Transition From and Transition To

Any discussion of transition has to make this distinction:  What are we transitioning from, and what kind of culture and biophysical economy are we trying to transition to?

The transitioning from part starts with an inventory, including the resources we now use  (all the stuff we have and buy plus the energy we use and the wastes we create) and the broader issue of how we live our lives, how we earn and maintain the income required to stay in the Tahoe area, how we raise and educate children, how we care for the sick and those who need our help, how we interact with the rest of the natural world - the lake, the trees, the rest of mountain ecosystems.

The transitioning to part involves articulating a vision of a sustainable world that we (and future Tahoe dwellers) hope to develop.  It deals with energy - how much do we need, what kind of energy, how do we get it, and if we don't produce it in the Tahoe area, how is it transported here?  What are our backup energy supplies?   It deals with food - how much does a person - adult, child and senior - need, and how do we go about procuring it and safely storing it.  How much waste may we recycle/compost?   It deals with health care - how do we best take care of ourselves, and who can help take care of us when we are ailing?   It deals with money - what kind of currency will we use and how will we store it?  Still dollars and still store in a branch of a large national bank?  We need to think about this.  It deals with housing - How can we preserve and maintain what we now have, assuming we thing these structures are sustainable?  How can we procure the wood, glass, roofing material, insulation, plumbing and electrical components we'll need, given that these are unlikely to be produced in a future local economy.  It also deals with culture and belief and myths and practices - what stories do we tell ourselves about why our lives have meaning?  What is our new creation myth?  How do we explain to our children what is happening, what has happened, to the world?  How do we treat death, and more immediately, how do we deal with no longer living bodies?

These are difficult issues and there are no easy or straightforward answers.  I hope to address these and many more in future posts.