About
Short biography
Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including ‘The Transition Handbook‘ and most recently, ‘From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want’. He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appeared in the French film phenomenon ‘Demain‘. He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as 2 Honoris Causas, and is a Director of Totnes Community Development Society. He hosted the podcast ‘From What If to What Next‘, runs ‘Imagination Catalyst’ trainings for a wide range of organisations, and has collaborated with musician Mr Kit on a project called ‘Field Recordings from the Future‘, due out in 2025. In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium by the Mayor of the city. His website is robhopkins.net.
Longer biography
Rob Hopkins is a cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, and the author of The Transition Handbook, The Transition Companion, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, 21 Stories of Transition and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. He presents the podcast series ‘From What If to What Next‘. In 2012, he was voted one of the Independent’s top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer’s list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals. Hopkins has also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Four Thought and A Good Read, in the French film phenomenon Demain and its sequel Apres Demain, and has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events.
An Ashoka Fellow, Hopkins also holds a doctorate degree from the University of Plymouth and has received two honorary doctorates from the University of the West of England and the University of Namur. In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium by the Mayor of the city. Rob runs ‘Imagination Catalyst’ trainings for organisations as diverse as Balenciaga, London Marathon Group, local councils and Museum Booster. He has collaborated with musician Mr Kit on a project called ‘Field Recordings from the Future‘, due out in 2025, to coincide with his next book, ‘How to Fall in Love with the Future’. He is a keen gardener and a director of Totnes Community Development Society, the group behind Atmos Totnes, an ambitious, community-led development project. He blogs at transitionnetwork.org and robhopkins.net and tweets at @robintransition.
Publications:
The Transition Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience. Green Books (2008)
Localisation and Resilience at the local level: the case of Transition Town Totnes. Rob’s PhD study. (2010). Download here.
The Transition Companion: Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times. Green Books (2011)
The Power of Just Doing Stuff: How local action can change the world. Green Books (2013)
21 Stories of Transition: how a movement of communities is coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world. Download here.
From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want. Chelsea Green Publishing. (2019).
The Ministry of Imagination Manifesto (2024).
In his spare time, he sometimes draws and makes drypoint prints and lino prints. Here is a selection:
