Transition

For a rather long time I've meant to blog about the Transition initiative. It comes under various names, but transition is always part of it. I stumbled across it thanks to a colleague (who's now left us to work for Transition Scotland...) and then again through meeting another very active transitioner at the Common Purpose programme which I'm currently on.


So, what's it about? Well, it's hard to put in a nutshell. It's about people coming together to make positive changes to their lives and environments they live in, in the context of global warming and with the aspiration of lowering carbon emission for a sustainable future. While the carbon reduction aim is the bottom line, Transition initiatives are a holistic approach and all about community empowerment and ownership, about opening your vision to find alternatives to how we live at the moment. These alternatives are always local solutions which are realised by people. People who don't wait for governments to get their bums off their comfy seats, people who've realised that individual change may not be sufficient or limited, and that the way to go is to network and do it together as communities.


In Scotland, there is the overarching but not managing organisation called Transition Scotland.

There are Transition Towns, where a town has decided to change and together reduce their carbon footprint. Based firmly in the UK, some initiatives are international, and the network is growing. Transition is about local change, so the one that's most meaningful to me is the Towards Transition Glasgow forum, which really is more than a forum. Interestingly, when I signed up, there were about 20 members, in just a couple of months, the number has quadrupled. There's lots of information on this site, including very regular blog posts, a wealth of links to local, regional and national organisations and resources, and very practical ideas as to how to connect, how to improve your carbon footprint and so much more. It's given me ideas for my work, and for my garden (I'm rather excitedly waiting for my 2 raised bed from a Glasgow company that make them and other wooden beauties from recycled and reclaimed quality wood). Towards Transition Glasgow is a true treasure, so if you're anywhere near Glasgow, check it out and join it.