People's Climate March

On Sept 21st an estimated 600,000 people across the world marched and demonstrated to demand action on climate change. The march in New York was the largest - 400,000 people (!!!) Hats off to Avaaz and 350.org for this immense organisational achievement. If anybody previously had doubted that the public weren't concerned about climate change (and if anyone in power felt they could continue to get away with smothering initiatives to tackle it) they can just look at the pictures here.

The Peoples Climate March in London

In London 40,000 people marched against climate change. As one of the marchers, I felt moved by how unifying the movement to tackle climate change is proving to be, and how unlikely friendships were formed. Climate change has previously had a reputation for causing massive fear, rift and division - as you'd expect from a issue which demands fast, bold state intervention and international negotiation. Were no evidence of this fear required, consider the billions poured by big business into misinformation campaigns, such as those emanating from the Heartland Institute. Corporate lobbyists have been furiously getting to work on what they (rightly) perceive to be a threat to short-term profits: killing legislation that would limit carbon emissions. The mainstream media have been equally quick to promote misinformation, giving disproportionate airtime to climate sceptics.

In London, New York, Rio, Melbourne and around the world, myriad different groups of people held hands to face a common threat. Senior figures from IKEA and Unilever, the actors Leonardo di Caprio and Emma Thompson, Ban Ki-Moon, citizens from Aleppo in Syria, indigenous peoples, people or all faiths and none, all were prepared to lay differences aside and join together in peaceful demonstration.

The Green Heart was a unifying symbol -
fighting climate change is about one's love
for the world, not fear or hatred.

The London Climate March was preceded by a demonstration organised by the Quakers, DANCE and BP or not BP?. A normal day at the British Museum morphed into a theatrical protest, with protesters dressed as oil-covered pelicans and turtles, followed by an 11-minute meditation for the 11 workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon spill (see here for a video of the action).

There was also a multi-faith vigil organised by Our Voices in the Gardens by Temple Tube station. Buddhists, Muslims, Bahai, Jews, Christians, Hindus and humanists all ate lunch together and listened to a prayer written by Desmond Tutu specially for the occasion.

Buddhists Oscar and Manjurava at the Multi-faith vigil

After quite a lot of hanging around, the march finally kicked off, with imaginative placards a-plenty...

I'd like to end with an apology - it seems people have been finding the Transition blog a little arts/spirituality heavy... All those who are into things a little more hands-on - please do get in touch if you want to write a blog post or have us promote your events. We're here for you!

Why don’t we repair things more often?

It is often said that we live in a throw away society. When things break, even if in quite a minor way, we usually replace them rather than mending them. You have a shirt with a frayed cuff, or a pair of trousers with a stuck zip. Maybe someone sat on your book reader and cracked the screen, or your toaster is stuck and doesn’t spring up any more. All of these things are usually easy to repair but we usually don’t bother, because (we think) getting a new one is going to be cheaper in the long run, or less hassle, or because we quite want a new one anyway. But quite apart from the tremendous waste, these things are often not true. Repair can be cheaper, and less hassle, and a new one may not be any better than the old one.

Transition and the Day of Global Climate Action

On September 23rd, in New York, the UN Climate Change Summit 2014 will convene. Ban Ki-Moon (Secretary General of the UN) is calling the Summit as a means of building momentum for the global climate negotiations in Paris in 2015 (COP21). The heads of all UN Member States, as well as finance, business, civil society and local leaders from public and private sectors are expected to attend.

This summit is a great opportunity for citizens of the world who are concerned about climate change to step up and make a noise - at home, in the workplace, but particularly on the streets and in public places. This raises interesting questions for Transitioners - the motto of Transition being 'think party, not a protest'!

I'd argue that it is well within the remit of Transition to raise awareness of climate change - and the joy inherent in resilient living - out there, in public, on the streets.


There is to be a day of Global Climate Action (a working title, 'official' title tba) to coincide with the UN Climate Change Summit 2014. That day is Saturday September 21st. The international campaigning organisation Avaaz has sent out a rallying email to invite concerned citizens to demonstrate in the streets on the day - the essential idea being to march to a government office and hand in a petition for 100% Clean Renewable Energy. This action is one that can unite citizens across the globe, for there is no place where this demand isn't relevant, and where the vested interests of the fossil fuel industry aren't clutching at their dirty, carbon-heavy assets. 350,000 people world-wide have already committed to march!!

The meme for the Day of Global Climate Action is a green heart - representing what we love...

However, in the spirit of Transition, I would call for a musical offering from Cambridge Transitioners on that day. As a composer, I feel that the joy, emotional authenticity and resilience that music and the arts bring us is central to Transition. I hope to write songs for a group of us to sing - I hope other people will too - I hope people will bring instruments (if even just their voices) and simply show the best of most beautiful side of humanity, in the face of our collective blindness and darker side.

Do contact me - dunctonhoney@googlemail.com - if you are at all interested in a musical offering on that day... whether you play Violin Grade 1, the Tin Whistle, the Taize Chant or the Pair of Spoons... 

More info about the day to follow.

The sound of a transitioning world

I have heard a few songs in recent months which have made me think about what the ordinary "man on the street" thinks about the issues which threaten to change our world in a difficult way in years to come. I can't think of a form of media which is more pervasive (and persuasive) than popular music, and it seems a key battleground in the war of climate information vs disinformation. So this is a music review, transition style!

Thrift Shop - Macklemore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=QK8mJJJvaes&feature=kp

Be aware that the lyrics are quite strong. This is a light-hearted hip hop track, which ponders the benefits of shopping in charity shops, and basically recycling perfectly good clothes. In a culture where it's quite normal to pay large sums of money for designer shirts and trainers, this is a really vital outburst of good sense and courage.

It makes fun of the ridiculous fashions which have come and gone in previous decades, and is saying in a modern way: "Personality is more important than designer labels, if you're a decent and likeable person then you can wear whatever you want. If you think that members of the opposite sex will be sincerely impressed by what you wear, then you're deluded."

The neurotic need to buy more things, to gain a measure of status and worth, is one of the biggest problems with the modern capitalist society and we should be grateful for such a well-judged send-up of it.

I could also have mentioned Will.i.am and his song SOS (Mother Nature).

Water Song - Carrie Tree
https://soundcloud.com/carrie-tree/water-song

This is by a young folk singer-songwriter from Brighton, who is clearly aware of the frightening issues that threaten the freshwater and seawater that sustains life on this planet. I think this song is simply beautiful, and seems like a great way to get an important message onto radio stations and in public places.

"Who'd tell our children, what on earth would they say? No you can't drink the water in this world."

Glory to Gaia/I read the news- Cambridge DANCE chapter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ny3sLMQQVs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CH4kOaB9wY

The surprise now is that this features a performance by two of the Transition Media team, Kate and Oscar, albeit in a different role. The DANCE project (Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement) mandates local activism in a way that draws attention to environmental issues, taking advantage of local opportunities to get exposure.

Glory to Gaia is a piece by June Boyce-Tillman, which Kate heard at a Great Turning concert at Winchester Cathedral. It normally has 7 different parts, but Kate was able to arrange a version which worked pretty well with only 3 distinct parts!

I read the news is actually written by Kate, and was originally used for the Creative Communities project run by Cambridge Carbon Footprint.

Music is a universal way of communicating, and it's sure that music will continue to have a role in helping people to wake up and make the necessary changes in the world.

Fun at the Big Weekend

Liz and Anna on our stall at the Big Weekend on Saturday

July is a busy time for fairs and one of the biggest is the Big Weekend on Parker’s Piece. People come to wander around and have fun doing an extraordinary range of things – from sliding down a helter skelter to having a lesson in unarmed combat. There are lots of stalls too: this year our pitch was opposite the Wildlife Trusts and next to a food stall selling delicious garlicky potatoes in cream, prawns and other aromatic things. As well as the smells you get a lot of noise: the music blaring out from the main stage ranges from rock to rap, jazz or reggae. And the people are as varied as the music – elderly couples, students, other couples, families with children from age zero up – but everyone is in a good mood and not in much of a hurry – so easy to engage in chat about sustainability and what to do about it.

Thermal Comfort in Older Houses

The Transition Energy Group forum on ‘Thermal Comfort in Older Houses’ went very well on Tuesday – a good turnout, with lots of new faces, excellent speakers and a very switched-on audience. As well as people with questions about their own houses we had a fair sprinkling of building professionals including several architects, a plaster/renderer and building managers – with lots of experience to share. Justin Smith from Cambridge City Council gave us the latest news about the grants available from the Cambridgeshire Solid Wall Insulation Fund (CSWIF) and the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF). Both of these are very new, launched only this month. They are quite similar in some respects – I have written a comparison here on our Green Deal FAQ page.

Jim Ross of Cambridge Architectural Research
explaining about window performance ratings

From my personal viewpoint, here are some messages I picked up that I thought were particularly interesting or important. You might also like to download some of the presentations.

EcoDharma Buns

It's raining outside this morning - soft, feathery. The sort of rain that comes to mind when I read the Gaelic blessing - one of the oldest in Christian heritage

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand

Across the Anglican Church, the Quakers, the Catholic Church - a broad sweep of Christian denominations worldwide - followers of Jesus are paying attention to the grotesque injustice of the effects of climate change on the poor, and are recognising the need to protect the natural world. And, as in the Celtic blessing, recognising how interknit we are with the soil in which our food grows.

It's not only Christians that are feeling a strong calling to incorporate climate change into their religious worldview. On Sunday 15th June at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, EcoDharma buns came into being - a discussion and shared practice group of Buddhists who are concerned about the state of the world. It did not involve buns, but a fair amount of chocolate, cake and flapjack were consumed... The day was organised and facilitated by Oscar Gillespie, with an opening talk by Yogaratna, and delicious vegan quiche provided by Vimalabandhu. In his talk, Yogaratna stressed the need for an integrated practice. Engagement with world issues - on a political and economic level - low-carbon living, ethical procurement and consuming, activism - these are not add-ons, but as much of the spiritual practice as one's daily meditation.

For me it was very heartening to discover how much reflection and contemplation has been going on surrounding these issues already. Oscar provided a whole glut of material from across the Buddhist tradition - mostly from living teachers who exemplify their beliefs in how they live. Although it can always seem like we're never doing enough in the face of a problem of this scale - huge numbers of people, from all across the world, care. In fact, they profoundly care, and deeply reflect. While the current economic and political systems attempt to smother activism with consumerism, when those systems break apart - as they will - who will guide us? We will look to the prophets, the visionaries - and those who got on with what they had to do.