Rethinking Lifestyle

On our trip from La Broquerie to Ottawa, my wife and I have had the opportunity to stop and visit in plenty of small towns. Talking to the locals, the story is frequently the same. “The young people are all leaving. Ever since (X) industry left town, there are no jobs. People want to stay but they can’t, and the town is dying.”

But it does not have to be like that. Some towns are different. Although they face the same challenges, the community rallies together to reinvent itself. In these communities there is a sense of citizenship – a shared interdependence that shows itself in the way people shop, how they greet each other, and what they do together. In some parts of the world, places like these are called “Transition Towns”. A key feature of Transition Towns is a deliberate effort to build a resilient economy while transitioning away from dependency on fossil fuels. The goal of this transition strategy is to escape the uncertainty of boom-and-bust economics and unsustainable consumption before entering the crisis periods they inevitably create. But although it requires a complete rethinking of lifestyles, a community based on quality of life rather than quantity of consumption is no hardship to endure. In fact, the innovations necessary to begin the change are often quite simple. Weekly farmers’ markets, a local currency, and an increase of community-based events are all hallmarks of successful Transition Towns. But more than that, the attitude of the population is critical. A strong Transition community prioritizes local entrepreneurs and supports them with their business. It also participates in community-building programs and events, especially those that require volunteers.

Some towns we’ve visited do look like Transition Towns. There are signs in small shops encouraging people to shop local. There are co-operative businesses, and the bulletin boards are filled with knitting bees, group rides (on bicycle) and art exhibits. In Orr, Michigan a local group is converting the recently-closed school into an ecological sustainability centre. The Harvest Moon Society did something very similar with the school in Clearwater, Manitoba when it closed. It was repurposed as an artists’ retreat and education centre. They also founded the Harvest Moon Festival which attracts thousands of visitors every year and injects new life into a town that had been on the edge of existence.

If you want to live in a province populated with healthy, thriving communities of all sizes, the possibilities are endless and exciting. But it does require a new dedication to the people and businesses that live in our communities. Let’s build towns where cost, convenience and individuality take a back seat to the things that really matter: values, hard work, and community.