ABSTRACT
I was enthralled with the Transition Town movement from the first moment I heard about it—from a starry-eyed professor in graduate school who praised the young social movement for its grassroots, community-based approach to enacting solutions to the complex problems wrought by climate change. Indeed the movement, which began a decade ago in Totnes, England, to help communities "transition" to "a low-carbon, socially-just, healthier and happier future" (Transition Network), has since spread to more than 1,120 Transition initiatives in 43 countries. The Transition model, freely accessible on its website, offers tips, tools, strategies, suggestions, and advice on everything from initiating a Transition Town, to building a resilient food system, to starting a cooperative business (Hopkins and Lipman 2009; Hopkins 2011). Fiercely apolitical, with a focus on a solutions-based, positive framing, (Chatterton and Cutler 2008; Connors and McDonald 2010), the movement grew so quickly and with so much fanfare, I wondered whether it was going to be able to sustain itself long-term. I also wondered–as a mother with a young child, working full time, trying to finish school, with no extended family nearby, limited financial resources, and a deep desire to do something – could I also participate? And more than that: would I have the momentum to participate long-term without getting burned out?
