The Transition Movement discussion

This discussion is for members to exchange ideas about actions that can be taken in a local context, which is really what the Transition movement is about.

Wondering what you can do locally? The first option is to join a local Transition group, if there is one near you.

A resource that can be used is http://www.transitionnetwork.org/comm...

From the community page there are a couple ways of finding what Transition groups there may be near you.

1) One is the “Map” link under the “Transition Initiatives” bullet. This takes you to an interactive world map on which you can zoom in on wherever it is you live. Look for grey or green markers showing up on the map as you zoom in. Clicking on these will reveal a link to the group; the text of the link will be the name/location of the group.

2) Or, hover on the “Community” word near the top of the page. When the drop down menu appears, select “Transition nearby”. This will take you to a page where you can search from your own location for groups within a specified radius.

This is very useful, thank you, Ted!

I love the group home page banner as well, I must say!

Thanks Trav.

By the way, we now have five group members (including me) who are members of Transition Howard County here in Maryland, as well as one member who is associated with a Transition organization in England. (Any others I'm not aware of?)

So we have some experience/expertise in Transition which may be helpful to group members who haven't connected up with a Transition org. as of yet.

Okay, guys, a question: how does one try and get the idea of pollution and global warming and the seriousness thereof across to the man on the street? When people in my area light fires whether for burning leaves in a bonfire, a BBQ or a indoors fireplace, if I try and broach the subject they'll either say something like: "Oh lord no, not another tree-hugger!" or: "This little bit I am burning here is a only a drop in the ocean."

Nobody seems to take this seriously at all...

Traveller wrote: "Okay, guys, a question: how does one try and get the idea of pollution and global warming and the seriousness thereof across to the man on the street? When people in my area light fires whether fo..."

Wow, a very good question, Traveller.

The answer depends somewhat, I think, on exactly what the person's attitude is toward global warming. Regarding someone who is an absolute denier (perhaps your first example?) I think many studies have shown that any dialogue is a waste of time.

Your second example would indicate a person who probably thinks it's a problem, but doesn't believe they can do much about it. That is a person worth talking to, but I personally don't have a good idea of how to respond.

Of course many would start off by saying something like "Well if everyone ... " and then construct a story around how things could be better, or won't get better, depending on what the " ... " is filled in with.

I personally don't find those narratives persuasive, but that's just me. I think a lot of people can be made to think by introducing that kind of narrative.

There is an on-going study in the U.S. called something like "the six Americas of climate change". When I Googled that I got to http://environment.yale.edu/climate-c...

At this site you can, first, take a short quiz (only takes a few minutes) which determines which of the six groups you fall into. These groups are characterized as "Alarmed", "Concerned", "Cautious", "Disengaged", "Doubtful" and "Dismissive".

I fall into the Alarmed category, I was not surprised to find out.

Now I think it would be true that the findings made about these groups, and how people in the groups are characterized, would be applicable to people in other countries, certainly in developed countries. (Though there are probably some things, such as support for American political parties and such, that would obviously not track exactly for other countries.)

Information at this site could be useful in framing talking points to people, if you can guess where they lie on this spectrum. The more you know about what exactly it is they think, and what their attitudes are, the better you will understand (I think) what lines can be taken to get their attention and perhaps cause them to shift their thinking.

There are various things at this site that could be helpful. You can download the "2012 Six America's Report" as a PDF file. This has some interesting things in it, especially the back part of it.

Also, if you complete the quiz (quiz link is right below the link to download the doc above, over on the right of the page), at the end, once you are told what group you are in, there are several links for additional info.

One of these is Download the National Conversation Climate Actions' Citizens Guide. This looks like it might be useful.

But what I would really like to find is a document that actually lays out the lines of discussion that would be most successful with people in the different groups. (Excepting the Dismissives, who I do believe are past hope. There probably are things that could occur which would move some of these people into a less certain state of denial, but I doubt very much that these "things" would involve verbal communications ... unless perhaps it was from a famous former-denier.)

That is some wonderful input there, Ted, thanks very much. I will most certainly research the 'types' mentioned there.

I also think that people need to co-ordinate to get things like info fliers out there. Giving people facts in the sort of :Did you know? format on a flier that you hand out, or stick 'em onto the back of public toilet doors. Now I just need to design a nice flyer.

Good idea. There are also organizations around that can help with this.

Ted, thanks for that link...I had never taken the Six Americas Quiz. I also am Alarmed. Surprise! This sentence left me scratching my head though: The "most trusted sources of information on global warming [for the alarmed] are scientists, environmental organizations, Al Gore, their own family and friends, and television weather reporters." The questionnaire included zero questions about where I get my information...And I certainly don't get info about climate change from tv weather reporters ..good grief.
As for Traveller's question about what to say to people who light bonfires and the like: First, bonfires for leaves are illegal in our county and perhaps in yours. So that is one thing to say...But cooking out is probably not much different from cooking in...We are stuck using some fossil fuels for now...Unless we are off the grid (I am not), we are contributing to the problem when we use our computers, drive around, turn on the AC (holding off on that).....People, rightly so, ponder a "smallish" infraction in the face of the magnitude of the problem and throw up their hands. Or they see the "alarmed" as hypocrites because we still use fossil fuels (that said, I no longer use my gas fireplace). We need to do so much more than change our light bulbs and stop random uses of fossil fuels for ambience. We need enormous policy changes (so it's good that we are phasing out incandescent light bulbs...good to increase average fuel efficiency on cars...but more more more.) I think conversations have to be in the framework of other conversations about everything in our lives...so we do not appear to be pointing fingers. This is bigger than all of us, and yet we must do our part, find our way -- as we press for BIG CHANGE. Perhaps acknowledging that, yes, that is a small thing...we do need much bigger policy changes....and see if these people agree on that. If not, you are, as Ted said, wasting your time.
Here's a relevant Sandra Steingraber's quote: "We are all musicians in a great human orchestra, and it is now time to play the Save the World Symphony. You are not required to play a solo, but you are required to know what instrument you hold and play it as well as you can. You are required to find your place in the score. What we love we must protect. That’s what love means. From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act." (Can you tell I am in awe of Sandra Steingraber and her work these days? )

Elisabeth wrote: "Ted, thanks for that link...I had never taken the Six Americas Quiz. I also am Alarmed. Surprise! This sentence left me scratching my head though: The "most trusted sources of information on glob..."

Elisabeth, I believe some of the information about the different Six Americas groups probably comes from in-depth interviews that have been done with people, rather than the short Quiz that they present here. (You're right, though, I find it bemusing to think that the Alarmed group thinks television weather reporters are climate authorities. That's about as far from reality as you can get.)

That quote that you give from Sandra Steingraber is really wonderful. Very moving.

How to structure a course on environment and sustainability

Hi all, I am going to be lecturing on Environment, Ecology & Sustainability at a few campuses in my area from next week on. This is going to be a non-formal, interest based thing, mostly.

I am trying to put together an interesting course structure that covers the basics and yet connects to the daily life of the students and generates some passion in them. Initial lectures would be focusing on the ecological basics, the mechanism of co-evolution, etc. and then move on to bigger things...

Any suggestions/leads/advice from experience etc. would be welcome. Thanks!

Riku wrote: "How to structure a course on environment and sustainability

Hi all, I am going to be lecturing on Environment, Ecology & Sustainability at a few campuses in my area from next week on. This is goin..."

Wow, Riku, wonderful. I'll try to respond soon and see if I can recruit any other advise.

One thing you might review, though it's on the topic of educating kids majoring in environmental studies, is chapter 24 of SotW 2013. I'll take a look at that and see if anything strikes me as perhaps useful.

Very likely it won't be useful, but you never know.

I might also mention the topic of Big History (chapter 20), which would perhaps offer more of interest to young people newer to the topics you mention. That has really been the purpose of the Big History projects launched so far.

By the way, what's the age of the students you think you will be talking to?

Ted wrote: "By the way, what's the age of the students you think you will be talking to?"

Thanks Ted, I will also take a look at those chapters. They would be mostly final year engineering/science/humanities students, so very early twenties. I want to try and talk to an even younger crowd but nothing has materialized yet. The main focus is to give them a good grounding on the scientific basics of environmentalism -- to show that the emotional appeal is coming from very strong incontrovertible principles.

Another question, will you be giving a single presentation, or more than one (at the same campus)? How many do you think? and ow long might each one be?

If more than one, one possibility would be to structure each one around one or more (if related) of the books you've read and reviewed, assuming that you could find the appropriate sources for the scientific evidence you want from the book(s).

Riku, if you are looking for scientific sources about climate change evidence in particular, try this site: http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

The whole course is allowed upto a month and a half or so to finish, so yes multiple lectures. Thanks for the links, Ted. I am looking through them now. Really appreciate your interest! I am also thinking of structuring a few talks around certain books, but that has to come after the basics (also because I have to maintain a connection with their academic stuff).

If anyone wants to post anything about the Peoples Climate March/Day of Action on 9/21, this would be a good place.

The Guardian newspaper online this morning (People's Climate March, Day of Action, 21 September), has started the morning by describing action in Australia, which is several hours behind us...

http://www.theguardian.com/environmen...

I can find no mention of the People's Climate March in either of our two right wing papers, The Daily Mail or The Daily Telegraph - or at least not in their online versions :^(

And this morning in The Guardian we learn that 40,000 people marched in London yesterday...

http://www.theguardian.com/environmen...

Caroline wrote: "And this morning in The Guardian we learn that 40,000 people marched in London yesterday...

http://www.theguardian.com/environmen...-..."

Wonderful, Caroline! That's an awesome turnout for an organizing effort which clearly had much less time that the NYC organizers. And the march in NYC drew upwards of 300,000. It was an awesome event that I'll never forget.

I'll try to post some pics and links to pics here over the next several hours.

That would be great!

Ted wrote: "Caroline wrote: "And this morning in The Guardian we learn that 40,000 people marched in London yesterday...

http://www.theguardian.com/environmen......"

You're back! Pls do post a piece about the experience. We need the hope.

Riku wrote: "Ted wrote: "Caroline wrote: "And this morning in The Guardian we learn that 40,000 people marched in London yesterday...

http://www.theguardian.com/environmen......"

I will need some time to get this finished. The experience of being in a crowd like that where almost everyone, even the people along the streets , had a smile on their face was really unusual ... exhilarating, inspiring, you name it.

(Many of the onlookers were shouting out encouragement, solidarity, appreciation .. saying things like "thank you!" to the marchers!)

I just read online that the Rockefellers are going to totally divest from fossil fuels. Apparently they timed their announcement to coincide with the start of the UN meeting tomorrow.

Sue wrote: "I just read online that the Rockefellers are going to totally divest from fossil fuels. Apparently they timed their announcement to coincide with the start of the UN meeting tomorrow."

That was in the Wash. Post this morning too, Sue. A very exciting development I think.

Just to clarify this, the Rockefeller Foundation is explained on Wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefel...

Further down in this article, and more to the point, is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefel...

Note the last sentence under "Family Involvement". It refers to the stock that the Foundation will be removing from the endowment.

This divestment campaign, instituted by Bill McKibben and 350.org, started over a year ago. I would hazard that this is the most significant event that has occurred in response to it.

Before I post some photos I took, here are some sites that have collections.

Flickr albums assembled by the People's Climate March: in NYC
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peoples...
and from around the world https://www.flickr.com/photos/peoples...

Text and Video by Environmental Action.org: http://www.environmental-action.org/b...

Facebook photo from tthe Sierra Club: https://www.facebook.com/SierraClub/p...

after the march update from 350.org http://350.org/officially-the-biggest...

I'm finding some of these to download slowly. Heavy traffic maybe.

Excellent Ted. Especially enjoyed seeing all the different banners in the NY protest on flickr. Thank you....

5.00pm. 23rd September 2014. Whilst David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, attends the global leaders meeting on climate change, Greenpeace have taken over a train delivering coal to Cottam power station in Nottinghamshire, England, and they are now shovelling coal off the train.

If you want to sign a petition to support them, it can be found here...

https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page...

Caroline wrote: "5.00pm. 23rd September 2014. Whilst David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, attends the global leaders meeting on climate change, Greenpeace have taken over a train delivering coal to Cottam power stati..."

Very cool. I signed.

Okay, I've posted 58 photos on Flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/9956076...

I'm not sure what will happen when you click that link, let me know if it seems to work (or better yet, if it doesn't!). It is basically a slideshow but you can advance the pics on your own by clicking to the right or left of a pic (forward/back). If it won't stop advancing them on its own hit your space bar.

Also, I've supplied comments (recommended) on a lot of the photos, which should help to understand when and where the pic was taken, etc. They are arranged in chronological order. To see the comments just click inside the pic and they are shown in the upper right along with the photo info. If you only see photo info then there is no comment for that one.

Let me know if you have problems.

What an inspiring set of pix Ted - thank you so much! I loved all the different banners that people were carrying - even a boat was carrying one! It was so good to see so many people committed to this issue.

You get a a slideshow when you click on that link.

The best thing to do is hover on the top right of the screen and click "Show info" then your notes appear. Then click "Options" and change the setting from "medium" to "slow". That way you have time to read your notes AND look at the pictures.

Alternatively you can click on the title of the slideshow...and you get the option to click the pictures forward one at a time.

Thanks Caroline. The last sentence you wrote was something I didn't know, very useful!