If you are interested in being part of Transition Town Swindon please contact transition@swindonclimate.org.uk

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What does Transition mean?

Here in Swindon (and almost everywhere else for that matter) we are critically dependent on a reliable supply of cheap fuel in order to maintain our lifestyles, yet there is increasing concern that the rising price of all forms of energy is just the start of what may become a very major change to the way we all live.

In the last few years, many towns and cities in the UK and beyond have started to address these issues and to develop ideas about creating more sustainable and locally-based economies that are much less dependent on cheap oil. Some of these have joined the network of Transition Towns, so called because they are working towards the transition from a high-carbon, energy-intensive economy, to a lower-carbon, sustainable, locally-centred economy. Towns and cities across the UK, from Ivybridge to Liverpool, have joined the Transition community in response to the twin issues of diminishing oil supplies and climate change.

Transition Towns are community-led initiatives that are responding by becoming more resilient to the impacts of peak oil and climate change. These transition communities are reducing their dependence on oil by building a strong local economy based on a dependable and abundant local food system, effective local healthcare and above all, by learning the skills needed to manage an orderly reduction in fossil fuel use.

It is not enough to wait and hope that politicians and technology will deal with these issues. The way we all live is going to change significantly but we can be proactive and steer those changes toward a better quality of life. We can build a positive future for ourselves, our children and our communities. Transition does not mean a return to the Dark Ages as some people would claim; it is completely possible to live comfortably and sustainably, and we can dramatically reduce waste and pollution, increase our self respect and our respect for all life on Earth. But if we don't take responsibility for ourselveswe might well be facing an uncomfortable new age.

For more about the concepts and practice of Transition, and the Transition Towns network, go to www.transitiontowns.org. You could also read The Transition Town Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience by Rob Hoskins (ISBN 978 1 900322 18 8) published by Green Books. Together with the website, www.transitionculture.org, it is a compelling read for any citizen wanting to know not just why we need to act but what we can do now.

Find out how Transition is developing in Swindon