Transitioning away from fossil fuel: society is like an amoeba.
I spent a pleasant afternoon in the Swedish Town of Uppsala with the Upplandsbygd regional development organization and people involved in the Transition Towns movement from Sweden (Uppsala) and Scotland( the town of Fores) in a workshop that looked towards both regions’ development up to 2020.
The workshop was organized as part of a cooperation to, among other things, help improve the results of local efforts towards Transition and local food. (Transition Towns is a local action movement aiming to create communities that are resilient to challenges coming from the expected shortfalls in fossil fuel provision as well as disruptions like drastic economic downturn.)
After a few exercises to get to know each other a bit better, we turned to telling each other stories of what has worked for us, and what has moved us.
One person found out about Peak oil from one of the original Innovators, Colin Campbell and went ahead to start a Transition Group locally
We then heard from one of the cooperating partners, the Institute of Swedish Safety and Security. Chairman Philip Wyer presented the Safety and Security Industry view of developments and their relation to local and regional development. We will publish an account of this presentation shortly. (See more information at the end of this article)
We then went on to think about the society we would like to see in 2020, looking at food, housing, energy and transport, and culture.
You can see the results below.
Politics that reflect protection of the environment. Sustainable production should be economically viable.
Following on from that we looked at how the societal change might come about, using Alan AtKissons model of the Amoeba. It feels like a relevant model for Transition, and has been tried by a few groups earlier.
Basically, the model says that social change is like an amoeba. To move (change) the amoeba puts out a small “foot” and then the rest of the amoeba follows after. The model says that there are different types of people who are important to change, and we looked at some of the major categories:
• Innovators, at the edge, coming with the new insights
• Change agents, first into the “foot”, able to convey the message of the innovators in an understandable and compelling way
• Transformers, showing leadership of groups, able to mobilize their energy
• Mainstreamers, the ordinary person who will come along when everyone else seems to be
• Reactionaries, who are invested in NOT changing
• Laggards who will resist until the last minute, but do not want to be left behind.
In a form of constellation exercise we talked out way through some of the roles. In Transitioning away from the fossil fuel dependent society, Peak Oil experts, Local Economic development innovators, Climate experts, as well as visionaries like the Occupy movement and especially the people working with alternatives to economic growth are all innovating on this edge.
Interestingly, Uppsala is the home of the Uppsala University department where Swedish Peak oil expert professor Kjell Aleklett works. Despite his academic standing he has largely been ignored in his own country, like many other innovators.
We saw how Transition founder Rob Hopkins, has acted in many ways as a change agent. His folksy popular way of talking about Transition has brought the idea down further to the ordinary person. Rob has been able to put the narrative together of both climate change, peak oil, and the “planet care, people care, fair share” ideal of Permaculture in a way that appeals to many.
However, Transformers are needed too. In Scotland and in Sweden, several individuals have started local Transition Initiatives together, forming core groups to bring in others to support further development.
Our conversation turned to thinking about how to get more mainstreamers on board. Transition in Fores had just got a community center, and were arranging informal meetings and I believe a party was planned. We realized that mainstreamers go to things when their friends go, so this maybe gives us a clue, that if there is a good energy around gatherings, people will go with their friends. Having something to show increase attractive as does anything around food. (If you offer free food, Swedes will come, someone said.) The subtlety of being appealing to the masses was very interesting to explore. Good energy and respect were like magnets, but low energy and stress held people away.
No deep revelations here, but it was an interesting exercise, I suspect the insights will continue to work in the back of my mind. A big thanks to all the Transitioners who joined in and the arrangers, RUCOP and ISSS.
More information
Source: http://avbp.net/?p=1922
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Humic & Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex
HerbAnomic’s Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex is a revolutionary New Humic and Fulvic Acid Complex designed to support your body at the cellular level. Our product has been thoroughly tested by an ISO/IEC Certified Lab for toxins and Heavy metals as well as for trace mineral content. We KNOW we have NO lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum etc. in our Formula. This Humic & Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral complex has high trace levels of naturally occurring Humic and Fulvic Acids as well as high trace levels of Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, Molybdenum, Potassium and more. There is a wide range of up to 70 trace minerals which occur naturally in our Complex at varying levels. We Choose to list the 8 substances which occur in higher trace levels on our supplement panel. We don’t claim a high number of minerals as other Humic and Fulvic Supplements do and leave you to guess which elements you’ll be getting. Order Your Humic Fulvic for Your Family by Clicking on this Link , or the Banner Below.
Our Formula is an exceptional value compared to other Humic Fulvic Minerals because...
It’s OXYGENATED
It Always Tests at 9.5+ pH
Preservative and Chemical Free
Allergen Free
Comes From a Pure, Unpolluted, Organic Source
Is an Excellent Source for Trace Minerals
Is From Whole, Prehisoric Plant Based Origin Material With Ionic Minerals and Constituents
Highly Conductive/Full of Extra Electrons
Is a Full Spectrum Complex
Our Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex has Minerals, Amino Acids, Poly Electrolytes, Phytochemicals, Polyphenols, Bioflavonoids and Trace Vitamins included with the Humic and Fulvic Acid. Our Source material is high in these constituents, where other manufacturers use inferior materials.
Try Our Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex today. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.