“Transition Town”? What’s that?”, you say. “Transition from what to what?”, you say. All good, questions. On this day, set aside for remembering those who have given their lives to keep the rest of us safe, a serious topic seems appropriate. So let me tell you a little story.

I was glancing through the local, daily newspaper this morning at our Asheville bed and breakfast, as I usually do each day. In the second section, the one called ” Mountains”, on the left-hand sidebar, down below the report of a road accident and the closings of various municipal buildings and services for this, the Memorial Day holiday, was a very small article. Almost too small to be called an article, but I don’t know what else to name it. But it caught my eye.

The headline said”Asheville named ‘transition town’.” So I was were you are…thinking “What does that mean?” So it seems there’s a world-wide, truly grassroots organizing of communities called Transition Initiative …373 throughout the world, including 87 in the U.S. It acknowledges the efforts of communities….now including Asheville, North Carolina…to plan a sustainable future in the areas of energy, climate and economics. In short, to plan for a future without dependence on fossil fuels, creating cleaner air and water, to ensure sources of wholesome, local-based food supply by supporting local farmers and reducing pesticides. Certainly sounds like the Asheville I know and love.

How to do these things? To start at the beginning, at the roots of each community, with groups of individuals with a common goal. Slowly, but continuously.In fact this afternoon is a meeting to get some people together to push forward. No easy, but truly a cleaner, sustainable future. Watch for more…The website that is the co-ordinating point for this initiative in the United States is: www.transitionsus.org.