Here‘s our second blog post in response to the Climate march weekend, COP21 and Transition’s contribution

Some ‘community-level’ responses

London
We marched with the Transition bloc. Inherently local, it is affirming to feel part of a wider community form time to time. Sunday gave space for us all to talk to each other in a different context compared with many other occasions. This wasn’t about delivering a project, although ultimately it is, but did give space for strengthening bonds that will bear fruit in the future.

The Transition gang, including friends from Lewes, Crystal Palace and Kingston

Transition Town Huddle by Deborah Mason

Paris

Transition France and Transition groups in Paris co-hosted a free workshop day on Saturday 28th. 
Here, we met in the huge (and unheated….) ‘La Générale’ space for an afternoon of sharing experience, eating and drinking, and then an evening conference.
 

Charles: “For 13 hours I was immersed in a sharing community coming together with powerful intentions. The community included the everyday diversity of Paris with its mix of north african and mediterranean faces….different from the diversity we recognise at Tooting Broadway. It was affirming to feel that I could simply approach anyone and talk about shared ideas, ask for support or get some feedback.

I hosted a workshop about TTT’s ‘Rooting in Tooting‘ project with CARAS, the Tooting charity working with asylum-seekers and refugees – aimed at valuing and including those people in our community. 
(Notice our coats and scarves!)

On the one hand not many participants had experience of working with the refugee community; on the other hand they offered many good reasons ‘why’ this project purpose is valuable. A strong message was ‘do this work because we are in our community together’. Yes we are experimenting with this project; it was great the group said it was inspiring and motivational to hear about.”

The main event in the day was launching 21 Stories of Transition, the new book which illustrates 21 examples (and a few more) of sustainability actions being taken now by communities around the world…people who are not waiting for COP21 to agree. 

Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Town approach, led the session along with others who had conceived the projects described.

 
Buy the book for Christmas! (Details here, it’s available in both English and French). It’s a thrilling insight into the wider community of transition groups and their creativity and hard work.

I won’t include any spoilers, but do look out for M. Mensch, Mayor of Ungersheim in Alsace, who has helped to lead (probably 21!) sustainability projects locally.  
He showed me their wonderful town community currency: enlarge the photo…yes it called ‘the radish‘. 

What would we call a Tooting community currency?

Do come along to any of our TTT meetings and events if you would like to explore any of this together in more depth. Or please email us, comment on facebook or tweet.