What is Transition

The Transition approach to energy descent is based on four assumptions:

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.

In other words – we are all part of the solution.  Transition Towns apply six key principles to help them engage citizens with all kinds of interests in taking action to strengthen local resilience:

a)    Positive visioning – creation of tangible, clearly expressed and practical visions of the community beyond its present-day dependence on fossil fuels.

b)    Building partnerships and alliances – thinking of Transition as the glue or as a way of connecting the dots among stakeholders and organizations.

c)    Inclusion and Openness – making efforts to meet people wherever they may be on their path to resilience, in ways that encourage participation from the head, the hands or the heart.

d)    Building visible alternatives on the ground or “make it real” – working groups and their projects are key to acting out this principle.

e)    Inner transition – recognizing the challenges we face are not just caused by a mistake in our technologies but as a direct result of our world-view and belief systems.

f)      Letting it go where it wants to, or self-organization – this important principle means working with everyone so change happens at the most appropriate, practical and empowering levels; it means making plans but also being open to letting things evolve in unexpected ways; and it means that things happen when and as people step forward to make them happen.