Transition Towns Forum: Recent Posts

Transition Towns Forum: Recent Posts http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Transition Towns Forum: Recent Posts en Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:35:49 +0000 JohnWebb on "Transition Initiatives in Hertfordshire" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/hertfordshire#post-2966 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:11:08 +0000 JohnWebb 2966@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hello Amanda and anyone else in or around Stevenage, The event that Sally announced above was 2nd in the series -IMO both excellent. Next it will be repeated in 1 week in Stevenage - as a lunchtime session, _free_! Please pass the details to anyone who might be available & wish to attend. Best wishes, John ---- Your Carbon Counts! Thursday 25th March, from 12-2pm. Environmental subjects will be presented by Dr. Mike Page of the University of Hertfordshire. This event is FREE BUT it is essential you book as you will be provided with a light buffet. Please send us an email to reserve your place: <a>sally@environmental-population.com</a> Venue: The Business and Technology Centre, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 2DX ---- Transition on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2965 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:50:44 +0000 Transition 2965@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi Dave, sorry, i was probably using a bad example anyway with the brussels / cornish link. As inflation is a prerequisite for all the existing paper/fiat currencies globably, the different exchange rates will be a function of the relative rates of inflation. DaveDann on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2964 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:28:41 +0000 DaveDann 2964@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Apologies Transition, when I read 'devaluation' I didn't realise you were referring to 'inflation' - I thought you meant a change in value versus other paper currencies. Transition on "First virtual meeting of Transition International and Sloodle Demo course" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/first-virtual-meeting-of-transition-international-and-sloodle-demo-course-1#post-2963 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:04:24 +0000 Transition 2963@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi there, I tried to log into the into transition course from the first link you gave but it asks for an enrolment key (passcode). What is it? thanks, Brendan Transition on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2962 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:08:10 +0000 Transition 2962@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi DaveDan, Some local currencies are about the democratisation of currency, and it is my view that these are the ones to which we should be giving our attention. The local Pounds in Totnes and Brixton and elsewhere are indeed tied to the Sterling Pound and as far as how democratically the organisations which administer them are run, I am not sure, not having been part of them. The Local Pound idea does fall shall of currency democratisation, however. A truely democratic currency is one which each member can create as and when they need it. LETS is an example of a truely democratic currency. Local Pounds do have the benefit of increasing the "multiplier effect" which is how many times a pound circulates in the local economy. This is certainly a good thing. I agree with Josiah above, that: "creating a sterling-linked parallel local currency is a very labour intensive and potentially expensive activity." From what I discovered about Brixton, it seemed to cost in the regions of 10s of 1000s of Sterling Pounds to set up, maybe 20 or 30 thousand pounds. Thats a lot of money for a town to invest in something which is not secure from the ravages of the global economy. Because the Totnes aand Brixton pounds are so tied to the sterling, if we experience heavy currency devaluation, hyperinflation, due to continued quantative easing and monetising of the UK government deficit by banks than there is nothing protecting the Totnes or Brixton Pounds from equally losing value. What true local currencies like LETS do is provide a safe harbour where the currency will hold its value even through the inevitable decline of the Pound. The Euro and the pound are both inflationary currencies for the same reasons, so the only real reason for Cornwall to benefit is if they create their own, untied currency based on sound principles of democratision, no usury and appropriate allocation. Transition on "Local currencies - Monbiot article" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/local-currencies-monbiot-article#post-2961 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:53:05 +0000 Transition 2961@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ You are right, of course, Steve, and I bank with Smile and would save with Triodos if I had any savings! The problen is not, however with company poilicy at NatWEst, or any other bank, the problem is more systemic and stems from the nature of money creation. Banks have the monopoly on money creation and they loan it to us at interest. It is a requisite of the current system that all debts grow exponentially and the money supply grows exponentially. All Pounds are loaned into existence. Unfortunately, simply not having any debt is not enough because we are all overpaying because of the interest payable on everyone else's debts, and the huge exponential debts of the government are causing inflation which is like a hidden tax where the proceeds go to the bankers. Another good option is Credit Unions. I agree that local currencies like LETS have a long way to go, the next step in Bath is to get businesses on board which makes the currency relavent to people on a daily basis. There is scope in the future for linking up local currencies with Credit Unions. Christamone on "Transition Initiatives in Western Europe" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-initiatives-in-western-europe#post-2960 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:00:16 +0000 Christamone 2960@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hey Ben, what do you mean by resistance to Imperialism? Thats interesting but how are Transition Towns/Initiatives seen in this light? France and the energy dependenct levels is insightful, yet its interesting because there is this "degrowth" movement in France, and many permaculture sites in the country. marcusperrin on "UK BBC1 Primetime Peak Oil" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/uk-bbc1-primetime-peak-oil#post-2959 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:17:06 +0000 marcusperrin 2959@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Peak Oil featured approx 16:40 into the show. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rm0dk/Bang_Goes_the_Theory_Series_2_Episode_1/" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rm0dk/Bang_Goes_the_Theory_Series_2_Episode_1/</a> DaveDann on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2958 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:05:51 +0000 DaveDann 2958@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hello 'Transition' Are local currencies really about the 'democratisation' of money? Aren't the Transition local currencies backed by Sterling? What democratic structures manage them? I thought it was more about increasing local spending... but then again as implied at the top of thread, this purpose may have been overlooked due to other enthusiasms. As for the Cornish.. as far as I know they are in the sterling area. Generally Cornwall/Cornish claim to be 'disadvantaged' with respect to the rest of the U.K. sterling area (enough to be granted funding from the EU, unlike Devon) and be generally be expected to BENEFIT from a devaluation of the UK Pound Sterling, though this may of course depend on the relative price elasticities of their imports and exports. Doly on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2957 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:46:15 +0000 Doly 2957@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Doly on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2956 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:41:48 +0000 Doly 2956@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Babarji, it's interesting that you consider the Forest Row EDAP a precursor of the "real thing", this never came across at all when other people have shown me the Forest Row EDAP. I think it's causing some confusion that some people are taking as their model for an EDAP the Kinsale EDAP, others the Forest Row EDAP, and others other documents that come from other sources. It would be great to have some kind of rough definition of what an EDAP is. My personal view of an EDAP is something constantly evolving with new information and the input from some parts feeding into the others continuosly. I have the idea that there could be three parts to it: 1) "The bones" - Facts and figures. A technical report, about 100 pages long, describing a) The current situation in the city in all the areas relevant to sustainability b) The trends c) The technical solutions to different issues, and their impact This report would be written mostly by the local universities and any organizations with the relevant knowledge. 2) "The flesh" - Key decisions. A report for the main decision-makers and educators, possibly in the form of a series of articles, describing a) The most important points of the report above b) The key decisions to be made, and the kind of scenarios that those decisions may create This report would be written mostly by the local environmental organizations, local government, local business and media, and using the input from workshops open to the general public. 3) "The dress" - Look and feel. Educational material, in different forms (leaflets, multimedia presentations, etc.), containing a) The basics, key points of the two reports above b) A clear vision with images of what the different scenarios could be like c) A clear explanation of how individuals can participate d) A feedback mechanism for local people to have their say on their preferred solutions and to ask any questions or make any proposals about "the bones" or "the flesh". This material would be created mostly by local schools. As I see it, Kinsale is closer to "the bones" and Forest Row closer to "the dress". A good EDAP would have the three elements to it. babarji on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2955 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:17:48 +0000 babarji 2955@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ We considered starting our EDAP in Forest Row but as we started we began realise the scale of the project. We also felt that it would come out without enough ground having been laid in the community. So instead we produced a kind of pre-EDAP that explored the issues without being specific. You can download a free PDF of our EDAP here <a href="http://transitionforestrow.ning.com/notes/EDAP">http://transitionforestrow.ning.com/notes/EDAP</a> Aaricia on "First virtual meeting of Transition International and Sloodle Demo course" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/first-virtual-meeting-of-transition-international-and-sloodle-demo-course-2#post-2954 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:11:59 +0000 Aaricia 2954@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ (Since my post has been censored in the Events forum, I hope that this is the right place) Hola amiguitos, Following what I had announced in previous discussions and meetings, I am developing a full online course about the Transition Movement in English and Spanish. The course has been developed in Sloodle -the integration of SecondLife and Moodle-. For those who are not familiar with SecondLife, you can follow the course in Moodle, a course management software, as a normal online course. I am inviting you to view the asynchronous part of the demo course "Into Transition" which was shown at the iMoot 2010 and will be shown at the European Transition Conference in Germany. The url is: <a href="http://elearningforsustainability.edumoot.com/" rel="nofollow">http://elearningforsustainability.edumoot.com/</a> course: Into Transition username: test1, password: hola1, username: test2, password: hola2, ... until username: test4, password: hola4. There will be a demo of the Sloodle course in SecondLife, scheduled in April 2010. Those who are interested in attending the Sloodle demo course in SecondLife, let me know your availability in the following link: <a href="http://www.doodle.com/cxdrzq6ksrbkxu2m" rel="nofollow">http://www.doodle.com/cxdrzq6ksrbkxu2m</a> This demo course is free. Likewise, I would like to offer here my services as a elearning consultant/educational technologist. Kind regards Mari Cruz García Reevesie on "External support for Transition groups - what help would you like to receive?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/external-support-for-transition-groups-what-help-would-you-like-to-receive#post-2953 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:01:55 +0000 Reevesie 2953@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi all, I’ve recently started work on a new 2-year project in the Leicestershire area, aiming to provide support to community-based climate change initiatives (including Transition groups) and to learn about how to effectively provide this support. It's a collaboration between De Montfort Uni and a local community development organisation (the RCC for Leicestershire and Rutland), so the aim is to bring both academic expertise and practical experience to the work, and learn more about how to support community groups from a wide-range of different communities doing locally-focussed work on climate change. I know of very few projects quite like it in the UK (except perhaps Transition Scotland Support), so I'm keen to hear any thoughts/pointers based on the experiences from people in Transiation Initiatives on what you'd like to see this support offer. For info, the initial thoughts on the support to offer are to produce a resource guide (a combination of advice and signposting, covering: Group working skills; Communication; Organising Projects and Events; Networking (with similar groups and potential allies); Obtaining Funding (there is a small grant pot being established to run in parallel to the project); supporting Learning and Knowledge Sharing on climate change related issues), provide dedicated support/mentoring to 10 local groups (responding to their needs), offer training events, offer local networking opportunities (knowledge sharing events, online forum/blog) and provide resources to borrow (projectors, DVDs, books, etc). Out of this work should come a guide for community development practitioners on how to effectively support local climate change groups and some academic papers reporting the learning on how to do this work effectively. (I should stress that the intention is for the groups themselves to be in the driving seat when it comes to determining what support is made available during the life of the project - but ideas from people from other Transition groups will be helpful at this stage.) Chances are I'll forget to come back to check the forum, so if you could also send any ideas to me at <a href="mailto:areeves@ruralcc.org.uk">areeves@ruralcc.org.uk</a> (or give me a bell on 0116 268 9718), that'd be much appreciated. Thanks, - Andrew Reeves SteveAtkins on "Local currencies - Monbiot article" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/local-currencies-monbiot-article#post-2952 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:10:48 +0000 SteveAtkins 2952@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi Transition - unfortunately most people find themselves having to pay large sums of money to either mortgage or rent, otherwise it's down to Housing Benefit, squatting, living in a tent or homelessness. I've traded in our local LETS and think it's worthwhile getting involved - but realistically LETS is a long way off where most people find themselves, and that's in the mainstream with the large mainstream banks. My point of choosing the Cooperative or Triodos over Natwest is on environmental ethics. Point being... Take away the customer and either: The company changes it's policy - or - The business collapses. Not getting into debt in the first place is one way of not becoming a slave to the system - but that's easier said than done. csquirrel on "Ideas for and problems with setting up a garden share scheme" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/ideas-for-and-problems-with-setting-up-a-garden-share-scheme#post-2951 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:09:15 +0000 csquirrel 2951@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ following on from the post above about insurance, just to let other people thinking of starting up schemes that for Grow Your Neighbour's Own in Brighton we did not renew our Public Liability Insurance in our second year. Mainly because we were advised that as we were only making the introductions and not actually supervising any of the gardening, there was nothing we were particularly liable for since we were only introducing people to each other... Transition on "Local currencies - Monbiot article" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/local-currencies-monbiot-article#post-2950 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:11:10 +0000 Transition 2950@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Unfortunately, banking with the coop or the Triodos isn't going to help solve the problem. The problem is that the banks have a monopoly on the issuance of money and that they charge us interest to use it. It is these two facts which make us all slaves to the system. Local currencies put the power back in the hands of the people. Here in Bath we have a growing LETsystem which is a really fantastic mechanism for taking the control back locally Transition on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2949 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:48:19 +0000 Transition 2949@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Thanks Ben, and everyone else, for all those links, they have kept me busy for several days and opened a whole raft of new info for me, and I thought I knew a thing or two about these things! Can I just add a link of my own. These videos will help explain the problems of the current system. <a href="http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse/chapter-6-what-money" rel="nofollow">http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse/chapter-6-what-money</a> I think it is important to have a good understanding of what money is. These videos are very accesible and informative. For me, local currencies are about the democratisation of money. There is no need, in fact it is a liability, to have our means of exchange controlled centrally by faceless bureaucrats and businessmen. It is fine to have a national or internationally accepted currency when dealing across long distances, but if something is going haywire with the monetary system in Brussels because of inept or corrupt banking practices, why should the Cornish necessarily be punished with a devalued currency? benbrangwyn on "Welsh Assembly Government: Allotments provision consultation" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/welsh-assembly-government-allotments-provision-consultation#post-2948 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:52:33 +0000 benbrangwyn 2948@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Y'all should see this if you haven't already. Wales, showing the way, again. <ul> ------------------------------------------------ From: Bishop, Ryan [mailto:Ryan.Bishop@Wales.GSI.Gov.UK] Sent: 15 March 2010 15:51 To: <a href="mailto:info@transitionnetwork.org">info@transitionnetwork.org</a> Subject: Sustainability Committee - 21st April - Allotment Provisions in Wales Dear whoever it may concern, The Sustainability Committee at the National Assembly for Wales has agreed to conduct an inquiry into Allotment Provisions in Wales. The terms of reference for the inquiry are: To explore ways the Welsh Government can support and provide opportunities for the increasing interest in allotment and community gardening, and to examine ways these activities can provide wider benefits. The inquiry will consider the following: <li>The demand for allotment sites in Wales and availability of sites (public and private)</li> <li>The barriers/constraints (for users and providers)</li> <li>Innovative approaches to the provision of land for all allotments</li> <li>Evidence of the wider benefits allotment gardening can bring and opportunities for allotment holder (e.g. health, environment, community, bringing products to the marketplace,)</li> <li>The need for and suggested areas of intervention from the Welsh Government.</li>   The Committee would like to call you in to hear your experiences and opinions on the subject, for the meeting on the 21th April. The Committee would also require a written submission from yourselves, covering the above areas, to be with us by the 13th April. If you are available, and would like to partake in the inquiry, please could you let me know as soon as possible. If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to contact me, Regards, Ryan Bishop Swyddog Cymorth Pwyllgorau Committee Support Officer Gwasanaeth y Pwyllgorau Committee Service Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru National Assembly for Wales T: 029 2089 8153 <a href="http://www.cynulliadcymru.org" rel="nofollow">www.cynulliadcymru.org</a> <a href="http://www.assemblywales.org" rel="nofollow">www.assemblywales.org</a> ------------------------------------------------ </ul>   It'll be fascinating to see how this progresses. Ben. benbrangwyn on "Transition Initiatives in Western Europe" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-initiatives-in-western-europe#post-2947 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:17:37 +0000 benbrangwyn 2947@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Here's a few: <ul> <li> language barriers - eg there's no word in German for "Transition"</li> <li> resistance to imperialism</li> <li> cultural barriers - suspicion towards UK-originated ideas (eg in Wales, particularly the Welsh speaking parts)</li> <li> different energy dependency levels - eg France's electricity is 80% nuclear</li> </ul> Ben. Christamone on "Transition Initiatives in Western Europe" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-initiatives-in-western-europe#post-2945 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:42:07 +0000 Christamone 2945@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi Everyone, Im a student in California writing my senior thesis on Transition Initiatives in Europe and why this grassroots movement is happening in some places rather than others. I was surprised to see that countries such as France, Spain, and Italy are not making huge strides in participation such as other countries. I'm trying to understand why this is, so there are some things I would like to get some feedback on in terms of the UK vs. other European nations: 1) How is the economic/political situation in the UK (if there is one) different from neighboring countries in terms of oil dependency or dependecy in the global market? 2) What incentives and/or motivations are lacking in neighboring countries in regards to transitioning towards more sustainable local economies? 3) Does government support play a major role in the progress and popularity of these initiatives? While local authorities are great support systems, how are national governments/authorities playing a part in the Transition movement in Europe? Is there even a disparity here to really look into? I'd love your feedback and any resources you think might be helpful to my research. Thanks so much! Christa Aaricia on "First virtual meeting of Transition International and Sloodle Demo course" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/first-virtual-meeting-of-transition-international-and-sloodle-demo-course-1#post-2944 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:24:55 +0000 Aaricia 2944@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hola amiguitos, Following what I had announced in previous discussions and meetings, I am developing a full online course about the Transition Movement in English and Spanish. The course has been developed in Sloodle -the integration of SecondLife and Moodle-. For those who are not familiar with SecondLife, you can follow the course in Moodle, a course management software, as a normal online course. I am inviting you to view the asynchronous part of the demo course "Into Transition" which was shown at the iMoot 2010 and will be shown at the European Transition Conference in Germany. The url is: <a href="http://elearningforsustainability.edumoot.com/" rel="nofollow">http://elearningforsustainability.edumoot.com/</a> course: Into Transition username: test1, password: hola1, username: test2, password: hola2, ... until username: test4, password: hola4. There will be a demo of the Sloodle course in SecondLife, scheduled in April 2010. Those who are interested in attending the Sloodle demo course in SecondLife, let me know your availability in the following link: <a href="http://www.doodle.com/cxdrzq6ksrbkxu2m" rel="nofollow">http://www.doodle.com/cxdrzq6ksrbkxu2m</a> This demo course is free. Likewise, I would like to offer here my services as a elearning consultant/educational technologist. Kind regards Mari Cruz García dazdread on "Transition blocks" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-blocks#post-2942 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:36:24 +0000 dazdread 2942@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi there, This sounds a lot like the method many cities are already using of breaking the city down into smaller geographical areas with their own identities, normally the villages that were assimilated into the city. Darren mudpuppy on "Transition blocks" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-blocks#post-2941 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:55:02 +0000 mudpuppy 2941@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ I'd like to suggest the idea of activating town blocks as community and microeconomic system. By working together with your neightbours you can share resources which lowers the amount of stuff needed and improves the quality of life. Neighbours can help each other with babysitting, gardening, carpooling, sharing tools, sharing books, cooking together. A transition block could be gotten started by inviting everyone over for a potluck and getting to know each other. A gift circle can be started where each person announces their needs and services they can gift to the group. People volunteer to help each other out with their needs. (for more on gift circles see <a href="http://bit.ly/bi2Y0l" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/bi2Y0l</a> ) These gift circles basically forms a micro local economic system with a flow of resources and goods. The thing about a transition block is its an achievable project for a lot of people. Its not on too large a scale. And if a town has many transition blocks going it has these small self-organizing, self-regulating micro socio systems on which to build something bigger. ferrandst on "sustainable technologies" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/sustainable-technologies-2#post-2940 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:01:29 +0000 ferrandst 2940@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ The following may be of interest to many which have entered for the Low Carbon Communities Challenge and the Transition Towns movement generally. I should be most grateful if the information below could be circulated 1/ <a href="http://herehydro.weebly.com" rel="nofollow">http://herehydro.weebly.com</a> a comprehensive website on small hydroelectric, a detailed design paper on water wheels has just been uploaded see Data Files - Final Diss20065.pdf 2/. Outline details of a PV installation quote for 195 kW on some farm barn roofs in E.Midlands, roof sizes and cash flow projections for FIT shown. May be useful for those wishing to establish PV feasability, before getting actual quotes. Please ask for this 3/. A DIY Solar Water Heater invented by a lady about 1958, not yet much uised, please ask for this A development just starting is to do further work on this technology to come up with a product to compete with the latest World technology. The full design, when proven, will be a combined Solar PV and Thermal [PVT] panel, capable of competing with current offerings from Europe such as one PVT panel exhibited at Intersolar 2009 <a href="http://powerpanel.com/" rel="nofollow">http://powerpanel.com/</a> and another priced at 680 Euros [about £615 ] which was rated at 160 watts PV electricity plus 600 watts Thermal It would seem very important that the UK keeps it's solar technology in the forefront of current World developments, both in terms of operational effectiveness and cost. 4/. Considerable work has been done in the past on the use of wind turbines for heating. When a cold wind blows, you get warm !!. Technology including control electronics for wind turbine heating available. Some installations have been running for 25 years +. Also concepts for using tidal power + wind + fish ponds for East Coast erosion prevention. Please ask for the above Animal Aid on "Meat-Free Monday" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/meat-free-monday#post-2937 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:36:43 +0000 Animal Aid 2937@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ The Meat-Free Monday campaign is a global initiative that would fit in perfectly to the remit of the Transition Town Food groups. Why? According to the United Nations, animal farming is responsible for no less than 18 per cent of human-generated global greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than is produced by the entire transport sector worldwide. In fact, the government’s own advisory body on sustainability (the Sustainable Development Commission) has recommended that consumers cut down on meat and dairy produce to fight climate change. Dedicating at least one day a week as meat-free is a great start. If everyone in the UK had at least one meat-free day a week, it would be the equivalent of taking five million cars off the road. How to get involved Meat-Free Monday Film Animal Aid has produced a very stylish and watchable Meat-Free Monday short film (1min 50sec), featuring a soundtrack donated by Moby. Titled ‘What a difference a day makes’, its purpose is to make people re-think their meat consumption and its impact on the planet. Please watch the film and if you like it, send the link to friends, family and colleagues. You could also post it on social networking sites, websites or in newsletters. The film can be viewed here: <a href="http://www.meat-free-monday.com" rel="nofollow">www.meat-free-monday.com</a> Meat-Free Cities In May 2009, Ghent City Council in Belgium attracted worldwide media and public attention when it announced that it would promote one meat-free day a week to encourage the city’s inhabitants to reduce their contribution to climate change. To date, two more Belgian cities, as well as the Brazilian city Sao Paulo and Bremen in Germany have declared a weekly meat-free day. Help encourage UK cities to do the same by contacting your local councillors – more information and template letters can be found at <a href="http://www.meat-free-monday.com" rel="nofollow">www.meat-free-monday.com</a> Meat-Free Monday Resources Animal Aid has free leaflets, posters, stickers and recipe booklets that can all be used to promote this important initiative. Contact <a href="mailto:Kelly@animalaid.co.uk">Kelly@animalaid.co.uk</a> or call 01732 364546 ext 227 to order resources or for more information. Kelly Slade Meat-Free Monday Co-ordinator Animal Aid Email: <a href="mailto:Kelly@animalaid.co.uk">Kelly@animalaid.co.uk</a> Tel: 01732 364546 ext 227 <a href="http://www.meat-free-monday.com" rel="nofollow">www.meat-free-monday.com</a> flenhellis on "ideas for initial fundraising" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/ideas-for-initial-fundraising#post-2936 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:05:55 +0000 flenhellis 2936@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Perhaps like myself, you're fascinated by unusual ways to make money. Years ago I read about an old couple diamond hunting in parking lots, and I knew there were more ways to get paid than I could imagine. As for myself, at twelve I pulled Playboy magazines from a newspaper recycling bin to sell in school. Before that I sold ammunition to both sides in my brother's paper-wad war. I still look for the more interesting angles on financial matters. <a href="http://www.lyco.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">http://www.lyco.co.uk/</a> audaye on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2935 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:01:07 +0000 audaye 2935@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ On creating flawed documents and presenting them to council: have you read council documents? Seriously though this process of EDAP creation and transition is indeed a process, not just for the soloutions to be developed but to engage with your council and begin to bring them to an aligned way of thinking that fosters their increasing involvement and participation in the process of transition and the deliverable EDAP. the simple way to frame an EDAP then is to version it, this is a well used method not just with your software but with the IPCC report too. Of course nothing of that stature is to be designed by a local council, my point is to show that it's an acceptable framework for delivering concepts and important documents. The iterative approach can help also in these outputs, amongst others: Gradually and solidly develop a realationship with the council and create dialogue. Engage from early on those in the council with the ideas of edap and hand hold where reqd. on climate confusions. Build credibility through trust formed from known and respected intentions not just the quality of outputted work. Use the existing networks and resources of the council to help - as interations gain progressivley more standing - produce better planned soloutions. Begin to build stronger community / council considerations - i.e the council becomes aware of the strength of feeling on these issues adding to a democratic process. Good luck. Doly on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2934 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:55:30 +0000 Doly 2934@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Replies to a few specific points: >I wonder if frustration is being felt because the energy group feels it can’t get on with actual projects as a result of having to wait? No, that isn't the case in TB&H, the Energy Group started getting on with a number of projects a long time ago. >Perhaps it might be useful to get all the groups together and put all work to date on the table, almost like a big quilt. This has been suggested but it was never done. On the last Annual General Meeting all groups were invited to show on a table their work so far, but nothing was really discussed, it was just a showing. I proposed to do something similar to this proposal in a big general meeting this January, it was a "New Years Resolution" activity where I wanted to put all the resolutions that we had two years ago, when the initiative was quite young, and get people to give their opinion on how far we were on each of the proposals, if they were worth it, and propose new resolutions. But there was no time to do it in the end. This becomes more complicated because there are internal problems within the initiative. A meeting with all the groups may have tensions, and there's also that some groups are inactive and some people clearly are uncomfortable to let it show that there isn't as much activity going on as some people would like to pretend. >If you work on an EDAP and produce a document that is flawed you will set back the process (your Team will become discredited). So Ben's right if you intend to produce something definitive. I have never said anything about producing something definitive. In fact, I've always been uncomfortable with the idea of producing a document and saying: "Hey, there you are, that's the EDAP". I've always envisioned an EDAP as something more organic, a constantly evolving set of documents, in different media, rather a process than a result. >Have you considered bringing on board your local council to try to make this a formal consultation document? (ie prepared by you with the blessing of the Council with the eventual aim of it being used as the basis for discussion on what community action should be) TB&H is in touch with the local council, and in fact, there is already a document quite similar in scope to an EDAP that was produced by Bioregional in collaboration with the Council and with a consultation that included most of the local green groups, called "One Planet Living Plan". TB&H participated in this process, and I've always said I'd like to take this document as a starting point. I don't think it's really an EDAP because it's more like a list of recommendations rather than a plan, it has no timings or details on how any of these recommendations could actually come to happen. benbrangwyn on "Job opportunity: Transition Scotland Support - "resources coordinator"" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/job-opportunity-transition-scotland-support-resources-coordinator#post-2933 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:40:21 +0000 benbrangwyn 2933@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ From the wonderful gang up in Scotland: <ul> Transition Scotland Support is recruiting for a new post to develop a range of printed, video, web based and other resources around training, mentoring and re-skilling for Scottish Transition communities.   We're looking for someone to connect with local groups around Scotland and create accessible materials that tell their stories, someone who can create contexts for people to share their experience and skills, to inspire and resource people involved in Transition. Experience of working with community groups will be essential, as is a real ability to communicate, enthuse others and draw together people and information. If you think you'll be able to hit the ground running, and help us develop valuable resources for communities over the next year, we'd love to hear from you.   Location: Edinburgh   This is a fixed contract till 31st March 2011.   Closing date 23rd March 2010   If you are selected for an interview you will be contacted by the 26th March 2010. Interviews will be held on 1st April 2010. Start date ASAP.   Please email your completed application form to <a href="mailto:eva@transitionscotland.org">eva@transitionscotland.org</a>   The forms are here:   - <a href="http://transitiontowns.org/uploads/TransitionNetwork/TSS-Resources-ApplicationForm.doc">Application form</a> - <a href="http://transitiontowns.org/uploads/TransitionNetwork/TSS-Resources-JobDescription.doc">Job description</a> </ul>   Sounds like a great opportunity to me, and who knows where it might lead... Ben. edmittance on "New Transition forums: a quick update and, more importantly, we need your help" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/new-forums-update-and-help-sought#post-2932 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:13:57 +0000 edmittance 2932@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ @nchadborn: we've set it to 'health' on the new site, but we will monitor how people want the themes to emerge... The new site is looking good, by the way - the initiatives are adding their own initiative profile details, and we'll be inviting all newsletter subscribers to join the site next week. We have not opened the forums up yet, but will let all know when that happens... Daniela on "Setting up local food guide/directory: some questions" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/local-foodguidedirectory#post-2931 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:29:32 +0000 Daniela 2931@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hello, I have started putting together a foodguide for Transition Town Forres in the Northeast of Scotland. As already mentioned in the Transition Town Food book it's not that easy to decide who to include in such a guide. I would like to ask the other groups who have already done this what kind of criteria they had when making the decision. Especially when it comes to restaurants/cafes/shops. My thought was to give them a short questionnaire asking what local produce and suppliers they use or sell - but then: <ul> <li>would you include them it it was only a small %age of their total produce/supply? or did you have a sort minimum they had to achieve?</li> <li>How did you monitor the impact of such a food directory?</li> <li>Have you somehow managed to convince shops/restaurants to use more local suppliers? or convinced farmes to consider going organic?</li> </ul>   A lot of questions - any help/comment is much appreciated. Thanks a lot Daniela, TT - Forres JohnMason on "TRANSITION BRO DDYFI – THE BIG LAUNCH" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-bro-ddyfi-%e2%80%93-the-big-launch#post-2930 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:52:19 +0000 JohnMason 2930@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Thanks, Ben! We're certainly very busy planning things! Cheers - John crom on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2929 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:36:40 +0000 crom 2929@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi all, here's something new: Crom alternative currency system. <a href="http://cromalternativemoney.org/index.php/en/media/news/alternative-economic-approach-to-sustainable-development.html">Alternative Economic Approach To Sustainable Development</a> Bunty on "Organic food video blog: Bunty's Blog" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/buntys-blog#post-2928 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:14:37 +0000 Bunty 2928@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Part 7 of Bunty's Blog is now online. This time I'm experimenting with potatoes (Maris Bard & Charlotte) the no-digging way under straw and also my usual way of digging them in. I'm sowing leeks (Bandit) and brussels sprouts (Maximus) in the coldframe. Also I'm building an insulated corner in the polytunnel with bubble wrap and start by sowing some sage (Salvia Officinalis). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Buntysblog" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/Buntysblog</a>