Transition Towns Forum: Recent Topics

Transition Towns Forum: Recent Topics http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Transition Towns Forum: Recent Topics en Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:08:23 +0000 Doly on "Working on an EDAP" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/working-on-an-edap#post-2922 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:02:28 +0000 Doly 2922@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Recently the Energy Group of Transition Brighton & Hove got an email from Ben saying among other things that: 1. a Transition Initiative isn't ready to even think of starting an EDAP if it doesn't have a fully rounded representation across of all the key areas - food, energy, transport, heart & soul, arts, housing, local authority liaison, economics & livelihoods etc 2. one of the prerequisites for starting an EDAP is that all the contributing groups - and that should include all the themed areas within an initiative - should: - have got a few projects under their belt - fully understand resilience and carbon reduction - are hooked into all the existing networks and groups that can contribute to that area On the other hand, about a year and a half ago I asked Shaun Chamberlin what he thought about starting the EDAP when some people wanted to start and others said they weren't interested in participating. His reply was: "I agree that if a group of people are ready to start EDAP work then they shouldn't feel held back - different Transition Initiatives have gone through the 12 steps in a number of different orders. They are guidelines more than hard rules." I remember that at the time, the Transition Network seemed very much in favour that all Transition initiatives should start thinking of doing an EDAP, and my understanding was that the Transition Timeline project started exactly to encourage them to get started. Based on that, the Energy Group and some other interested people in TB&H started working on the EDAP. And the Energy Group still very much wants to work on it. Some recent reactions by people on the Energy Group have been: "The Energy Group does generally tick those boxes Ben mentioned and the Energy Group's work on the EDAP is legitimate. As the Energy Group is the only one that has been working on it then its portion of the B&H EDAP could be presented to the main Transition B&H body for consideration as a work in progress - other sub-groups can then comment on it / add to it / be inspired by it / build on it or, well, even discount it!" "Use the Blitzkrieg method. If you meet an obstacle, bypass it." "Don't be put off by Ben, who projects his own attitudes on to others (such as TB&H) What Ben really means is: 'Ben isn't ready to start thinking about an EDAP'. That is OK. Ben doesn't have to start thinking about an EDAP. However, Ben has no right to stop others who have been thinking about an EDAP for years to produce an EDAP in the name of TB&H." I'd like to know your opinions on starting an EDAP. 1. Do you agree with Ben's statement? 2. If you do, what do you think the people who have already started on an EDAP should do? Are they supposed to stop? 3. If you think work in the EDAP should stop until the whole Transition initiative is ready, what if the people who have started working don't want to stop? Is the EDAP supposed to be a monolithic document that must be produced as a whole, or is there room for several drafts of several parts to be developed and discussed? I always envisioned the EDAP as a constant work in progress, always evolving, but Ben's view seems to imply something like all-or-nothing. As I have told you before, this issue has already caused tensions in TB&H, and it's one of the reasons the Energy Group is unhappy with other groups. People outside the Energy Group have tried to stop the work of the Energy Group on the EDAP on the grounds that the other groups aren't ready yet. 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 DaveDann on "Local currencies - Monbiot article" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/local-currencies-monbiot-article#post-1141 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:55:43 +0000 DaveDann 1141@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ George Monbiots article in the Guardian this week drew out some interesting comments <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/20/george-monbiot-recession-currencies?commentpage=1" rel="nofollow">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/20/george-monbiot-recession-currencies?commentpage=1</a> 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-1270 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:46:04 +0000 csquirrel 1270@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Since we started our garden share scheme in Brighton & Hove (which is called Grow Your Neighbour's Own) a number of people from around the country have contacted me to ask for advice on how we got going... so I thought I'd start a thread here to which people can reply with other questions and answers which can be shared with everyone... The details of how we set up our garden share scheme here in Brighton are pretty much laid out on this page on the Transition Town Totnes website: <a href="http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/gardenshare/startupscheme" rel="nofollow">http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/gardenshare/startupscheme</a> This page sets out almost exactly what we did, mainly because I had a long conversation with Lou in Totnes before we did ours... I think she wrote the page afterwards so that she wouldn't have to keep repeating herself...! We also use Google Maps to keep track of where all the garden owners and gardeners live (just for our own use, the map is not publicly viewable). There's only a couple more things to add to her page, namely that we found that setting up a website where people can email in their details proved very effective (see our website here: <a href="http://grow.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk" rel="nofollow">http://grow.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk</a>)... but the website on its own is not enough, because the most important thing is matching up people with the same expectations from the scheme. There will be all levels of gardening experience amongst the gardeners, from beginner to experienced, and this needs matching with what the owners are expecting, as well as matching by location, times when access is available, how much time gardeners have available, etc. As to legal/security issues: we meet all of the gardeners personally and check a personal reference for all of them. We don't ask for CRB checks, but if a garden owner requests this, many of the gardeners already have a CRB check, so we just match them with a gardener who has. We've also taken out Public Liability Insurance for the gardeners in case of an accident/damage in an owner's garden (we've got a small grant). But generally we want to just pair people up and let them get on with it â€“ we provide them with a list of guideline questions to discuss before they agree to the pairing... There are other practicalities to think about if you are in a city like we are in Brighton and Hove: namely that the gardeners will generally be living in flats near the centre of town, and the garden owners on the outskirts... so you have to find out if some gardeners are willing to cycle/get the bus to get to gardens (we've tried to avoid people using cars, but we might change this sometime soon so that we can match more people up), and promote this by saying they get the pick of the gardens if they do... I have a number of the documents that we use (and there are others on the Totnes garden share at the link above): an info sheet about the scheme, the guidelines I mentioned above, the certificate we ask the pairings to sign once they've agreed to be matched together, and an example of the garden owner details sheet that we show potential gardeners when they are picking a scheme; as well as the procedures we follow when visiting garden owners or gardeners. If anyone would like copies of these please email me at grow_info*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk Please add any other questions and ideas about garden share schemes on this post so that everyone can see them regards Chris Tris on "Why local currency?" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/why-local-currency#post-2492 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:40:03 +0000 Tris 2492@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Perhaps someone who follows this forum could suggest reading that would explain why local currencies are a hot topic among Transition enthusiasts. I’d be interested in something by an established economist or scholar, perhaps in a journal available via the web or otherwise. I’m aware that there are several alternative currency programs in operation and that they have achieved some level of acceptance in various places. However popularity doesn’t always correlate with benefit. Lots of people used to smoke cigarettes, but it wasn’t a good idea. While I’m more than willing to be convinced otherwise, I confess that at first glance the benefit escapes me entirely. Whether I’m a business or a consumer, if I use a “traditional” currency I always have the option of spending it locally. If I’m interested in supporting local businesses, that’s what I’ll do. Of course, not everything I need is available locally, so I can spend it wherever else just as easily. This is good because it encourages local businesses to be competitive – or as competitive as possible. Competitive prices on local goods is a benefit for all who consume them, are they not? And the flexibility makes it unnecessary to spend time forecasting how much of the local currency I need. Considering that all the EU countries just went to a lot of trouble inventing the Euro so as to avoid dealing in multiple national currencies, isn’t multiple local currencies a step in the wrong direction? TIA for your comments. 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. 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 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> sarah p on "ideas for initial fundraising" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/ideas-for-initial-fundraising#post-1875 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:36:50 +0000 sarah p 1875@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi, we are a fairly new Initiating Group and we are finding that we are incurring a fair number of costs in getting ourselves up & running. Does anyone have any ideas for/experience of simple ways to raise money before we set off down the more formal fundraising routes. 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-2691 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:42:20 +0000 edmittance 2691@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi all, Happy 2010 - I hope it brings you much cheer, many vegetables, renewable energy sources, two Transition conferences and a shiney new Transition Network website... This is a quick post to point you to an update on the web project and share our thoughts on forums. Latest news on where we are at: <a href="http://transitiontowns.org/webprojectblog/2010/01/20/website-launch-update/" rel="nofollow">http://transitiontowns.org/webprojectblog/2010/01/20/website-launch-update/</a> I've just got off a skype conference with the Transition Technologists and it's looking very close. Our goal is for a 'soft' launch on Monday the 1st Feb, and if not then, then soon afterwards. And we'll need some help getting in there and beta-testing so hope you can come and give it a go when we say 'go'. We have imported all the subscribers to the newsletter so if you read the newsletter, you will be primed and ready to log in following launch. But more on that in due course... In the meantime, this is specifically about Forums: Part of the new web platform is new forums. These will be more accesible and have better functionality than our much loved yet ever-so-slightly-out-of-date ones we see here. We would like your help/support/advice/beta-testing - you have been here for some time, are familiar with what does and doesn't work, which threads were the most popular, which subjects were the most significant, how the 'structure' of the forums worked etc. The new forums will be integrated with the rest of the site which will mean we can track our activities, get email alerts when new comments are made, see other commenters' profiles, have forum threads appear in wider searches across the 'transition themes' with other content etc. Sadly we cannot migrate the content from these forums to the new ones; a combination of budget and 'it being amazingly complicated' means we have to say farewell to these. We're sorry about this but there aren't any alternatives. We will keep them online for a good few months yet, but the focus of activity will move to the new site. Ben and I want to start really simple so that we can make the most of what we've learned on these forums and work outwards with your support or advice if possible. We reckon we'd start with: Transition Themes - one forum per theme Technical help - space to help people with logins, updating their initiative profiles etc. What do you all reckon? 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-2910 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:38:24 +0000 JohnMason 2910@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ TRANSITION BRO DDYFI – THE BIG LAUNCH On Thursday the 18th of March, Transition Bro Ddyfi welcomes everyone to its official Launch at Y Plas, Machynlleth, between 5.30 and 10.30pm . There will be locally sourced food available from 5:30 for people coming straight from work and the main event, starting at 6:30pm, will be an evening of celebration - of the Transition Movement as a whole and of the amazing projects and groups here in the Dyfi Valley that are working towards building and maintaining local resilience to the coming energy and climate-related challenges that we will all face. The main event will feature a keynote presentation by Rob Hopkins, a highly entertaining and inspiring speaker, who founded the Transition Movement several years ago at Kinsale in the Irish Republic. Rob has been involved with the Movement pretty much full-time ever since, so if you want to find out about it then he's the man to come and listen to! There will be a bar and a variety of live acts as well as the opportunity to discuss what we're doing. The Bro Ddyfi Transition Initiative, one of many local Transition Initiatives around the world, first began in 2007 as a way of exploring how we might respond as a community to the twin challenges of forthcoming oil shortages and of the effects of climate change. Transition Initiatives work at a grassroots level towards developing local resilience in the community: in short they focus on three “R's”: Recognition – actually understanding the issues we face in the coming years of the 21st Century; Reskilling – regaining the practical life-skills that our grandparents took for granted and Relocalisation – the importance of local economic regeneration, especially with respect to food production. A complimentary event to follow the 'Big Launch' is taking place at Y Plas on Saturday the 20th of March: the Spring Open Day, starting at 11.00am till late. The day will be in three parts. It starts with a 'Be The Change Symposium', a lively, informative and engaging look at where we are, how we got here and where are we going. This is a real chance as a community to plan for a more sustainable, fairer and fulfilling future. Next, there will be a free showing of the award winning film, 'The Age of Stupid' - a poignant and inspiring wake up call to us all. In the evening there will be a twmpath, with music from local bands. Food and refreshments will be provided and there will be a bar in the evening. There is no charge for either of these events, but donations would be welcome. Bunty on "Organic food video blog: Bunty's Blog" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/buntys-blog#post-2551 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:49:03 +0000 Bunty 2551@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ If you want to grow your own fruit & veg organically then follow my video blog for the next 18 months. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Buntysblog" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/Buntysblog</a> PermaMax on "Internship I: “Solutions to Climate Change” May 1 – July 11, 2010" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/internship-i-%e2%80%9csolutions-to-climate-change%e2%80%9d-may-1-%e2%80%93-july-11-2010#post-2921 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:36:31 +0000 PermaMax 2921@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Natural Building and Permaculture Internship in Central Europe Internship I: “Solutions to Climate Change” May 1 – July 11, 2010 10 weeks – 980 Euro Internship II: International Relief work July 5 – August 28, 2010 8 weeks – 790 Euro Fees include facilitation, tools/materials Permaculture Design certificate, formal verification of Natural Building techniques taught and a SPHERE certificate for 2nd internship. …along with three healthy vegetarian meals a day and basic accommodation within scenic rural surroundings in the heart of Central Europe Join us for one -or both- of our summer internships. We are establishing a holistic model for solutions to peak oil, climate change, financial crises, and food/water scarcity. Become part of a new trade of builders ready to meet the challenges and the opportunity of the 21st century, with training and skill development in: • Permaculture Principles and Methods • Hands-on low tech and mechanized building methods • Conscientious design applications that relate to the planet, place, and project. • Healthy building materials such as straw bale, cob, earthen building, living roof systems, and alternative energy. • You’ll learn -and live- community design & building with weekly sessions on conflict prevention and Non-Violent communication Hands on projects will include building a rocket mass oven, finalizing a Finnish mass oven, rainwater catchment systems, greywater filter systems, rough and fine earthen plastering, timber frame joinery, heated wall systems, straw bale, earthen floors, round pole construction, and living roofs. Throughout the internships you'll be learning essential approaches to transitioning, creating resilience in a community setting. More information here; <a href="http://permalot.org/en/internships" rel="nofollow">http://permalot.org/en/internships</a> Andrew Hughes on "TT and Planning (Local Development Frameworks)" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/tt-and-planning-local-development-frameworks#post-2883 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:24:10 +0000 Andrew Hughes 2883@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ I am currently conducting research into TT and their influence on Local Devleopment Frameworks and Local Development Plan Documents produced by Local Authorities, which came out of the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase act 2004. Are there any TT networks out there that can say they actively try to influence the production of Planning documents by the Local Authority and are they having their say during the consultation phase of document preparation? Thanks. Emanuele on "Transition Towns - Areas for strategic comparative research" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/transition-towns-areas-for-strategic-comparative-research#post-2919 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:26:18 +0000 Emanuele 2919@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi there, My name is Émanuèle, and I'm a MSc student in Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph. I have heard Canada is the country with the fastest growing number of TTs, which is very exciting! I am in the process of writing a research proposal looking at the integration of Community Economic Development in the Transition Movement. One potential approach was to do a comparative study of a few TTs (rural/urban, at different stages in their evolution) in Canada and abroad. I have been in touch with the founders of Transiton Guelph as well as with an NGO providing Transition training locally, and we came up with a few ideas, but I thought it would be great to open up the discussion to a larger group of people with experience in the movement. While ideas are a little scattered now, I think this may help me narrow things down, so I would appreciate any input! My goal is for the research to have concrete practical outcomes. Here are a few questions that I found interesting : * how do various communities (in TT or not) set up systems to transition to more sustainable communities * to what extent are social entreprise models used in TT conversations * what are best practices in using reskilling workshops to create green jobs within TT Which of those (or others) do you find the most strategic? Thanks in advance, Émanuèle dazdread on "Family learning day activity ideas" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/family-learning-day-activity-ideas#post-2918 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:41:18 +0000 dazdread 2918@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Hi there, We have been asked to take over the organisation of a family learning day and are looking for ideas, tried and tested if possible, to run on the day. The event is aimed at the whole family group from 5 to 75 and the activities should take around 20 minutes. We are looking for ideas to make learning about the drivers of transition fun and available to all ages :o) Best regards Darren Woodiwiss Transition Harborough nickshanks on "Transition Initiatives in Hertfordshire" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/hertfordshire#post-785 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:05:00 +0000 nickshanks 785@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Who on the forums is from Herts and interested in getting something done? Please can you come forward and make yourself known. SteveAtkins on "URGENT Dorchester Area Travel Maps for cycling and walking... looking for advice" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/urgent-dorchester-area-travel-maps-for-cycling-and-walking-looking-for-advice#post-2909 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:45:01 +0000 SteveAtkins 2909@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ Transition Town Dorchester have hooked up with Dorset County Council to print a load of fold-up walking and cycling maps ... TTD are part funding this (our Council match funded), and TTD are helping with the promotion, design, printing etc We've got really basic DRAFT maps of the area, and we're now looking for advice, ideas, routes, etc. The maps are for helping people get around by cycling and walking, to help us all see the routes that we've not considered before... <ol>- Useful places to park your bike? - Shortcut to the shops? - Areas good for dog walking? - Quieter roads, lanes, footpaths, bridle ways? - Safer routes? - Quicker, direct routes?</ol> . **URGENT DEADLINE** Due to timeline, please feedback by Thursday 11th March. High res DRAFT maps and other the details are on the website here: <a href="http://www.transitiontowndorchester.org/transport.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.transitiontowndorchester.org/transport.html</a> This key gives an idea of what we're looking to include: PDF 24kb: <a href="http://transitiontowndorchester.org/Images/Dorset%20Key.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://transitiontowndorchester.org/Images/Dorset%20Key.pdf</a> Question for this forum is: Has your Transition area already got maps and what are the features you find really useful?...and if you live in the Dorchester area do you have something worth including on the map? treaclemine on "Events in Birmingham" http://transitiontowns.org/forum/topic/events-in-birmingham#post-1660 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:12:12 +0000 treaclemine 1660@http://transitiontowns.org/forum/ This is a thread to post events in Birmingham, and organise Transition information stalls for them. Please add more, and pipe up if you can help out! BBC "Water for Life" Festival, Cannon Hill Park, SUNDAY 7th JUNE 2009 10 am to 6 pm - contact Malcolm Redditch Green Fair is on Sat 13 Jun 2009 - contact Felipe Kings Heath Big Party on Sat 4 Jul 2009 - contact Felipe Acocks Green Carnival is on Sat 4 Jul 2009 - contact Amanda Transition Brum Third Saturday - Sat 18 Jul 2009 - contact Malcolm COMBINED EVENT WITH CHANGING LIFESTYLES ECO CENTRE (also Sun 19 Jul 2009)