by Jim Cole

A Transition Initiative (www.transitiontowns.org ) is an emerging and evolving approach that enables communities to develop a vision of a more resilient, sustainable future that responds to the interrelated peak-oil and climate change problems as well as fostering an enhanced quality of life. Based on the experiences of other ongoing Transition Initiatives (e.g. see www.bouldercountygoinglocal.com ), each community vision is likely to include several sustainability-focused relocalization initiatives and specific projects, such as expanding the use of locally grown, organic food, locally produced products and services and expanding the local production and use of renewable energy resources. The Transition Initiative process is compatible with and supportive of actions recommended by the Post Carbon Institute www.postcarbon.org ), Relocalization Network (www.relocalize.net ) and The Community Solution (www.communitysolution.org ).

This white paper summarizes the basic Transition Initiative approach being used by Rob Hopkins [1] in cooperation with 60 communities in England, Scotland, Ireland and other countries, including 3 towns in the US. Although the process of establishing a Transition Initiative is different for each community, the overall goal is to facilitate community discussion of the underlying peak-oil and climate change issues, permit each community to develop its own vision of the future that it desires to live into and enable the community to identify and encourage local economic relocalization initiatives that will help to support its vision.

The purpose of this white paper is to provide you with sufficient information about Transition Initiatives so you determine whether you are potentially interested in participating in future exploratory discussions about launching a Transition Initiative for one or more specific communities in San Luis Obispo County.

Four Key Assumptions of the Transition Initiative Process:
• That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is inevitable, and that its better to plan for it than be taken by surprise.
• That our communities presently lack the resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will accompany peak oil.
• That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now.
• That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us to creatively and proactively design our energy future, we can build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognize the biological limits of our planet.

Examples of Potential Outcomes of a Transition Initiative:
• Create a Community Energy Transition Action Plan- Including a Vision for 2030;
• Expand Efforts to Establish a Local Organically-Grown Food Economy;
• Develop a Local Economy for Sustainable Products and Service that Meet Community Needs;
• Explore the Psychology of Change and Establish Desirable Community Support Structures;
• Building Locally Including the Use of Locally Available Building Materials and Skilled Labor;
• Expanding Local Investments in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy;
• Establish Local Currency to Help Keep Economic Resources working within the Community.

Summary of 12 Steps of Transition Initiative Process used by Rob Hopkins with UK Communities

1. Set up a Steering Group to guide the Transition Initiative for a particular community of interest;
2. Raise awareness of Peak Oil and Climate Change Issues and their implications for the community; Use movies such as End of Suburbia, The Power of Community, and other films to facilitate the conversation about the potential benefits of a Transition Initiative;
3. Lay the foundation for a Transition Initiative by networking with existing organizations that may be interested or might be logically involved in a local Transition Initiative; emphasize that this is not a process of duplicating their work but requesting their input in a new way of looking at the future; acknowledge and honor the work they do, and stress they have a vital role to play.
4. Organize the “Official” Launching of the Transition Initiative in the Community; this might include music, performance, images from the community’s history and creation of a space for local groups to present their work.
5. Form smaller groups to focus on particular aspects of developing a Community Energy Transition Plan; smaller groups might include Local Food, Transportation, Energy, the Psychology of Change, Housing, Medical Care, etc.
6. Use Open Space Technology to encourage community participants to generate ideas for working groups and facilitate general community input;
7. Develop visible practical manifestations of the project; promote interim accomplishments in the local media such as planting local gardens, planting trees, celebrating solar panel installations, etc.;
8. Facilitate the Learning and Relearning of Basic Skills that will be needed by the community to implement its vision; offer widely available training such as master gardening, using energy efficient lighting in homes and offices, building energy efficiency improvements like insulating water heaters and installing high efficiency windows, using trees and light colored surfaces to reduce cooling loads on homes, fostering use of ventilation cooling, install solar electric and solar thermal systems, etc.
9. Build a bridge to local government; get local government officials wherever appropriate to facilitate implementation of the evolving community energy action plan including land use planning, modifications to building codes and standards, funding, etc.
10. Honor the Elders in the Community; conduct oral history interviews with older people to identify skills people used to have and resources that used to be available in the community;
11. Let the Transition Initiative go where the community wants it to go; be open to the possibilities created by the people involved in the process.
12. Create an Community Energy Transition Action Plan; Rob Hopkins recommends that this Plan should set forth a vision of a powered-down, resilient, relocalized future and creates a map for getting from present conditions to the future time period needs described in the plan; this Plan might also be called a Community Resilience Action Plan or an Energy Transition Pathway Plan.
Beyond the Twelve Steps… Rob Hopkins emphasizes that the results of step #12 is the beginning of the process of implementing the Plan. He envisions that the Transition Initiative changes and becomes, in effect, a relocalization organization whose job is to implement the Plan.

Next Steps
Review the information available at the Transition Towns, Post Carbon Institute, Relocalization Network, Boulder Going Local and The Community Solution websites listed above.

Contact Jim Cole at jim.cole@mac.com or phone 805-239-0147 and let him know of your interest in exploratory discussions of Transition Initiatives in various communities in the county.

Subscribe to the Transition Towns listserv at: http://www.hopedance.org/cms/content/view/156/81

Attend a presentation by Michael Brownlee about Boulder Going Local Transition Initiative being organized by Bob Banner and Jim Cole in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara in late September or October; contact Jim Cole for more information or look for notice from the Transition Initiative listserv.

Consider attending a workshop (http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TransitionTraining ) on January 17-18, 2009 at Dancing Deer Farm, 2975 Vineyard Dr in Templeton, CA 93465; contact Jim Cole for more information or look for notice from Transition Initiative listserv.