Community meal, film showing and open space discussion

On Tuesday 24th November, Transition Cambridge teamed up with Emmanuel United Reformed Church on Cherry Hinton Road to offer a community meal and film showing, followed by discussion. About 50 people came, and by the end of the evening, people were buzzing with ideas for what we can do to make Cambridge more sustainable! After watching "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" Corrina led us in an open space discussion, and the topics of transport, food, energy and education came up. Special thanks to Jan and the large team of people who helped create, serve and clear up the delicious meal!

Here are the notes that people wrote down during the discussion (below) and here are some photos of the event. Thanks to everyone for taking part and contributing all these ideas! If you'd like to take one of them forward, we'd love to hear how you get on (or get in touch if you'd like some help getting started!) Also have a look at our existing food and energy groups, who are already working on some of these ideas...

Transport

- Minimise travel - shorter distances, and incentivise foot/bike
- Cargo bikes - narrow bollards and difficult sections on cycle routes
- Diverse independent shops and services
- Home delivery services
- Long buses dangerous for bikes
- Car free day
- Reduce roads available for cars
- World War 2 "Zoning" - Produce and distribute 35 miles
- Buses - more small buses, DRT
- Taxi running as bus at bus fare
- Hitch hiking / voucher book / prize draw / multiple occupance vehicles
- Lincolnshire wiggly bus
- Public phoen on bus stops (RTI)

Educating people

- Corner shop: people can put things there they want for anyone to collect. Same with surplus vegetables.
- Education Community Orchards
- Waste: breaking down and redistributing 1st, then get rid of.

Food production and distribution

- veg box schemes
- more mini 'Farmers' markets (as in the film, the Power of Community, in Cuba)
- Land Share Scheme (see our garden share scheme which is similar)
- 'Corner shops' as local food distributors
- a 'Freecycle' for food
- Alternatives to supermarkets
- LETS scheme
- Food preservation - pickling, jams, chutneys
- education
- People do not want to change, will do only if they have to
- Mind sets need to be changed
- Helping people see a positive low-energy future
- Hope these ideas can be useful for the development of this site (the URC church on Cherry Hinton Road)
- Create eco-centre on this site:
- info
- networking
- charities support
- garden
- skills training
- Connect with Cambridge LETS Scheme, SOFA, Emmaus (add to main web-site) for recycling, exchange of items
- Place outside a person's house for recycling things "Put and Take" - sheltered, local people can bring or take things, sign syaing "Recycling stuff free to good homes Put or Take" - very successful

Energy saving

- 10:10 Campaign - How to record? What next?
- Insulation insulation insulation + draft proofing!
- Energy saving lamps, equipment etc
- Problems of older building - the majority of the housing stock
- Needs to be part of the whole package of saving and renewables
- Reduce length of showers!
- Reduction in travel

If you'd like to add more info in above, or link to other relevant pages on the web, please feel free to do so (contact us if you need a password to edit this page).

Our Mission

Transition Cambridge aims to help Cambridge make the transition to ways of life that are more resilient in the face of rising energy prices and a changing climate.

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