Creating the Future in 'Transition Towns'

"The Transition Town movement has grown from a classroom idea to a sprawling international network, which many think holds some of the answers to our environmental problems.

The idea behind transition towns is simple: if you have no faith that governments will take meaningful action on climate change and 'peak oil', then you can come together as a community to do something about it.

Communities...[commit] to break free from oil addiction and move, over a period of 10 to 20 years, from a high-carbon economy to a low one. Transition Network, the coordinating body, cheerfully states that it has no idea if it will work. 'It is a social experiment on a massive scale,' says its website. But it presents communities with a 12-step guide to a low-carbon economy. Step one is to set up a steering committee to take the project forward. Steps two to 11 are about raising awareness, setting up working groups to discuss topics such as food and fuel, and liaising with local government. Step 12 sees the creation of a unique energy action plan."