Hi, Linda here ... I'm new to this wiki. I'm reading "The Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins of Totnes, England, which offers guidelines for "powering down" and relocalizing economies and agriculture.
I like Hopkins' suggestion about how to convince opponents of climate change and peak oil -- he asserts that we should treat energy dependence like an actual addiction, acting more as "counselors" to people who refuse to give up their oil intensive lifestyles. As with drug/alcohol addicts, he suggests using the FRAMES model:
FEEDBACK
Offer an honest assessment of their addiction problem and its possible consequences to raise awareness of the problem.
RESPONSIBILITY
Talk about the amount of personal responsibility it will take for the addict to break the addiction.
ADVICE
Give clear advice (as a recommendation, not a prescription) about modifying their lives in terms of energy efficiency, and about community-scale strategies for energy descent.
MENU OF OPTIONS
People need to feel they've explored their alternatives. They need a process to explore what those options might be.
EMPATHY
Aggressive, authoritarian approaches don't persuade addicts to change. Offer support and empathy and a sense of optimism about embarking on a collective journey. This implies a two-way dialogue.
SELF-EFFICACY
The person needs to feel that s/he can succeed in reaching a specific goal (like giving up alcohol or reducing their oil dependency). Building this "can do" sense is essential.
He also points out that addicts often backslide but should not give up hope of achieving sobriety! They need lots of support.
This is a small part of the book, which has a remarkably complete vision of how to create sustainability -- Curious what you think.
-- Linda

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Is it possible to see the third path as being one that seeks to work with people where they are now? Helping people realize what their vision for their own community is, and how what they have now is inconsistent with where they say they want to be. It comes down many times to empowerment or the lack there of. People who are angry are entiltled. Got it. I can go there too. And though we do need the angry people to be just that, it is the person that can put the message in a joke, in a personal story, that can sink it in, that can make it real for the other person, real enough for them to care about it. Also, people who want systems and other people to change think because they changed, others should be able to do so too. But changing a habit is hard enough, changing the paradigm from which one acts is a big boulder to roll.

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Hey everyone, I wish I was there, but at least I can post this comment to you. Thanks for considering it.
I think that these questions that you have been asking, and that you reflect in your postings, suggest a view that collectively maybe you are thinking that we have time to make a shift towards a more sustainable furture within the context of possibilities. For example, before our twins were born, I think I had this attitude that if I wanted to make something happen, I could just do it. BK, before kids, I was relatively resource-rich (money, time, brain cells, relationship-points in the "account" with my partner, etc.).Then the kids came, and all turned to molasses. I couldn't have fathomed how even simple tasks took herculean efforts. So, I wonder, if the transition to alternative energy use will be organicaly grown, or artificially thrust upon us by some tripped threshold trigger. If we assume we will have time to grow into the state of sustainability, then all kinds of measures make sense as we seek to shift our society towards worshipping a new sun, a difficult task indeed. However, if we assume that our need to be sustainable is immediate and without question based on both global warming and peak oil, I suggest that this means that I, me, and my family, and my local community, and you in yours, and all of the surrounding communities need to leap frog quickly to the new paradigm. Let's describe what life in the ideal, sustainable world will be, could be, if we have time, and if we don't. Maybe then we can identify how to jump the gap between where we are todayand where we know we want to o.

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If we assume that animal husbandry is causing 65% of acid rain and global warming, two things come to mind: 1) Is there a way to add something to the feed to keep the animals from emitting so much methane and 2) is there a way for us to reduce methane production by focusing on getting our protein from only the methane-light animals if any. In other words, are there solutions that can attack the issue along a continuum like solutions for people based on the degree to which they are willing to change their diet over time.

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I find that resistence to change is the biggest obstacle I face as a sustainability organizer. I wish I had been able to attend the conference this weekend and especially this talk. Is there any way that the talk can be posted on this site, either in audio or text format? Are there any reading materials the session participants can recommend that would help with this issue?

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I am driving from Northampton at 8 a.m. on Saturday through AMherst and have space for 3 very comfortable plus 2 more in the way back--there is a seat with seatbelts, but it's small.
-Catherine Miller 413/587-4010 or 413/695-0074

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Frank, Thought you might like this: http://www.gardengirltv.com/

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Frank and Friends -- this is a marvelous effort. I can't think of a better use for Open Space, and I am sure that all those who come will discover that when the space is open, creativity and accomplishment just seem to happen. All by themselves. Good luck! Harrison Owen

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