Fossil fuel dependence underlines continuing environmental degradation. The Transition Towns Movement presents a different perspective: by transitioning from old habits and re-aligning our priorities, we can identify the things that are important for our communities, and strengthen local resilience.

The Transition Town Movement has steadily expanded since 2005. Rob Hopkins, an environmental activist and writer, founded this movement and started the practice of it in the town of Totnes in England.

But what is transition? What are we transitioning from? Where are we transitioning to? And how do we achieve this? These are questions that I will try to answer in this shortreview. 

Starting with the definition, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “Transition” is “The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” Now we may ask, what is the current state of our world, our communities, economies, and environment? There are many ways to answer these questions. Within the framework of the Transition Town Movement, the answers begin with “fossil fuels.” 

The movement emerged out of two main concerns: climate change, and energy crises (“peak oil”). We rely on fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) for most of our current energy needs and therefore our need for fossil fuels continues to grow. Forecasts show that sooner rather than later, our energy resources will run out, with devastating consequences for the global economy and global quality of life.Imagine a world without oil. What does this mean? No more transportation for holidays or work, no global trade, no factories to make all our products and not to mention the impact on food, technology and the list goes on. Almost every aspect of our lives and our livelihood is based on oil, which creates a fossil-fuel dependency. And unfortunately, the most disadvantaged and powerless people in our societies are most affected by the risingprices of fuel and food, resource shortages, and extreme weather events. 

This is a particularly controversial topic, especially with politicians who are directed by economic and populist forces. But environmentalists will say, with no doubt in their heart and mind, that we have reached a crucial period in history. Our world is being destroyed, to the point of no return. How can we improve the chances of all groups in society to live in a sustainable way, creating healthily and safe way of living?

The fundamental question Transition Movement rises is: What kind of a world do we want to see? What kind of a world are we building for future generations? Its main statement is that we should work towards a future where we are less dependent on fossil fuels, we should seek to create a new system, one that won't harm humans, non-humans or the environment. 

The movement is focused on shifting from an oil dependency world to a local resiliency world. The noted activist and writer Rob Hopkins explains community resilience by comparing it to the concept of resilience in nature: the ability of a system to absorb disturbance and retain essentially the same function and structure. One example is the natural regeneration of a forest after being burnt down.  A sustainable community is like a forest, the goal is to be strong and resilient in case an oil or food shortage should occur. The community should be able to regenerate itself by adapting and responding to the new situation. 

How do we start doing it? one main principle is working locally. When the point of view is local, there is less environmental harm (less use of transportation, for example) and community life and economic resources are more likely to stay in the community. 

One example is “Transition Town Totnes” which began in 2006. For this local community, the Great Recession of 2008 made it clear that the current economic system was no longer sustainable. Totnes Transition Town claims that it is possible—indeed necessary—to challenge the idea of economic growth in conventional terms. They did so by making things much more local, by creating a local currency called the “Totnes Pound.” The idea is to “recycle” the value of the money as many times as possible within the community. For example: A family buys its vegetables from a local grocery shop; the shop gets the vegetables from a local farmer; the farmer uses locally produced compost; and so on. The objective is the eventual creation of a circular economy. 

Another example is Greyton, a suburban town in the Overberg area of the Western Cape in South Africa. Residents started a grassroot action that came up with new sustainable alternatives by using the local network, NGOs, schools, and local government. Through these partnerships, residents hoped to gradually shape their town into a more resilient community.

Greyton's transition town initiative began in mid-2011. Their mission is “to develop Greyton Transition Town as a community-based, non-profit organisation that seeks to inspire and empower the people of Greyton and neighbouring communities to work together to achieve sustainability and resilience in the face of rising energy and food costs, economic crisis and environmental degradation”.Their projects that have created a huge environmental impact, as well as income for the community, include: 

• Installing a solar panel system on the roof of the local highschool. And generating income from selling surplus electricity helped pay for purchasing textbooks and transporting students. 

• A collaboration with the local municipality to restore the dump site. In the process, they created a viable garden producing compost and biochar for sale, with proceeds invested back in the community. 

• Two weekly farmers’ markets, selling locally grown, organically produced vegetables. 

• Creating a humane education program for local children to learn about the care of animals, and through this to develop a sense of self-worth and a high level of compassion.

• Creating an Air Miles Forest, where people “donate” trees for every domestic and international flight they make. 

• “The Great Reskilling,” using “old” skills to do things with less energy consumption and lower environmental impact. It is basically re-equipping the community with sustainable everyday skills.

Greyton's transition town is an example of how every place has its own unique way to develop and work towards a sustainable community life. A special guideline the movement radiates is that Hope is the key emotion, and Imagination is the key tool for encouraging transition and ultimately creating a more resilient community.On the practical side it recommends using three elements for a process of transitioning. The three H’s:  Head, Heart & Hands;

The Head: Action informed by the best information and evidence available. 

The Heart: Working with compassion; valuing and paying attention to the emotional, psychological, relational and social aspects of any action.

The Hands: Turning the vision and ideas into reality and initiating practical projects.

As I see it, transitioning is a state of mind. It is about setting our hearts and heads towards the change that we wish to see. With our Head, we learn about the urgent challenges that theworld is facing; The job of the Heart is to face the hopelessness and stress with hope and belief, using optimism, celebration and imagination, bring us to the point where we use our Hands to create the actual change. I believe this movement provides new lenses to look through when we aspire to change our world and our communities. Let’s put them on!  

Anya Shats