Words by Smiley Team
Now COP26 is over, where can we find hope for tackling climate change? While individual action can feel isolating, and global policy is out of our hands, community projects could yield more promising results. This article is part of Together Forever, a Smiley series of success stories about communities uniting to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Off the back of nearly £6 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, the international organisation, Transition Network, has launched a new project to support grassroots initiatives.
Transition Together will build community resilience in the face of climate change and economic instability across Britain.
After two decades of providing support for local groups, including a Covid-19 ‘Bounce Forward’ programme, the network is pleased to take its efforts to a new level.
“It’s really exciting that the movement in the UK has this new support,” says its communications and engagement lead Rhiannon Colvin. “Transition Together is a 10-year project that will use this funding to support the Transition movement in Britain to develop and grow.”
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The project will bolster community-led efforts through seed funding, training, workshops, large scale events, by amplifying positive stories of change and helping groups to connect and learn.
It comes at a pivotal time. Following COP26, Rhiannon sees community work as more vital than ever before. “There's a popular saying from Ben Brangwyn, one of the co-founders of the Transition movement, that if we wait for governments, it will be too late. If we act as individuals, it will be too little. But if we act as communities, it might just be enough, and it might just be in time. And I think that quote feels really relevant now.”
So far, Transition Network has borne many fruits, with thousands of groups across the world and over 300 initiatives across the UK. These include climate emergency centres, community gardens, renewable energy initiatives and local currencies, not to mention the original Transition Town in Totnes, South England.
Since a group of local residents came together in 2006, Transition Town Totnes has shown the power of small groups to transform their local environment. The project has strengthened the local economy, reduced its environmental impact, and built resilience in preparation for rising energy prices and a more challenging climate.
“In Totnes, you can see what's possible when communities transition over a long period of time. The high street is full of locally-owned businesses and it has fostered a thriving community of artists and food growers,” recounts Rhiannon.
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Elsewhere, the movement has helped residents of the London borough of Lambeth come together during the pandemic for a collective visioning process. Participants reimagined how the borough could better serve its inhabitants, wildlife and nature, triggering discussions about making the streets car-free and encouraging equal access to housing and green spaces.
Organisers hope the heightened level of support from Transition Together will lead to similar success stories across the country.
“This has launched at a crucial moment,” Rhiannon says. “Awareness of the climate crisis has never been so high and post-COP26 people are looking for ways to take climate action. It can feel overwhelming to act on your own and disempowering waiting for governments to act. So I think that by coming together we can have the greatest impact and start to realise our collective power.”
Find out more at transitionnetwork.org.
Together Forever is a Smiley series exploring the ways communities overcome divisions and unite in the face of climate change, humanity’s biggest challenge.
