The Transition Handbook

Move from feeling anxious about the oil crisis to developing a positive visions and taking traction action to create a more self-reliant existence with this ground-breaking book. We live in an oil-dependent world, and have become reliant in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process – and without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but the reality may not be as bad as we think. The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead could have a positive effect. Written by permaculture expert Rob Hopkins, he discusses the possibility of a rebirth of local communities, which will generate their own fuel, food and housing. These will encourage the development of local currencies, to keep money in the local area, and unleash a local 'skilling-up', so that people have more control over their lives. The growth in interest in the Transition model continues to be exponential. There are now more than 35 formal Transition Initiatives in the UK, including towns, cities, islands, villages and peninsulas, with more joining as the idea takes off. With little proactivity at government level, communities are taking matters into their own hands and acting locally. If your community has not yet become a Transition Initiative, this upbeat guide, filled with beautiful black and white photographs, offers you the tools to get started. The Transition Handbook is the perfect manual to guide communities, as they begin this 'energy descent' journey.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Richard Heinberg Introduction: tantalising glimpses of resilience Part 1 - The Head: why peak oil and climate change mean that small is inevitable Part 2 - The Heart: why having a positive vision is crucial Part 3 - The Hands: exploring the transition model for building local resilience Some closing thoughts Appendices Resources

About the Author :
Rob Hopkins has long been aware of the implications of our oil dependent status, and has been energetically campaigning to increase awareness of its impact. Having successfully created an Energy Descent Plan for Kinsale in Ireland which was later adopted as policy by the town council, Rob moved to Totnes in Devon and initiated the Transition Network, which now networks over 450 communities around the world:

Review :
If your town is not yet a Transition Town, here is guidance for making it one. We have little time, and much to accomplish This book by the visionary architect of the Transition movement is a must-read, labelled ‘immediate’... This issue should be of urgent concern to every person who cares about their children, and all who hope there is a viable future for human civilisation post-petroleum. This is much more than just a book. It is a manual for a movement. And not just any movement, but one which – in avoiding the civilisational collapse threatened by the twin crises of peak oil and climate change – could prove to be the most important social force humanity has ever seen. What I love about the Transition approach is that it is inspirational, harnessing hope instead of guilt, and optimism instead of fear. The Transition Handbook will come to be seen as one of the seminal books which emerged at the end of the Oil Age and which offered a gentle helping hand in the transition to a more local, more human and ultimately more nourishing future. The book is a great guide for how we must live in a future world where the limits of nature are honoured, but so are the basic comforts and joys of communities coming together in great common cause. There is no more important book than this one for any community seeking change toward ecological sustainability Timely and hugely important... there is no better call to action than this book, and no better guide to the hands-on creation of a liveable future.