'The transitions of Addison county'

If we are able to get a Transition Westcombe process off the ground, how might it look at the beginning?

Hopefully as positive and exciting as this account of a transition-style event which was held in Addison County, Vermont last month.

It shows how motivating the process can be, asking people to imagine how they would want their community to look in 20 years time in an age of oil scarcity and much lower energy use - and then to plan for those desirable changes. Rather than wondering what can be salvaged from a doom and gloom scenario, it acknowledges that life could be better in many ways.

As one of the facilitators put it:

I remember hearing David Suzuki speaking once about some of these necessary changes. At the end of the lecture, someone put up their hand and said, Do you really think people in a country like this are willing to lower our standard of living? And his answer was, "I'm talking about raising our standard of living."

If we could liver closer to where we work, in larger, multigenerational groups, if we could grow and cook more of our own food; if we could transport ourselves much more with muscle power, if we could provide more of our entertainment, we would be moving in the direction not only of land stewardship, but of pleasure, shared pleasure. Not just sitting in heavy traffic in a really expensive car.

It's a good read, do click through to the article. And if you're interested, here is the Addison County transition website.