Introduction to Transition Movement

Transition Towns:

Concept and movement about how to transform whole world into a more resilient one

Resilience: capacitiy to deal with and overcome crises

Movement started by deep analysers of society - they stated that the current system is not sustainable or resilient, it depends strongly on resources that are not renewable

--> how can we form better systems? (systems approach)

instead of being depressed: development of vision that can be adapted and developed more precisely by local communities

no ideology behind TT

local projects are set up, it's about the contact to the whole community and flexibility to whatever comes

different tools to work with: e.g. peer to peer learning to understand peak oil, depts, ...

-isolating problems make it easy to find so called solutions that actually don't work when you look at the complex system

- we have to deal with uncertainty

- resilient system has to be able to adapt to changes

-we are faces many huge problems like desertification, pesticides, pollution, lack of water, loss of fertile soils...it's about everything (humanity's problems)

- different approaches: e.g. green technology in contrast to buen vivir (What do we really need to lead a good life?)

- can we find a common vision?

Background of Transition movement:

-permacultural ideas of Rob Hobkins and his students --> development of ideas, bringing in principles of permaculture

-nature movement

Transition Town movements deal with many different areas like food, health, economy, mobility...

TT WItzenhausen:

focuses mainly on food & health, making connections but also other issues

projects and campains like edible town, urban gardening, providing fruits that can be picked in the city, local food coops, open kitchen, gift cupboard...

.cultural landscape conservation: conserving local cherry orchards and traditional farming methods

-transition house (activites like sewing, painting, massaging)

-GROWL

-fundraising

-organisation

ideal: cooperation with everybody