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When I requested a copy of the Transition Handbook I had the idea in my mind that I was going to get a book that would tell me step by step what I needed to do to get my town prepared for a future with short energy supplies. Instead what I got was a book that talked about what one town was doing, which I could use to glean information from, and ideas of what to do to transition to a low energy environment from a 10 thousand foot view, but not a 12 step program for this transition.

Is that a bad thing? Not really, it just messed with my perspective of what I thought the book was about. It’s an interesting read with a lot of information. There is a lot of personal information here and personal examples of what they have done, but what I gathered from reading this book is that each situation is unique. While you can have a general outline of what you want to achieve, you really need to look at your specific situation and adapt your strategy to your area.

Practically every state in this country would have a different strategy because they all have different climates, urban/rural ratios, population differences, natural advantages or other unique circumstances. Upstate NY will have to develop much different strategies than Albuquerque, NM. I think that is what I most got from this book. That the key to start moving and not wait for someone to provide you a general idea of what needs to be done. That you should look at your situation, make a few decisions, start moving and then modify your ideas as you go to develop the best answer to your specific areas needs.

Amazon has the following summation of this book which I think is an apt description:

We live in an oil-dependent world, arriving at this level of dependency in a very short space of time by treating petroleum as if it were in infinite supply. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities that will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies to keep money in the local area.

There is a lot covered in that description just like there is a lot covered in this book. If you need to adapt your town, city or village to a low energy lifestyle you should check out this book.

I found this review for the book also that I thought was interesting and that you might enjoy it. It’s hosted on the website for the Transition Group.