A study group on "The Transition Handbook", by Rob Hopkins, will be starting in late February.

An introductory meeting will be held at the next LARELLA meeting on Sunday, February 21st at 6:30pm. Those who would like to learn about the Transition movement and how the study group will proceed are invited to attend.

Starting the following Sunday, Feb. 28th, the study group will meet for 6 consecutive Sunday evenings from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Members will be asked to commit to coming to at least 4 of the 6 meetings, for the sake of continuity. Copies of the book are available at Sustain Ability at 50 Canal Street, Laconia for a 20% discount for those signing up for the study group.

The focus book is called "The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience" by Rob Hopkins. The book, a product of the worldwide Transitions Movement, looks at how our societies can cope with earth's declining resources when energy costs rise dramatically as demand increases and supply declines - both of which are already beginning to happen. The book has three parts: The Head ("Why Peak Oil and Climate Change mean Small is Inevitable"), The Heart ("Why Having a Positive Vision is Crucial"), and The Hands ("Exploring the Transition Model for Inspiring Local Resilience Building").

The Transition Handbook is a workbook on preparing for "Energy Descent". We currently base our entire civilization on oil, and specifically cheap oil. Due to overpopulation and rampant overdevelopment, and the occurance of "Peak oil", energy prices will be rising significantly in the future (we are seeing the first stages of economic shock at the result of rising energy prices now!) The Transitions movement is a citizen movement to re-envision our future based on less intense use of fossil fuels, and greater attention paid to the sustainability of our economy, local as well as national. If you would be interested in participating in a study group exploring the ramifications of Peak Oil and Energy Descent, and want to be part of the planning process for how we restructre our local economy, please either come to the Febrary LARELLA meeting on Feb. 21st, or contact us using the "Contact" button at the top of the page.