Presentation at the STEPS Conference 2010 - Pathways to Sustainability: Agendas for a new politics of environment, development and social justice
http://www.steps-centre.org/events/stepsconference2010.html
Contemporary philippine arts from the regions_PPT_Module_12 [Autosaved] (1).pptx
Alexia Coke: Transition Tales: Framing in the Transition Town movement
1. Transition Tales: Framing in the Transition Town movement Alexia Coke RESOLVE (ESRC-funded) Centre for Environmental Strategy University of Surrey STEPS Conference, 23-24 September 2010
11. Transition as ‘Pattern Language’: An Emergent Framing From: 2010 Transition Network Conference Guide
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Notes de l'éditeur
Part of broader CC/PO movement (North 2009) Inspired by systems thinking etc – permaculture/socio-ecological & individual behaviour change approaches Holds a conference, creating visions and storytelling feature in sessions; sponsor books under Transition Books on themes of interest, such as Local Food Food, Local Money, and one currently being put together called Transition Tales, based on someone walking around the country to different Transition Initiatives to record their ‘stories’, inspired the title of the talk. Villages -> cities -> islands; Brazil and Transition Africa website.
Key to the twin issues of Peak Oil & Climate Change Problem some of the current cultural stories Pictures from European fairytales – like the 7 League Boots, or the Porridge Use of the language of ‘addiction’.
‘ Taking these cultural stories a little further, let’s look at the stories we tell ourselves about the future.’ Use of the Peak Oil curve/projection
Turning peak oil on its head… Chamberlain 2009: 69 in his book on the Transition Timeline draws on scenario-planning to crate such visions for energy, food transport etc: e.g. ‘… by 2023, the majority of energy assets were at least part-owned by the local community, often through co-operative renewable energy societies based on the Totnes model. In 2025 the government also introduced a requirement for any new large-scale generation to be partly community-owned. Local insulation clubs and Tradable Energy Quota –pooling groups are also common…’ The ‘Power of Community’ + reconnecting with nature Joanna Macey – the work that reconnects e.g. developing positive future news stories Better – more connected, less stressed/addicted – ‘the alternative hedonism’
In the Handbook distinguishes the movement from preceding environmental movement Social justice agenda implicit, and seemingly pretty marginal
Rationale for linking PO + CC together: ‘ In terms of devising mitigation actions, it’s important to look at Peak Oil and Climate Change together. If you look at them in isolation, you get one dimensional solutions.’
12 steps – addiction self-help groups inspired? Power of Community, End of Surburbia, Transition Film (promotional film) 3. i.e. coordinate with other groups 10. Oral history interviews Similar, but reinvented locally…
Pathway used in energy descent planning too… based on a vision The kinds of projects engaged in Solar Water Heater Challenge. The Totnes Renewable Energy Supply Company (TRESCO) Lending Library Earth wisdom council Greenhouse Britain Arts project Nut tree planting Car Share Club TTT International Youth Music Festival ‘ Transition in Action’
Policies for Transition (the role of politics) – a pattern Within the ‘challenge’ portion, says that ‘without appropriate far-reaching policy-making, Transition with struggle’. In ‘the Solution’ says: ‘Transition works to change the cultural story, for example, to what I means to live within natural limits, enabling a different space for policy decisions. It aims to make unelectable policies electable, and seeks to engage with the political process in ways that takes no party affiliation, holding hustings focusing on resilience, to lead by example rather than hectoring.’ (p 101)
Bringing in new people Brazil + website for Africa now. Allying with local government, but often with some ambivalence– non-oppositional Implicit assumptions that ‘social justice’ will just occur; harking towards idea of needing to ‘rebuild’ community. Part of/links to many other movements (i.e. discourse coalitions