Otago Polytechnic

Growth in grass roots projects focused on improving social or environmental well-being, is some kind of phenomenon. Paul Hawken, in his video presentation at Bioneers in April 2007, referred to the hundreds-of-thousands of organizations that address social and environmental justice, as "the worlds largest movement."

In New Zealand I've been able to witness up close, the tremendous growth of Transition Towns, a decentralised relocalisation response to peak oil and climate change. From three early initiatives in 2007, Transition Towns is now represented in over 50 towns across the country. News from the Transition Towns movement is being communicated through TV, film, radio, the written word and word-of-mouth. It is one of the many truly grass-roots responses, to the changing times we live in.

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