'Transition' Movement Moves Into South Bay

Is it about saving the planet, reducing dependency on oil, learning to knit or buying local?

If you answered "all of the above," then you guessed right. The Transition Movement is a worldwide effort to embrace a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle — your neighbors might be a part of it.

The group Transition South Bay meets about four times each month, and spans the entire South Bay, including Rancho Palos Verdes. In their meetings, Transition South Bay members view documentaries or participate in community discussions. 

Transition member Carolyn Miller hosted a potluck meal and documentary viewing at her home in Manhattan Beach Saturday. The group focused on green solutions that could be implemented to improve the environment, not just problems.

"A lot of people get scared," Miller said, referring to what she describes as the perfect storm of peak oil, climate change and eco-contamination. "We actually try to give solutions."

Those solutions include efforts such as composting at individual homes and learning to reduce oil consumption. The group also has proposed some innovative ideas, such as "re-skilling."

Re-skilling is a return to hands-on skills that some say have been lost over the years, such as bread-making, sewing, or gardening.

Transition also supports LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems. This means that rather than paying large corporations for necessary items, members of the group connect with those who can make those items.

This results in a cashless transaction where one party trades another for services. "I'll garden for you, you babysit for me," as Miller described.

Transition South Bay's next event is Saturday in RPV. The group "Flow: For the Love of Water," a documentary about the planet's potential fresh water crisis.