What was the story of the conference? Last year Stoneleigh's talk on peak oil and the financial crisis burst upon the scene and shocked us into looking at the future as a unified group. This year the strands were many and subtle and required time to reflect on. One common response to the weekend's full-on networking and activities and celebrations was the need for core messages people could take home to their initiatives and transition towns.
Calm. Focused. Mature. Engaged were the words used by everyone. A willingness to get involved with Transition at a deeper and more committed level. A willingness to accept challenges and break the tyranny of superficial communications. What kind of culture do you want to create? was a key question asked by Nick Osborne of Transition Glastonbury.A lot of the discussion was happening at the edges. Like the conversation about livelihoods, the national hubs getting together and organising themselves as networks, the people from Barcelona and Madrid talking about Transition in the squares of Spain. How Transition and permaculture provided a central organising structure when everything seemed to be falling apart . . .
Meanwhile I'll leave you with one of my favourite conference videos taken from the Social Reporting workshop I ran with Ed Mitchell and David Wilcox. Mike Grenville, editor of the Transition Network news talking about change . . . and those butterflies.
For full report, including write up of the sessions, recordings, videos and photographs, check out the excellent Transition Conference blog 2011 Charlotte Du Cann
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