More Hip Than Hippie #296 - Transition Towns

The Transition movement represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people and communities to take the far-reaching actions that are required to mitigate the effects of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis.

Do you live in a Transition Town? Would you like to? Dori & Val chat with Carolyne Stayton of Transition US to learn why transition is necessary, and fun! Also, the Hipsters rewrite Auld Lang Syne and contemplate Canadian porn.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Our new Favorite Listener is Blythe in Sonoma County, CA! She kicked down a big-ass bottle of Gold Digger IPA from NorCal's Auburn Alehouse. The robust hop flavor is enough to start another gold rush! Dori: 5 hips; Val: 5 hips

Chocolate: Blythe also sent along a box of assorted artisan oddities from Sonoma Chocolatiers. We've never experienced goat cheese or garlic in chocolate before. We may never again. But we're Hall of Faming the adventure! (Tip: pair these with red wine, not beer.) Dori: 6 hips; Val: 6 hips.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Klean Kanteen presents their fabulous new Stainless Steel Pint Glass, and Greenfeet offers a 4-pack to get the party started. They're perfect outdoors; unlike a Red Solo Cup, you can use them again and again. Cheers!
• Saddle up. Ready to put away some pasta? I Could Eat a Horse spaghetti measuring tool gauges your noodle needs on a scale of Skinny to Whinny!
• Yule love these. Time for some alternative holiday tunes from Yule Logs and Lascivious Biddies.

Hip News

• Paws for a Cause. This year's biggest superhero is Daniel, the cat with 26 toes. By chipping in a dollar per toe, Milwaukee residents helped to save Daniel's home, an animal rescue center.
• FacePeace. Friend request accepted! Facebook and Greenpeace have agreed to work together promoting renewable energy, after the social media giant agreed to power its data centers with clean energy instead of coal.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Roll Your Own!Val's latest obsession is paper flowers, rolled from old book pages, magazine pages, even sheet music. They make great gifts, and all that rolling keeps your hands out of the candy box.

Transition Towns

"The Transition Movement is a vibrant, grassroots movement that seeks to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. It represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected."

• Carolyne Stayton is the Executive Director of Transition US. Her job: Supporting communities in the US to become more resilient and enjoy doing it!
• The movement's founder, Rob Hopkins, was inspired by the film The End of Suburbia.
• There are 12 Ingredients of the transition model. They are not meant to be implemented in numerical order.
• The Transition Network facilitates initiatives all over the world.
• Great resources for starting a transition initiative in your town include the Transition Handbook, the Transition Companion, and the website's Knowledge Hub.

Listener E-mails

Your New Year's Resolution: email your Hipsters! Let us hear from you at hip@greenfeet.com. Save big at Greenfeet's Holiday Sale! Check out our blog!

• Aimee in New York has an idea for those wanting carbonated water without the messy cartridges: try water kefir. It's a healthy soda substitute.
• Alison in North Carolina shares a story about IKEA installing solar panels in the South.
• Druanna in New York would like an update on the benefits and drawbacks of agave, and turns us on to ethically-sourced True Source Honey.
• Kalah in Oregon warns that genetically modified chocolate is in our future. Look for the organic, fair-trade stuff.
• Ann in North Carolina will be living without a stove, oven or kitchen sink for a while. Take a few survival cues from those who have survived a kitchen remodel.
• Ron in New Mexico shared a TWG on our Facebook page: Instead of using stir sticks in your coffee, just add your cream and sugar to the cup first, then swirl. Ask your coffeehouse to use a sugar dispenser instead of packets, too. Thanks Ron!

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