The end of suburbia: Transition Asheville’s planning for the future

The Transition movement, first developed in Europe and now taking root in many communities in the U.S., presents an attempt to engage people and communities in taking actions to mitigate the effects of declining fossil fuels, climate change and economic crisis. It is an attempt to “re-localize” production and commerce, and produce societies that naturally reduce carbon emissions and build community resilience. The Transition model argues that is up to citizens in individual communities to step into leadership positions to address the current situation.

Corwin’s message found an intrigued audience at the Green Drinks social gathering, which, each week, addresses various sustainability issues — from renewable energy to green building. “I abandoned my car, and lost 35 pounds in the process,” proclaimed Daryl Rantis, an Asheville architect in private practice.

Another anonymous attendee offered a perhaps unintentionally comic perspective: with the end of fossil fuels, “We won’t have to go to work anymore!”

Mike Figura of Transition Asheville said that Asheville is in a good position to move forward. “We have a lot of local food production, and thus a lot of local resiliency already,” he said.

“If we can create a plan to do what’s necessary — such as creating networks of people who can provide local services that we now find outside — we’ll be better prepared as oil declines in the coming years.”

Corwin said the group will organize into working groups to cover the key areas of local food, local energy, transportation, and other critical functions. Transition Asheville is awaiting a key moment to launch their working groups — a moment they refer to as “The Great Unleashing” — when awareness has reached a certain level. “It’s when we can walk up to someone on the street and say ‘peak oil’ — or the end of cheap oil — and they instantly know what we’re talking about.”

mountainx.com