Comments on ‘Shaping the Transition Network’

Here are my preliminary comments on the document The Transition Network, A proposal for structure. There is discussion on this document at Transition Culture and on the Transition Towns Forum.

Overall: I think this is an excellent document, and where I don’t make any comment, it means that I support what is written.

1 Sects 3 and 4 Model and Purpose

Section 3, the visual model of the Transition Network as a cell – an organic wholeness, self-regenerating, growing – is much more powerful than the purpose in Section 4, which is limited to community resilience and the overcoming of dependence on fossil fuels.

“To help communities improve their resilience, cohesion and quality of life through taking self‐directed local action to overcome dependence on fossil fuels."

The later statement is much stronger because it is much broader:

“To dramatically reduce carbon emissions and massively increase resilience for all aspects of life that our communities, businesses and  organisations need in order to sustain themselves and thrive”

Moreover, the visual model includes another level: it is not just about individual communities functioning as an organic whole, it is about communities working together as an organic whole. Nonetheless, the more limited purpose is what is creating the buzz and acceptance for Transition Towns, because it is what people are worried about.

2. Principles of Transition - p. 11

“We won’t solve the problems created by the industrial growth system without fundamentally changing our systems for living on the planet.”

A hugely powerful statement, but it doesn’t say what the fundamental change is from or to. I suggest that it is from a fragmented global society, in which individuals, ethnic groups, nations, businesses are all pitted against one another, especially in the global economy, and to a coherent, organismic global society in which all levels are working together for the wellbeing of all people and the natural world.

This is what is implied by the visual model and what is missing from the purpose! Our real challenge is to develop that collaborative world and especially a collaborative economy, at least for ourselves.

Can we be explicit about that? Build it into the purpose and principles?

3. Additional principles for Transition District/City/Regional/Bioregional Initiatives - p.13 - 15

These principles are really implicit in the immediately preceding principles 2 and 4 for Local Transition Initiatives.

Why distinguish between the different types of regional initiative (city, bioregion, district, etc.)? Surely all are just there to support the more local initiatives that make them up, and the same principles of synergy, support, training, etc. apply to all. This doesn’t mean that all such groupings have the same character or structure, merely that they share a common set of additional principles.

For example:

Promote synergy between local initiatives: Set up regular channels of communication between the Local Initiatives in your district to ensure that they are aware of both good ideas and difficulties so all can benefit from this. Seek to maximise synergy between local initiatives, for example, by co-ordinating local food sources or local transport.

However, I do think that the national level is different, because it operates within different legal frameworks, different cultures and languages.

4. Section 8 - A Snapshot of the Transition Movement in 2011 - pp. 23 - 25

This section is extremely important. In fact, I suggest that an additional function of Transition Network Ltd. should be to develop and publicise this, engaging the individual Initiatives in it. It is the next step towards which we are all looking. It might be presented in the form of an unfolding soap opera or novel, perhaps as an animated cartoon, with commentaries and discussions.

As it is written, it concentrates too much on the formal aspects of Transition Initiatives and Network and barely hints at the social and individual changes in the lives of people in the movement. That, I suggest should be where the emphasis lies.

So, it might talk about the how local food initiatives have been taking hold, with many different schemes from CSAs to community gardens, and local delivery schemes, so that people active in Transition are getting much more of their food locally. That there are growing numbers of people using bicyles and walking, and organising community transport and delivery schemes. That many local transition initiatives have become the social centres of their communities, known for great parties, for example, holding many social events featuring shared local food, local bands and discussion. That they are becoming the focus of a new co-operative green economy, with people preferentially patronising the greener local independent businesses. Lots of new community structures provide a whole range of help, support and services. Many of these reduce people’s need for money in a time of economic austerity and provide those who need it with local part-time work.

And so on. Resilience and low carbon living beginning to happen!!! EDAPs in action!