Vermont Statewide Transition Organizers Meeting April 24, 2010, Montpelier
SUMMARY OF THE MEETING
A Vermont Statewide Transition Organizers meeting was held in Montpelier on April 24, 2010. The event was attended by approximately 60 members of Transition Town organizing groups throughout Vermont, and included organizers from New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
A highlight of the day was the presence of Richard Heinberg, author of Power Down, founder of the Post Carbon Institute, and board member of Transition USA. Richard remarked that, with its small towns, agricultural base, and rural flavor, Vermont could become a model for the country of a Transition state.
The day included a half hour presentation by Richard, an idea sharing/get to know you conversation café, delicious pot-luck lunch, and a two-and-a-half hour open space event which resulted in the following groups: Education, Taking Action, Community – Empowering the Choir, Community – Reaching Beyond the Choir, Heart and Soul, Politics, and Energy. Kathryn Blume shared an African song that we sang together three times throughout the day.
The event yielded many ideas, great connections, and a common sense of purpose. A similar gathering is being planned for September.
Vermont Statewide Transition Organizers Meeting
April 24, 2010, Montpelier
DETAILED NOTES OF THE MEETING
WELCOME
Paul Levasser of Transition Putney welcomed everyone, saying, “The days of lone wolf are over, we must do the work together.”
George Lisi of Transition Town Montpelier: “This is a very powerful gathering where we can warm ourselves at this human hearth.”
Kathy Blume of Transition Charlotte:, “ We can create a magnificent model of transition, and what can come out of this is the gift of engagement, not actions alone.”
George Lisi: “This is a powerful gathering of the bioregion, a first of its kind. Transition is based, at least in part on Permaculture principles, which align with how eco systems function. We respond and align with the ecosystem as human beings, as a community, as a bioregion, and as part of the earth. The time now is deeply unsettled, changing, and in flux, and our response is interactive, in relationship to the need to relearn the power of the way of conviction.
We are here because we care. The Transition model doesn’t invoke a particular belief but asks us to look at the conditions we find ourselves and act, making a new culture. Many brothers and sisters in other lands have understood the relationship with their ecosystems, and the web of interconnectedness with the earth, and we can also learn this.”
Kathy commented that we should spend one quarter of our time in celebration. She lead the African song Isse Alua, KolebaJeo.
Vermont Statewide Transition Organizers Meeting April 24, 2010, Montpelier
TALK BY RICHARD HEINBERG with DISCUSSION
Barbarina Heyerdahl from Transition Shelburne introduced Richard Heinberg.
“Richard is a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and on the Transition US board, and is here with Ken White the Development Director. He is part of the academic club that is addressing these problems along with Bill McKibben, James Hansen, and Pollard. He has written the books, Peak Everything, and The Party’s Over, among others.”
Richard Heinberg:
I should say ‘Rah Rah… go team’ but I usually let others do that.
I want to address the question, why is Transition so important? In 2005 I met Rob Hopkins and saw a very talented, earnest person who was passionate about the conditions he saw and wanted to address them. Now there are 200 Transition Towns in UK and 65 in US. At the last Transition US board meeting in Sebastopol there was a small city in Washington State who had 600 people at their unleashing – so the movement is growing.
Why is Transition so important? The present system of economic growth from the 20th century is in the process of coming to an end. This has been forecast since the Limits of Growth Study, computer model, and document in 1972. The Study is constantly refined and repeated, but the same result keeps coming out. In 2008 we had the oil price hikes and that will continue sometime in the near future. The media doesn’t get it, its given out that there will be a recovery from the present economic downturn. There won’t be, this is a continuation of the end of the industrial system. We’ve created a system that is headed for ‘the Mother of all crashes’.
Without the economic growth we are used to, life will look much different. People don’t want that to happen. That is understandable; some in this system have security, jobs wealth, and abundance. No one, not politicians, not journalists, not economists are telling the people the real story, the real problems of Climate change and the end of fossil fuels.
The economic pie is shrinking, people see this and react – people look for scapegoats. The Tea Party is an example of privileged white folks, seeing their slice of the pie getting trimmed and want to put the fault on the Mexicans or a black President or… someone.
The antidote for all this? This Transition model we are all working with; a model of cooperative grassroots response. Our present leaders are incapable of telling this story to the people – it would be the end of their political career. But Transition Town is doing this, it is a model to face, adjust to, and act on the problems. It is a model of cooperation, not for looking for scapegoats. It is a model of cooperative emergence – working on solutions for the era of post growth economy. Vermont is uniquely situated, due to their size (bioregion and population density) and demographics to be, maybe the first, Transition bioregion and Transition State.
Q1) I write a column on navigating Transition, can you talk about how to convey the message, especially to those unfamiliar with it.
Richard) Lead with the message that times are tough for everyone and will get tougher. We can respond together, to build a resilient community. We will still have political differences, but we can be more than our differences, we can be a community. You will get a more open and willing reception with this tact.
Q2) You said economic growth is coming to an end. Can you differentiate between the Wall Street type of growth and an ecology?
Richard) GDP is the measure of our present societies economic measure of growth which is based on always increasing the rate of consumption of resources. This can’t work, it’s a bad idea; and its not just a bad idea – its over, it can’t continue. This has been pointed out by others in particular Schumacher. We need to start to define or measure economic growth from the perspective of what is beneficial to humans, community, and the earth. What is the value of our community; including things like good education, a peaceful safe community without crime… What is the value of the things that contribute to happiness and wellbeing of all.
Audience member) I recently met with the Tea Party folks in Vt. and I do see some common grounds to talk about community issues. Also, in June? there is a conference on our Gross National Happiness indicator.
Q3) How will government help us move forward?
Richard) Government won’t unless there is a strong public support and pressure put on them to act. We are headed into a time of public turmoil. This doesn’t mean the end, many countries have gone through a period of turmoil and change. Argentina, for example, in the 90’s had an economic collapse, yet they are still here, they recovered. There is the metaphor of caterpillar to butterfly where recovery is actually transformation. The DNA blueprint needs to guide the transformation which is an orderly integrated way, not an ad hoc response to problems that take us unawares. Transition is preparing us for this change including hand skills that may be needed.
Q4) Can you tell us an inspiring story of one of the Transition Towns?
Richard) There are now Transition Los Angeles, and Transition London. I’m waiting to see how long it will be before they begin to breakdown into smaller more manageable, local neighborhoods. Take Brixtown for example, a neighborhood of London, their spirit is very different than Totnes. Totnes has a very sweet quality, while Brixtown is almost anarchistic, very political, tough! Many of the Towns are having successes, a lot depends on the local needs, as well as who shows up and what the general community response is.