Severe trouble ahead, community suggestions to get through

The Transition Movement is comprised of vibrant, grassroots community initiatives that seek to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Transition Initiatives differentiate themselves from other sustainability and "environmental" groups by seeking to mitigate these converging global crises by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self reliance and resilience. They succeed by regeneratively using their local assets, innovating, networking, collaborating, replicating proven strategies, and respecting the deep patterns of nature and diverse cultures in their place. Transition Initiatives work with deliberation and good cheer to create a fulfilling and inspiring local way of life that can withstand the shocks of rapidly shifting global systems.

It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: How can our community respond to the challenges and opportunities of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis?

The Transition Model, as outlined in the Transition Handbook, provides a framework which includes the following:

Guiding Principles
Guidelines
"12 Ingredients"
"7 Buts"
Scales

During the process the community recognizes these two crucial points:

That we used immense amounts of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability on the way up the energy upslope, and there's no reason for us not to do the same on the downslope.

If we collectively plan and act early enough, we can create a way of living that's significantly more connected, more vibrant and more fulfilling than the one we find ourselves in today.

The Transition model is based on a loose set of real world principles and practices that have been built up over time through experimentation and observation of communities as they drive forward to reduce carbon emissions and build community resilience. Underpinning the model is a recognition of the following:

Peak Oil, Climate Change and the Economic Crisis require urgent action
Adaptation to a world with less oil is inevitable
It is better to plan and be prepared, than be taken by surprise
Industrial society has lost the resilience to be able to cope with shocks to its systems
We have to act together and we have to act now
We must negotiate our way down from the “peak” using all our skill, ingenuity and intelligence
Using our creativity and cooperation to unleash the collective genius within our local communities will lead to a more abundant, connected and healthier future for all.

The Transition Movement believes that is up to us in our local communities to step into a leadership position on this situation.