Background

People are concerned with issues surrounding Peak Oil and Climate Change, and that we have become a ‘throw away’ society. Views are changing in Purbeck… communities acknowledge the need to reduce, reuse and recycle. Allotments, local producers and the arts and crafts are being encouraged. Environmental issues are now on the school curriculum. The school walking bus is being supported (PACT, SRSNT). All this is creating a strong sense of community. The Transition Towns model supports and encourages this change. This model has been initiated by Rob Hopkins (environmentalist) and is growing rapidly throughout this country. He has now written the Transition Handbook which is an excellent guide to how a community can move towards a more sustainable and resilient society in the face of climate change and peak oil.

Transition began informally in Totnes in late 2005 with a series of film screenings and talks, which then lead to the official ‘unleashing’ of Transition Town Totnes in September 2006. Following its success there are now many other Transition initiatives, including Bristol, Bath and Exeter, the Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, Lyme Regis, and Shaftsbury and even as far afield as New Zealand! The Transition Movement aims to help ordinary people make local changes, re-energise their local economies and change their lives for the better and not to rely on ‘others’.

Transition Purbeck

PEAT decided to take on the Transition model in January 2009 and since then five lucky PEAT members have attended Transition training. To see some photos from the training days, visit: www.peat-da21.org/transition/training/

In May 2009 we started the ‘raising awareness’ phase of the Transition model and are showing movies throughout Purbeck during Purbeck Aware. More details on our movies page: www.peat-da21.org/transition/movies/

Our first working groups have already formed, working on topics such as skill sharing, a seasonal cookbook, and communications.

Read more about what we’re up to on the blog - please sign up to keep up to date on developments, any other news and events relevant to Transition in Purbeck.

How does Transition Purbeck work?

• Transition acts as an umbrella group and is inclusive by supporting the work of other existing groups eg. PACT, Purbeck Producers, PEAT, allotment holders, Scout and Guide Groups, Art Groups, churches and WI’s.
• Transition offers a positive vision and acknowledges that there are uncertain times ahead and offers ways to build community resilience.
• Transition values everyone including young people who will inherit our world and the older people who have much to teach us from their memories of a world that was not driven by fast cars and consumerism.
• Transition offers practical steps not set in stone and can be modified by different communities to help them work through complex issues such as energy, transport, food supply and waste management.
• Most of all… Transition is fun! Music, art, storytelling and craft as well as thinking about the problems we face.

Purbeck is beginning an exciting new journey. Local groups in Purbeck such as PEAT (Purbeck Environment Action Team), Down2Earth, DA21 (Dorset Agenda 21), PACT (Partners and Communities Working Together), SRSNT (Swanage Rural Safer Neighbourhood Team) are coming together to create a more sustainable future for our communities within Purbeck.   We are now joining many other Transition areas throughout Dorset, this country and overseas to bring about positive changes to our environment.   If we all work together we can make it happen.

If you would like to find out more about Transition in Purbeck please contact peatda21@googlemail.com or tel.Collette Drayson 01929 422832