Transition NOW!
to a More Sustainable Future
Every day it becomes increasingly clear that we need to take action NOW to transition our homes, our businesses, and our communities to a more sustainable way of living. Across the Twin Cities and the globe, people are taking action – alone and together in community – to become part of the solution. You can too. You can begin TODAY to lower your carbon footprint and increase the sustainability of your community. The Transition Twin Cities website and local Transition Town groups can help you:
- Reduce the energy you use and make the switch to renewable energy sources.
- Reduce the pollution your transportation is producing and maybe save some money, free up personal time, and become healthier in the process.
- Make wise decisions about what you buy (and don’t buy) and how you handle waste
- Help build a stronger local economy that brings your money closer to home, supports local jobs, local investments, and systems of sharing
- Help build a stronger local food system that provides healthy food to more people, increases food-growing skills, and supports local farmers and local jobs
- Help build prepared communities that are ready for more extreme weather ahead
- Protect and boost our natural support systems — the plants, animals and water we depend on.
Throughout the Transition Twin Cities website you will find videos of local residents who have taken steps to Make the Transition in their own lives. If you’ve taken action to lower your carbon footprint, share what you’ve learned. Send us a 1 minute video!
Ideas and resources found on this website are for informational purposes only. Listing does not constitute endorsement.
Time to TRANSITION! Twin Cities
Everyone Has a Part to Play
Some say that the only thing that matters now is systems change and political action. We DO need systems change and action at the highest levels of government. There are many excellent organizations in Minnesota using a variety of strategies to have an impact. Your skills and passion and financial support will be welcomed.
But it’s equally important that we all take immediate steps to lower our carbon footprints. As hundreds, then thousands, then hundreds of thousands of of everyday citizens make the changes they CAN make, we become the systems change we need to see.
Community-based Transition Town groups can help you find ways to take action.
Transition Towns is a global grassroots movement that has engaged millions of people of all ages, races, abilities, religions and income levels in taking practical action to lower their carbon footprint and build more resilient and connected communities. There are more than 1,100 Transition Town initiatives in 43 countries across the globe, and more than 100 groups in the U.S. And there are three active groups in the Twin Cities, as well as groups in Greater Minnesota.
No One Can Do It Alone
We’ve known about the serious problems created by increasing greenhouse gas levels for several decades. Why haven’t we seen big changes before now?
Because information isn’t enough. We also need vision … and a roadmap people can follow. We need a plan for how we can overcome barriers. We need role models to show us, in practical ways, how we can lower our carbon footprint and make more sustainable choices. We need support systems and encouragement. That’s what a Transition Town group can bring to the table. Transition Town groups start with a vision of what a resilient, low-carbon community can look like, and then help people identify steps they can take – in their household and in their community – to reach that goal.
By working together, we can help to shape our shared future.
Connect to a Transition Town Group, or another grassroots group, in your area
Find a Transition Town group near you. In St. Paul that will be Transition ASAP. In Minneapolis, that will be Transition Longfellow. Visit a meeting, participate in an activity, and join their Facebook page. If there is no group in your neighborhood, feel free to attend one in another community. Most Transition group activities are open to the public. If you have questions, contact us. This website also includes links to other grassroots groups in areas where there is no Transition group.
Start a Transition group
If you’d like to get something going on your block, in your workplace, or at your faith community, go ahead and start a group! It’s easy and it’s free. Just find a few friends and do it!
If you start a group, please contact the Transition Twin Cities organizer and share your name, email and community. If we know of others in your area who want to be part of a group, we’ll connect you together and provide resources to help you get started. You can even get a page on this website to advertise your group and activities.
The global Transition network provides resources on starting and growing a group. Transition US provides group workbooks for more sustainable and prepared living, as well as a variety of online and in-person trainings:
- Transition LAUNCH! to start a group
- Transition Thrive to make existing groups more effective
- Effective Groups training to enhance group performance
- The Art of Hosting
- Topical webinars
Dive in! Transition folks are here to help you learn to live more sustainably. We’re all in this together.
Sign up for our Newsletter
Transition Twin Cities sends out a monthly newsletter listing local Transition-related activities and national webinars/trainings.
Adventures in sourdough: great rise and texture, still not as sour as I’d like. The experiments continue… 👨🍳👨🔬
Timeline photosWith well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm.![]()
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The heating people approach means rather than heating the air in the room, you focus on heating the person: warm clothes, hot drinks, baths, cosy furniture with high backs and sides that traps heat in, or furniture that is itself heated like the kotatsu or aga, and generally local heating where a small room or even part of a room may be warm while the rest may be cool — dividing screens are sometimes used.![]()
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This approach was common until relatively recently and also still is in countries where it was difficult to stay cool in the summer and houses weren't typically built to keep heat in.![]()
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Could also be a good way to save some $ this year.
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Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse
n.pr
A new report from Greenpeace found that people may be putting plastic into recycling bins — but almost none of it is actually being recycled. Meanwhile, plastic production is ramping up.
