emphasis on energy descent pathways and plans as part of it's mission.


I have quite a few questions, but I am intrigued by the possibilities.

* How will the Transition Movement work with Technology? This is an Internet group. How sustainable is the computer manufacturing industry?
* How will the Transition Movement handle Energy Policy? Beyond reducing energy uses through conservation, using local resources, and building more sustainability into the community. Will communities decide whether or not to use coal or nuclear power vs. wind and solar?
* What direction will transportation go? Mass transit, individual vehicles using very little energy, electric cars, hydrogen, biofuels, etc.

There are so many questions to consider, but I like the idea of working from the ground up. As communities begin to change and build resilience and sustainability, others will see their successes and want to follow a similar path. We can't count on Congress to legislate change, we need to work for awareness and building lifestyle changes.

Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on August 31, 2009 at 3:37pm

Hello Robert! Welcome to the Transition Adventure!
Thanks for all your efforts!

Here's my two cents to your points and questions:
To me, it's not just about making changes at the local level...it's a bottom-up/top-down effort to promote preparedness, adaptive efforts on the local, bioregional basis as well as to catalyze a paradigm shift at a global level.

To me, It's about individuals changing their lifestyles, learning new skills and building neighborhood networks. It's about building bridges and interacting, working with governing bodies; interdependency across the board. The challenges and opportunities we face are just to great to continue working in our silos. There is a lot of room for flexibility within the Transition Initiatives approach...some groups may decide not to become an official member of the International Transition Network and remain just a network of inter-related efforts, some choose well-defined organizational structures. Of course the common thread within transition (see the criteria) is the creation of a seed group that plans it's evolutionary demise from the get go. A good document to check out regarding organizational structure is titled Who we are and what we do

* How will the Transition Movement work with Technology? This is an Internet group. How sustainable is the computer manufacturing industry?

How do you, personally and in your neighborhood,plan to work with technology in a post oil world that promises to be extremely interesting...? What do you feel needs to be included in your energy descent plan in this regard?

I personally do not regard this and/or the Transition movement as an internet group. It is simply a group of folks with common interests, efforts, etc., utilyzing computer/internet technology as a tool while it still can. We all need to create our own neighborhood pods, interconnected by whatever modes of communication are available.

We are developing resilient forms of communication and when all else fails...there's amateur radio!

I would also like to share that I remember when the intenet did not exist as it does today...Grandmother Spider's web was quite active and helped with the connections around the globe...Grandmother hasn't gone anywhere and as we continue to develop a relationship with the natural world...our abilities to communicate via the ethers will also increase.

Here on the hill we are are keeping spare parts and developing our diy (do it yourself) skills with regards to computer technology and repair. It is a vulnerable technology and one needs to assume parts, etc., are going to be hard to come by, moreover it is a hi resource consumptive technology, the earth and the people are already being adversely effected by our addiction and a lot of toxic by-products are being sent oversees for recycling... creating very unhealthy conditions for the workers there.


* How will the Transition Movement handle Energy Policy? Beyond reducing energy uses through conservation, using local resources, and building more sustainability into the community. Will communities decide whether or not to use coal or nuclear power vs. wind and solar?

It sounds like you're perceiving that the Transition movement may be geared to developing an energy policy that works for everyone, across the board. It is up to the individuals and the respective communities to decide what to include in their energy descent plans. To me, but maybe not everyone, The Transition Movement could potentially be the moircophone and the pipeline to greater communication between local level, township, county, state, bioregion, and state, federal and perhaps emerge as a bottom-up policy move via true democratic dialogue...but we have a long ways to go in our efforts to reskill in the arenas of communication, teamwork, cointelligent processes.

I am assuming I am the only one with an tindependent off-grid electrtic system in the neighborhood. I have created a communications base, a space for a clinic for those who are dependent upon electric equipment or need to charge batteries. We also have a mobile PV system available should there be a need. We are also developing a resource directory with regards to who has generators, fuel sources, etc. I'd love to set up a stirling engine here, (produce electricity, grind food, provide heat, pump water, etc. with whatever available biomass is around), but it's currently out of my league.

* What direction will transportation go? Mass transit, individual vehicles using very little energy, electric cars, hydrogen, biofuels, etc.

We're laying out our plan based upon walking, running, bicycle distances between our neighbors. We're including horses in the plans as a way to broaden our ability to input/output products and services on a larger bioregional scale and to ensure a way to transport sick, injured, etc. We are creating lists of horse people, horses, wagons, etc., as well as the off-road routes. I am also seeking another electric golf cart that I can charge off my PV system. I have been blessed with the manifestation of the vision in many ways and work from home so I rarely have to drive anywhere. But, I do have home health consumers and am just waiting for an electric car to come on the market that will go faster than a golf cart:-) Again, the horses are my back up plan.

There are so many questions to consider, but I like the idea of working from the ground up. As communities begin to change and build resilience and sustainability, others will see their successes and want to follow a similar path. We can't count on Congress to legislate change, we need to work for awareness and building lifestyle changes.

And, we need to get prepared! Do wha you can to build greater resiliency on a neighborhood scale, connect with others to develop interdependent networks and get ready for an adventure of evolutionary proportion. I am very thankful to have experienced the early glimmers of a paradigm shift...I amnotruling out the possibility that we may be able to shift the pat we're on but to be honest I think it's too late, especially given how our policital beuracracies operate. Does it mean we should just give up and have a good time...maybe.

But, I say it's a lot more fun to take the bull by the horns, get ready to walk to the otehr side and have a heck of a lot of fun in the process. What a great challenge! If my neighborhood comes together to build greater community resiliency with an all hazzrd approach, we'll also be able to address our current problems more effectively. If your neighborhood, and Joes' and Jane's all do the same thing we can link efforts and better take care of everyone. There are Transition mushrooms popping up everywhere and our public leaders need our help...but not by trying to work within the current entrenched dysfuntional systems. The two approaches, i.e. bottom-up ad top-down, need to work together but it needs to happen by building a strong foundation on the local level while reaching out and building bridges to the realms of our communityy planners, responders, politicians and publilc leaders. I also personally think that it will help if we can create a unifed voice via the spokes council approach and speak up for accountability and efforts to ensure the health and well-being of our communities within worse case scenarios.

Yak, Yak, yak....thanks for providing me with the opportunity to get on a sopabox. You've got my two cents and you can do with it what you like.

I'd love to hear from you again and you're welcome to visit Transition Ohio and check out more of my writings oround that site and on the Broadwell Hill Learning Center and Resiliency Initiative group page.

Co-heartedly
Mamaka
One of the many Transition Midwives who just loves to dream, share in cointelligent chats while actively listening, learning, the steps to this most wonderous dance within the outrageously complex and dynamic systems of this planet and the universe!

Hi Ho Silver....Tally HO!

Permalink Reply by Robert Schultz on August 31, 2009 at 6:26pm

Kathy, Thank you for the great responses to some of my many questions.

I guess part of the reason I have so many questions, is because the Transition Movement doesn't set out to provide all the answers, it's just a framework for rebuilding after Peak Oil. That is where our local solutions, using our local resources and ingenuity, go to work to find the best solutions for our community, region, state, country, etc. This is different from the approach I have been using with the Pickens Plan, trying to gain support from Congress to pass legislation, Green Jobs, or Natural Gas Act 2009, for example.

Transition and Technology.
I think we will need to develop some new production, and recycling methods to maintain the resources used for computer manufacturing. We are connected worldwide by computers, cell phones, and other technology in ways that we never would have believed 50 years ago. Our ability to share thoughts and ideas across the country can be very helpful sometimes. We need to return to the old "neighborhood" way of living, but we can still be interconnected by modern technology networks.

Energy and Transition.
There are many different resources available for energy, and from the discussions I have had, some regions may be unwilling to go without energy when there is coal available, for instance. I do not wish to support coal or nuclear power, but there are ways of producing power from coal much cleaner than ever before, and new generation nuclear reactors can use uranium more efficiently with less waste material. However, my personal belief is that mining these resources is even more hazardous than their use as a fuel. Using biomass and plasma technology can create biofuels and electricity, and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. I would prefer to use cleanest, most renewable energy, such as wind, hydro, geothermal, and tidal power, whenever possible. When the air and water are poisoned and polluted, human beings will be looking for a new place to live.

I am very excited to learn more, and see the Transition Movement take place. My wife has said "I have what I need, and I need what I have." That really sums it up, returning to the old ways of living off the land, working together with your neighbors, to find a way to live sustained by what you have available.

Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on September 1, 2009 at 7:07am

Thanks for the dialogue guys! wonderful.

Since you brought up coal I thought I'd take the opportunity to place a personal touch on it as I live in coal country. The images are very real to me. Our beloved land in my immediate area is recovering but the scars are still there, the piles of slag are still around and many of the creeks are colored and called "Red Dog". As a people we need to get more active cleaning up that damage from the past...but instead, what do we do...just keep tearing up more land, destroying communities, spewing all the toxic by-products into the atmosphere. Driving by these coal plants is like a science fiction nightmare, especially when the sun catches the plumes just right. Driving on the roads with these coal trucks is also a nightmare.

It seems very few people are really aware of the coal issues, many probably don't want to even look into it as there are very few areas that don't currently get their electricity from coal. See:

ilovemountains.org is a most excellent site to peruse...lots of great info, music, cultural information.

The idea of further developing coal as an energy source is, as you probably know, a very complicated matter...history, jobs in a very impoverished area, mountain top removal, underground mines, open pits and all the consequences related to such practices. Have you heard how things are heating up between the coal companies, miners and the people? We're sitting on a powder keg. Any history, rumors, myths you have heard about the Appalcachian culture and coal all have some measure of truth...Matewan is a very good film and the series called the "Appalachians" is excellent.

We need folks to become informed all across the country and the world...coal should not be an option. We need help from others to help make sure the policy makers pursue green energy , green jobs, etc. There was a woman running for political office who has a great track record and I was going to vote for her...until she started campaigning for clean coal in order to get more votes.

I flew over the mountain top removal sites in a small aircraft long before the realities ever hit the news. Unbelievable! We are losing Wild and Wonderful West Virginia and the people are being raped again as well. They even changed the state brand to "West Virginia...we're open for buisiness!: a few years ago Thankfully there was such an outcry that they changed it back.

There really is no such thing as clean coal. As a RN and Hospice nurse the Ohio River Valley has long been referred to as Cancer Alley. My friend, Elisa Young, is at the forefront of the issues as her community is being blatantly effected; the number of her neighbors with cancer and respiratory problems is intense and there are plans for more plants, deep carbon wells, etc.

There is also talk of a nuclear power plant, waste disposal, etc.; another example of impoverished areas getting dumped on.

I wold like our leaders to be like good parents and step up to the plate to say, sorry kids...you are addicted to energy, are going to go through withdrawal but you simply must stop if we are to survive. After all we know most people don't change until they experience a crisis...and if we're going to continue down this path the crisis is going to be devastating. I hear these politicians talking and debating about things like how they couldn't possibly lower the speed limit to 55 mph because the people wouldn't have it....too bad...get real.

Anyways...sorry to have gone off on this tangent on this particular group but it does capture what is different about the Transition Initiatives and the environmental/sustainability efforts thsu far. It is not an us vs. them matter and we can't continue to approach it in that manner.

It is about the PEOPLE as David shared...the issues around coal are not black and white and if we don't reach out to the folks who are currently dependent upon coal to feed their kids we're just going put more fuel on the fires. Building bridges...

In the economic sector we're trying to identify the things we need, the things we can make in our area, besides electricity for the masses and the things we can sell to a larger target audience while internet sales and the transportation of goods is still possible... ...clothes, tools, candles, herbs, etc., etc. etc. Folks in other parts of the country can help by reducing the demand for electricity and flooding our region with dollars via the purchase of Appalachian products. We need replacement income to counter the money the coal industry brings into this area and then we can sit down at the table with our neighbors and rationally start talking about transitioning away from coal.

The Athens' Own site is in desparate need of rebirthing but it may give you a feel of what we're attempting and hopefully in the near future someone with the needed skills will appear and we'll have on-line sales capacity. There are also other similiar sites where products can be purchased to bring living wage, sustainable incomes to the people of Appalachia. So when the topic of energy and coal comes up, please don't forget about the people, the poverty, the health and the need we have for some form of sustainable economic growth that takes into account the scenarios that are already unfolding around us and picking up speed.

Permalink Reply by Robert Schultz on September 1, 2009 at 9:29am

Kathy, I have talked to people from West Virginia and other parts of Coal Country, and there are many on the right-wing that consider coal an essential part of their economic future. One gentleman on the Pickens Plan has come up with an excellent idea to use the CO2 captured from smokestack scrubbers to feed into greenhouses, growing trees to replant on mining sites. This may help somewhat with the damages caused by the coal industry, but it's still a band-aid where a tourniquet is needed.

It's not the use of coal or uranium that cause the most damage. It is the mining operations to get it out of the ground and separate it from the rock and soil it came from.

Permalink Reply by Kathy Jacobson on September 1, 2009 at 12:53pm

Glad to hear that you've spoken with folks from WV and other areas.

Yep, unless we can come up with an alternative to that version of an economic future it's going to be a very hard thing to stop. There really are folks who feel they have no option but to work for the coal companies. When it comes down to feeding the kids, health insurance, the whole gamet...what are folks suppose to do? Granted, some folks have lost touch with simple living and neighborhood networking but none the less the economic situation is dire.

I need to read up more on the Pickens Plan and will google it again one of these days.
Most of the time such materials and plans often seem to be based upon an old, out-dated way of viewing, interacting and making decisions but I remain open to the best of my abilities to all ideas.

Yeah, capture the CO2 to feed into greenhouses to grow trees to replant. We don't currently have problems growing trees and the soil is frequently so damaged on these sites the trees won't even grow until after some serious soil reclamation has happened. Why not make growing hemp legal for fibers, rope, clothing, etc., and pump the CO2 into those operations?

I have a good friend who I met in WV, great musician, who is working at the federal level on coal and nuclear reclamation sites and doing great things. I need to get back in touch with him about these things as well.

I am certainly not an expert but to me these pipe dreams about cleaning the coal, capturing the carbon, etc., are indeed expensive bandaids in a situation where a tourniquet won't even get us where we want to go. (If one decides to use a tourniquet one best be aware that you may indeed lose the limb in the process.) Plans to sequester or use the carbon in other ways seem to me to just keep us rolling down the same flawed system path.

It's hard for me to put the use of coal in a separate category...it's the whole shabang. The use of coal contributes greatly to climate change, spews out mercury and other heavy metals/gases to the point that our air is contaminated and many of our waters are contaminated with mercury to the point we can't drink the water or eat the fish anymore. We've already touched on the human health effects. Are scrubbers, carbon sequestration plans, etc., going to be a realistic approach to these challenges...and at what cost? I personally haven't heard of any technology or approach that is going to actually clean the coal contaminants in a way that makes sense in a comprehensive, holistic manner.

But, yes...the mining operations, the hunger we have to destroy everything to get to the coal no matter at what cost and to process it is certainly the most blatant evidence of the associated damage and destruction and the root cause of everything else. Let alone the stupidity of investing in these avenues to get more oil, more coal,more uranium when we know they are limitied resources with great consequences to the health of the planet.

Yikes! It's overwhelming to think along those lines and it causes me great anxiety. I can't do it if I value my personal health and quality of life....The Tranisition approach gives me a hopeful and exciting feeling, reduces my anxiety and makes me feel like I, we, can actually face reality and do something that may make a difference for our kids.

So how do we counter those that make the valid claim that coal is an essential part of the economy?

I just got back from a home visit and stopped by a shop called Bluebird Pottery out in the hicks. The owner is already employing a handful of people, probably some who have family who used to work or still do work for the coal industry around here.

I haven't actually been to the web sites she gave me but will in the near future...I'm also going to bring up some of the 100% local beeswax candles to her shop to display there.

Marietta Run Clay - The Blue Bird Pottery

She also gave me a card for Apricot Hills

In addition to putting up a defense from the Big Coal powerful offense...perhaps our resources can be directed to all the great cottage industries and other sustainable endeavors in these hills and mountains.

Don't give handouts but simply spread the word, buy the great products and/or distribute them in your areas to help the people thrive and prosper while caring for the environment...folks don't want to destroy their land, ruin the future for their kids...they just want to have a viable soruce of income.

Reduce the demand for coal by conserving and help get the word out about the sources of Appalachain sustainable products as a way to address the root cause of the problem...the local economy.

How many environmentalists fighting against coal, promoting green energy and/or getting paid to come up with fancy bandaids are actually conserving electricity or buying products from these regions?

To me it is another difference between those approaches and the the transition initiatives that advocate for sustainable interdependent networks. And, even though there were some fundamental flaws in the basic environmentalist approach as explored in the very good article "the death of environmentalism", I am finally seeing a shift in the movement and everyone's input and efforts are needed...it's all good and we just need to get out of our silos and learn to work together more effectively while having great fun!

Permalink Reply by David Eggleton on August 31, 2009 at 7:25pm

I think Transition is far more about people getting/working together in locales, as they are (increasingly) able, than most green/sustainability initiatives. So often, the latter focus first on improvement (less bad and more or less economic) via authority-selected things and practices, as if several key adjustments will be sufficient and as if people will never choose fruitful engagement with others just because they happen to live in the same place. Transition recognizes that whatever goes down, people will have each other, at least locally.

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