Localisation and Resilience at the local level: the case of Transition Town Totnes

This thesis provides a critical review of the Transition movement, a grassroots response to peak oil and climate change, co-founded by this author. It focuses on two key aspects of the Transition approach, resilience and economic relocalisation, with the aim of analysing whether and how they can be implemented in a locality based on the Transition approach, and assessing what socio-economic and community-related structures would be necessary to implement such a process. The focus of the research is Totnes, Devon, which because of its status as the UK’s first Transition initiative and the longer history of various initiatives to promote local resilience, offers a valuable case study of attempts to practically implement resilience and localisation. A variety of research methods were employed, including surveys, focus groups, oral history and in-depth interviews, as well less conventional public participation methods such as Open Space and World Café. The first major finding was that Transition Town Totnes (TTT) has become a significant organisation in the town, with a high level of popular support. It was also found that the obstacles to resilience and relocalisation lie not, as was hypothesised, in a lack of skills or an absence of community cohesion, but in issues of governance and the need for increased social entrepreneurship. It was found that what researchers call the ‘Value Action Gap’ (i.e. the gap between people’s declared sympathies and intentions and their actions) exists in Totnes as much as anywhere else, but that some of TTT’s projects, such as ‘Transition Together’, are working imaginatively to overcome this and to reduce emissions. From this evidence is it concluded that Transition’s approach towards relocalisation and reducing carbon emissions can be argued to be effective in, generating engagement and initiating new enterprises. Like other ‘green’ initiatives, it struggles to engage those from more disadvantaged backgrounds, but some of its initiatives are showing promise for overcoming this. Its primary contribution is in suggesting a redefining of resilience, not as a state of preparedness for disaster, but as a desired characteristic of a sustainable society. A more resilient community, it is argued, would be one more in control of its food and energy production, as well as being one that enables inward financial investment. It also argues that the government focus on ‘localism’, the devolving of political power to the local level, ought to be expanded to include ‘localisation’, the strengthening of local production to meet local needs, a shift which would financially benefit local communities. It argues that the key challenge for Transition initiatives such as TTT is going to be scaling up from being ‘niche’ organisations to become economically viable organisations with a broad appeal and engagement, and also articulates the need for ‘Resilience Indicators’ which would allow communities to measure the degree to which their levels of resilience are increasing.Economic and Social Research Council

Knowledge and attitude toward the use of credit by farmers in Middle and East Tennessee

The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine if certain variables have any effect on Middle and East Tennessee farmers\u27 attitude toward short-term credit, long-term credit, credit in general, and their aggregate attitude toward credit, and (2) to determine if there was any difference between Middle and East Tennessee farmers\u27 attitude toward the above forms of credit. The data were obtained from a sample of 400 farmers in Middle and East Tennessee. The technique of random sampling was used to select the sample units in this study. The data were analyzed by least-squares step-wise regression analysis to determine the effects of the variables which were hypo-thesized to have an effect upon the farmers\u27 attitude toward credit. Four regression equations were developed for each section of the state. These equations were analyzed by the use of statistical constraints. A t-test of means was the statistical tool used to test for independence between the two sections of the state. A test of means was also employed to test for independence between farmers grouped according to common characteristics. Little of the variation in the attitude toward credit held by farmers in either Middle or East Tennessee was explained by the variables chosen. Of the eleven variables which were hypothesized to have an effect upon the farmers\u27 attitude toward credit, only six variables were found to have any significant association with the farmers\u27 attitude. Educational level was found to have a significant association with the attitude held toward short-term credit, credit in general, and credit overall in both sections of the state. The educational level was positively associated with the dependent variable in all cases. In East Tennessee the size of the farm was found to be negatively associated with the farmers\u27 attitude toward all forms of credit. The extent of the farmers\u27 off-farm income had an influence on East Tennessee farmers\u27 attitude toward credit. Whether the farmer was a part-time farmer or not influenced the farmers\u27 attitude toward credit in general and credit overall in East Tennessee. This variable was associated negatively with the dependent variable. Whether the farmer\u27s wife worked off the farm or not was found to be positively associated with the farmers\u27 attitude toward short-term credit, credit in general, and credit overall in East Tennessee. A significant difference was found between the attitude toward credit held by East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee farmers. Middle Tennessee farmers held a more positive attitude toward credit than East Tennessee farmers

The Wholesome meat act and the Tennessee livestock-meat industry

The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the increases in investment incurred by selected plants in complying with the new inspection regulations, and (2) to determine the change in number and size of the livestock slaughter and processing plants in Tennessee since the passage of the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 and the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. Certain study plants in the state were selected for close analysis of the improvements that they had to make in order to meet the require-ments of the new inspection programs. A combination of in-plant data and economic engineering data were used to determine the increase in cost. Data concerning the size, number, and location of plants in the state were obtained from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. The kill data were available from both state and federal sources. The changes that took place in the structural variables of plant size, number of plants, size distribution of plants, location of plants, concentration of production in largest plants, and patterns of entry and exit were analyzed to determine what changes did occur in the industry. All plants contacted through the survey made some type of improvement in their plant and/or equipment. The plants selected for closer analysis made changes in their operation and improvements in their plants which were similar to all plants, but naturally some of the improvements made by these plants were unique to the individual plants. Four plants were chosen for closer analysis with the represen-tative A(1) plant spending a total of $98,944.00, the two A(2) plants spending$87,624.32 and $64,476.32, and the representative A(3) plant spending$59,874.60. These expenditures covered a wide range of improvements including building a completely new plant; building or remodeling kill floors, processing rooms, coolers, freezers, or holding pens; purchasing stainless steel tables, rubber cutting boards, paunch trucks; and other similar items. The range of expenditures found in the commercial plants contacted was from $15,000 to well over$1,000,000. The improvements that these four plants made can be considered similar to the changes made by all slaughtering plants in the state. Also, the changes can be considered similar to changes made by the processing plants if the kill floor is excluded. Thus, costs for both slaughter and processing plants were similar. The implementation of the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 and the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act in Tennessee has caused no drastic changes in the structure of the Tennessee Livestock-Meat Industry. Only slight changes have occurred in the structural variables. The number of processing plants increased slightly and the number of slaughter plants decreased slightly. Location of plants in the state became somewhat more concentrated in the metropolitan areas, but this cannot be considered strictly a result of the new laws. This was especially true for those plants which accounted for the major portion of the production. The number of people employed in the industry in the state has increased due to the expansion of some of the larger slaughter plants and the establishment of more processing facilities. Procurement and distribution patterns have undergone little change. Although there may have been a slight decline in the number of slaughter plants, the competition for slaughter animals has not decreased. Therefore, the livestock producers and the marketing sector have not been adversely affected by the new inspection laws. The number of suppliers of carcasses and processed meat has not changed which means that no retailers have been left without a supplier. The movement in and out of the industry during the period which this study covered was not impaired by the Wholesome Meat Act and the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. There was no major exodus of plants. The distribution of slaughter among the slaughter plants has stayed relatively constant since the enactment of the new laws. Slaughter capacity for the industry has not been significantly altered. There has been no move toward specialization in the slaughter of any particular species. Other than a major one-shot increase in the investment expendi-tures to improve the plant and equipment, little change has taken place in the industry. Therefore, it can be said of the meat-packing industry in Tennessee that the operation of the new inspection laws has not altered the structure of the industry to any measurable extent

Experience of some Iowa farmers with cattle feeding

The cattle feeder’s main purpose is to get the largest possible returns from his cattle with the amount of feed, capital and labor that he has available. Naturally, returns from the farm as a whole are more important than the success of any one enterprise, but the management of the entire farm involves many more questions than we can discuss adequately in this short bulletin. Therefore we shall simply present information obtained in 1938 and 1939 on the more common methods of Iowa cattle feeders. Results will be discussed solely on the basis of the cattle-feeding enterprise itself

Preparing an Election Petition in Missouri

Initiative and referendum petitions provide citizens with the power to make and overturn existing laws. Through the initiative petition, the people can compel an election on the question of enacting an amendment to the Missouri Constitution or enacting a proposed law. Through the referendum petition, the people can compel an election to decide whether an existing law should be retained. The procedure to be followed in drafting these petitions is specified in the Constitution and Statutes of Missouri.Reviewed October 1993

Converting Fontan-Björk to 1.5- or 2-ventricle circulation

Patients with tricuspid atresia and ventricular septal defect have in the past occasionally undergone a Fontan with “Björk” modification to create a connection between the right atrium and the right ventricular outflow tract. While rarely performed now, patients with this physiology often face severe complications requiring re-intervention. We hypothesize that surgical conversion to a 2-ventricle or 1.5-ventricle circulation can improve hemodynamics, clinical status, and thus increase time to transplant. We present two successful cases to illustrate this idea

Laser Ablation Surface Preparation of Ti-6A1-4V for Adhesive Bonding

Adhesive bonding offers many advantages over mechanical fastening, but requires certification before it can be incorporated in primary structures for commercial aviation without disbond-arrestment features or redundant load paths. Surface preparation is widely recognized as the key step to producing robust and predictable bonds. Laser ablation imparts both topographical and chemical changes to a surface which can lead to increased bond durability. A laser based process provides an alternative to chemical-dip, manual abrasion and grit blast treatments which are expensive, hazardous, polluting, and less precise. This report documents preliminary testing of a surface preparation technique using laser ablation as a replacement for the chemical etch and abrasive processes currently applied to Ti-6Al-4V alloy adherends. Failure mode, surface roughness, and chemical makeup were analyzed using fluorescence enhanced visualization, microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Single lap shear tests were conducted on bonded and aged specimens to observe bond strength retention and failure mode. Some promising results showed increasing strength and durability of lap shear specimens as laser ablation coverage area and beam intensity increased. Chemical analyses showed trends for surface chemical species which correlated with improved bond strength and durability. Combined, these results suggest that laser ablation is a viable process for inclusion with or/and replacement of one or more currently used titanium surface treatments. On-going work will focus on additional mechanical tests to further demonstrate improved bond durability