Transition towns

I am interested in opening up a forum about the concept of transition, transition town, and transition countryside. As population centres (towns and cities) are the main focus of the transition movement there is a danger that the transition movement becomes town centred. What about the open, dispersed, natural countryside? What about the impact of waste, quarrying, animal husbandry, tourism, standards of living, accessing services, isolation and exclusion?

Maybe we should be looking at transition areas (an integration of the town and country as one unit for the challenges of the imminent transition?

I was interested in our local tidy towns group meeting recently. Due to my accident had not been there for some time. The issue of the environment, the biosphere, carbon neutral activity, waste environmental management, and transition were very much the words in use among the group.

So there is significant change afoot. Are any of you are involved in the transition movement or in a transition town committee? Can you give advice about how we can ensure that rural areas are not excluded or disadvantaged?

Michael Kenny