In Transition 1.0 - From oil dependence to to local resilience.

Transition towns. When my editor asked me if I could think a story to write for a special pullout on sustainability, I said "transition towns". I had tossed off the topic lightly, not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I mean, I could talk to some local people (not many) about the concept and then look at the movement and what it had done worldwide. I had some vague plans to download a book on transition on my kindle...yeah, so glad I got that thing although it does not make for my favourite way of reading...and then, well, I had interviewed all of one person, and read part of the book (it seemed to spend an inordinately long time on peak oil...I hadn't even gotten to the part about what the towns could do to get the movement going) when I started googling it...like, for real.

And I came across two movies that had been made by the Transition Network. The first, which is what I'm featuring today, introduces you to the concept.

All our news over here has been bad lately. So much focus on so much bad. It feels like a purgation really, and I guess we couldn't ignore it and look on the bright side about what's still going right...that never works does it?

But I thought something uplifting from across the world...actually so many communities, local towns, are getting involved. It helps to remember that even if governments screw up, people can make it better. It helps people to reclaim their power and their ability to make a change.

I think what the modern, super-connected, internetted to the nth degree world has given us is, ironically, disconnection. And this is about throwing off those shackles and finally, finally, reconnecting.

And it has a really uplifting feel to it. If you have watched nothing else, read nothing else on this blog, please watch this. And then go out there and make it happen.