...in your own life
- Think about the carbon and ecological footprint of your lifestyle, and take steps to reduce it. Take fewer but longer holidays to reduce carbon emissions associated with travel.
- Cycle or walk whenever you can
- Start growing your own fruit and vegetables
- Buy locally produced goods when you can
- Repair, reduce, recycle and reuse as much as possible
- Buy only what you need and pay attention to the ‘real’ cost of goods
- If you can afford to spend more on environmentally and socially responsible goods, then do so.
- Invest in the energy efficiency of your home. This will save you money in the long run, and you might even be able to take advantage of a grant or subsidy.
- Seek a balance between your work life and home life.
- Get to know your neighbours and become involved in your community.
- Join a group that is campaigning for change, such as a local Transition Town initiative.
- Get political. Lobby your MP, the Minister for the Environment and Prime Minister to support a global fair deal on climate change at Copenhagen.
- Use your vote at the next election to support the party with the best policies for achieving a socially just and environmentally sustainable Britain.
- Educate others. Get out, get active and be a positive force for change
Economically, much of what we have been told was true has been shown to be false, and we are at a once-in-a-century crossroads when a different path must be taken.
Socially, as the corrosive effects of inequality deepen they become harder and more expensive to reverse.
To achieve the Great Transition will require fundamental changes to the way we live our lives, but we believe that the rewards from doing so will be great. These changes are required at individual and government level, and they are inextricably linked: each on their own is necessary but not sufficient, together they make the transition possible.
There are some things we can do straight away, changes that may seem small but when taken by millions together are much more significant. But, we should not pretend that this will be enough. Our lives are shaped by the systems – economic, political, legal and social – that surround us, and it is only by changing these that the Great Transition can be realised. Governments set the ‘rules of the game’, unless the parameters are altered there is a limit to what we as individuals can do.
But even for government to change they require our support. As the divisions and mistrust within our society intensify it will become ever more difficult to act collectively. Achieving the Great Transition will require us to jump together: to make changes to our own lives, to push the government for radical reform and then to be prepared to see these changes through. We need to be in this for the long haul – to keep our eyes on the bigger picture, the long horizon and the ultimate prize.
Below is a set of recommendations for both governments and individuals. They are far from exhaustive, but we believe that with them we can
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