Page 6: The Essence of Transition

The Essence of Transition

Transition happens by turning the machinery of capitalism against itself. Don't be afraid to use money to get rid of it! Everyone wants a lower price, and everyone wants to save. The twin processes of ephemeralization and productive maximization will work together, forcing all businesses within a certain radius to adapt. The first has to do with labor, while the second deals with production. Both feed a vicious cycle of cost reduction that pushes the price of goods and services towards zero.

Ephemeralization

Why pay workers when you can get volunteers to work for you for free? Ephemeralization is a term coined by Buckminster Fuller which describes the process of doing more and more with less and less. He used a bridge as an example: Our first bridges were very heavy and made of stone. Later, we learned how to use lattice steel and our bridges became lighter. And on and on it goes, until today we can cross oceans with little more than a few feet of concrete and some steel cables.

Participating businesses enjoy free labor because people who work there earn time credits. After seeing initial positive results, the business owner will naturally want to expand the program. 

Productive Maximization

It’s amazing what can get accomplished when we all unite on a common goal. Residents who get together to work on projects create things at a lower cost, and these low-cost items can be used as inputs for ephemeralized businesses.

How this relates to your group.

It just doesn’t make sense. How can a small group of 12 or so people rally an entire town to a cause and create change? Every change in history has always begun with a small core of dedicated, highly-committed people. And once you get roughly 5% of the population involved, the rest will join by necessity.

If each of your seed members builds a team with three other people on it, your group has suddenly quadrupled in size to 48. From there, it isn’t far to 100 and beyond if every member recruits one new member per month. Each of these people provide free services to each other (denominated in time credits to keep track of everything and shut down freeloaders) while cooperating to save money and slash their living expenses. Each group member agrees to work for 10 hours per week together on common projects that help the group become self-sufficient. That’s your “membership fee.”

Here’s where the program developed by The Transition comes in. Within the group, we aim to use very little money- but outside it, we charge for services.

The secret is sharing your way to success. If you know how to cut hair, give other group members who present their membership card “free haircuts” in exchange for a time credit. Group members earn time credits volunteering for you now. The same goes for nail salons, mechanics, auto body shops, computer repair.. Whatever your skill, trade it on a one-to-one hourly basis with contributing members while charging everyone else full price. Aim to give whatever you can each month to help fund projects and expansion (like buying an apartment or more businesses so you don’t have to pay rent).

Getting rich is no longer the goal. Businesses must earn profit to stay afloat, but the profits won’t be large. We must rely on our network of support and self-sufficiency to get through this rough period.

Three simple steps:

1) Work: Share what you can with other group members. Your tools, equipment, meals, chores, anything you feel comfortable with. Keep track of what you share and who you share it with. When enough members get together in one area, they pool their money to purchase a large home or apartment, maybe renting out half to non-members to make money and saving half for themselves.

2) Gift: Save up for local sustainability projects (solar panels) and give what you can to other communities.

3) Recruit: Spread the word and try to grab one new person each month. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, worry about meeting your own goals.

4) Start small home businesses like window washing, lawn care and dogwalking to bring more money in, charging 20-30% less than the other guy.

If the local assembly owns one restaurant and we charge 20% less than other restaurants for the same food because we don’t have to pay employees, get free eggs, vegetables and electricity, you can kiss the other restaurants goodbye.

Painter charges $3000 to paint a house, you charge $1500.

Plumber wants $150 to fix a pipe, you charge $50.

All the while, you are building relationships with local business owners to volunteer in exchange for more services that you can’t do on your own. 

It’s important to work with landlords to see if there’s any deals you can make. Does your group provide services they need? Perhaps the landlord can offer the business owner a reduction in rent in exchange for being paid in credits + a share of the profits. The housing director will phone-bomb local rentals to see if any are interested in setting up a cost-saving arrangement. 

Next: http://globalassembly.blogspot.com/2015/09/page-7-recruitment-dragons-media-and.html

Prev: http://globalassembly.blogspot.com/2015/09/page-5-general-ideas-starter-projects.html