The Transition Towns idea was developed in Kinsale, Eire, in 2005 by Rob Hopkins, a permaculture teacher. In 2006 Hopkins worked with a group in the town of Totnes in Devon to deveop the first Transition Town which aimed to experiment with new ways of managing the transition away from a society based on fossil fuels, recognising the related challenges of peak oil and climate change. The movement grew rapidly in the UK with more than 400 groups by 2011, and spread further afield. Transition Town groups have been significant in experimenting with a range of approaches including Energy Descent Action Plans, Community Energy Companies, Community Supported Agriculture, and local currencies.