We’re on the eve of profound transformation, propelled by both necessity and  opportunity. For so long, we’ve struggled with our seemingly intractable inability to manage the precious, limited resources available to us — a veritable “tragedy of the commons.” This has endured while the existential threat of climate disruption, resource depletion and population explosion grows.

Now is our time and our chance to act  differently, thanks to technology that connects us in once inconceivable ways. While these tools have already facilitated revolutionary transformation at a global scale, the more important shift is in our own hearts and minds. Suddenly, we can see new solutions to our historic challenges. We can come together as communities — not clans — to communicate and collaborate to evolve in a way that benefits both people and planet.

That is Transition World’s story, situated where Shakespeare’s haunted Hamlet appropriately asked the universal question, “To be or not to be?” It was here that we gathered as individuals, civic groups, businesses, international organizations and public institutions. Together, we shared ideas, resources and networks. Through this powerful community we have now started to reimagine the world as a true prosperity of the commons.