essence page 04

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4 ESSENCE March 17, 2010 OONAGH BUTTERFIELD During the past year, I’ve managed to get lost almost every day without leaving my room. Tangled up in a web of information, I sit at my computer and click-click-click from one bad news item to the next. I’ve fallen down the proverbial Internet rab- bit hole of environmental fatalities a thou- sand times; from the dismantling of our food system to the uninspiring results of Copenha- gen, tar sands, wild salmon decimation, strip mines and dolphin slaughter…the list is truly overwhelming. All I want is a fair fight for the planet, but I’ve learnt that solutions to big problems won’t come from simple efforts like recycling, buying local/organic food and riding a bike. We need change in a bigger way, a systems way, but our social and economic structures seem incapable of facing the realities of our ill-fated future. So, it was with happy relief when I clicked my way on to the website of e Transition Initiative, and discovered a positive model for sustaining the future. Seductive in its clarity, Transition focuses on power-down solutions and the re-build- ing of vibrant resilient communities. e ini- tiative is determined to combat ‘the end of cheap oil’ without exploiting new resources. Referring to itself as an ever-modifying so- cial experiment, a bottom-up approach with a concerned conscience and can-do attitude: “If we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little too late, if we act as individuals, it’ll be too little, but if we act as communities, it might be just enough, just in time.” In essence, the Transition approach is ad- opted when a group of passionate individu- als comes together to decide how their com- munity/district/town/city can, or should, be responding to the ‘BIG’ question: “How do we significantly increase resilience (to reduce the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to reduce the effects of Cli- mate Change)?” With the help of students, community members and colleagues, Transition co- founder Rob Hopkins established the Tran- sition Handbook, which features a 12-step process that can be followed in any order, to any degree, and acts as a pathway to con- nect individuals working towards a common goal. e community can determine what it possesses and what it needs, forming work- ing sub-groups that focus on key areas of life (food, energy, health…). Transition recognizes that many important changes require help from governmental au- thority; however, the timing of this step is crucial to its success. Some Transition Initia- tives have stalled because bridges were built too soon and governmental groups co-opted the focus and dismantled the involvement of the community. e Transition model is scalable, a variation on one size fits all, and this is perhaps why it has caught on so quickly. Over the last five years, the Transition model has gained huge momentum. Hundreds of Transition towns have popped up worldwide, and thousands are in what’s called the ‘mulling’ stage--mull- ing it over to decide if they’d like to join in. My brain buzzes from the energy and op- timism of this model, but that excitement is soon replaced by doubt. What does it actu- ally achieve? ere are thousands of environmental orga- nizations out there, but Transition is unique in its ability to connect and provide space for everyone. In fact, it acknowledges its inability to supply solutions. On the contrary, the key to its success is in unlocking the collective genius within communities. Totnes, in Devon, England-- the first Of- ficial Transition Town-- brilliantly illustrates Transition’s approach. One of its first sub- groups established was the Food Group, and from that bloomed the Nut Trees Project, which involved planting edible nut trees up and down main streets, in parks and on pri- vate land. ough these trees won’t flourish for several years they represent an investment for future generations. Other projects include the Totnes Pound, a local currency developed to keep money circulating within the local economy; Heart and Soul, which addresses the psychological concern associated with climate change and the future; and more recently, Streets Proj- ect, which has been granted 625,000 pounds by the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s ‘Low Carbon Communities Chal- lenge’. (Find out more at totnes.transition- network.org) At the vanguard of community-based change, the Transition model is wonder- fully in tune with its surroundings, and via the web, contributors can communicate and share news of development. Clicking onward I soon discovered over 250 worldwide Official Transition Towns, from Chile to Finland, all full of cyber blogs, interview videos and pho- tos-- documenting their own movement. Transition Victoria is down at number 181! Don’t get me wrong – there are tons of op- portunities for activism in Victoria, but in terms of mobilization for a worldwide revolu- tion, this is something within reach. With a wealth of grassroots organizations right here, the initiative in Victoria is working hard to include everyone. e site (transitionvicto- ria.wordpress.com) provides links to many partner organizations on the Island and they have already held a few open space events. Recently, 18 new working groups have been formed and a new site (http://transi- tionvictoria.ning.com) has been created to facilitate discussion among them. Imagine a place where everyone has a voice, where we’re lifted up from the doom and gloom and transported to a place where little ideas and actions might coalesce with others to create the genius needed to find solutions in the new world. Humanity is crafting its next move and the Transition Initiative seems a viable and possible stepping-stone. Bottoms-Up to the Transition Initiative! COMPOSTING ALONE MAY NOT CREATE THE NECESSARY TRANSITION, BUT IT’S A START IMAGE BY KELSEY COLLINS ADAM PODOLEC Gloom & Doom What makes the front page of the newspa- per or the 6 o’clock news: the thirteen-car pile-up? Gang shootings? A little girl who fell down a well? No. e 2010 newspa- per is more like terrorism, recession, and environmental collapse. e news reports of today are increas- ingly pessimistic about the future. Sitting next to me in the neighbourhood coffee shop I noticed a fellow reading “e New Scientist” with the article title: Why the demise of civilization may be inevitable, a rather heavy reading to go with a latte. Has doom and gloom become socially normalized? I would say yes, with an ex- ample being the Hollywood screening of the movie 2012, hyping the prediction of the end of the world, coinciding with the end of the Mayan calendar. Collective Consciousness Along with pop-culture, academia is also tackling this topic with increasing clout. Prominent thinkers are talking, with one concept garnering resurgence: development. Beginning with US Presi- dent Harry Truman’s concept of under- developed countries, nations have been fixated with overcoming that social and economic label, and many thinkers have been stuck critiquing it. Even as academics stutter over their own words it is clear that the critique is reaching critical mass. Many nations and thinkers have realized that ideals supporting development are failing to lead to the type of progress once prom- ised. More and more evidence mounts in describing areas where the systems of power supporting Truman’s ideals of development/progress and neo-liberal policies are crumbling and failing. Sociologist Wolfgang Sachs believes that the idea of development which “was once a towering monument inspiring in- ternational enthusiasm”, is now “falling apart and is in danger of total collapse”. at word again, ‘collapse’, reminding us that something great is at stake. Sachs goes on to say that during an ideologi- cal breakdown, such as the collapse in the ideals of development, our task is “to push the rubble aside to open up new ground”. Forward Thinking Currently, President Obama is address- ing progress with his rally-cry for change, challenging traditional neo-liberal ideas of development by implementing tax restructuring and healthcare reform. While many citizens across the US are vigorously resisting these changes, many others are pushing forward, with collec- tive sentiment building. Novelist Kurt Anderson declares: “Now that we’re accustomed to the unthinkable suddenly becoming not just thinkable but actual, we ought to be able to think the unthinkable on the upside, as America plots its reconstruc- tion and reinvention”. Anderson thinks that we “haven’t come to the end of ideology”, but rather “the familiar po- larities of right and left are losing their salience.” For a while, “America will be in a state of ideological flux — which means we’ll be unusually free to improvise a fresh course forward”. Coabinition Is it possible that while ideology is in a state of flux, different ideologies are be- ing considered and tested? Imagine a test phase’, where different ideologies are jostling for position, and only the stron- gest will survive. erefore, if the current dominant ideology indeed meets collapse, a new ideology in the best position could take hold. For the new ideology to succeed and to be thought of as something new or progressive, I argue that a new way of involving citizens in the process of de- veloping the ideology is needed. is new process I call coabinition – an original word meaning ‘together from the beginning’. Derived from combining the Latin prefix, co (meaning together) and, ab initio (from the beginning), coabi- nition hopes to overcome our individu- alistic tendencies and work together. Un- like other ideologies that came into being before it, coabinition-aided ideology will be built from the bottom-up. To clarify, we currently see many dif- ferent ideas/concepts, or ideologies being passed around popular culture and aca- demia, competing for position and stat- ure. is vying for position is in anticipation of a collapse of the social or- der, where the ideology in lead position has the great- est advantage with respect to becoming the dominant ideology after the dust has settled. Coabinition asks that as many people take up the new ideology as possible, in as even distribution as possible, adding their own goals, expectations, and actions to create something new. is would be progress! Is this far fetched? Utopian? Maybe, but I have support from Cou- denhove-Kalergi, who spoke in 1938 of a united Europe and said that “all great historical ideas started as a utopian dream and ended with reality. Whether a par- ticular idea remains as a utopian dream or becomes a reality de- pends on the number of people who believe in the ideal and their ability to act upon it”. e ESSENCE of what we are striving for is to share ideas and link them in order to create progress towards a future we created. You are part of the public discourse already teeming with talk about a new vision for the future. Come to think of it, this does seem like the right type of ma- terial to discuss while sipping a latte in a neighbourhood coffee shop. The Future of Ideology: A New Pitch on Progress Whether a particular idea remains as a utopian dream or becomes a reality depends on the number of people who believe in the ideal and their ability to act upon it. CURRENTLY PROGRESS IS MEASURED BY ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, SUCH AS THESE CONDOS IN ESQUIMALT PHOTO BY JULIA BENNETT

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Page 1: ESSENCE Page 04

4 ESSENCE March 17, 2010

OONAGH BUTTERFIELD

During the past year, I’ve managed to get lost almost every day without leaving my room. Tangled up in a web of information, I sit at my computer and click-click-click from one bad news item to the next.

I’ve fallen down the proverbial Internet rab-bit hole of environmental fatalities a thou-sand times; from the dismantling of our food system to the uninspiring results of Copenha-gen, tar sands, wild salmon decimation, strip mines and dolphin slaughter…the list is truly overwhelming.

All I want is a fair fi ght for the planet, but I’ve learnt that solutions to big problems won’t come from simple eff orts like recycling, buying local/organic food and riding a bike. We need change in a bigger way, a systems way, but our social and economic structures seem incapable of facing the realities of our ill-fated future. So, it was with happy relief when I clicked my way on to the website of Th e Transition Initiative, and discovered a positive model for sustaining the future.

Seductive in its clarity, Transition focuses on power-down solutions and the re-build-ing of vibrant resilient communities. Th e ini-tiative is determined to combat ‘the end of cheap oil’ without exploiting new resources. Referring to itself as an ever-modifying so-cial experiment, a bottom-up approach with a concerned conscience and can-do attitude: “If we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little too late, if we act as individuals, it’ll be too little, but if we act as communities, it might be just enough, just in time.”

In essence, the Transition approach is ad-opted when a group of passionate individu-als comes together to decide how their com-munity/district/town/city can, or should, be responding to the ‘BIG’ question: “How do we signifi cantly increase resilience (to reduce

the eff ects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to reduce the eff ects of Cli-mate Change)?”

With the help of students, community members and colleagues, Transition co-founder Rob Hopkins established the Tran-sition Handbook, which features a 12-step process that can be followed in any order, to any degree, and acts as a pathway to con-nect individuals working towards a common goal. Th e community can determine what it possesses and what it needs, forming work-ing sub-groups that focus on key areas of life (food, energy, health…).

Transition recognizes that many important changes require help from governmental au-thority; however, the timing of this step is crucial to its success. Some Transition Initia-tives have stalled because bridges were built too soon and governmental groups co-opted the focus and dismantled the involvement of the community.

Th e Transition model is scalable, a variation on one size fi ts all, and this is perhaps why it has caught on so quickly. Over the last fi ve years, the Transition model has gained huge momentum. Hundreds of Transition towns have popped up worldwide, and thousands are in what’s called the ‘mulling’ stage--mull-ing it over to decide if they’d like to join in.

My brain buzzes from the energy and op-timism of this model, but that excitement is soon replaced by doubt. What does it actu-ally achieve?

Th ere are thousands of environmental orga-nizations out there, but Transition is unique in its ability to connect and provide space for everyone. In fact, it acknowledges its inability to supply solutions. On the contrary, the key to its success is in unlocking the collective genius within communities.

Totnes, in Devon, England-- the fi rst Of-fi cial Transition Town-- brilliantly illustrates

Transition’s approach. One of its fi rst sub-groups established was the Food Group, and from that bloomed the Nut Trees Project, which involved planting edible nut trees up and down main streets, in parks and on pri-vate land. Th ough these trees won’t fl ourish for several years they represent an investment for future generations.

Other projects include the Totnes Pound, a local currency developed to keep money circulating within the local economy; Heart and Soul, which addresses the psychological concern associated with climate change and the future; and more recently, Streets Proj-ect, which has been granted 625,000 pounds by the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s ‘Low Carbon Communities Chal-

lenge’. (Find out more at totnes.transition-network.org)

At the vanguard of community-based change, the Transition model is wonder-fully in tune with its surroundings, and via the web, contributors can communicate and share news of development. Clicking onward I soon discovered over 250 worldwide Offi cial Transition Towns, from Chile to Finland, all full of cyber blogs, interview videos and pho-tos-- documenting their own movement.

Transition Victoria is down at number 181! Don’t get me wrong – there are tons of op-portunities for activism in Victoria, but in terms of mobilization for a worldwide revolu-tion, this is something within reach. With a wealth of grassroots organizations right here,

the initiative in Victoria is working hard to include everyone. Th e site (transitionvicto-ria.wordpress.com) provides links to many partner organizations on the Island and they have already held a few open space events. Recently, 18 new working groups have been formed and a new site (http://transi-tionvictoria.ning.com) has been created to facilitate discussion among them. Imagine a place where everyone has a voice, where we’re lifted up from the doom and gloom and transported to a place where little ideas and actions might coalesce with others to create the genius needed to fi nd solutions in the new world. Humanity is crafting its next move and the Transition Initiative seems a viable and possible stepping-stone.

Bottoms-Up to the Transition Initiative!

COMPOSTING ALONE MAY NOT CREATE THE NECESSARY TRANSITION, BUT IT’S A START IMAGE BY KELSEY COLLINS

ADAM PODOLEC

Gloom & Doom

What makes the front page of the newspa-per or the 6 o’clock news: the thirteen-car pile-up? Gang shootings? A little girl who fell down a well? No. Th e 2010 newspa-per is more like terrorism, recession, and environmental collapse.

Th e news reports of today are increas-ingly pessimistic about the future. Sitting next to me in the neighbourhood coff ee shop I noticed a fellow reading “Th e New Scientist” with the article title: Why the demise of civilization may be inevitable, a rather heavy reading to go with a latte.

Has doom and gloom become socially normalized? I would say yes, with an ex-ample being the Hollywood screening of the movie 2012, hyping the prediction of the end of the world, coinciding with the end of the Mayan calendar.

Collective Consciousness

Along with pop-culture, academia is also tackling this topic with increasing clout. Prominent thinkers are talking, with one concept garnering resurgence: development. Beginning with US Presi-dent Harry Truman’s concept of under-developed countries, nations have been fi xated with overcoming that social and economic label, and many thinkers have been stuck critiquing it.

Even as academics stutter over their own words it is clear that the critique is reaching critical mass. Many nations and thinkers have realized that ideals supporting development are failing to lead to the type of progress once prom-ised. More and more evidence mounts in describing areas where the systems

of power supporting Truman’s ideals of development/progress and neo-liberal policies are crumbling and failing.

Sociologist Wolfgang Sachs believes that the idea of development which “was once a towering monument inspiring in-ternational enthusiasm”, is now “falling apart and is in danger of total collapse”. Th at word again, ‘collapse’, reminding us that something great is at stake. Sachs goes on to say that during an ideologi-cal breakdown, such as the collapse in the ideals of development, our task is “to push the rubble aside to open up new ground”.

Forward Thinking

Currently, President Obama is address-ing progress with his rally-cry for change, challenging traditional neo-liberal ideas of development by implementing tax restructuring and healthcare reform. While many citizens across the US are vigorously resisting these changes, many others are pushing forward, with collec-tive sentiment building.

Novelist Kurt Anderson declares: “Now that we’re accustomed to the unthinkable suddenly becoming not just thinkable but actual, we ought to be able to think the unthinkable on the upside, as America plots its reconstruc-tion and reinvention”. Anderson thinks that we “haven’t come to the end of ideology”, but rather “the familiar po-larities of right and left are losing their salience.”

For a while, “America will be in a state of ideological fl ux — which means we’ll be unusually free to improvise a fresh course forward”.

Coabinition

Is it possible that while ideology is in a state of fl ux, diff erent ideologies are be-ing considered and tested? Imagine a ‘test phase’, where diff erent ideologies are jostling for position, and only the stron-gest will survive. Th erefore, if the current dominant ideology indeed meets collapse, a new ideology in the best position could take hold.

For the new ideology to succeed and to be thought of as something new or progressive, I argue that a new way of involving citizens in the process of de-veloping the ideology is needed.

Th is new process I call coabinition – an original word meaning ‘together from the beginning’. Derived from combining the Latin prefi x, co (meaning together) and, ab initio (from the beginning), coabi-nition hopes to overcome our individu-alistic tendencies and work together. Un-like other ideologies that came into being before it, coabinition-aided ideology will

be built from the bottom-up.To clarify, we currently see many dif-

ferent ideas/concepts, or ideologies being passed around popular culture and aca-demia, competing for position and stat-ure. Th is vying for position is in anticipation of a collapse of the social or-der, where the ideology in lead position has the great-est advantage with respect to becoming the dominant ideology after the dust has settled.

Coabinition asks that as many people take up the new ideology as possible, in as even distribution as possible, adding their own goals, expectations, and actions to create something new. Th is would be progress! Is this far fetched? Utopian? Maybe, but I have support from Cou-

denhove-Kalergi, who spoke in 1938 of a united Europe and said that “all great historical ideas started as a utopian dream and ended with reality. Whether a par-ticular idea remains as a utopian dream

or becomes a reality de-pends on the number o f people who b e l i e v e i n the ideal and their ability to act upon it”.

Th e ESSENCE of what we are striving for is to share ideas and link them in order to create progress towards a future we created.

You are part of the public discourse already teeming with talk about a new vision for the future. Come to think of it, this does seem like the right type of ma-terial to discuss while sipping a latte in a neighbourhood coff ee shop.

The Future of Ideology: A New Pitch on Progress

“ Whether a particular idea remains as a utopian dream or becomes a reality depends on the number of

people who believe in the ideal and their ability to act upon it.

CURRENTLY PROGRESS IS MEASURED BY ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, SUCH AS THESE CONDOS IN ESQUIMALT PHOTO BY JULIA BENNETT