Living in transition

People across Flanders join forces to diminish their energy consumption

Often citizens can get permission to turn unused public spaces into gardens, a p

It might come as a surprise to hear that over the last quarter, Belgium’s GDP growth was the highest in Europe. The British commentator John Lanchester attributes this to the simple fact that Belgium doesn’t have a government. And he’s far from alone in assuming that politicians worldwide haven’t grasped Albert Einstein’s basic dictum: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

So, what to do in the face of fossil-fuel depletion and the potentially devastating consequences? Some think it’s time for the average person in the street to take the initiative and find sensible solutions within their own local communities.

That is the goal of Transitienetwerk Vlaanderen, or Flemish Transition Network, a steadily growing number of ordinary individuals, families, friends and ad hoc groups who are already rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it.

No more oil

“In principle, the transition takes about 20 years,” says Debbie Eraly from Transition Initiative Ghent, referring to the time it takes to adjust to diminishing fossil fuel resources and achieve sustainibility with renewable energy. Peak oil, or the point beyond which fossil fuels become too expensive, is not only inevitable, she says, but is happening right now. “We haven’t much time left, so the sooner we start to adapt, the better. Then we’ll be able to use the remaining oil much more wisely.”

This doesn’t mean a return to the bad old days. As many local citizens’ groups are discovering, dispensing with the derivatives of the petrochemical industry can actually change our lives for the better and release all kinds of hidden human potential, renewed connections and values we’ve allowed to lie fallow for decades.

There are more than 50 transition initiatives in Brussels and Flanders, an impressive figure out of the nearly 400 worldwide. And the movement is growing rapidly. “This gives me hope for the future,” one Flemish woman exclaims, with a sigh of relief. Another young woman, digging with rubber gloves in a community garden, declared: “The great thing about the Transition Initiative is that it is for everyone. It’s a grass-roots movement, and you can actually do something.”

Local, local, local

The international Transition Town Network gives a whole new twist to the slogan “power to the people”. It all began five years ago when ecological designer Rob Hopkins was teaching a sustainability course in a technical college in Ireland. His students designed a model for the transition from oil dependency to sustainable living, and when Hopkins returned to Totnes, his home town in south-west England, he started experimenting with the idea.

The process of re-localising the economy can start informally with, say, film screenings, recycle markets, choirs, break dancing or whatever best suits the community. The next step would be to design a so-called “energy descent plan” for education, food, transport, etc. The aim of the plan is to create local businesses and employment, breweries and bakeries, organic farms and community orchards, cycle routes, public transport and renewable energy sources.

Some initiatives even have a local currency, keeping money circulating within the community and stimulating the local economy. Hopkins will be in Brussels next week to talk about these issues and how they can be applied to Brussels and Flanders.

Some Flemish people join the movement for a particular reason, such as being tired of processed food, for example, that has travelled thousands of kilometres. Wouter Smets from Antwerp started sowing pumpkin seeds along the bicycle path that circles the centre of the city. There’s often unused spaces in urban environments where fruit and vegetables can be grown. “I dream of picking tomatoes on the Astridplein,” he says.

Come on, neighbour

According to participants, transition initiatives engender a community spirit, empathy and a common purpose. They see it as the ideology of a post-fossil fuel age; but convincing neighbours to participate isn’t always easy. In rural areas like the Flemish Ardennes, small groups of people organise nature walks, cycle trips or just gatherings to raise awareness and stimulate activities. There are transition trainings and manuals for guidance, courses in permaculture and sustainable economics and, of course, support and advice through the network’s website.

And it doesn’t all have to be a doom-and-gloom attitude. Flemish performance troupe Fou de Coudre is only one of many festive initiatives that put zest into the movement, while encouraging participants to discover their skills and imagine their futures.

The Transition Network is seen by many citizens as the most hopeful and inspiring development in decades. Local governments are welcome to climb onboard and many have lent support to initiatives. But Hopkins stresses the importance of community involvement and motivation. “Your local authority’s role will be to support, not to drive, your Transition Initiative.”