Here are some ideas for projects and activities that we have come up with - if you've got other ideas you'd like to contribute, do send them in. There are also some ways to get involved in existing groups here and at the bottom of the page.
Alternative names: Transition Tavern, Sustainability Meetup, etc - up to whoever organises it what it's called. Basic idea is a regular pub meet-up to chat about Transition/sustainability/environmental issues (remit is also up to the organiser!). It could be weekly, fortnightly, monthly or just ad-hoc. It would ideally be in a central pub that shared our values in some way or other and was likely to consistently have sufficient space available for this to happen. (In fact Toni is already hoping to make this happen in the New Year (2015) but obviously the more the merrier!)
Other towns that have already got a local currency include Totnes, Lewes, Brixton and Stroud. Transition Lewes have produced a free How-to guide, available here. The author of this report, Oliver Dudok van Heel, can also be seen here in this 30 minute video where he talks about Local Currencies, Transition and the Lewes Pound. There is a also a Transition book entitled Local Money (we have some of these to sell if you are interested - e-mail us here). We hope that one day we'll have our own version of a local currency!
The environmental crisis demands practical, ‘outer’ changes in terms of adopting lower carbon lifestyles, but what kind of inner transition accompanies this process? What does this mean in terms of how we experience ourselves, relate to others and build communities? Many Transition groups have "Heart & Soul" group which offer spaces to explore our emotional responses to climate change and the issues surrounding energy scarcity, and to support ourselves and each other through the transition to more sustainable and resilient ways of living.
There are lots of student societies working on green/environmental/sustainability related issues, so perhaps "Transition" issues are already covered by these groups. But if you'd like to help start a student Transition group, then we're sure there are lots of students out there who are interested in these issues and who might like to get involved.
If you have an idea that you think we might be able to help with, do get in touch and we'll do our best to help you get it started...
If you'd prefer to get involved in an existing project or group, do come along to any of our group meetings (listed on the Events page), and here are some things we'd specifically like some help with.
There are various other groups in Cambridge that you can get involved in, e.g. working on reducing our carbon footprints (Cambridge Carbon Footprint), encouraging cycling (Cambridge Cycling Campaign), exchanging skills and items (CamLets), making and repairing things (MakeSpace), recycling (Cambridge Recycling Champions), green enterprise (Cambridge Green Enterprise Community) and cohousing (K1 Cohousing group) (amongst many other local groups working on similar topics).
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.