Transition Living

Last night I went to hear Ben Brangwyn, the co-founder of Transition Network, speak. He was an interesting and enthusiastic speaker. He explained the problem of Peak Oil, which is that according to some estimates we could be running out of easily accessible petroleum in 40 or so years, so the price will be going up and become less and less affordable. So in a world where nearly everything depends on petroleum this will cause us big problems. It’s not just that so much of our energy, transport systems and agriculture depend on it, but also medicine, financial structures and pretty much everything.

Some people would dispute the seriousness of the situation and it is possible there is more petroleum than the oil companies and oil-wealthy countries want us to know about, but even so, we still have the problem of Climate Change, which more and more scientists and politicians acknowledge to be something that is really happening and that is very likely caused by human behaviour. This is the second major problem Transition Towns projects set out to deal with.

It seems the idea behind Transition Towns is to encourage local communities to build in resistance to Peak Oil by reducing their dependence on petroleum alongside developing lifestyles and infrastructures that contribute less and less to climate change

One thing seems very clear to me whether or not Peak Oil is a problem and that is that Western Society is based on an immoral greed, which is consuming the Earth’s resources in a profligate fashion. Moreover, instead of enjoying our wealth and the luxury most of us can afford, we are more and more dissatisfied and miserable, stressed and depressed. Wealth and luxury clearly don’t bring happiness or deep down satisfaction.

We seem to be caught in a trap of working long hours for companies that deny us a decent family life or time for much of a social life. We live disjointed, disconnected lives on a relentless treadmill where mothers have little time for their children and fathers are increasingly absent for most of their children’s waking hours.

It is often the hunger for meaningful relationships and fulfilling work that make us feel cravings for more and more stuff, but however much we buy that emptiness and feeling of incompleteness remains. The brand new car or kitchen, the latest gadget, even the exotic holiday leaves us feeling dissatisfied, so we consume more and more in an attempt to fill the void inside us. The adverts tell us this product will do the trick, but it never does. It’s time to sit up and realise that adverts are not about improving our lives, but merely ways of selling us products we hadn’t realised we need because we don’t actually need them.

We may feel helpless, but we can do something to change the situation and even the way we think.

The only person anyone of us can really change is ourselves, so if we see a problem we have to work out what we can do about it ourselves. This is a big problem and it needs a Big Change. Big Change is scary, as anyone who has tried a strict diet after years of self-indulgence, or a gruelling fitness routine after years of neglecting to tone their body knows, we soon feel overwhelmed and give up.

The answer is to tackle the Big Change in small bite sized chunks. This is the model Transition Towns proposes.

I’m not sure how ready my fellow citizens are for changing their ways and the town’s infrastructure. I’ve been approached by someone who is wondering about setting up a steering group to get our town thinking about the idea, but having just stepped down from the Fairtrade Town steering group due to lack of general interest I am feeling a bit wary of getting involved in something similar. I’d like to know how things are progressing, but for now I’m happier considering what I can do to bring about a transition in my own life from one that depends hugely on petroleum and contributes a great deal to the problem of climate change to one that does so much less.

Having already made some changes in my life and lifestyle as a result of being part of the Year of Living Generously (now known, as it is continuing after 4 years, as the Generous project) and a local ethical living group, I feel inspired to see what other changes I can be making in my life and what changes there are that I've already made that I can build on.

Change can also be exciting and energising, especially when it is change for the better.

Rob Hopkins, another co-founder of Transition Network, has written a book, The Transition Handbook, which sounds like it should tell you everything you want to know if you are interested in finding out more, but I haven't actually read it . . . yet.

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