The Transition Movement aims to help communities become more resilient in response to impacts from outside such as peak oil and climate change. It began in 2005 in Ireland and has since spread internationally. Transition initiatives are community-led processes that strengthen communities by promoting localization, permaculture, alternative currencies, and skills sharing. The goal is to create a future the community wants rather than having one imposed upon it. While the success of this social experiment is uncertain, acting at a community level may be enough to create resilience just in time.

1. Transition Movement
also known as the
Transition Town Movement

2. What is a Transition Initiative?
A place where there's a
community-led process that helps that
town / village / city / neighbourhood
become stronger and happier.
Resilience
the ability of a system or community to
withstand impacts from outside.
- Transition US

3. Impacts from the outside
End of cheap energy
(Peak Oil)
Climate Change
(global warming) (weird weather)
Economic Contraction / Instability
(collapse)
= Really Big Change
(the end of the world as we’ve known it)

4. A very brief history
2005: Ireland
Rob Hopkins &
Permaculture students
Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan
2006: UK: Transition Town Totnes
Transition Network establish
2007: Transition US

5. Localization & Reskilling
Permaculture
Seed: saving / exchanging / libraries
California Oklahoma City, OK
Gleaning to feed families in need
Local Food Local / Alternative Currencies
Colorado
Sarasota, FL

6. Soil fertility workshop
Clothes mending evening
Cadillac, MI
Ann Arbor, MI
Solar hot water heater construction Emergency
Communication Hub
Folk Schools
Sebastapol, CA
Seattle, WA
Sandpoint, ID

7. 1st community owned solar power station
Refurbishing historic oil lamps
Lewes, UK
Malvern, UK
Trashcatchers Carnival Veggie planting at tube station
Crowd-sourced
London
London

8. Inner Transition
In the end this is about a change of heart; if that
does not happen alongside the windmills, I’m not
sure there’s really any point.
(Overheard at a Transition meeting)
Personal Resilience
Positive Visioning
Change is happening – our choice is between a
future we want and one which happens to us.
Emergence

9. Cheerful disclaimer!
“Just in case you were under the impression that Transition
is a process defined by people who have all the answers,
you need to be aware of a key fact.
We truly don't know if this will work. Transition is a social
experiment on a massive scale.
What we are convinced of is this:
• if we wait for the governments, it'll be too little, too late
• if we act as individuals, it'll be too little
• but if we act as communities, it might just be enough,
just in time.”

10. For more info
• transitionnetwork.org :
• transitionus.org :
• transitionculture.org : Rob’s blog
an evolving exploration into the head, heart and hands of energy descent

11. Credits:
Presentation / Power Point by Bonnie Hendricks
November 3, 2011
Photos thanks to numerous Transition Initiative websites