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Transition Events - Transition News - Related Events - General News - Community News Sign up here for a weekly email bulletin listing events coming up and recent news from these pages. To get your events and news listed on these pages, please tell us about them here. Check our acceptance criteria here. See also our Past events page for pictures and reports from some of our activities and archived news: To end June 2011
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Switch is a group of 4 students with an unusual strategy to raise awareness of climate change issues. They have a booklet on the subject illustrated by children and an energy calculator which uses human effort instead of kWh. On Friday 2nd November the Transition Cambridge Energy group shared the stage with them at the Grafton Centre and the Mayor came to visit. She even tried out the exercise bike and pedalled long enough to make a couple of slices of toast! |
 Nicola on the left, then Carl and Patrick from Switch, Sheila Stuart the mayor, Yining from Switch and Michael Wiseman, director of the Grafton Centre |
03 Nov 2012
Transition Cambridge Permaculture Group survey Transition Cambridge Permaculture Group will have been meeting for 3 years next spring and over that time, we’ve been pretty busy. In the spirit of the permaculture we have put together a survey using design principles to help us plan our way forward into 2013. If you have participated in the group in the past or hope to join us in the future it would be great if you could take a few moments to answer these questions and let us know what you'd like the group to be doing in the future. Download the questionnaire here (rtf file). Please email your responses to Ceri and Dave by 5th November or bring them along to the meeting on the 7th (see Events section). Thanks! For more information about the Permaculture group's activities, see their web-site here.
28 Oct 2012
Transition Cambridge Vision for 2030 now online Earlier this year Transition Cambridge held two visioning sessions to explore our vision for 2030. The results have been written up and are ready for reading and comment. You can access the document and contact information on the Transition website here.
From: Stephanie Ferguson 18 Oct 2012
Bursaries for Looby MacNamara workshop: Creating Productive Groups If you would like to develop your facilitation skills for Transition projects this workshop on 27th October is just the thing for you. The advertised price is £55/£45 for waged/unwaged but if you are a member of Transition Cambridge (i.e. you are active with one of the subgroups) and you would like to go but are put off by the cost then please let us know - the hub has agreed we will subsidise up to 3 places so that the cost would be only £10. We may ask you also to come to a cafe night afterwards or write us a brief review, telling us how it went and what you learnt that will be useful. It is important for us to understand what sort of training works best to make our Transition Cambridge projects more effective and enjoyable for everyone. More...
12 Oct 2012
Transition Cambridge Annual Report 2012 We have published our annual report for 2011/2012 and it's an impressive summary of what we have achieved recently: 15 active projects plus the website and newsletter publishing. Its no wonder we've all been busy. This also includes out annual accounts.Download the full report here (0.5 Mb pdf)
You can also read the minutes from our agm and see how we created our plans for the next year here.
03 Oct 2012
Good footfall at the Grafton Centre |
The Energy Group manned a stall at the Grafton Centre 'Live Green, Shop Green and Save' over Friday/Saturday 28th/28th September for the second year running. This year they tried out Nicola's new energy saving action cards and also energy opinion surveys to engage the public in discussion about energy and other sustainability issues. For the children, the SPEP model house proved a valuable draw - making it easier for parents to chat without distractions. |
 Mayor Sheila Stuart looking at the new Energy Saving Action cards. |
01 Oct 2012
Local food hits the headlines! Last week's successful Eat Buy Local event has appeared in the Cambridge News. Transition Cambridge's Food Group co-organised this event with CCF and one of the speakers was Paul Robinson, of Willow Farm near Lode, who hosts the Cropshare project. All reports say that the local food was delicious, and the local food movement is growing stronger...
Read more here.
28 Sep 2012
Garden Share opportunity in Toft A garden owner in Toft, with a lovely garden including several fruit trees, is looking for a garden share partner to help and share the produce. If you are interested, please contact Ann, Garden Share Coordinator
26 Sep 2012
Getting involved with Transition Cambridge There are lots of ways to get more involved with Transition Cambridge. As well as attending our events, you can join a group or project - here is an up-to-date list of our groups and projects that we created for the newcomers evening last week. There are contact addresses for the different groups and projects, or just reply to this e-mail and we'll forward your e-mail to the relevant person. There are often specific tasks that we would like some help with and these are listed here. And if there is something you'd like to offer that isn't listed here, please get in touch too. We welcome everyone's involvement - Transition Cambridge is entirely run by volunteers.
24 Sep 2012
Community Art Garden Cambridge Art Salon has a small plot of land we are keen to turn into a community art garden in the heart of Romsey. Looking for a volunteer garden co-ordinator and gardeners to turn the land into a veggie patch and green space with art, installation and a possible mural. All ideas welcome!!! Contact us by e-mail or phone 07969918355.
03 Sep 2012
Nominate the Cropshare project for Radio 4 Food and Farming awards Radio 4 are looking for the Best Big Food Idea. Their web-site says "We're interested in innovations that are improving the way good quality food is sourced and sold. It could be an initiative by a national supermarket, a wholesaler, a website, or a chain of food shops - any imaginative idea transforming our access to great food and drink." If you'd like to nominate Transition Cambridge Crop Share for the food and farming awards on Radio 4, here's the link.
06 Aug 2012
Transition Network Newsletter Read the Transition Network Newsletter here - including news about the network conference in September, various courses, book reviews, discussions e.g. on local currencies, events, and much more!
06 Aug 2012
Gardens available in Romsey area - garden sharers wanted! If you would like more space to grow your own fruit and veg, and live in the Romsey Town area, the Garden Share project have garden owners / allotment holders who are looking for people to share their space. If you are interested, please contact Ann. For more information about the Garden Share project, see the web-page here.
06 Aug 2012
Cambridge News article: Keep the greenbelt for growing food Sue, Dave and Jacky, members of the TC Food Group, spoke to the Cambridge News about the need for more allotments in Cambridge. You can read the article on-line here (Friday 3rd August). Contribute to the debate by writing a letter to the Cambridge News with your point of view!
06 Aug 2012
Share your skills with Greeniversity! (+ help with venues/organisation) The new Greeniversity Project (aka Cambridge Skill Share) is looking for some help! In particular, we're looking for people who'd like to share their skills - all skills are welcome, e.g. mending tools or clothes, cooking or making preserves, growing veg or herbs, making vinegar or beer, keeping bees or chickens, or the hundred and one other skills that we need to make the transition to more sustainable ways of life! We're also looking for venues for the skill share events - the venues will ideally be free, possibly offices, shops, scout huts, cafes etc that are not used in the evenings/weekends/Sundays and are relatively central - do you know of somewhere that might be suitable? Please let us know if you do! We're also still looking for people to help set the project up - that will include being in contact with skill sharers, contacting venues, putting events into the web-based system, doing publicity and helping organise and run a launch event. So get in touch if you'd like to get more involved or know of venues (and thanks to those of you who've already got in touch, we'll be in contact soon!). Here's the Peterborough Greeniversity page so you can see how the project is working there.
06 Aug 2012
Growing Spaces Dig Days in July The Growing Spaces Project will be having a number of dig days in July to help us finish up a few more spaces this summer. If you would like to help plant some fruit bushes and herbs in public places and enjoy the fruits of your work for years to come, then join us! These will be in various locations around the city, and take place on July 4th, 8th, 11th and 15th. See the Growing Spaces page on our website for all the details. More...
From: Stephanie Ferguson 24 Jun 2012
Cambridge 2030 visions - in the form of haikus At the 2030 visioning session, we were all invited to write a haiku of our vision of Cambridge in 2030. A haiku is a short poem in a Japanese style. Have a look at the haiku's that people wrote here.
19 Jun 2012
New REconomy web-site - tools for Transition businesses The new REconomy website provides the latest tools and resources that can help you build a local economy where you live. Have a look here.
19 Jun 2012
New Transition Newspaper! Transition Free Press has gone live! Have a look at a taster edition here and read more about the project here. This first edition is a blueprint of how the new Transition paper will look, showing the kinds of subjects we will cover every quarter – news with comment and context, features and reviews is going live today. We hope Transition Free Press will become a flourishing national newspaper for the Transition Movement. There is a whole new narrative out there, the happening story of Transition you might not see covered by mainstream media. That’s the story we’re aiming to tell. You can order a print copy on-line (bottom of the page) - or let us know and we can do a bulk order and bring them along to a Transition cafe night.
19 Jun 2012
Cambridge Future Transport Visions We had a great turnout for the Transition Cambridge Transport Workshop last Thursday, despite the cold, the wind and the wet. We were looking at how we might get around in 2030 - post Peak Oil style. When the price of road fuel might be ……£5.00/litre? Five short snappy presentations from businesses, from advocacy and campaign groups and a community partnership; followed by tea and biscuits and, this being Transition, rounding off with an Open Space discussion! What else!! And all on a shoe-string budget.
We saw how cargo bikes are already making deliveries in the City. How Smart Travel interventions deliver better returns for the tax-payer than big infrastructure. How employers can help wean people off car-based commuting. How a small number of people cycling instead of driving can make a huge difference to congestion and – one for the future – how buses might offer an almost door to door service. The notes from the Open Space discussion groups are here - if there is enough enthusiasm we hope some of these ideas will get taken forward.
If you weren't able to come to the Workshop but want to help Cambridge prepare for a less oil-dependent transport future get in touch or come along to the next meeting, which will be on Thursday 21st June at 7:30pm at the Friends Meeting House, Jesus Lane, in the Aldren Wright Room. All welcome!
10 Jun 2012
Strawberry Fair - photos of our stall Here are some photos of our stall at Strawberry Fair, including the workshop on making a solar panel from solar cells with Janis Freimanis from Transition Heathrow, stencilling designs onto T-shirts with Beejal Parekh, and Growing your own vegetables with Dave Fox.
09 Jun 2012
TC's 4th birthday party - some photos! Here are some photos from our 4th birthday party - a big thank you to Wesley for taking these photos, and to everyone for coming along and helping out!
28 May 2012
Transition opportunities Stalls - we'll have stalls at Strawberry Fair (2 June) and the Town and Country Fair (16-17 June) - reply to this e-mail if you'd like to help for a couple of hours
Garden share coordinator - join the coordinating group to keep this project alive and kicking. If you could spare an hour or two on a regular basis to help, e-mail Ann Mitchell for more details (also see here). It's a wonderful way of promoting veg growing and community!
Talk on Transition: we've been invited to give a talk to the residents of some sheltered housing (for the over 55s) on a weekday morning - we already have a powerpoint presentation, but obviously it will be helpful if you know what TC is up to!
Poster designers and/or distributors needed! We'd love some help making posters for our fortnightly cafe nights, and also some help putting them up around town.
We hope to include this section on a regular basis to let us know if there are other Transition projects that you are looking for some help with!
21 May 2012
Trip to NIAB postponed The visit to NIAB which was planned for Tuesday has been postponed - the ground is so waterlogged that the fields are inaccessible (even in wellies!). So the visit will be rescheduled - keep an eye on the website for the new date (and let's hope the weather is kind!).
20 May 2012
Transition Cambridge's 4th birthday celebrations Transition Cambridge is now four years old, and we celebrated on Saturday with a showing of the new film 'In Transition 2.0' and a wonderful party. Thanks to everyone who joined the celebrations, and to everyone who helped - cake-makers, bread-bakers, tea-people, stall-holders, and those who washed up afterwards! We hope the film has inspired you to get involved - as you can see there are lots more events coming up! And for those who missed the film, we'll be showing it again soon - it's a really inspiring collection of Transition stories from all around the world.
20 May 2012
Open Eco Homes Question Time
 Question Time Panel, with chair Terry Macalister, energy editor of the Guardian, in the centre |
Cambridge Carbon Footprint and Transition Cambridge Energy group got together this year to organise Open Eco Homes Question Time. This event introduces Open Eco Homes 2012 - this is the third year and there are 25 diverse homes and buildings to visit, to see the energy/carbon saving features that have been used and talk to the hosts about what is involved. The Question Time panel included hosts with houses built from 1900 to 2010. About 100 people came to the event, not including the organisers and sponsors, and the whole place was buzzing throughout. From the feedback the event was thoroughly enjoyed by most people though there were a lot of complaints about the sound system - We had to bring in Transition Cambridge equipment at zero notice because the venue's PA failed. Unfortunately our system is not suitable for a hall that size. We do apologise for this but we did the best we could under the circumstances. Click here to see the handout, which gives some information about the Green Deal and about grants for Free insulation to all home owners from Cambridge City council. |
More...
From: Nicola 06 May 2012
The Garden Share project is looking for gardens and growers! The Garden Share project is looking for more volunteer gardeners or garden owners - we would especially welcome registrations from garden owners near the centre of the city, and volunteer gardeners nearer the outskirts (or who are willing to cycle a little way to the garden). So if you've got a garden that you'd like to offer, or you're looking for somewhere to grow things, then register on the Garden Share web-page and we'll try to link you up with a grower/garden owner near you!
22 Apr 2012
Co-housing event at the Transition Cafe last week Last week at the Transition Cafe in CB1 we had a discussion about community-led housing. Adam Broadway, project manager for Cambridge's first community-led housing project in years, provided a summary of the current housing market and made the case for other housing solutions. The k1 project is an opportunity for people to come together to design their own home and community. k1 is a 2 acre site at Orchard Park owned by Cambridge City who are investigating demand and the viability of this unique housing idea. Over the past 6 months Adam and colleagues have been testing whether a scheme is deliverable at k1. It is hoped the City Council will support the project and formally agree for it to be set up in the early summer. If this opportunity to be part of a group who will design their own truly sustainable community is of interest, do get in touch. More info here.
26 Mar 2012
Transition books at reduced prices Green books are offering 35% off orders over £25 so if a few people would like to do a joint book order, we can get the following: The Transition Companion £13, The Transition Timeline £8.40, Communities, Councils and a Low Carbon Future £9.70, Local Monday £9.70 and Local Sustainable Homes £9.70. (Lots of other relevant books available too...) Let Anna know if you'd like to do a joint order (we already have some Transition Companions and Local Money books). You'd need to be able to collect the book(s) either from somewhere in town during the daytime or from near Mill Road at other times. These books are also available to borrow from our library. (Would anyone like to be the Transition librarian? Contact Anna for details!)
26 Mar 2012
A new transition social events group? If you'd like to get more involved in Transition Cambridge's activities, there are lots of ways of doing so! In particular, we would love to have an events team to organise social events for transitioners to get together regularly, e.g. in pubs, cafes, for walks, picnics etc. Get in touch to find out more!
22 Mar 2012
Community Supported Bakery The Cambridge Transition Food Group is launching a project to develop a co-operative bakery using locally sourced ingredients and low carbon distribution. Please join us at 7.30 on Thursday 13th March in The Emperor Pub (upstairs room, 21 Hills Road, CB2 1NW). All ideas and know-how welcome!
05 Mar 2012
The Economics of Happiness Our second screening of The Economics of Happiness at the Arts Picturehouse on Sunday afternoon sold out - and some of the enthusiastic audience joined us for a discussion in the bar afterwards, where we talked in small groups in order to hear one another over the background noise! We're thinking of showing the film again in the autumn. In the meantime, if you're wanting to buy the dvd and/or organise a screening in your community, go to their website: www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org.
19 Feb 2012
Wood Stoves Advice Forum |
The Energy Group organised a question and answer forum for people thinking of buying a wood stove. It was one of our most successful forums yet - 65 people came and the feedback was excellent. More here. |
19 Feb 2012
Rob Hopkins on Radio 4 If you missed the talk on 'engaged optimism' by the co-founder of the Transition movement, you can listen again here. And if you'd like to read Rob's notes for the programme, you can do so here. Rob Hopkins believes that "engaged optimism" is the best way to face the global challenges of the future, be it climate change, oil supplies running out or the economic downturn. He believes initiatives enabling people to produce their own goods and services locally - from solar powered bottled beer to micro currencies like the Brixton pound - are the best way to build community resilience. Four Thought is a series of talks in which speakers give a personal viewpoint recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London.
13 Feb 2012
Radical food ideas in the BBC's The Food Programme From Dave: "This programme is a must listen for all those interested in alternative models of food production." Listen here.
24 Jan 2012
Helping out at Transition stalls We're getting lots of requests for Transition stalls at various events - would you like to help with this? It's usually a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Our stalls are usually quite relaxed, and most of the people we meet are enthusiastic and interested. We'll organise a session on the sorts of things that people ask and some possible replies. Stalls coming up include one at Seedy Sunday this coming Sunday (29th Jan), one at the Alternatives to Economic Growth conference (18 Feb) and a stall as part of the university students' Green Week (10 Feb). It'd be great to get together a team of us to share doing these! Get in touch if you're interested.
23 Jan 2012
Growing Spaces project in the news! Growing Spaces was in the news this past week! We were one of seven recipients for a Sustainable Cities grant and had the chance to talk to the Cambridge News and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: Growing Spaces on BBC Radio Cambridgshire Breakfast Show (interview begins 1 hour 49 minutes in; available until tomorrow (Weds)) and Cambridge News article here (scan down to find Growing Spaces; 19th January, 2012). Find out more about the Growing Spaces project, and get in touch with Stephanie if you think you have a potential space in your neighbourhood!
From: Stephanie Ferguson 22 Jan 2012
Towards an EDAP for Transition Cambridge Transition Cambridge is nearly 4 years old and has accomplished so much already. To keep us moving forward and working effectively, it would be beneficial to develop a long-term vision and strategy for our role in building local resiliency and sustainability in Cambridge. I am therefore looking for other members of Transition Cambridge who would be interested in leading this initative. Generally it would involve organising backcasting sessions, gathering visions and ideas for a future Cambridge into a document, and working with TC groups and projects to develop their strategies for contributing to and achieving this vision. What would eventually result would be an Energy Descent Action Plan for Transition Cambridge, hopefully to be approved by the next AGM this September. If this sounds like something you would passionate about and able to commit to for the next 8 months or so, please get in touch with Stephanie so we can get started.
From: Stephanie Ferguson 13 Jan 2012
Archive news: To end June 2011 and archived news off the front page.
Christmas gifts that don't cost the Earth 