Summary The energy transition in Scotland profits from a land reform that has inverted historic property relations. Historically, Scotland is viewed as one of the most important examples for the enclosure of the commons.[1] Up until the 19th century, large estates in Scotland were still being commodified [2] and sold. More often than not, the…
Ungersheim, a former mining town in the Alsace region, has successfully implemented a local socio-ecological transition strategy. Their success was based on the town autonomously designing its transition pathway, instead of following French government guidelines.[1] As the mayor, François Mensch, tells us, there are three dimensions to Ungersheim’s autonomy. The first two obvious dimensions are…
In 2003, Machynlleth, a small town in central Wales with 2,200 inhabitants and a small tourism industry, erected Wales’ first community-owned wind turbine. The path there was stony and only crowned by success thanks to the commitment of long-term volunteers.
Background The project Retenergie developed in the region of Piedmont in 2007. A group of friends and activists from various ecology movements decided to initiate a project and jointly invest in a set of PV panels. At first they called this project simply Solare Collettivo, solar collective. The commercial PV project “adopt one kilowatt hour” …
Year after year, Angelenos endure some of the most polluted air quality in the entire nation. In 2016, Los Angeles was ranked by the American Lung Association as having the worst air quality of any city in the country. Dangerous smog and haze pollution that blankets Los Angeles throughout the year disproportionately impacts low-income and communities of color, placing an undue burden on some of the more vulnerable communities in the city. Families in cities across the country face similar threats in their communities where big polluters endanger the health of families.