Our organization’s objective is extremely broad in scope and scale—in words, "to get society off fossil fuels fast" by offering research and demonstrations in fields as diverse as renewable energy, agriculture, urban planning, grass-roots organizing, and public policy. It operates as a think tank (its list of Fellows includes scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, public personalities, support organisations), but it is also action-oriented and will offer support to dozens of affiliated local groups scattered around the Canary Islands and the World. Any one of these areas of effort can be plenty to bite off for most NGOs.
But with so little time and so much needing to be done in order for society as a whole to navigate a survivable transition to a non-hydrocarbon economy, it wouldn’t help matters much if one of the very few organizations with a holistic view of that transition were to focus on only one project area.
La transition is supporting Richard Heinbergs "energy descent plan" in 12 steps.
This 12 step plan involves many of those who have relevant knowledge and would be made very visible to the community at large, with a tip of the hat to the 12 Steps of Transition, 10 Steps to a Resilient Community:
1. Form a working group
2. Identify people and organizations with something important to offer post-carbon peak
3. Ask their help and participation
4. Work with them to develop a contingency plan in their field: how to scale-up quickly?
5. Seek input from disaster management officials
6. Contact mainstream organizations responsible for water, food, power, fuel, health care, etc.
7. Assemble a coherent Resilience Plan
8. Present the plan
9. Implement the plan
10. Work with other communities to create a national plan: repeat steps 1-10 at higher levels
Most response groups, cultivate an upbeat, hopeful tone, which is essential. In contrast, creating this kind of disaster management is a sobering activity–but it is strategically and practically necessary.
Somebody's got to do it!
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