Transition Town Bolton (TTB) are part of a movement that has grown from just two groups in 2006 (Kinsale, Ireland and Totnes, England) to over 1,000 initiatives in more than 43 countries in 2013. As with many Transition Town initiatives, it is founded on the central concept that society needs to be more resilient to economic crises and autonomous, through systematic re-localisation of activities. Key aims include the promotion of more fulfilling and sustainable lifestyles, reducing local dependency on fossil fuels, adapting to climate change and creating happy and healthy futures for all and sharing knowledge and passing on skills. For the Bolton group, achieving these aims might be through showing transition or ‘new economy’ films to groups and businesses across the town that illustrate examples of how to live a more resilient and satisfying life by doing things differently and by gradually eliminating time-wasting and resource-wasting activities.

In 2012 a Sustainable Vision for Bolton Conference was held which resulted in the establishment of several sub-groups to take forward local action.  These include cycling and walking, food and the natural and built environment groups. The group acts as a hub, through their website and related activities, to raise awareness among local groups and organisations of the need to create a more resilient local economy and community. In relation to food growing, for instance, the website gathers together examples of local groups, such as the Gathering of Organic Growers, Halliwell Community Food Plot, Horwich Community Allotment, Westhoughton Food Co-op Plots or the Bromley Cross Incredible Edible Initiative.
 

There is a movement to bring back manufacturing here and if that’s combined with material re-use we’ll get a much cleaner local economy with less imports – that would signal the beginning of the circular economy.

The Bolton Transition Towns initiative is specifically linked to the promotion of the idea of the ‘circular economy’. As promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, this refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention and systemic through a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach. Materials are re-used and recycled; waste from one system is used as raw materials for another or systems run on renewable forms of energy. Through their website, the Bolton group is seeking to bring about a step change in how businesses think about their inputs, outputs and systems and how the local economy can be re-thought. As one representative of the Bolton Transition Town says, ‘we rely on individuals running events and try to let that energy guide it... there is a movement to bring back manufacturing here and if that’s combined with material re-use we’ll get a much cleaner local economy with less imports – that would signal the beginning of the circular economy’. 

For other Transition Town initiatives in and around Greater Manchester, the website http://www.transitionnetwork.org/ provides a searchable directory of relevant groups.
 

The Alternative?
 

The Transition Towns initiative has been widely promoted in both popular and academic press (see, for instance, the work of the Transition Research Network (http://www.transitionresearchnetwork.org/). Through its commitment to addressing the twin challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change via promoting extensive and wide-reaching localisation of economic and social activities, the initiative can be seen as an alternative to mainstream policies which continue to see sustainability as achievable within existing structures, policies and approaches. Relocalisation is seen as a central precondition for a life that is more fulfilling, socially connected and equitable.
 

The extent to which this is achievable seems largely dependent on local capacity, commitment and networks. Transition Towns initiatives are run by volunteers, or as Rob Hopkins, founder of the movement is quoted as saying in a Guardian piece in June 2013, ‘ordinary people’ (Flintoff, 2013). There are groups which have managed to pull off remarkable successes – the Transition Group in Brixton raised £130,000 to install the UK’s first inner city community-owned power station, consisting of 82kW of solar panels on top of a council estate and also launched its own local currencies (ibid).
 

“There is no cavalry coming to the rescue," Rob Hopkins is quoted as saying. "But what happens when ordinary people decide that they are the cavalry? Between the things we can do as individuals, and the things government and business can do to respond to the challenges of our times, lies a great untapped potential. It's about what you can create with the help of the people who live in your street, your neighbourhood, your town. If enough people do it, it can lead to real impact, to real jobs and real transformation of the places we live, and beyond (ibid)"

What happens when ordinary people decide that they are the cavalry? Between the things we can do as individuals, and the things government and business can do to respond to the challenges of our times, lies a great untapped potential (Rob Hopkins in the Guardian, 2013).

Beneath this, is the simple idea that there is power in everyday action. Through the network, a range of initiatives can be trialled and tested and the learning shared, creating a source of knowledge and experience that can be spread across a range of localities, whether urban or rural.

Find out more:
http://www.transitionlinks.org/?p=1847
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/
http://www.transitionresearchnetwork.org/
@TTBolton
 

Sources: 
Flintoff, 2013 : http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/15/transition-towns-way-forward. Correspondence with Transition Towns Bolton.

What’s ‘The Alternative?’

This article is published here as part of the Greater Manchester Local Interaction Platform’s aspiration to raise the visibility of different community innovations, grassroots projects and activities in the city-region.

Find out here about the background, purpose and content of ‘The Alternative?’ series of articles on Platform.

Disclaimer: The article has been put together using publicly available information and online sources as part of a larger ongoing research project. The author has no responsibility for the content or accuracy of those sites.