Town transitioning for the disinterested

How can we create transition towns in places with populations that aren’t really bothered about sustainable energy?

I live in a small village of less than seventy people, and the majority of the population are in the later years of their life. The village has changed a lot in their lifetimes, with massive depopulation, loss of cultural capital, the introduction of electricity in the 60s(!), and tourism becoming one of the primary economic incomes for the area.
At the same time, people still grow the same food they’ve always grown, and  share similar values to previous generations.
As I’m sure is the case in many towns, some people have lots of energy and vision for building sustainable community, and some people just aren’t bothered at all. They might not actively oppose new ideas, but just complain, grumble or shrug at their suggestion.

So, how do we push forward the ideas behind transition towns in places like this, where the main obstacles are pessimism,  unattended community meetings and a general dislike of change? How do we engage the unengaged and interest the disinterested?

With Love and Hope

This is similar to the question I was going to ask: How do we find like-minded people to participate in human permaculture?

My husband and I are pretty much considered the oddballs of the neighborhood. People are friendly, but deflect any genuine interest in what we're doing by making a joke about it. Nikolas, you sound like you're more rural than I am, but the disinterest is the same.

Nikolas, what kind of sustainable energy do you have in mind?  If you wanted to try to convince those 70 people, what would you say to them?

Leading by example is usually the best way to start.

people still grow the same food they’ve always grown and share similar values to previous generations.

It just seems to me that they probably lead rather sustainable lives. Or is there something I am not understanding?  Is it the tourist industry?

I could see using the tourism angle to your advantage. If the primary economic engine of the area is tourism, selling the idea as a way to increase interest in the area and diversify the reasons for tourists to come that way might be a means to generate new interest.