Transition Network: Who we are and what we do

Who we areand what we doRob Hopkins and Peter Lipman

Version: 1.0. 1st February 2009

Who_We_Are_AW:Layout 1 27/1/09 10:26

AcknowledgementsWe would like to thankeveryone who contributedto the various drafts of thisdocument, whether via. theTransition Network forum,by email, or by attendingthe various workshops heldduring its drafting. We’d liketo particularly thank JulieRichardson, Mike Grenville,Mike Jones, StephanHarding, Brian Goodwin,Pamela Grey, AdrienneCampbell, Zoe Goodmanand John Bristow for theirdetailed input. We wouldalso like to thank Ashoka,and the Tudor Trust for theirsupport during the creationof this document.

2 The Transition Network Ltd Who We Are And What We Do... Version 1.0 Rob Hopkins & Peter Lipman

Contents

Introduction Pg 3A Definition of Terms Pg 6The Purpose and Principles of Transition Pg 7Identifying the Dazzling Array of Transition Initiatives Pg 9Becoming a Transition Initiative Pg 12What Does the Transition Network Ltd Look Like? Pg 13How Transition Network Ltd. supports these initiatives Pg 15Membership and Issues of Voting Pg 17A Snapshot of the Transition Movement in 2011 Pg 18Thank you Pg 23


3The Transition Network Ltd Who We Are And What We Do... Version 1.0 Rob Hopkins & Peter Lipman

Peak oil and climate change haverapidly moved up in people’sawareness in recent years, butoften, particularly in relation topeak oil, solutions tend to be thinon the ground. Since its initialemergence in Kinsale in 2005, theTransition idea1 has spread virallyacross the UK and increasinglyfurther afield, serving as a catalystfor community–led responses tothese twin challenges. As theTransition network has grown,questions have been raisedregarding how this emergingmovement might structure itself,which this document is the firstformal attempt at answering. We have already been seeing astructure emerging organicallyover the last two years and whatwe propose in this document isbased on a deepening and asupporting of this emergentmodel, on the principle that self-organisation, innovation andaction are to be encouraged andsupported where they arise,supported by a distinct set ofprinciples and clear guidelines.

Introduction

“All living systems are networks ofsmaller components, and the webof life as a whole is a multi-layeredstructure of living systems nestlingwithin other living systems –networks within networks”.

Fritjof Capra “The Web of Life”.

1 For a more detailed exposition of the Transition concept, see either ‘The Transition Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience’ by Rob Hopkins (Green Books 2008), or The Transition Primer,available at www.transitionnetwork.org.

This document has arisen from a process ofextensive consultation across the Transitionnetwork, including face-to-face meetings, the useof on-line tools and fora. It will remain work inprogress and be reviewed on an ongoing basis.



EnglandTotnesPenwithIvybridgeFalmouthMoretonhampsteadLewesStroudAshburtonOttery St. MaryBristolBrixtonForest RowMayfieldGlastonburyLostwithielForest of DeanNottinghamWringtonBrighton & HoveMarket HarboroughWest KirbyWhitstableMarsden & SlaithwaiteFromeBramptonIsle of WightSeatonBathExeterIsle of ManCanterburyWolvertonLeicesterWestcliff-on-SeaIsles of ScillyLiverpool SouthNorwichTring

CreditonSouth PethertonChichesterBerkhamstedCoventryBungayMersea IslandMaidenheadLadock & GrampoundRoadLeekHorshamExmouthBuxtonTynedaleDorchesterNew ForestStaffordChesterCambridgeHerefordBuxtonKingston-upon-ThamesTauntonLangportSidmouthYorkLouthElySampford PeverellTunbridge WellsHastingsNewton AbbotBelsize, LondonHigh WycombeLancasterBassingbournLeamington SpaSevenoaks

ChesterfieldSheffield

IrelandKinsaleKildareKilkenny

Northern IrelandHolywood

WalesLlandeiloBro DdyfiRhayaderPresteigneLampeterChepstowMonmouth

ScotlandPortobello, ScotlandDunbar, ScotlandCarbon Neutral Biggar, a Transition TownNorth HoweForresArran & Holy Isle

List of Transition Initiatives at Time of Publication (February 2009)



AustraliaSunshine CoastArmidale, NSWBell, VICBellingen, NSWNewcastle, NSWHervey Bay, QLDEudlo, QLDSydney, NSWKatoomba, NSWWingecarribee, NSWKenmore, QLD

CanadaPeterborough, ON

ChileEl Manzano

GermanyBerlin, FriedrichshainKreuzberg

ItalyMonteveglio

JapanFujino

NetherlandsDeventer

New ZealandWaiheke IslandOrewaKapiti DistrictOpotiki CoastNelsonWhanganuiBrooklyn

USABoulder, COSandpoint, IDKetchum, IDLyons, COSanta Cruz, CAMontpelier, VTPortland, MESebastopol, CA


“Transition network” (small n)refers to the broad internationalcommunity of individuals andgroups basing their work on theTransition model (has sometimesbeen referred to as “the TransitionMovement”.

“Transition Network Ltd” refers tothe legally constituted bodycurrently called TransitionNetwork.

“Transition Support Scotland”(etc) refers to national Transitionfora, usually driven by and arisingfrom a national network ofTransition initiatives feeling theirwork would be better served byhaving a national network.

‘Resilience’ has been defined as“the capacity of a system to absorbdisturbance and reorganise whileundergoing change, so as to stillretain essentially the samefunction, structure, identity andfeedbacks”2. In Transition, theconcept is applied to settlementsand their need to be able towithstand shock.

‘Transition Primer’. The free onlinepdf. which acts as the guide forgroups starting the Transitionprocess. Available atwww.transitionnetwork.org/Primer/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf

‘Carbon cutting’ refers toendeavours which lead toreductions in the emissions ofgreenhouse gases.

‘Energy Descent Plan’ or EDPrefers to one of the main projectsthat a Transition initiative sets outto achieve, the creation of a 20year ‘Plan B’ for their community,looking at how it might transitionaway from its current oildependency, and towards a lowcarbon, resilient way of working.


A Definition of Terms

Terms that perhaps need a brief introduction at this point include;

2 Walker, B, Hollinger, C.S, Carpenter, S.R. & Kinzig, A. (2004) Resilience, Adaptabilityand Transformability in Social-ecological systems”. Ecology and Society 9 (2) p5.

The first pool of trained Transition Trainers in the US. January 2009


1. Positive Visioning• Transition Initiatives are based on

a dedication to the creation oftangible, clearly expressed andpractical visions of thecommunity in question beyondits present-day dependence onfossil fuels. Our primary focus isnot campaigning against things,but rather on positive,empowering possibilities andopportunities. The generation ofnew stories and myths are centralto this visioning work.

2. Help People Access GoodInformation and Trust Them toMake Good Decisions • Transition initiatives dedicate

themselves, through all aspectsof their work, to raisingawareness of peak oil and climatechange and related issues such as critiquing economic growth. In doing so they recognise theresponsibility to present thisinformation in ways which areplayful, articulate, accessible andengaging, and which enablepeople to feel enthused and

empowered rather thanpowerless.

• Transition initiatives focus ontelling people the closest versionof the truth that we know intimes when the informationavailable is deeply contradictory.

• The messages are non-directive,respecting each person’s abilityto make a response that isappropriate to their situation.


3. The Purpose and Principles of Transition

We begin this document with a redefining and a clarification of both the Transition movement’sPurpose and its Principles. These set out the common motivations for the entire Network.

The Purpose of Transition“To support community-led responses to peak oil and climate change,building resilience and happiness”.

The 7 Principles of Transition

“Power is shifting from institutionsthat have always been run top-down, hoarding information at thetop, telling us how to run our lives,to a new paradigm of power that isdemocratically distributed andshared by us all”.

Trippi, J. (2004) The Revolution WillNot Be Televised. Harper Collins.


3. Inclusion and Openness• Successful Transition Initiatives

need an unprecedented comingtogether of the broad diversity ofsociety. They dedicatethemselves to ensuring that theirdecision-making processes andtheir working groups embodyprinciples of openness andinclusion.

• This principle also refers to theprinciple of each initiativereaching the community in itsentirety, and endeavouring, froman early stage, to engage theirlocal business community, thediversity of community groupsand local authorities. It makesexplicit the principle that there is,in the challenge of energydescent, no room for ‘them andus’ thinking.

4. Enable Sharing andNetworking• Transition Initiatives dedicate

themselves to sharing theirsuccesses, failures, insights andconnections at the various scalesacross the Transition network, soas to more widely build up acollective body of experience.

5. Build Resilience • This stresses the fundamental

importance of building resilience,that is, the capacity of ourbusinesses, communities andsettlements to deal as well aspossible with shock. Transitioninitiatives commit to buildingresilience across a wide range ofareas (food, economics, energyetc) and also on a range of scales

(from the local to the national) asseems appropriate – and tosetting them within an overallcontext of the need to do all wecan to ensure generalenvironmental resilience.

6. Inner and Outer Transition• The challenges we face are not

just caused by a mistake in ourtechnologies but as a direct resultof our world view and beliefsystem. The impact of theinformation about the state of ourplanet can generate fear and grief– which may underlie the state ofdenial that many people arecaught in. Psychological modelscan help us understand what isreally happening and avoidunconscious processessabotaging change, for example,addictions models and models forbehavioural change. Thisprinciple also honours the factthat Transition thrives because itenables and supports people todo what they are passionateabout, what they feel called to do.

7. Subsidiarity: self-organisationand decision making at theappropriate level • This final principle enshrines the

idea that the intention of theTransition model is not tocentralise or control decisionmaking, but rather to work witheveryone so that it is practiced atthe most appropriate, practicaland empowering level, and insuch a way that it models theability of natural systems to selforganise.



Since the emergence of Totnes asthe first Transition Initiative in2006, the concept has beenpopping up at a wide range ofscales. Trying to divide TransitionInitiatives into neat bands ofgroups and categories issomewhat akin to trying to nailjelly to a wall. We celebrate thisspontaneity and diversity anddon’t intend to be prescriptive, butrather we are happy to advise andsupport emerging groups as to themost effective scales on which tooperate.

We are seeing a combination ofscales which includes some of thefollowing, local Transitioninitiatives, regional Transitionnetworks, regional ‘hubs’, nationalTransition supportorganisations/networks,temporary groupings of localinitiatives to carry out particularprojects, as well as othermanifestations. In addition to the 7 generalPrinciples outlined above, thereare 6 practical guidelines which weask initiatives on whichever scaleto observe.


4. Identifying the Dazzling Array ofTransition Initiatives

“As innovation becomes more central to the way we make ourlivings and how we tackle pressing challenges we face – fromglobal warming to health pandemics – our well-being willdepend more and more on what we share with others andcreate together”.

Leadbeater, C. (2008) We-Think: mass innovation, not massproduction. Profile Books.


1. An agreement with the corePurpose and Principles set outabove: this includes anassumption that the group willcontribute to the ongoingdevelopment and updating ofthese principles.

2. Life is Easier if we don’tReinvent the Wheel: there are nowhundreds of initiatives out therewho have developed constitutions,projects, websites, structures. Lookaround, don’t be afraid to ask,groups are generally delighted toshare what they have learnt; learnfrom their mistakes rather thanyour own! Transition Training isextremely helpful for this, as isensuring that your initiativecontains, at the earliest possibleopportunity, some people whohave long been embedded in thelocal community.

3. Start with a Initiating GroupThat Designs Its Demise: theinitiating group exists to navigatethe first few steps of the process,but always with an intention ofdissolving itself as the projectevolves (with the caveat that earlyexperience indicates that thisguideline may be moreappropriate at the local level thanthe larger scales).

4. Interdependence: Transitioninitiatives are far stronger wherethey work supportively with theinitiatives around them.Communication is key, as issupporting newer emerging

initiatives around them, inspiringand encouraging them wherepossible.

5. Openness to Feedback andLearning: Implicit within anacceptance of these principles isan openness to feedback fromothers also working in this field.This would generally be feedbackwhich questions whether we arestarting to run our Transitioninitiatives in such a way as to nolonger embodies these principles.This kind of feedback is mosteffective when it emerges from ourpeers, but an openness to beingchallenged is vital, as feedback canbe highly affirming and cangenerate confidence.

6. Start in Your Own Back Yard:Local Transition Initiatives willidentify for themselves the scalesthat feel most appropriate forthem to work at, but this principleencourages them to work at thescale that feels comfortable andover which they can have aninfluence, rather than leapingstraight in to regional scale work.Don’t bite off more than you canchew. It is also vital that anyonewho takes an active role in aTransition project on any scalelarger than the local is themselvesactive within a local initiative, so asto maintain a solid connection tothe challenges and practicalities ofTransition work.


6 Practical Guidelines for Transition Initiatives


The only scale we feel needs morethan the Guidelines outlined aboveis the National scale initiativesstarting to emerge in the US, NewZealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,Japan and other places. The need isarising in countries for functioningreplicas of Transition Network Ltdto provide its 5 functions in a wayembedded in the language, cultureand context of the host nationand/or culture, and also to providea strategic national overview. The

idea is that the handover is gradual,taking place over 4 stages, startingwith inspiring, supporting andencouraging, then moving on totraining, and finally taking on thenetworking functions as well as thedevelopment of adapted principlesand offering support to newlyemergent initiatives. They wouldalso act as ambassadors for theTransition movement atGovernmental and organisationallevels3.


National Transition Organisations

3 This approach is set out in the Transition Network document ‘A Memorandum of Understanding forNational Transition organisations, available at www.transitionnetwork.org

Sonya Wallace and Janet Millington unveil the Sunshine Coast Energy Descent Action Plan, the country’s first


The Initial Stage: typically, a groupof people start to meet each other,start to discuss the Transitionconcept, and begin the process ofenthusing each other to initiatethe process

The ‘Mulling’ Stage: Currently herecontact is made with the TransitionNetwork Ltd, the individuals orgroup enter themselves into theGooglemap of Transitioninitiatives, download the TransitionPrimer, and let the TransitionNetwork Ltd know of their ‘mulling’status (although in time this willdevolve to regional/nationalTransition networks).

Formal Transition Initiative: the‘mulling’ stage can last for a fewweeks or for many months,depending on the group. In orderto proceed to formal status, thegroup completes a declaration ofintention, which lists theguidelines and asks for informationabout the initiative, as well aschecking that the initiative is in thebest possible position to proceedsuccessfully4. Many initiatives havetold us that they cherish their

formal status, and are very proudof having reached that point.

At the moment, applications forformal status are managed byTransition Network Ltd., but intime, the idea is that this functionwill most naturally be fulfilled byemerging nationalgroups/networks, and also byregional initiatives. Some people inthe Transition movement havesuggested that new initiativesshould self-assess – or that thereshouldn’t be any criteria at all.Others strongly disagree with boththese suggestions. On balance,and based on the feedback wehave received from across thenetwork, we feel that having clearguidelines which are assessed bysupportive third parties creates apositive, meaningful process, butfully agree that they must remainopen to debate and to ongoingreview.


5. Becoming a Transition Initiative

Transition initiatives on all scales other than national ones go through a succession of stages, as follows.

4 These can be found in the Transition Primer atwww.transitionnetwork.org/Primer/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf


We have found the image on theright as a useful way of visualisingthe Transition Network Ltd. It isbased on a cell, a biologicalsystem, which feels in keepingwith the organic emergence of thisstructure. Although a cell is not aperfect metaphor, in many ways itis very useful for explaining howthe Transition Network Ltdfunctions.

Various scales of initiatives emergeorganically like spores in a petridish at scales that feel mostappropriate to them, guided bythe Purpose and Principles ofTransition, then network togetherin ways that feel most useful,creating the networks betweeneach other they feel to be mostproductive. These are representedby the circles of varying sizeswithin the main circle, larger onesrepresenting regional initiatives,and the smaller circles individuallocal initiatives.

Transition Network Ltd, in thiscontext, becomes the whiteencircling ring surrounding theindividual initiatives. It functions,in some ways, like a cellmembrane, enshrining thePurpose and Principles common tothe wider Transition Movement,and acts as a catalyst which keepsthe circle expanding as thenumber of initiatives it containsgrows. In biology, a cell membrane

is created by the nucleus and theother contents of the cell, but italso defines the identity of thewhole and grows with the cell. Therole of the Transition Network Ltdthen becomes to continue thiscatalysing function, to continuallyreview and, collaboratively, refinewhat Transition means, as well asenabling the maximum amount ofnetworking.

This means facilitating smooth andefficient networking between thevarious levels of hubs andinitiatives, as well as betweendifferent interest groups, i.e.enabling the various food groupsto communicate, swap goodpractice and organise nationalevents, as well as the energy


6. What Does the Transition Network LtdLook Like?


groups, economics groups and soon. It would also enablenetworking by geographical areas,by cultures and by population sizeof project. The communicationthus enabled would be deep,diverse and self-perpetuating.

The outer ring in this diagramrepresents two additional aspectsof the work of Transition NetworkLtd, its development of creative‘edge’ with other groups and areasof interest. The circles around theouter ring represent the strong setof partnerships that continue to bedeveloped. This includes keyorganisations (currently in the UKonly, but we think that that will

change) such as the SoilAssociation, NEF, Centre forAlternative Technology, keyfunders and so on. The circleswithin that ring represent theemerging new strands toTransition, TransitionBusiness/Local Government etc.The role of Transition Network Ltdis to develop initiatives andprojects with the partner groups,and also to network the emergingstrands together with the relevantother networks. As time passes,those will grow, perhaps ending up as large as or larger than thecurrent Transition communitiescircle.


“...the key characteristic of a living network is that it continuallyproduces itself. The being and doing of [living systems] areinseparable, and this is their specific mode of organisation.Autopoiesis, or ‘self-making’, is a network patterns in which thefunction of each component is to participate in the productionor transformation of other components in the network. In thisway, the network continually makes itself. It is produced by itscomponents and in turn produces those components”

Fritjof Capra “The Web of Life”.


Training• Continuing to develop and

deepen Transition Training,increasing the quantity andensuring the quality of TransitionTraining workshops (the fullmenu of trainings that have beendeveloped) across the country,training core teams of Transitiontrainers in other parts of theworld, and providing ongoingsupport to those trainers alreadyqualified to deliver the training

Communication• Radically improving our delivery

of our “enabling sharing andnetworking” by, for example,setting up a much improved webplatform

Media• Producing ‘The (First) Transition

Movie’, a film about the Transitionconcept, developed as acollaborative process

• Supporting the emergence of amonthly , e-bulletin, ‘TransitionNetwork News’, which has now

begun online but which haspotential to evolve into a regularpublication. This will becomplemented by a blog on thenew website where individualinitiatives are invited to post theirsuccesses and failures, eventsand news

• Supporting the production of aseries of books on differentaspects of Transition, i.e. food,energy and so on... The TransitionGuides to Food and Money arealready in development

• Hosting, moderating and editingthe collaborative rewrite of ‘TheTransition Handbook’ using a wikiapproach, with the original bookserving as the basis for agathering of tools, stories,experience and insight fromacross the Transition

Tools• Tools to facilitate the writing of

Energy Descent Plans, up-to-datepresentations and examples ofbest practice, as well as a forumfor people to post their own


7. How Transition Network Ltd supportsthese initiatives

Transition Network Ltd. was established in late 2006 with its statedintention being to;Inspire • Encourage • Support • Enable Networking • Train What follows is an outline of some of the projects and developments that TransitionNetwork Ltd. will be undertaking over the next three years in order to carry out thisintention. It will continue doing this, always bearing in mind the desirability, wherepossible, of projects and functions being owned by the most appropriate people/groupsand at as local a level as possible;


resources, be it links, papers,short films or their ownpowerpoints, which they thinkothers will find useful

• Producing clearer ‘maps’ of howTransition Initiatives might evolveover time, how to assemble the12 Steps and how a variety ofInitiatives have designeddifferent ways through them,drawn from the experience ofvarious initiatives

• Setting up an online registry ofTransition speakers

Consulting• Setting up Transition Consulting

to offer Transition advice tobusinesses, including OilVulnerability Auditing andanalysis of the resilience of thebusiness, as well as practicalmeasures that can be taken.

Research• Supporting and enabling action

research and evaluation at anational/international level –partnering with universitieswhere appropriate

Events• Organising (in the UK) bi-annual

national Convergencesalternating with regionalTransition Convergences.

• Supporting new emerging areasof Transition by designingspecific events, i.e. Transition inCities conference (November ’08)

Providing Support• Supporting national and regional

transition organizations as setout in the principles above

Ongoing• Thinking strategically about the

emerging context in whichTransition Initiatives grow anddevelop – and when neededrevising our practices and thisdocument as a consequence.

In essence, Transition NetworkLtd’s core function will be tocontinue to be a catalyst for theTransition model.


The Board of Transition Network Ltd (as at February 2009)

Peter Lipman (Sustrans, Chair), Brian Goodwin (Schumacher College), Ben Brangwyn (Transition Network), William Lana (Greenfibres), Julie Richardson (Dartington / Landscope), Pamela Gray (Transition US), Rob Hopkins (Transition Network).


One issue which remains underreview is that of membership ofTransition Network Ltd. At present,the Board of Trustees is self-appointed, and there is no formalmechanism to enable those inTransition Initiatives to vote for orremove Trustees. We have, for now,consciously avoided having aformal, fee-paying membership,due to the amount ofadministrative work it wouldcreate for the Network. Instead, we

consider anyone active withinTransition to be an informalmember of this movement. TheTrustees of Transition Network Ltdcontinue to seek new input for theTransition Network Ltd boardwhich brings fresh perspectivesand a opinions not yet representedthere, and will continue with thecurrent situation for a year,keeping it under review, althoughit will be discussed again at the2009 Transition conference.


8. Membership and Issues of Voting

The Unleashing of Transition Town Brixton A group ‘mapping’ activity at the 2008 TransitionNetwork conference

The 'Transition Timeline', one of the tools developed aspart of the creation of the Totnes and District EnergyDescent Plan

A Seedy Sunday seed swap event, Totnes, Devon


1. Local initiativesThere are now many hundreds oflocal Transition initiatives, with moreforming all the time, many of theearly ones now well advanced inproducing Energy Descent Plans.Transition has begun to make a lotof difference to people’s lives,especially those active in it.

• Social: It provides a rich social life,with frequent social events bigand small: shared meals, parties,meetings. Typically after a sharedmeal there might be swappingand trading, or a lecture, film ordiscussion to govern the Initiative,often followed by music anddancing. People know each otherbetter, and work closely togetherin many ways.

• Food: People source a lot more oftheir food from local producers,often organic. They increasinglyshare produce grown in theirgardens and allotments and somenew community gardens. Theyhave well-organised deliveriesfrom local farms and farmers’markets. There are a growingnumber of newly-establishedCommunity SupportedAgriculture schemes, and peri-urban market gardens. A few areexperimenting with pig andchicken clubs, and communitybakeries are starting to mill localflour. Some people are cookingprepared meals for time-pressedneighbours. Many people arelearning to cook and garden forthe first time, with Transitiongroups offering training andreskilling in both.

• Transport: Fuel for personal caruse has become much moreexpensive than 3 years ago, soTransition groups’ Transport themegroups have organised ride shareschemes, collection and deliverysystems for children, shoppers and


9. A Snapshot of the Transition Movementin 2011

"Once you have glimpsed the worldas it might be, as it ought to be, asit’s going to be (however that visionappears to you), it is impossible tolive compliant and complacentanymore in the world as it is."

Victoria Safford

What might the Transition movement look like in three years time? Wepresent this fictional look into the future to inspire and provoke debate.Overall, community responses to peak oil and climate change have begun to take shapein many hundreds of communities across the UK and also the rest of the world. The risingprices of food, fuel and the economic contraction that began in 2008 due, in part, to highoil prices, have been met by people working creatively together to make their money gofurther, to strengthen their local economies and to build resilience.


social events. Living without a caris now possible in a way that itwasn’t 3 years previously. Car shareschemes mean that people haveaccess to borrowed or hired largervehicles when they need them.There is a lot more cycling amongthe fit and healthy, and the highprice of fuel has meant that manybusinesses now encourage peopleto work from home wherepossible.

• Household Energy: Transitioninitiatives have, with funding fromtheir local authorities, initiated‘insulation clubs’, where peoplehave learned the best ways ofreducing household heatingneeds and help each other do it.Numerous tricks and tips to useless energy have become popular.A growing number of Transitioninitiatives have now set up EnergyServices Companies (ESCOs),owned by the community, toprovide locally generatedelectricity through community-owned wind, solar, hydro andbiomass schemes.

• Re-use, recycling, repair: Manylocal schemes have been startedto extend the life of clothes, repairgoods and appliances, creatingsome part-time employment.Workshops in making do andrepairing are commonplace, ofteninviting older people to share theirundervalued skills with youngergenerations. Much of the localfood is distributed in re-usablecontainers. Transition initiatives arefacilitating the bulk-buying ofgoods designed for durability and

which can be repaired whenneeded.

• Local economy: People havebegun to do a lot of organisedtrading and exchange with eachother, sometimes for money,sometimes for local currency, butvery often as favours. They giveand receive goods that they nolonger want, help each other withchildcare, rides, deliveries, andmany other services. Groups ofyoung people offer ‘technicalsupport’ on anything fromcomputers to DVDs. This enablespeople’s money to go muchfurther, and provides someincome for those without jobs.They have identified the like-minded local independentbusinesses and tradespeoplewhom they preferentiallypatronise, and give them ratingsand recommendations on theirwebsites.

• Other aspects of community:People are learning that grassrootsself-organisation takes a certainamount of effort and arebeginning to learn how to do itwell. Some people volunteer tolook after aspects of the whole ofthe local transition initiative. Thereare groups set up to handleconflicts between people, toprovide emotional support andcounselling when needed, but alsoto co-ordinate the initiative: tohelp keep the theme groups intouch with each other andworking synergistically, to plan forthe future, and to systematicallyconsult on policy decisions.



2. Regional hubsA variety of forms of regional hubhave emerged from a strongnetwork of local initiatives whohave decided that such a Hubwould aid their work. Some linkinitiatives in a town or city, othersin a rural area or bioregion. Theseare formed out of members oflocal initiatives who offer to workat the regional level. There is nowan annual Transition citiesconvergence, where best practiceis shared and several similarmeetings for more rural hubs.Cities have begun to develop theirown version of the Transitionmodel.

• Supporting new initiatives: Theregional hubs have become thefirst point of contact for those inthat area, offering support andmentoring for new initiatives.They have taken over muchresponsibility for the process ofbecoming a formal TransitionInitiative.

• Supporting existing initiatives:The regional hubs organise linksbetween the various foodgroups, transport groups, andother theme groups to help themwork synergistically. They sharebest practice to help the localinitiatives avoid problems andcorrect mistakes. They havebegun to take on much of thetraining aspects, not just for newinitiatives, but in reskilling,conflict resolution, organisationand other areas where localinitiatives are too small toprovide it effectively.

• Government links: Transitionhubs are increasingly workingwith local government on theirlocal sustainability plans, and havereceived funding from them for arange of research projects as wellas practical initiatives.

• Business links: Many Transitiongroups are actively working withlocal independent businesses,offering consultancy and a rangeof services, including oilvulnerability auditing and energyefficiency advice, as well asexploring how they can becomemore resilient and locallyembedded in increasinglyuncertain times. Many of thesebusinesses have become financialsponsors of the local initiativesand regional hubs.

3. National Support NetworksThere are now support networks atthe national level in the UK:Transition Support Scotland,Transition Ireland Network,Transition Support Wales andTransition England, and a growingnumber of national supportnetworks in other countries aroundthe world, with strong networks inthe USA and New Zealand leadingthe way.

• Infrastructure: With much of theday-to-day support for localinitiatives now devolved to theregional hubs, the nationalnetworks concentrate more onproviding infrastructure and co-ordination. They are supportingongoing development ofcommunications systems that areavailable for use by local initiatives




“Humans are capable of a unique trick, creating realities byfirst imagining them, by experiencing them in their minds.…As soon as we sense the possibility of a more desirableworld, we begin behaving differently, as though that world isstarting to come into existence, as though, in our mind’s eye,we are already there. The dream becomes an invisible forcewhich pulls us forward. By this process it begins to come true.The act of imagining somehow makes it real… And what is possible in art becomes thinkable in life”.

Brian Eno



and regional hubs. A great varietyof different systems havedeveloped, but with commonstandards so that they can shareresources and hold discussionsacross them.

• Training and education: Thenational support networks nowdevelop much of the materialsused for the training done by theregional hubs. They havedeveloped strong links withuniversities some of whom areapplying transition concepts tothemselves, some of whom arerunning courses in transitionissues, adding a practicaldimension to their previouslypurely academic courses, andseveral who are doing basicresearch to support andstrengthen the transition model.Transition Training has begun toreceive support and funding fromvarious national skills and trainingprogrammes.

• Transition Business: The nationalnetworks have begun to developa strong economic function. Theywork with each other and outsideorganisations to identify productsand companies that have strongenvironmental and communitycredentials. Feeding thisinformation through the networkcreates a good captive market forsuch businesses to serve. Thenetworks themselves havedeveloped a range of consultancyservices based on the expertise ofthe regional and local networks,that provides income whileeffecting constructive change.

4. Transition MovementWorldwideTransition Network Ltd still remains,performing a co-ordinating role forthe national networks, helpingthem to work synergistically, avoiderrors that each other have made,and supporting planning andoverall policy. A multi-levelstructure has emerged naturally –local, regional, national, global – but without any top-down control.Transition concepts of building apositive future are increasinglycommon in everyday conversation,TV and other media, in response tothe increasingly unavoidable realityof the end of cheap energy andeconomic growth. The shift awayfrom business as usual, or fromshocked/doomladen responses tothe need to downsize and relocaliseis well underway.



This document is very much workin progress and will be reviewed onan ongoing basis. We welcomeyour thoughts and comments on it,and hope that you have found it asmuch fun to read as we have foundthe process of creating it. We hopethat what we have set out here is amodel for a dynamic and powerfulmovement, one based on thatwhich has been emerging naturallysince the Transition concept firstemerged. We are deeply grateful tothe many hundreds of peopleacross the Transition network whohave contributed to the variousstages in its creation.

If you would like to comment oroffer any feedback, please [email protected] orwrite to our office at 43, ForeStreet, Totnes, Devon. TQ9 5HN.

For more information see;www.transitionnetwork.orgwww.transitionculture.org

Hopkins, R. (2008) The TransitionHandbook: from oil dependency to local resilience. Dartington,Green Books.

Brangwyn, B. & Hopkins, R. (2008)Transition Initiatives Primer –becoming a Transition Town, City,District, Village, Community or evenIsland. Transition Network.

Chamberlin, S. (2009) The TransitionTimeline: your guide to a scenario ofhope. Dartington, Green Books.

Key References that haveinformed this documentCapra, F. (1997) The Web of Life: ANew Synthesis of Mind and Matter.FlamingoHamilton, C. (2003) Growth Fetish.London, Pluto Press. Hock, D (1999) Birth of the ChaordicAge. Berrett-Koehler. Homer-Dixon, T. (2007) The Upsideof Down: Catastrophe, Creativityand the Renewal of Civilisation.Souvenir Press Ltd. James, O. (2008) The SelfishCapitalist: origins of affluenza.Vermilion.Leadbeater, C. (2008) WeThink: the power of mass creativity. Profile Books Maturana, H.R. & Varela, F.J. (1992)The Tree of Knowledge: biologicalroots of human understanding.Shambhala PublishingNorth, P (2008) Localisation as aresponse to peak oil and climatechange – a sympathetic critique.Geoforum (details tbc)Shirky, C. (2008) Here ComesEverybody: the power of organizingwithout organizations. Allen Lane.Tapscott D & Williams, A. (2008)Wikinomics: how mass collaborationchanges everything. Atlantic Books.Walker, B. & Salt, D. (2006)Resilience Thinking: SustainingEcosystems and People in aChanging World. Island Press.

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