From What is to What if?

By John Towndrow,
Chair Transition Cornwall+

In spite of disturbing impending political upheaval, nationally and internationally, I like to focus on the local because that’s where I can have the most influence in terms of climate action. Topics that have come up in recent conversations are about food security, active transportation – that is – using our cars less, and arts and culture.

The choices we make now regarding these subjects will affect the future of life on earth so it’s fair to ask ourselves or with family and friends, some ‘What If’ questions to imagine a different future from the one we are drifting into.

Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network, in his book,FROM WHAT IS, TO WHAT IF, takes us on an inspiring tour of people and communities around the world that are re-imaging the present to create more hopeful and sustainable futures for us all.

Some of the what it questions he asks are:

“What if school nurtured young imaginations?”
“What if we started asking better questions?”
“What if we followed nature’s lead?”
“What if we took play seriously?”
“What if we became better stay tellers?”

Asking Better Questions

One story came from a town in East Anglia where a group of citizens were asked “What if our City could feed itself?” The town conducted research and concluded that they needed to re-create a kind of hinterland of horticultural production – market gardens, effectively supplying the city, restaurants, shops, homes, cafés. They needed to reengage with local food producers. They needed to reconnect with the arable land that surrounded the city. They connected with a local artist to create a postage-paid postcard with an illustration of beans and a recipe and they asked people who received them what they thought of this idea of the city feeding itself. What they got back were hundreds of ideas that allowed them to eventually develop a more vibrant, local agriculture economy and to influence what farmers grew. This resulted in a reduction of carbon and it created a tipping point where enough people were asking “what if “ questions that eventually, the question became “why not?”.

My friend Kelly Bergeron remarked recently that:”The best cities, like Montreal, Paris, and Barcelona, are those that balance honouring their rich traditions with embracing the future. It’s not about starting from scratch, but about having the courage to ask, ‘How can we do better?’ and truly listening to the voices of the community. That’s how you build a place where people choose to stay.”In essence, we need to tap into the collective genius of all of us.

This is good advice, so as we wrap up 2024, I look forward to seeing lots of “What if” questions in the coming year.

For more information: transitioncornwall.com and Facebook.