24 May 2012
24 Hours of Possibility in Totnes
I wrote a while ago about the Festival of Transition, and in particular the 24 Hours of Possibility event taking place on the first day of Rio+20 (June 20th). I thought that perhaps to inspire your thinking about what you might do where you are, I might share Transition Town Totnes’ emerging plan for the day. Everywhere will do very different things, and already some places have set out what they are going to do, but here are Totnes’ plans… as you’ll see it is quite tentative, but it is starting to take shape:
The 24 hours in Totnes will be framed by a series of What If questions linked to the different activities that we are planning to put on. These will be questions that encourage dialogue, visioning, reflection. There are several What If Events happening as part of the Festival around the country. This Festival is about Transition in a broad sense- the Transtition to a more sustainable and resilient future that tackles the challenges of today and leads to better lives for all.
TOTNES ITINERY
6.00 am Dawn on the Dartington Estate as part of the Home and the World summit – artists/ thinkers from across the UK gathering for a 3 day festival about our relationship to the wider world. Rob Hopkins has been invited to speak/share/be there at Dawn along with Ruth Potts from New Economics Foundation – The Festival will open up for that event to anyone who wants to join to see the day in..
Breakfast at Atmos site and visioning – What might our daily lives might be like when the Atmost project is in full swing how will we live, work, gather, celebrate? Visions/ hopes will be written on pieces of Totnes bunting that will be tied to the Fence outside the Dairy Crest site then taken back to the Civic Hall. Bring a locally sourced breakfast to share and join people waiting for trains or dropping people off.
What would it be like to have a pioneering housing, business, cultural hub in Totnes? What would it be like if people were involved in desining, building, planning the buildings they use? What would it be like if there was a home for thriving sustainable social enterprises in Totnes? What would a groundbreaking cultural centre in Totnes be doing?
Cycle Tour – Following breakfast people invited to go on a cycle tour to various sustainable/Transition projects to celebrate the steps already being taken towards a resilient future – ideas to go to South Brent, Ashburton, Hilly Fields ( more ideas needed …. ) Also to forage food on the way for lunch. Ideally get the Rickshaw involved for people who don’t want to cycle
What if local sustainable projects were connected up and felt part of a bigger picture? What if we reduced the level of cars on the streets?
Riverside Wild food Walk– for those not going on cycling tour a riverside foraging walk into Totnes collecting food to add to lunch
What If foraging and wild food became part of our daily life and staple diet? What if food for foraging was planted in our public places avaliable for all?
Shared Local Lunch -in the Market/ Civic Square. Bring locally sourced food to share for a mass lunch in the square A working, visioning, connecting lunch. An opportunity for local stakeholders to gather with teach other and the public passing by. A focus on what make us a vibrant community – exploring what a market square of the future might be like
Followed by an afternoon of swapping, collecting and connecting- Experiments with the High Street of the future –
Participatory story telling about the joys and challenges of everyday life, Re- economy – setting up an incubator in the square for the afternoon, large scale snakes and ladders – a game of choices/ challenges for a resilient life, House About for children, Skills Swaps and a process of Exchange in general – produce/ clothes/ things, Credit union and a focus on local currency
What if our high street were a hub of wellbeing as well as commerce? What if shops offered services as well as products? What if everything on the high street was local? What if we were all involved in the development of our town? What if our high street was a hub of community gathering, celebrating and connecting?
Responses to the What If questions get added to the Totnes bunting that grows throughout the day and starts to fill the square.
High Tea- Strawberries and cream, home made cakes and sandwiches – Participatory singing, story telling, open mic – buskers in the Civic Square –
What if we made our own entertainment? What if we ate together and celebrated together on the high street? What if we knew all of our neighbours? What if we looked after our young and elderly?
Evening : Transition Youth Theatre Performance – At Dartington or possibly KEVICC
The Youth theatre led by Encounters perform ‘We’re all in this together aren’t we? a promenade performance piece they have been working on since November.
What if we were guided by Young People’s visions of the future? What if there were places and opportunities for a community to come together to listen to young peoples voices?
Candlelight procession to the Castle – As the sun sets we head to the castle for a quiet night of vigil for the Earth
More story sharing a night of contemplation – Totnes bunting gets hung up for the night.
What if we made time to connect more with the natural world? What if we allowed more time for reflection and contemplation? What if we sat together to look to the past, acknowledge the present and make way for the future?
Dawn breakfast on the Castle – overlooking Totnes as the sun rises…
What if we began to take small steps to live more sustainably today?