Transition Town Initiatives
From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience
Transition York Region
Sustainable Business Conference, Earth Rangers
October 18, 2010
We’ll be covering...
 what all the fuss is about
 the need for Transition
 the nuts and bolts of Transition Initiatives
 what has been achieved so far
 next steps
 how we can support one another
This work, just like the Transition model, is
brought to you by people who are actively
engaged in Transition in a community—people
who are learning by doing and learning all the
time, people who understand that we can’t sit
back and wait for someone else to do the work.
People like YOU, perhaps…
PEAK OIL
How will these
affect us?
CLIMATE
CHANGE
How can we
prepare?
ECONOMIC
INSTABILITY
Peak Oil
Discovery, Production, Demand
Oil producers (98)
Post peak oil producers (64)
www.lastoilshock.com
“The world has never faced a problem
like this. Without massive mitigation…
the problem will be pervasive and will not
be temporary. Previous energy transitions
were gradual and evolutionary.
Oil peaking will be abrupt and revolutionary.”
The Hirsch Report
U.S. Department of Energy
February 2005
Possible Energy Stories
for the Future
Techno-Fantasy
Peak
Energy
Preindustrial
culture
Agriculture
10.000yrs BP
Green-Tech
Stability
Post
Mad Max
Collapse
Future Time
Historical Time
Industrial
Revolution
Earth
stewardship
Baby
Boom
Great Grand
Children
“A supply crunch appears likely around
2013…given recent price experience, a
spike in excess of $200 per barrel is
not infeasible”
—Professor Paul Stevens
Chatham House
Photo: Sustainable Energy Security Report, Lloyds & Chatham House
The Need for Energy Transition
• The challenge of global climate change makes a shift
away from fossil fuels necessary for planetary
survival.
• The impending peak in oil and gas production means
that the transition is inevitable.
• Our only choice is whether to proactively undertake
the transition now—or later.
• Transition Initiatives make the transition feasible,
viable and attractive.
Who’s designing a creative, positive
energy descent? (Americas)
Who’s designing a creative,
positive energy descent? (Aus/NZ)
Who’s designing
a creative,
positive energy
descent?
(Europe and
beyond)
Who’s designing creative, positive
energy descent? (UK and Ireland)
In Canada
 In Ontario







Peterborough
Guelph
Dundas
Ottawa
London
Poplar Hill/Coldstream
Barrie
 Other Provinces:










Victoria, BC
Vancouver, BC
Nelson, BC
Powell River, BC
Salt Spring Island, BC
Cocagne, NB
Cowichan Valley, BC
Alberni Valley, BC
Golden Ears, BC
Woodstock, NB
Photo: Transition Victoria event, ‘The Capital” Newspaper article, Sharing
Circle at T4T Vancouver
The Beginnings
Transition Town Totnes
 Rob Hopkins, Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP)
 Cooperative, phased process of transition from fossil fuels
 2006 Great Unleashing
 Working groups launched projects
 Collaboration with town council
Photo: Planting Nut Trees, Totnes Pound, David Pearson/Rex Features, Guardian UK
How it is shaped
THE TRANSITION MODEL
For all those aspects of life that this community needs
to sustain itself and thrive, how do we:
•dramatically reduce carbon emissions (in response to
climate change);
•significantly increase resilience (in response to peak
oil);
•radically strengthen our local economy (in response to
economic instability)?
The 4 Recognitions
1. Life with less energy is inevitable and it is
better to plan for it than be taken by
surprise
2. We have lost the resilience to be able to
cope with energy shocks
3. We have to act for ourselves and we have
to act now
4. By unleashing the collective genius of the
community we can design ways of living
that are more enriching, satisfying and
connected than the present.
Photos: (top) Transition Whatcom feet! (centre) Transition Sandpoint’s Great
Unleashing (bottom) Sonya Wallace and Janet Millington, Transition Sunshine
Coast EDAP
The Goal: Resilience
 LOCALIZATION

From global > local
 AUTONOMY


From centralized > discrete and connected
From consumption > self-reliance
 COMMUNITY

From individual > collective
 ENERGY STEWARDSHIP


From depletion > stewardship
From growth > steady state
(re-use, repair, borrow, grow, make, share)
Photos: (top) TT Totnes event, (centre) Hands in the dirt Transition Whatcom
activity for the Perennial Project, (bottom) Transition Town Ashland Celebration
Parade
Unique Qualities







Open Source
Self organising
Solutions focused
Iterative
Sensitive to place and scale
Historic
Joyful
Photo: Brixton Pound, Local Currency, Transition Town Brixton, UK
How it is fueled
THE TRANSITION ECONOMY
Transition Economy
 New LOCAL Industries and Businesses:










Renewable energy
Sustainable agriculture
Local manufacturing
Active transportation and renewable
transport
Swap & Share, Re-purpose, Repair,
Salvage
Community-owned finance
Greening business and green business
launch consulting
Retrofit home construction
Sustainable waste management
Re-skilling for local needs gaps
Photo: courtesy TransitionUS flickr album
The Business Opportunity…
 Transitioning Existing Businesses






Lean & green audits (low carbon & low emissions)
Funding recommendations
ROI projections
Implementation consulting
Energy security risk management consulting
Carbon offsets (cap & trade)
 Launching Energy-Transition Businesses
 Operates on low-carbon / no-carbon / natural
resource-neutral
 Offers a low-carbon / no-carbon product or
service
 Creates a low-carbon / no-carbon supply chain in
client business
 Designs localization of business models
 Integrates business proposition into local
community resilience plan
Any product or service that helps individuals
or businesses transition away from fossil fuels
and promotes their self-sufficiency.
Photo: UK Publication profiling Low Carbon Start-Ups
The New Entrepreneurs
Andrew Heintzman
“Measured on the basis of green innovation and
capital investment, Canada is falling behind.”
However...
“Canada still has the time and the potential to
define a strategy for our companies and our
economy to be leaders in green innovation.
Our entrepreneurs are already pointing the
way. Now we must follow their lead.”
The New Entrepreneurs:
Building a Green Economy for the Future
How it is organized
THE TRANSITION STEPS
The 12 Steps
1.
Form an Initiating Group
2.
Raise awareness
3.
Lay the foundations
4.
Organize a Great Unleashing
5.
Form working groups
6.
Use Open Space
7.
Develop visible practical manifestations
8.
Facilitate the Great Re-Skilling
9.
Build bridges with local government
10. Honour the Elders
11. Let it go where it wants to go
12. Create an Energy Descent Plan
Photos: (top) David Johnson presenting at Vancouver T4T, BC, (centre) Ann
Arbor, MI T4T, (bottom) Transition Sebastopol, CA film night
Food / Energy / Economics /
Liaison with Local Government
/ Heart and Soul (& the
psychology of change) / Health
and Wellness/ Housing /
Education / Transport / Arts /
Local Economy / Meaningful
Work / Urban Design /
Business / Green Building
Transition Milwaukee meeting, 2009
What are the Groups up to?
Common Projects












loads of awareness raising talks,
movies, discussions
Skills sharing
seed sharing
local food directories
local currencies
oral history archives
planting fruit trees
starting up locally owned renewable
energy companies
garden share schemes
energy saving advice for the
community
central buying of trees for “city
orchards”
Sustainable fishing

Fix-it and mending courses

loads of re-skilling events, eg. Dr
Bike, composting toilets, reedbeds

working with local schools

cutting out plastic bags and holding
workshops on how to make fabric
ones out of scraps

getting sustainability books into their
libraries

car share schemes

community supported agriculture
schemes

guerilla gardening

permaculture courses

Peterborough Town Crier
The 12 Steps
1.
Form an Initiating Group
2.
Raise awareness
3.
Lay the foundations
4.
Organize a Great Unleashing
5.
Form working groups
6.
Use Open Space
7.
Develop visible practical manifestations
8.
Facilitate the Great Re-Skilling
9.
Build bridges with local government
10. Honour the Elders
11. Let it go where it wants to go
12. Create an Energy Descent Plan
Photos: (top) David Johnson presenting at Vancouver T4T, BC, (centre) Ann
Arbor, MI T4T, (bottom) Transition Sebastopol, CA film night
How it is measured
WHAT DOES TRANSITION SUCCESS
LOOK LIKE?
Resilience Indicators
• Percentage of food consumed
locally that was produced
within a given radius
• Ratio of car parking space to
productive land use
• Degree of engagement in
practical re-localization work
by local community
• Proportion of the community
employed locally
• Number of businesses owned
by local people
• Percentage of local trade
carried out in local currency
• Amount of traffic on local roads
• Percentage of essential goods
manufactured within a given
radius
• Percentage of local building
materials used in new housing
developments
• Number of 16-year-olds able to
grow 10 different varieties of
vegetables to a given degree
of basic competency
• Percentage of medicines
prescribed that have been
produced within a given radius
Cheerful Disclaimer
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.
Next steps - LEARN
1. Read the Handbook
2. Training for Transition (T4T)
www.transitionnetwork.org/about/training
3. Surf the Transition Network
• www.transitionyorkregion.org
• www.transitionnetwork.org
• Peterborough, Guelph, Barrie, Dundas, Victoria
Photo: Transition Town Totnes community garden share
Next steps – STAY CONNECTED
1. Join our Mailing List
2. Join our Website (NING network)
3. Join our Facebook Group
www.transitionyorkregion.org
info@transitionyorkregion.org
Photo: Transition Town Totnes Graveyard Orchard, community garden share
Next steps – GET INVOLVED
1. Form or join a Working Group
–
Talk to us and then go for it!
2. Next Events
– Oct 18th, 8am-4pm – Green Business
Exhibition, Earth Rangers
– Nov 11th, 7pm-9pm – Guest Speaker
Mike Nickerson, Aurora
– Nov 25th, 7pm-9pm – In Transition
1.0 Film Screening, Vaughan
Photo: Transition Town Totnes Graveyard Orchard, community garden share
Questions and Discussion