Rate this book

The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency To Local Resilience (2008)

by Rob Hopkins(Favorite Author)

3.97 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1900322188 (ISBN13: 9781900322188)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Green Books

review 1: I’m not much of a ‘follower’ which is another way of saying that I’m fairly cynical, rarely accept things on the surface, am constantly seeking conceptual consistencies that are hard to find. One of the very few models I have embraced whole-heartedly and return to again and again in my thinking is that of permaculture, a philosophy of relationships between living things (humans included) that makes so much sense as a substitute for the way we ARE relating with our environment that it’s simply mind-boggling that it’s not more widely accepted. But, now, I’ve found another (related) framework for thinking and talking and acting on our concern for the future of the world we live in. It is laid out in the book The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins. There are flaw... mores in the book, I won’t deny that, but they exist mostly because the very concept is in the process of evolving, has only been tested in relatively few communities – though it is growing virally, as well it should. Transition is not a prescription but more a template for building the kind of resilience into communities that might allow us to move past dependency on oil – which is an absolute necessity for both the climate and for human economies – and to do it with genuine enthusiasm and engagement. Yes, the predictions are scary, but Transition even addresses that: how hard it is for people to change, what ingredients are necessary in a movement that goes beyond the gloom and doom prescriptions that, while true, actually paralyze people into inaction. This model is based on a broad knowledge base, championed by people with a long history of activism in hugely diverse areas of thought, and is experiencing unparalleled success in the communities (mostly in the U.K.) where it has been introduced. Even though I’ve been involved in sustainability activism most of my adult life, I was highly inspired by what this book and concept have to offer. I’m looking forward to learning more.
review 2: The beginning of the book is the why, the second half is the how. It focuses on turning your own community into a "transition town", which means making it eventually independent of fossil fuels. The book encourages surviving the oil crisis as a community banding together and planning ahead, rather than as a "survivalist", hoarding food and heading out into the woods. With proper planning and community development, the end of oil can be a better lifestyle than the one we have grown accustomed to. less

Download links for: The Transition Handbook: From oil dependency to local resilience

Advertising