An examination of how Garstang has used the Transition Town Movement to achieve sustainable development objectives

Abstract

The aim of this investigation is to explore the extent in which the Transition Town Movement can achieve sustainable development objectives in Garstang. The sustainable development objectives used are outlined by the UK Sustainable Development Commission.
The importance of this study is due to the increasing need to become less dependent on fossil fuels and reduce the negative impacts of climate change and due to the increased interest in sustainable development.
To determine whether the Transition Town Movement can achieve sustainable development objectives in Garstang research was undertaken including questionnaire and interviews. The quantitative data was displayed in graphs along with a brief description and the qualitative data was analysed, revealing any trends.
The results presented that although the Transition Town Movements has the potential to achieve sustainable development objectives in Garstang, it currently does not. This is because of a lack of involvement in the Transition Town Movement in Garstang, known as Garstang Transition. The awareness of Garstang Transition was particularly high however the membership numbers appeared to be low. This is because Garstang Transition is a relatively new group and requires time to consolidate and recruit new members. The population demographics of Garstang along with previous literature suggest that Garstang has a model population for the concept and therefore the involvement within Garstang Transition should increase in the coming years.
Further research is suggested in the future to see whether Garstang Transition’s membership has increased sufficiently in order to achieve the sustainable development objectives.