Upsetting the Offset - Transnational Institute

Alternatives
treatment, organic food production, consensus decision-making, wind turbines
and solar PV panels.
As well as sustaining a 500-strong resident community, Findhorn is a
humming hub of international spiritual and environmental conferences,
networking and education projects.
According to a 2006 study, Findhorn has the lowest ecological footprint for
any settlement ever measured in the industrialized world – at about 50% of the
UK national average. In specific areas it is even lower: the ‘home and energy’
footprint is 21% (feed-in renewable energy systems – it sells electricity to the
grid); the food footprint is 37% (largely home-grown, organic, vegetarian and
seasonal diet); and car mileage is 6% of the national average (car-pooling and
high employment level within the community).
To check out some of the marvellous happenings at Findhorn, go to
Findhorn’s website and to Jonathan Dawson’s weekly blog. 1
Findhorn is one of many eco-villages across the world. Have a look at the
Global Eco-village Network to read more about the numerous ‘centres of
innovation and inspiration, introducing new technologies and social systems that
spread out into the wider society’. 2
Transition Towns Network
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something,
build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’ (Buckminster Fuller,
cited on Transition Town Totnes website)
The Transition Towns network provides a model of change for towns
responding to the challenges of peak oil and climate change. They suggest
mechanisms by which a community can work together to ‘unleash the collective
genius of their own people’ to drastically reduce their carbon emissions. The
founder of the UK-based movement, Rob Hopkins, outlines their approach in
The Transition Handbook: From oil dependency to local resilience. The subject of their
website is serious, but their style is lots of fun.
Already there are over 60 communities around the world that have been
inspired to become an official Transition Town, City, Village or area, with 700
others mulling it over. Community representatives in my own coastal suburb of
Muizenberg, Cape Town are amongst the ‘mullers’.
Totnes became the first Transition Town in 2006. Totnes have a number of
groups looking at everything from ‘buildings’, ‘energy’ and ‘local government’,
to ‘education’ and ‘heart and soul’. Their ‘Energy Descent Action Plan’ involves
finding ways to reduce the current nine barrels of oil per person per annum
(current UK average) down to one barrel (or less) per person by 2030.
They are implementing a range of projects including: their own local
currency, composting toilets, low energy street-lighting, promoting local
produce, effective garden use, renewable-energy electricity, nut tree planting,
cycling paths, and ‘story-telling the future to educate and inspire’.
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