Image from http://www.transitionnetwork.org
Last night I went to a film screening of In Transition 2.0, a sequel to the original Transition documentary film. As you would imagine, it documents the progress of the Transition movement since that time, and shows initiatives from around the world in various stages of ‘transitioning’. The Transition Network describes it thus:
“In Transition 2.0 is an inspirational immersion in the Transition movement, gathering stories from around the world of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. You’ll hear about communities printing their own money, growing food, localising their economies and setting up community power stations. It’s an idea that has gone viral, a social experiment that is about responding to uncertain times with solutions and optimism. In a world of increasing uncertainty, here is a story of hope, ingenuity and the power of growing vegetables in unexpected places”.
You can watch the trailer, order the DVD and look out for up-coming screenings on the official website.
I thought it was brilliant. Truly heart-warming. What I found most inspiring was the diversity of people involved in the initiatives. There were straight-laced English Council officers, hippies from Devon, a punk-gardener, a kid who knew a lot about climate change, a kid from a rough American neighbourhood who knew nothing of climate change but was ‘kept out of trouble’ by helping out on a community garden, parents, elderly people, farmers in rural India and Japanese disaster-survivors. I thought that was fantastic. As I’ve said before, themes like sustainability and resilience need to transcend all cultural, social and racial boundaries. We need as many different people on board as possible. After all, in nature diversity makes a system stronger, more resilient and more productive. It’s my theory that the best way to design our human systems is by basing them on these principles of natural ecosystems.
In regards to the film it’s self, it claims to be one of the lowest-carbon international films ever. This is because even though it features footage from many countries, no one set foot in an aeroplane to film it. They must of enlisted people from the different places to film clips and send them via the internet or whatever. Nice to see people walking the walk, hey? I’ve been told it was paid for largely out of the film-makers own pockets, and they are trying to get their money back from DVD sales and donations from film-screenings. I really can’t recommend it enough.
After the film was over some of us stayed for a discussion. I was initially a bit nervous but I reminded myself that this wasn’t just any bunch of strangers, it was a bunch of strangers that had a common interest with me – of transitioning my home-town towards greater resilience. We talked about what we found interesting about the film and it was really nice to connect with some new people about such an issue. I sometimes feel a little isolated because I don’t really know anyone my age who is as interested in this kind of stuff as me, so it was good to get some camaraderie.
So yeah, give In Transition 2.0 a watch!
Earth Baby 