Transition Towns and Energy Descent

In December 2005, the town council of Kinsale, a seaside town in County Cork, Ireland, voted unanimously to adopt something called an Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) — the first of its kind, but by no means the last.

“Energy descent”, a term coined by Australian permaculturist David Holmgren, refers to the systematic and intentional reduction in energy consumption in a community (or household, or nation). The phenomenon is expected to become widespread as we reach Peak Oil — the point at which oil production stops growing and begins to decline.

So-called Transition Towns, such as Kinsale, are those who have taken life-after-oil into their own hands by adopting an EDAP. There are thirty or forty of these communities already as of this writing, with many more on the way.

The Internet is full of useful resources on energy descent planning, the Transition Town movement and related topics such as permaculture. Here are a few of my favorite links to get you started:

• www.transitionculture.org
• www.transitionnetwork.org
• www.eatthesuburbs.org
• www.transitiontowns.org
• www.transitiontowns.org/Kinsale/
• www.transitiontownkinsale.org
• EDAP Primer (www.eatthesuburbs.org)
• EDAP Primer (www.transitionnetwork.org)
• PermaWiki