What is Transition?

To me, Transition signifies of number of shifts, which we have an opportunity to make creatively, rather than be forced into reactively.

For most who are aware of "Peak Oil" - Transition signifies the period during which we, as a society, are moving from high energy consumption to low energy consumption. But there are so many aspects within this seemingly simple whole that I have decided to write a number of articles about the kind of changes we are already experience may expect into the future.

Today we will look at the change from low community energy to high community energy.

In the "developed world" of Western Europe, North America and Australia / New Zealand, our whole lives are heavily influenced by the embrace of Globalisation to the cost of Local Communities and Economies.

We spend much of our time indoors, either at work or at home. We may know our neighbours a little, but we have no idea who lives down the street. We smile and wave at each other from the safety of our cars.

We may have some friends we've made through work or sports, or from our children's schoolfriends, but its highly likely that most of the people we care about are spread all over the country, or even the world.

Transition will mean that distant connections will become less important, because we will be out of our houses: working in the vegetable gardens, working out of home rather than commuting to work, sharing produce, working together to harvest our rainwater, and process the various gluts so our children won't starve in the spring.

We currently rely on the vast, ugly and imbalanced global economy to provide all manner of consumer products, when and wherever we want them. The people in distant third world nations who have been sold the suburban dream by large corporations, have contracted their diverse local economies to produce only socks, or grow only rice: exporting them to the wider world. Otherwise, like us, they now go to the shops to buy the rest.

At least, as fuel supplies become more expensive and less reliable, people in third world nations still have vivid memories of what self-sustaining, localised communities look like.

We on the other hand, have already allowed our town-centres to turn into ghost-towns, destroying local business and instead pulling into the big box stores and buying low cost, low quality crap grown or manufactured in China, India and many other poorer nations.

IGA, our local grocer in Armidale recently closed, failing to achieve the impossible task of competing against the juggernauts of Coles and Woolworths. Another win for big business. Another loss for us. And, to be truthful, another nail in the coffin of our economically poorer cousins across the seas.

So, unless we live in a smaller rural town (like I do), our degree of community energy is unbelievably low. In fact, the only thing that defines us as a community are similar incomes and the same postal code.

HOW DO WE BECOME RE-LOCALISED?

For a start, and then for the foreseeable future also, we are going to need to get way out of our comfort zone.

My suggestion is to take a walk around your neighbourhood. Anyone who is visibly growing their own food deserves to have their door knocked and their hand shaken. Nobody else can do this for you. The global system is faltering, oil supply has reached it's absolute upper limit.

The only way you are going to build community is to flow your energy and love into it. Ask people questions. Be gutsy! Find out who grows what, who can preserve foods, who is a great knitting or weaving teacher. Ask someone to teach you about soil-life and compost.

Much of this you can read in books, but your local connections are even more important. Of course, we'd prefer to ignore the changes upon us because we don't want to experience the fear of the unknown times and people we must eventually face.

My advice is to do it now, while you are still choosing to. It will build your confidence, your compassion and communication skills, and your willingness to open to change. In the words of Robert Frost "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."