I enjoy ducking over to see what Rob Hopkins has posted on his Transition Culture blog, and this morning was delighted to see their Totnes events programme for the first three months of 2008.

If you ever need to get a sense of how practical the Transition Towns model is, then have a look at this programme. In Rob’s words: “It represents our intention to begin to move the project away from high profile speakers and towards events which are more practical and focused and engage people in doing things.”

And from the flyer: “Transition Town Totnes acts as a catalyst for the Totnes and district to explore how to prepare for and adapt to life beyond cheap oil and gas. It is positive, solutions-focused and fun. In the 16 months since its ‘Unleashing’ it has become an energetic driver of a range of projects and initiatives in the town, and has inspired an international movement of over 400 cities, towns and villages. Its core message is a simple one, that the future with less oil could be preferable to the present, if we can engage sufficiently in advance with enough imagination, creativity and adaptability.”

Read the programme here.

Programme of Events. January–March 2008.

*Saturday 12th January. TTT Office: 43 Fore Street. 9:30 – 5:30pm £25
Learn how to give a Transition Towns talk.
With Sophy Banks & Naresh Giangrande.

*Monday 14th January. The Mansion, Totnes. 7:15-10pm for 10 wks. £100 (£80 concs.)
Skilling Up for Powerdown. With Klaudia van Gool.

Wednesday 16th January. Bogan House. 7 pm. Donations.
Overcoming Obstacles to Cycling: a discussion.

Saturday 26th January. Birdwood House. 10-4pm. £1.50 / £1
Seedy Saturday: Seed Swapping and talks from the Seedy Sisters and others.

Monday January 28th. 4 – 8pm. KEVICC Sports Hall. Free
An Open Space session – “KEVICC – A School in Transition?”

*Saturday 26th January. The Mansion. 11-4. £15 (£8 concs.)
Knitting with recycled materials. With Eva Bakkeslett.

*Tuesday 29th January. Dartington. £25 (£15 concs.)
Every Thurs for 4 weeks Knitty Nights. With Eva Bakkeslett.

Wednesday 30th January. Totnes Methodist Church. 8pm. £4 (£3 concs.)
The Invisible Path to Authentic Leadership: learning, forgetting, discovery.
A Talk by Tim Macartney, author of ‘Finding Earth, Finding Soul’.

Friday 8th February. Bogan House. 7pm. Donations.
To Fly Or Not To Fly? An evening discussion about this issue.

Wednesday 13th February. St Johns Church, Bridgetown, Totnes. 8pm. £4 (£3 concs.)
Psyche in Transition – steps to an ecology of the heart.
A Talk by Mary-Jayne Rust

*Saturday 15th February. The Craft Room, The Mansion, Totnes. 9:30-4:30. £23
Earth, Paints, Plasters and Pigments.
With Pam McDonald. (Materials included.)

Sunday 17th February. Venue Tbc.
Totnes Nut Tree Planting Day (Any donations for trees very welcome).
Part of Family Tree Planting Week, in association with Trees for Health. All welcome!

Wednesday 20th February. St Johns, Bridgetown, Totnes. 8pm. £4 (£3 concs.)
After The Floods: agriculture with climate change and peak oil in mind.
An evening of talks and discussion for the food and farming community.

Saturday 23rd February. Meet at Totnes Train Station. Time Tbc.
A Day Out to Stroud Community Supported Agriculture project: could we do one in Totnes too?

Saturday 2nd and 9th of February. 43 Fore Street, Totnes. 10-3pm. £30(£25 concs.) Soundart Radio Workshop: reclaim the media, make your own radio show.

Thursday 28th February. Totnes Civic Hall, 7:30pm. By Invitiation
Free invitations available from the TTT offi ce and Green Books.
Book Launch: “The Transition Handbook” by Rob Hopkins.

Friday 29th February. Civic Hall, Totnes. 8pm. £4 (£3 conc.)
In association with Arts and Ecology MA. Dartington College of Arts.
Greenhouse Britain : Losing Ground, Gaining Wisdom.
A talk with Newton Harrison and Helen Mayer Harrison, eminent ecological artists / activists.

Thursday 6th March. Bogan House, Totnes. 8pm. £4 (£3 conc.)
An Ecology of Making. A Talk by Toni Spencer, of Schumacher College.

Wednesday 12th March. Schumacher College. 8pm. £4/£3. TTT & Schumacher College
The Transformation of Societies : What Comes After Development?
A talk by Vandana Shiva.

Thursday 13th March. Darmouth Inn (upstairs). 7pm. Free
Linking Up Our Local Food and Farming Needs.
A swap-shop market place of ideas, needs, resources and supplies for local farmers, producers, restaurants and shops.

Saturday 15th March. Methodist Church. 8pm £6 (£5 conc.)
This Farming Life : Traditional song and archive film from 1920-1970.
Tickets available in advance from Gazebo, 74 High St., Totnes. Tel. 01803 863679

Wednesday 19th March. The Ship Studio, Dartington. 7:30pm.
In association with the Peninsula Medical School.
Health and Sustainability: exploring the future of healthcare in the face of climate change and peak oil.
Speakers to be confirmed.

All events marked () require advanced booking. For details contact the TTT office on 01803 867358.*

Film Screenings.

Friday 11th January. Follaton Village Hall. 7:30pm. £2
End of Suburbia
Friday 1st February. Follaton Village Hall. 7:30pm. £2
Power of Community – how Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
Tuesday 4th March. Bridgetown Hall. 7:30pm. £2
End of Suburbia
Tuesday 11th March. Hall. 7:30pm. £2
Power of Community – how Cuba Survived Peak Oil