SEAD (Scottish Education and Action for Development)

Portobello – Scotland’s first Transition Town

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Meet Scotland’s first Transition Town

Portobello started the process of becoming a Transition Town in 2005, as the community was celebrating it’s victory in a long battle against plans to put a Superstore at the end of their High Street. Inspired by the work of Rob Hopkins’ permaculture students in Kinsale, Ireland, Portobello residents decided that they were ready to follow their example and develop their own own Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP).

To date they have gone some way towards this, learning a great deal and running several public events such as the Car Free Day and the Local Food Shindig. They now have two energetic groups (Food and Land Reform) with projects up and running i.e. a community orchard project. PEDAL have got off to a great start and hope to inspire other communities in turn. To find out more about the great work PEDAL has achieved so far go to: www.pedal-porty.org.uk.

Community action to tackle climate change

The Transition Town approach demonstrates the power that community action can have, when given the chance to connect with the issues they face. Tackling climate change head on and working together to make strategic plans of action will help us to find our path towards the solutions we require.

The communities who have started their journey to energy descent have many inspiring and encourage stories to share. Through networking and exchanging ideas we can all move forward together as a global community supporting each other to take actions necessary to change our way of life for the better.

Practical projects such as community gardens and community skills swops aimed at addressing the global issues also help people to address the local issues of unsustainable economic growth and the current social infrastructure of the community. Working together to decide on actions galvanises the strength that a community possesses, empowering people and enabling them to make real changes and feel the benefits of the actions they own.

The great work being carried out by PEDAL in Scotland has resulting in a speakers tour for the proposals of new Transition Towns throughout Scotland. Successful meetings have taken place in Aberdeen, Falkland, Stirling, Dunbar, East Kilbride, West Kilbride, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Biggar.

Contact details

Web address: www.pedal-porty.org.uk

Transition towns: Tackling Peak Oil and Climate Change, together

Transition towns aim to inspire, encourage, network, support and train communities as they consider, adopt, adapt and implement the transition model in order to establish a Transition Initiative in their locale.

The model encourages communities to look peak oil and climate change squarely in the eye and unleash the collective genius of their own people to find the answers to this big question: ‘for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how are we going to:

significantly rebuild resilience (in response to peak oil)
drastically reduce carbon emissions (in response to climate change)?”

Typically, self-determined solutions will involve some flavour of relocalisation.

Transition Towns movement picking up pace

Transition towns are popping up all over the place now, helping to build an infrastructure that inspires and supports community action to tackle peak oil and climate change. As more towns, cities and regions take part the resource materials, training courses, events, tools & techniques and a general support capability grow. It’s early days yet for transition towns but they are giving it everything they’ve got.

Recent funding from Tudor Trust has given Transition Towns a firm foundation from which this inspiring initiative can grow. Its vision is that communities across the UK will unleash their creativity and embark on an imaginative and practical range of connected initiatives, leading to a way of life that is more resilient, more fulfilling and more equitable, and that has dramatically lower levels of carbon emissions.

The following communities have been officially designated Transition Towns (or cities, districts, villages and even a forest!): Totnes, England; Penwith, England; Kinsale, Ireland; Ivybridge, England; Falmouth, England; Moretonhampstead, England; Lewes, England; Stroud, England; Ashburton, England; Ottery St. Mary, England; Bristol, England; Brixton, England; Forest Row, England; Mayfield, England; Glastonbury, England; Lostwithiel, England; Forest of Dean, England; Nottingham, England; Wrington, England; Brighton & Hove, England; Portobello, Scotland; Market Harborough, England; Sunshine Coast, Australia; Llandeilo, Wales; Bro Ddyfi, Wales; Whitstable, England; Marsden & Slaithwaite, England,

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