Eco-municipalities and Transition Towns : Sustainability and Community Development

Eco-municipalities and Transition Towns:

Sustainability and Community Development

Community Development Society Annual

International Conference

July 26, 2010

JERRY HEMBD

State SpecialistCommunity and Economic Development

University of Wisconsin-Extension

Associate Professor of EconomicsDepartment of Business and Economics

University of Wisconsin-Superior

Overview

• Relate to conference theme• Personal interest• Eco-municipalities and The Natural Step• Transition Towns and the Transition Initiative• Community development connection

The Role of Community in Economic and Disaster Recovery

“We’ve changed the planet, changed it in large and fundamental ways. . . . We need . . . increased engagement. Some of that engagement will be local: building the kind of communities and economies that can withstand what’s coming.”

Bill McKibbenSource: McKibben, Bill. Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. New York: Times Books, 2010.

The Role of Community in Economic and Disaster Recovery

“Disaster demonstrates . . . the factors determining whether you live or die are the health of your immediate community and the justness of your society. . . If paradise now arises in hell, it’s because in the suspension of the usual order and the failure of most systems, we are free to live and act another way.”

Rebecca SolnitSource: Solnit, Rebecca. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster. New York: Viking, 2009.

Personal Background and Interest

• Eco-municipalities and The Natural Step (TNS) in Wisconsin

• Training in both approaches• Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum• Regional (NCRCRD) Extension sustainable

communities curriculum development• Sustainable Twin Ports• Potential links between such approaches and

community developers

Eco-municipalities

Background

• Origin – 1989 in Sweden• Key figure – Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt• International

Sweden, US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, UK

• 60 eco-municipalities in Sweden; 40+ in US

Background

• Key text: The Natural Step forCommunities by Sarah James andTorbjorn Lahti (New Society, 2004)

• Web resources: http://www.naturalstep.org/ http://www.thenaturalstep.org/en/usa http://www.thenaturalstep.org/en/canada

Distinguishing Characteristics

• Systems framework – “preanalytic vision”• Science-based with solid research support• Open source; non-proprietorial • Four key principles or system conditions• Fundamental human needs (Max-Neef)• “Backcasting” from principles• Participatory, process-oriented, non-

prescriptive

Four Sustainability Principles

...concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust,

...concentrations of substances produced by society,

...degradation by physical means,

...people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.

In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing...

and, in that society...

Fundamental Human Needs

Subsistence Protection Participation

Idleness Affection Understanding

Creativity Identity Freedom

ABCD

Awareness

Baseline

Creative Solutions

Decide on Priorities

Present

Future

Does it move us in the right direction?Is it a flexible platform?Is it a good return on investment?

Seven Steps to Success

1. Finding the Fire Souls2. Initial education/awareness raising3. Official endorsement4. Involving the implementers5. Applying the sustainability framework6. Whole plan endorsement7. Keeping it going (institutionalization)

Source: The Natural Step for Communities by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti (New Society, 2004)

Transition Towns

Background

• Origin – 2005-2006 in Ireland (Kinsale) and England (Totnes)

• Key figure – Rob Hopkins• International

Ireland, Scotland, US, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Holland, New Zealand

• 321 “official” initiatives; 198 “mulling” initiatives

Background

• Key text: Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins (Green Books,

2008)• Web resources:

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/ http://www.transitionus.org/ http://www.transitiontowns.org/ (wiki)

Distinguishing Characteristics

• Peak oil and climate change as drivers• Power of a positive vision• Psychology of change (and addiction)• Permaculture concept as a principal foundation• Energy descent plans• Building resilience• Participatory, process-oriented, non-prescriptive• Community-level origin and focus

Climate Change and Peak Oil as Fundamental Drivers of Change

Indu

stria

l Asc

ent

(Mod

erni

sm)

Indu

stria

l Asc

ent

(Mod

erni

sm)

Energy & Resource Use Population Pollution

ClimaxClimax

Techno-explosion(brown tech)

Techno-stability (green tech)

Techno-stability (green tech)

Earth stewardship

Collapse/lifeboats(civilization triage)

Great Grand Children

Agriculture10,000 yrs BP

Industrial Revolution

Baby Boom

Pre-industrial sustainable culture

Pre-industrial sustainable culture

Historical Time Future Time

Creative Descent

(Permaculture)

Creative Descent

(Permaculture)

Where are we going?

Source: www.futurescenarios.org

The Four Energy Descent and Climate Scenarios

Peak Oil and Climate Change

PLANNED RELOCALISATION

• local resilience• carbon reduction• consume closer to home• produce closer to home• play closer to home• decentralised energy

infrastructure• the Great Reskilling• localised food• energy descent plans• local medicinal capacity• local currencies

CLIMATE CHANGE(a la Stern et al)

• climate engineering• carbon capture and

storage• tree-based carbon

offsets• international

emissions trading• climate adaptation• improved

transportation logistics

• nuclear power

PEAK OIL(a la Hirsch et al)

• coal to liquids• gas to liquids• relaxed drilling

regulations• massively scaled

biofuels• tar sands and

non-conventional oils

• resource nationalism and stockpiling

12 Steps of Transition

1. Set up a steering group and design its demise from the outset

2. Awareness raising3. Lay the foundation4. Organize a Great Unleashing5. Form sub-groups6. Use Open Space

12 Steps of Transition

7. Develop visible practical manifestations of the project

8. Facilitate the Great Reskilling9. Build a bridge to Local Government10.Honor the elders11.Let it go where it wants to go12.Create an Energy Descent Plan

Community Development Connection

• Community as context or unit of analysis place based, asset based, action oriented

• Localization and resilience• Systems thinking or approach (holistic)• Theory and practice to build knowledge base• Process comparability science-based context• Local government involvement • Sustainability imperative and community

development?

Questions

[email protected]