The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience

by Rob Hopkins

Other authorsRichard Heinberg (Foreword)

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

333.79

Genres

Collection

Home Bookshelf

Publication

Chelsea Green Publishing (2008), 240 pages

Description

We live in an oil-dependent world, and have got to this level of dependency in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most people don't want to think about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive effect. They can lead to the rebirth of local communities, which will generate their own fuel, food and housing. They can encourage the development of local currencies, to keep money in the local area. They can unleash a local 'skilling-up', so that people have more control over their lives. The Transition Handbook is the manual which will guide communities to begin this 'energy descent' journey. The argument that 'small is inevitable' is upbeat and positive, as well as utterly convincing. The Transition Companion by Rob Hopkins was published in 2012, and The Power of Just Doing Stuff in 2014.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member timjones

The Transition Handbook is a primer for people interested in how to respond at a local and community level to the threats of peak oil (the peaking and subsequent decline in world oil supplies) and climate change. Since the focus is on increasing the resilience and economic independence of local

communities, much of its contents are highly relevant to an economic downturn as well.

Although the book has a brief overview of these issues, most of it is taken up with the Transition Towns philosophy of campaigning for a positive change rather than against various environmental evils, and with the history and practice of setting local communities on the way to being Transition Towns (and neighbourhoods, cities, river catchments etc.). This is a movement that started in Ireland and has since spread to the UK, the US and many other parts of the world, including New Zealand.

I fund this final section of the book, detailing how Transition Towns have been set up and flourished, to be the most useful; but the whole book is well worth reading for anyone concerned about these issues and about the fate of the community they live in, and wanting to take the steps from anxiety to action.

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LibraryThing member SystemicPlural

A well written book introducing the transition town model. I am active in the Hebden Beidge transition town an while the methodology laid out here was helpful there where also times when I felt more help was needed. I have also become a bit disillusioned with some aspects of the transition town

model, for example, whilst I do believe in localisation and building of community, I do not think that defining communities by a fix boundary, ie a town, is helpful in the long run.

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LibraryThing member jorgearanda

A great handbook to effect community-level environmental change. I was rather put-off by the emphasis on local currencies and on local resilience (the former because I don't see the point; the latter because of its dismissal of social justice issues: it's comfortable to strive for resilience when

you're already privileged, and resilience is dangerously close to isolationism). But on the whole, the Transition Initiative's combination of head, heart, and hands considerations is hopeful, uplifting, and inspiring, and this book is a good way to learn about it.

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LibraryThing member willszal

Interesting, and great to have all in one place. An inspiring movement. But not very fresh for those of us involved on the ground; feels repetitive. Great if you're new on the permaculture/local economics scene.

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