Transition Town Totnes Bulletin 31 - June 09
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1. Introduction* 2. Calling All Photographers!* 3. Campaign for solar PV panels* 4. Transition Together Hosts New Forum* 5. Write-up of the Weaving Magic Workshop* 6. Transition Library Update* 7. Horticultural education returns to Dartington* 8. Totnes Pound Update* 9. Upcoming Events* 10. Reskilling Corner* 11. Help Wanted*
1. Introduction
We’re reaching the end of our third year of working towards transition in Totnes, and it’s been
a very busy active season and there’s much to celebrate. For some it’s
been the election of Devon’s first green party county councillor, for
others it’s been the people’s picnic on the lawn of our erstwhile Tory
MP Anthony Steen. For myself I’ve been enjoying the ripening of our own
strawberries and the sight of contented cows munching in the fields
after a long cold spring. Graham Harvey’s wonderful book The Carbon
Fields explains why they hold the key to climate change. I bought it at
a wonderful evening organised by the Green Party in Totnes called the
Future of Farming. Many local farmers came together with other locals
to hear the news that grass-fed cattle can help to reduce carbon
emissions. which we were very glad to support. 
We’ve
had some wonderfully inspiring and well-attended public events of our
own in Totnes. Fritjof Capra gave us his unique perspective on the
global financial markets and transition. The transition movie went down
a storm, seeming to give a good overview of what’s been happening, not
just here, but worldwide. We’ve had an excellent building in the
post-oil world and an opportunity to tell the stories of our wardrobes,
as our first initiative to address textiles in transition.
Landmatters
hosted an open day with TTT this month, and we were blessed with
wonderful weather and a good turn out of over 70 people, many of whom
cycled. Thank you to all the members of Landmatters Permaculture
Community for welcoming us so warmly into their homes and onto their
beautiful land. The low-impact dwellings were inspiring, wind-turbines
and solar panels were all up and running, there was a water pump theat
is the only one of its kind in the country (!), veg plots were all
around, and the thought, creativity, love and huge effort that has
obviously gone into each and every decision was impressive. People
were quite blown away by what has been acheived, and certainly by the
low-carbon lifestyles that the community are leading. Thanks to all
involved for making the day so special. (The pictures in this
introduction all come from the day!) Click here to see the Landmatters website.
For those who want to continue the party mood, we’re holding our own Su
mmer picnic this Sunday,
21st June in Kevicc playing fields. Meet us at 6 Bridge Road at 1pm to view the ingenuity
and genius of local gardeners and garden sharers with tea and cake on
the Annual Garden Crawl. You could also join us at 2.30pm (or 3pm) sharp at Kevicc
playing fields to celebrate midsummer with a ritual and ceremony. The
picnic brings both groups together, from 4pm at Kevicc playing field.
Bring your own picnic to share and games.
Before we all drift away to Summer camps and festivals, join us for a fish-bowl discussion on direct climate action. It’s on Tuesday 30th June in the Methodist Hall. Feelings run high on the subject, and there are many different perspectives. Come and make your views known, persuade others to your point of view! Listen and gain a fresh perspective!
Looking
ahead to September, there’ll be plenty of action too. The food story
begun last month will continue with a major food workshop in November
to coincide with the publishing of CPRE’s local food mapping survey
report. And don’t miss the building group’s workshops in practical
building skills.We hope to publish our Energy Descent Plan
in the Autumn. This is the fruit of many hours of consultation and
discussion locally, facilitated so carefully and respectfully by Jacqi
Hodgeson The first draft of the plan is being completed this month.
Theme groups are ho
lding
urgent meetings and e-mails are winging round the town, as the input of
many hundreds of people are finally taking shape on the page. You’ll
hear more about this in the Autumn, when we hope to publish the draft plan and begin the lengthy process of wider consultation, discussion and above all ACTION!
With
this process in mind, TTT has conducted an internal structure review.
Prompted initially by the need to avoid burnout and alienation, this
has proved useful and timely, giving us a clear, and broadly canvassed
vision of how we can work together effectively.
There will be
much to engage you in the Autumn, but for now, we wish you sunshine and
warmth this holiday time and look forward to connecting with you again
at harvest time.
Noni Mackenzie (Food Group & Admin)
2. Calling All Photographers! A Day in the Life of Totnes.
As
part of the Totnes Energy Descent Plan, we are inviting photographers,
from the professional to the amateur, to put Friday 26th June in the
diary as a day to take photos of aspects of life in Totnes and
District. The idea is for people to photograph different aspects of
local life from dawn until the end of the day; deliveries to local
shops, storytime at school, milking at a farm, people out shopping,
setting up the market and so on. The more people we have out and about
taking photos, the more fascinating a record it will be. Some of the
photos will end up in the EDAP itself. So, you don't have to be David
Bailey, but if you would like to put some time aside to take some
photos next Friday, please give Rob a call on 07868 604454. Many
thanks.
3. Campaign for solar PV panels on every roof...
Imagine every house in Totnes having a solar electricity system on the roof, supplying up to 50% of our electricity. One street in Totnes is not just imagining it, they’ve already begun a campaign to petition the government, and they want everyone to join in……
A group of neighbours from Copland Meadows formed the first Transition Together group, meeting once a fortnight to look at ways in which they could save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. After seeing the film ‘The Age of Stupid’, (where there is a scene showing neighbours blocking the planning permission for a wind farm) they decided solar PV was the most acceptable form of clean electricity, and decided to start a local petition about it. Read more...
4. Transition Together Hosts New Forum
See below for the kind of discussion happening on the new Transition Together forum - join Transition Together and start to share ideas and solutions with other particpants...
A DIY car share scheme
I live in Rattery about 6 miles from Totnes. We have one vehicle but Tom uses it most days for his work. This leaves me a bit stuck when I need to get places - and it's a pretty hilly (mountainous) bike ride from here to town though it's an option on nice days. Rather than buy a new car (or rather a 2nd hand one) I have arranged to share my neighbours' car. I found out that they hardly ever use it as they have a 2nd car, and they'd like to see more use of it and also help reduce their own running costs. Read more...
5. Write-up of the Weaving Magic Workshop: How do we work together in groups?
Nick Osbornes full day course on
‘Weaving Magic for Transition’ was about creating the most effective
structures and ways of organizing for groups to build the transition
movement. Nick spent many years researching alternative communities
and is now active in Transition Glastonbury.
Much of what Nick had to say was pretty obvious when you think about it - but the point is that we all too often don’t think about it! We get so involved in one meeting after another that we seldom stop and spend time making those meetings more effective - and enjoyable. Next time you are in the TTT meeting room take a look at the ‘Collaboration Model of Communication’ poster on the wall. Nick began by contrasting this with a control model - no I haven’t put that one on the wall! The advantages are clear but how often do we slip back into unproductive ways of communication? Read more...
6. Transition Library Update
its still there ... its just moved along a
few shelves! For those of you who haven't had a look, there really are
many wonderful books there, many of them contributed by the local
community through TTT. 
in with the rest of their documentaries now.
We have just added The Powerdown Show (Thanks Rob!) and A Forest Garden
Year (Thanks again Green Books!) to the free to loan TTT collection,
and they have recently added Garbage Warrior to their own stock of
relevant titles. We'd love to hear from you if you subscribe to any of
Permaculture, Permaculture Activist, The Ecologist or Resurgence, and
feel you can commit to regularly donating your copies for wider public
use through the Library. Please get in touch with Ailsa if you think
you can by clicking here...7. Horticultural education returns to Dartington
Through the Dartington Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture, Dartington is to revive its proud history of horticultural education, with a new course designed to equip growers with the skills necessary for 21st century food production and gardening.
Learning to grow food in an oil-scarce world is possibly one of the most useful skills any young person could be learning and a significant rise in demand is anticipated in the job market. Similarly, there is an increasing demand for ways to manage heritage gardens that are less dependent on fossil fuels and promote biodiversity. Dartington is proud to be pioneering this new programme, equipping young people with skills and recognised qualifications for employment.
The Dartington Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture has been created by a new and exciting partnership between Dartington and Duchy College, ‘Cornwall’s College of the Countryside’. Read more...
- working with the current Totnes Pound team to establish a baseline knowledge of the project
- liaising with the
traders and businesses in Totnes to:
- ensure they are fully up-to-date with the purpose, function and process around the Totnes Pound
- that they have adequate supplies of the currency
- that they are addressing local purchasing opportunities
- they are maximising the benefit the Totnes Pound can give their business in terms of higher profile, local presence and economic resilience
- liaising with the 4
Issuing Points in Totnes to:
- ensure they have adequate supplies of the currency
- they are able to communicate clearly to the community about the benefits and workings of the Totnes Pound, particularly around ecomic resilience
- hunting down newsworthy stories about the Totnes Pound for the local, national and international media
- liaising with community groups in Totnes in connection with their applications for Totnes Pound community loans
- helping the current
project team with the ongoing plans for the Totnes pound,
including:
- electronic version of the currency
- community loans
- potential new designs for the notes
- updating the website
Person requirements
for the role are:- an interest and understanding of alternative, complementary and community currencies
- an understanding of the principles of transition
- good with people
- adept at spreadsheets
- English NOT required as first language, but spoken english needs to be fluent
- able to work on own initiative
- available for around 6 to 8 weeks around the summer
Sunday 21st June. Starting 1pm at 6 Bridge Rd Follaton, Totnes & ending at the TTT Midsummer Picnic at Keviccs playing field.
TTT Annual Summer Edible Garden Crawl
Visit
various open edible gardens around Totnes. Join us for cakes, tips,
& gardening inspiration! Come and see how other people grow their
veggies,
fruit and flowers! Ending up at the…
TTT Summer Picnic, Games, and Solstice Celebration
Picnic & games in the park. Bring lunch to share. Everyone welcome!
Solstice Celebration with Sylvia starts 3pm sharp til 4pm. 4pm for shared picnic & games.
H&S will be running the ritual part, so if you'd like to help with that, get in touch: sylviajrose@yahoo.com
Tuesday 23rd June. Leechwell, 7:15pm
Leechwell Herb Walk + Herbal Q & A
Peter
Neumann is also proposing a herb walk: on the antiquarian Elizabethian
midsummer’s day of June 23rd, a short evening walk from the imminent
Leechwell Herb Garden (by kind permission) starting at 7.15 at the
Leechwell, and then to walk to a herb tea place or a café in town for
tea and an informal Question & Answers evening chat with 3 local
herbalists at 8pm, particularly but not only about “local herbs for
local people”. This event is also a local incentive of Herbal Medicine
Week, which encourages herb walks particularly on this day. Email:
peter@touchfire.co.uk for more details.
Heart & Soul Meeting - June 24th - TTT Offices, 43 Fore Street, Totnes
This looks like being an exciting meeting! We'll be doing 2 things.
First ,will be a brief outline and discussion of our proposal for a series of more intensely
experiential events linked to the Heart and Soul of
Transition starting in the autumn. These are likely to be on monthly
Sunday afternoons . Ideas for this are welcome.We will be asking
practitioners who would like to run workshops to propose topics on
paper after this meeting .Then Sophy will be doing a presentation and brainstorming for us that is an extract from her two day Training for Transition workshop: Exploring the Inner World of Transition
"Why do we make a system that is destroying the life we depend on? How can psychological and social insights help understand what is happening? What can we do in a Heart and Soul group that supports this aspect of Transition?"
The talk links inner psychology with the creation of our dysfunctional system of economic and industrial growth, addiction models, how to support healing and transformation, and provides useful maps for understanding the territory of "Heart and Soul".
Tuesday 30th June .Totnes Methodist Hall. 8pm. £2
Climate action & transition - how should the transition movement relate to direct action climate campaigns?
Speakers
& fish bowl discussion. Everyone welcome. Experienced climate
campaigners Adriana Nomas and Howard Balmer will talk about the
importance of direct action before we have a fishbowl discussion.
Speakers:
In addition to his involvement in the Transition Cornwall Network and environmental campaigns Howard has also been involved in Direct Action Campaigns, including work on behalf of the Climate Camp, Greenpeace, FoE, Plane Stupid and Rising Tide. He was also a resident camper at the Newbury Bypass protest camps.
Adriana is an Ecuadorian activist
resident in Plymouth. She is part of the Direct Action groups: Rising
Tide-Plymouth & Ecuador,"Devon & Kernow neighbourhood" of the
Climate Camp and Art Not Oil-Plymouth. She has done direct action for
Climate Change for 2 years in UK and provided Popular Education
creating material and in the way of speeches about Climate
Change,Fossil Fuels, 'Climate Change and Veganism' and worskshops about
'Climate Justice' .She's founder of an Eco-Club in a local school and
has worked for many years with Plymouth Environment Centre.
Climate camp protestor at Kingsnorth Aug 2008
10. Reskilling Corner
Basic Gardening Course Group 1 - Write-up
After weeks of glorious sunshine, last Saturday arrived bringing with
it torrential downpours & general garden-unfriendly weather.
Undeterred, our intrepid 'continuation - gardening group' met at
Malcolm's place at the usual time, bearing assorted vital food
supplies. Carrot cake, coffee and various teas supported our lively
discussion on the latest saga of the political expenses story, the
merits or otherwise of paying MPs a higher fixed salary, and a
comparison of footballers' earnings with bankers! All not exactly
gardening orientated, but good fun. After briefly surveying the ever
increasing rainfall we decided more sustenance was necessary and
before venturing outside! Finally, during a brief lull in the rain, we
tackled the raised beds. Lou (by now "outed" in the group as a woman
w
ith vast gardening knowledge rather than the "beginner" image she had
started the course with) gave us her insights into identification and
elimination of various weeds, practical guidance on thinning out the
rather over-enthusiastically planted Beetroot and Russian Kale, and a
very hands-on approach to removing unwanted extra tomato plant shoots.
As the continual downpour was beginning to dampen our enthusiasm, the
group voted collectively to adjourn (inside) for lunch - an ad-hoc mix
of various tasty salads, home baked breads, delicious cheeses and other
delicacies. We were then joined by two late arrivals (Mel and Hal and
their honorary 15 month old son Arthur), just in time to finish off the
remains of our spread. Was it worth it? Absolutely! In spite of the
limited time outside due to the rain, the 40 minutes or so focussed
work gave us all further insights into the wonders of the green and
leafy world - for many of us prior to this course, a deep dark unknown
and uncertain place! The group offers a source of ongoing encouragement
and enthusiasm, and the food is always great! - Malcolm
Here's to all of us whose water butts were merrily filling up!
D.I.O. Skillshare #1!
Ben's Basic Bicycling Bodging & Beautification
Thursday 9th July- 6-9pm
Are your gears feeling clunky? Are your
wheels buckled? Are your brakes feeling shaky? Do you have a puncture
that's you've put off fixing since last summer? In this first
Do-It-Ourselves Skillshare, Ben will help us get our bikes safe and
back on the road for smooth summer cycling adventures. Learn basic bike maintenance skills including diagnosing any problem(s), cleaning & adjusting gears & brakes, unbuckling wheels and mending punctures.
Some tools will be provided but the skillshare will run a lot smoother if you could bring tools an
y bike tools you may have, eg. a
small phillips screwdriver, allen keys, tyre levers, rags for cleaning
& yoghurt pots so you don't lose your bits. It'd also be nice to bring a thermos of tea and some snacks to share. And of course, BYO bike!Numbers limited to 10 so get in early. Donation of £1 appreciated for use of Ben's grease/oil and other bits and bobs. Contact benbrangwyn@transitionnetwork.
Lastly...How To Make Bread
11. Help Wanted
TTT Outreach
Creative ways to raise TTT’s profile about town
Would you like TTT to have more physical presence about town?
TTT has a modest budget to develop some signs or a piece of artwork, to raise TTT’s profile in prominent places in town, pending permissions from the relevant authorities. If anyone is interested in being involved in this project, please contact Hal via the TTT office. (Please note that the budget is very modest – it might cover materials but not professional artists or designer fees).
Reaching out - the background to TTT Outreach
Roughly this time last year a packed St John’s church was exploring the question ‘how is TTT doing?’. The response was resoundingly positive but with a resounding strong sentiment that we needed to be reaching out more to bring people in from beyond our natural supporters in order to be more authentically representative of the population of Totnes and District.
As a result, last summer TTT took a stand out to the market square most Fridays and an all singing, all dancing tent and workshop to the Totnes Show. Sadly this activity has slowed down this year, due to fewer of last year’s volunteers being available this year, but we are really keen to keep this activity going.
If you are passionate about TTT and reckon you have what it takes to talk to passers-by and wax lyrical about what we are about, please contact Hal via the TTT office. Paul Wesley of Harlequin books kindly lets us set his trestle table outside his shop every Friday and we normally hold fort for about three hours. It’s a really great way to appreciate the best of our town; enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of our weekly market and chatting to many locals and tourists.
We also want to go to the Totnes show again. We need a team of six or so volunteers and a donation of at least £120. Anyone interested in helping out should contact Hal, via the TTT office.
If enough volunteers come forward we will run a free workshop ‘Communicating Transition’, a great way to learn more about the Transition model, Transition Town Totnes in particular and develop ways to (try to) convince the hardest sceptics out there.
To look at all of our previous bulletins please click here. In order to receive this monthly bulletin by email, please register on our website.
Please note that our office hours are Tuesday- Thursday 10am-1pm. Thanks.
Transition Town Totnes, 43 Fore Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5HN.
Tel: 01803 867358 Email: totnes@transitionnetwork.org
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