The inspiring response of a place when told it probably won’t exist in 20 years | REconomy. This is a guest post from Filipa Pimentel, the Transition Network national hubs co-ordinator and she’s from Portugal. This is based on an email that she recently sent, and which I found moving and inspiring – so Filipa kindly agreed to share it with you… Hi all, I am going through a very intense process of change and I feel sometimes that I do not have all the time the space or opportunity to sit and share what I hold inside with you all, in a real space, not virtually. Anyway, I will share: As you know, my country Portugal is struggling. Portalegre is a very special place. Portalegre, Portugal I think that in this context, it is not surprising if people in this city seam to be so negative, lacking initiative, and why it is so difficult for people to feel empowered to do something. I wonder many times, what to do when even some studies state that Portalegre in 20 years probably does not “exist” anymore?
Signs of change? So the big event will be in Portalegre! Gathering community support. Deep Shift: An unManifesto for Commmunity CoLearning. The Ghosts of Shoppers Past: why assumptions matter. 12 Mar 2013 The Ghosts of Shoppers Past: why assumptions matter Berry Pomeroy Castle near Totnes is famed for supposedly being one of the most haunted castles in Britain. It is said that the ghosts can still be seen of the Pomeroy brothers riding to their doom over the castle cliffs to avoid losing the castle following a siege.
Or there’s the Blue Lady, reputed to be a Pomeroy who strangled the child conceived with her father, or the White Lady, who was supposedly shut up in a dungeon by her jealous sister and whose ghost now walks the walls at night. None of these phantasms has any basis in history though: there never was a siege, the guy who first wrote about the Blue Lady said he had seen her in the Castle even though at the time of writing it had already been in ruins for many years, and the White Lady is the creation of a Gothic tale first published in 1806. The truth about the castle is less supernatural and exciting but a fair bit more interesting. Manchester city centre.
Transition Research Primer - Transition Research Network. Transition scenario. Transition scenarios are descriptions of future states which combine a future image with an account of the changes that would need to occur to reach that future. These two elements are often created in a two-step process where the future image is created first (envisioning) followed by an exploration of the alternative pathways available to reach the future goal (backcasting).
Both these processes can use participatory techniques (Raskin et al., 2002[1]) where participants of varying backgrounds and interests are provided with an open and supportive group environment to discuss different contributing elements and actions. Transition scenarios are unique in type not only in terms of how they are created (process) but also their content. Their requirements are guided by transition management concepts and consider the “fundamental and irreversible change in the culture, structure and practices of a system.” Scenario types[edit] First generation[edit] Second generation[edit] Content[edit] Great Transition Initiative. Forums. Welcome | Transition US. Transition Towns - Kansas City. Transition Network. Transition Culture. Rob Hopkins of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Culture. As Lester Brown recently noted on this site, the coming decline of oil will be ‘a seismic economic event’.
So what do we do when we learn that the ’black gold’ will soon start running out? Do we grab a gun and head for the hills, or do we redouble our efforts to build strong, resilient communities and economies that are not dependent on fossil fuels? Rob Hopkins is at the forefront of the latter approach. Originally a permaculture teacher, Rob began tackling peak oil by coordinating an energy descent action plan with his students for Kinsale, the town in Ireland where he was living and teaching. [Photo credit: Jersey Evening Post] Treehugger: The Kinsale Energy Decent Action Plan appears to be a first of its kind, namely an inclusive, community focussed approach to getting off oil. The Kinsale Plan was just done as a student project. TH: Many in the Peak Oil community believe in an Armageddon-type scenario, and its not uncommon to hear people say "I'm OK - I've got 20 acres and a gun. "