Newsletters20101026

Hi everyone,

This week we have our first “World Café night” in the Transition Café on Thursday – we hope you can come along and join in the discussions! There’s also a chance to become a “Friend of Transition”, if you feel able to support us financially. And there are lots of great events coming up, many as part of the Festival of Ideas this week (see here for their programme, there are lots more events than we could include here!).

CONTENTS

Transition News and Events

  • Transition Café – World Café night!
  • News from Transition Cambridge + become a ‘Friend of Transition’

The role of councils, government and the law in the Transition

  • 30 Nov: Talk about working with local councils on Transition issues
  • Transition in the House of Commons, your input sought…
  • Great Radio 4 programme about the law and climate change

Related News and Events

  • TODAY Tuesday 26 October: The Power of Community
  • Wednesday 27 October: What renewable energy options for homes are hot?
  • Wednesday 27 October: Wild about the allotment (for children)
  • Thursday 28 October: Energy policies: the good, the bad and the ugly
  • Thursday 28 October: Recycled Fashion Show at Anglia Ruskin University
  • Saturday 6th November: The Big Climate Connection
  • Wednesday 3rd November: Love Food, Hate Waste (for children)
  • Sunday 7th November: Wear it, Love it, Share it
  • Monday 8th November: Talk by Keith Jordan: 'Preparing for Spring'
  • Thursday 11th November: Climate Change Campaigning: WHAT NEXT?
  • Thursday 11th November: Sustainable Energy – a talk by Dr Alison Cooke
  • Wednesday 17th November: A talk on climate debt and a bring and share supper

Transition News and Events

Transition Café – World Café night!

This week the transition café will follow a world café format, where different tables will host discussions on a variety of topics, and you are welcome to come along and join in any or all of them, or just stop by for a cup of tea. The café opens from 7:30 till 10ish, the discussions will start at 8. 22 Jesus Lane, Cambridge (hosted by the CafeProject).

The topics we’ll be discussing are:

- an idea to make some little films about how Cambridge is making the transition to a low carbon way of life, hosted by Stephanie

- the future activities of the budding Transition healthcare group – what can we do that will make healthcare in Cambridge more resilient to climate change and peak oil? With Melanie, Jude and Vanessa. (Have a look at this article for some background on this topic.)

- a discussion about future events aimed at reducing food waste, a huge issue both commercially and in the home. Around a third of the food we currently produce is wasted. Funding is available in Cambridge until the end of January for events raising awareness of this issue. Hosted by Pippa, who is looking for some help with making something happen. If you can’t come but are interested in being involved, let her know.

News from Transition Cambridge

A lot has been going on in Transition these past months. We now have an office - thanks to Emmanuel United Reformed Church for offering it so cheaply; a constitution - a big thanks to Martin for writing it; and a wind turbine - thanks to Greentech and all the people who helped to build it! And there are lots of other projects afoot, such as the new permaculture and farming groups, more information sheets from the energy group on solar water heating, heat pumps and solar panels, and the book of stories from the story-writing competition that we’re just getting started on. Let us know if you’d like to get involved in any of these, or if you have other ideas you’d like to get started.

One thing that we always have to keep in mind is fund-raising, specially now that we have an office to pay for. The office has lots of benefits – not only has it become our “Resource Centre” and library (open 10:30-12:30 every Tuesday morning, 154 Cherry Hinton Road ), but it is also a central place to store things such as leaflets, poster boards and things for stalls. So we really hope to be able to keep it open!

This is where we need your help – would you be able to make a donation to Transition to support our work? It could either be a one-off or a regular donation. We’re setting up a “Friends of Transition” scheme to support this, and all the details of how to make a donation are here. Thanks!

The Role of Councils, Government and the Law in the Transition

Tuesday 30th November: Talk about working with local councils on Transition issues

Alexis Rowell will speak on the topic of his new book, “Communities, councils and carbon – what we can do if governments won’t” which has recently been published as part of the Transition series of books. Read an interview with him here.  Alexis was a councillor in the London Borough of Camden, where he was Eco Champion from 2006 to 2010. He won a national Sustainability Councillor of the Year award in 2010. He describes his books as “a blood, sweat and tears account of life as an elected eco warrior trying to encourage local government to work with communities to make the world a greener place.” He now runs a climate change and peak oil consultancy called cuttingthecarbon. He also organises the UK Passivhaus Conference and works part-time for the Superhomes charity and the 10:10 Campaign. In his ‘spare’ time Alexis helps to coordinate Transition Belsize and the Camden Climate Action Network. The talk will take place on at 7:30pm in the Friends Meeting House, Jesus Lane. All welcome. Free, by donation. His book is available here  – we will also have a copy that you can borrow from the Transition library (hopefully on its way).

Transition in the House of Commons, your input sought…

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil (or APPGOPO as it is known to its friends), is holding an event on Tuesday 9th November (6.30-8pm) called ‘The Transition Movement & Government’ (full info here), which will consider how the government can best assist the Transition movement in its work. It will be addressed by Peter Lipman, Chair of Transition Network, and by Fiona Ward of Transition Consulting. You can book to attend here. They would love to hear from initiatives with their suggestions for what MP’s and/or government could do to support transition - any thoughts? You can post comments in response to this request from Rob Hopkins on his blog, Transition Culture, here.

Great Radio 4 programme about the law and climate change

This excellent Radio 4 programme "Can lawyers save the world?", available here, is about the important role that the law and lawyers can play in reducing climate change. Tom Heap talks to individuals and communities that are taking greenhouse gas emitting companies to court. It played on Radio 4 on Wednesday 14 October at 1:30pm and is part of a series of programmes "Costing the Earth". It should be available on-line for a few weeks.

Related News and Events

TODAY Tuesday 26th October: The Power of Community

8pm, Fulbourn Centre, Home End, Fulbourn

The film shows how Cuba transformed itself from oil and import dependency to a surprisingly resilient country with an economy rooted in localized food and energy production. It gives a glimpse of what is possible when a community reinvests its financial, educational and social capital in its own people and the systems that sustain life – food, energy and health care. (1 hour running time)

The film will be followed by an opportunity to discuss the issues raised by the Cuban experience, and what we can learn from this unlikely role model about how to reduce our future dependence on oil, as prices rise and supplies dwindle.

Entry free (voluntary donations appreciated). Doors open 7.45pm

Wednesday 27th October: What renewable energy options for homes are hot?

5pm, Helmore Building Room 251, Anglia Ruskin University

A panel of renewable energy experts assesses the options for installing renewables in existing and new homes in Cambridge - what is hot and what is probably not ... Presented by Anglia Ruskin University as part of the Festival of Ideas. 5-7pm, free. More details here.

Wednesday 27th October: Wild about the allotment

10am to 1pm (half term!), Field Childrens Centre, Galfrid Road, CB5 8ND.

A fun and friendly introduction to all the wild things that go on at the Fields Childrens Centre. All welcome. There will be a bug hunt in the wildlife garden, and a chance to plant and dig for treasure on the allotment. Also a cooking demo (vegetable crumble - yum!) and you can design your own pumpkin. Download flyer here.

Thursday 28th October: Energy policies: the good, the bad and the ugly

17:30, Lecture Theatre 1, Judge Business School, Trumpington Street, Cambridge

The Electricity Policy Research Group (EPRG) (part of the University of Cambridge) explains which current energy policies (carbon prices, renewable subsidies, winter fuel payments, smart meters etc) make economic sense, which should be dropped and which will always be messy. The talk will be followed by a drinks reception until 7pm. Judge Business School, Lecture Theatre 1, Trumpington Street. Free. Part of the Festival of Ideas series. More details about this event here.

Thursday 28th October: Recycled Fashion Show at Anglia Ruskin University

7-9pm, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, CB1 1PT.

Anglia Ruskin second year design students are using recycled materials to create spectacular new outfits and accessories, which will be auctioned off after the show. All sale proceeds will go to Village Outreach Society, a Cambridge charity supporting the Narikurava Tribe in south India, who survive by recycling materials from the city dump. Tickets: £3 available <a href="https://store.anglia.ac.uk/browse/product.asp?catid=4&modid=2&compid=1">here</a> or on the door (entry money will also go to the Village Outreach Society). Open to all ages. For more info, call 0845 196 2776 or e-mail festivalbookings@anglia.ac.uk .

Wednesday 3rd November: Love Food, Hate Waste

3pm to 5pm, Fields Childrens Centre, Galfrid Road, CB5 8ND.

Have fun saving money and reducing waste at the Fields Childrens Centre! All welcome. The afternoon (intended mostly for children!) will include a cooking demo (pumpkin surprise) and a chance to make a bird scarer and to plant fruit canes on their allotment. For more info see their flyer here.

Saturday 6th November: The Big Climate Connection

1pm, Squire Law Library, 10 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DZ

The Stop Climate Chaos coalition’s next action is “the Big Climate Connection”, a mass lobby of MPs in their constituencies across the UK on 5/6 November. Our aim is to bring together representatives of all the diverse groups that want action on climate change – from environment to development groups, from unions to local community and health groups – to show parliament that we want action. In Cambridge we’ll be lobbying Julian Huppert, MP, starting with a photo opportunity followed by the lobby itself (indoors) where groups will have an opportunity to put their points to Julian. More details on the our website  and on the Stop Climate Chaos website.

Sunday 7th November: Wear it, Love it, Share it

This is not just a great opportunity to recycle your old clothes and acquire some new discards: there will also be workshops on how to alter or glam up your tired outfits with a little sewing, plus kids workshops making rag rugs, sock puppets and the like from scraps, and finally, a fashion show of clothes donated to charity shops. 4 hours of fun, 12-4pm, Brown's Field Community Centre, Green End Road (CB4 1RU).

Monday 8th November: Talk by Keith Jordan: 'Preparing for Spring'

This is the next talk in Cambridge Carbon Footprint’s “Grow your own” series. 7:30pm, Ross Street Community Centre, Ross Street, off Mill Road. More details here.

Thursday 11th November: Climate Change Campaigning: WHAT NEXT?

Martin Harper, RSPB’s Head of Sustainable Development & Chair of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition

will brief and update us on UN negotiations at Cancun, UK policy issues and the range of demands being made by different groups. This will be followed by a discussion on how we can communicate, campaign and act on this. All Welcome. Free of charge, donations towards room cost gladly accepted.

The Octagon Room, Wesley Church, Christ’s Pieces, CB1 1LG, 6pm-8pm. More details here.

Thursday 11th November: Sustainable Energy – a talk by Dr Alison Cooke

8pm, The Fulbourn Centre, Home End, Fulbourn

How easy is it to get off our fossil fuel habit? Could Britain live on its own renewable energy? How does our current energy consumption compare with our sustainable energy options?

Alison Cooke will offer a straight talking assessment of the challenges involved, and discuss how to make energy plans that add up.

Her talk will be based on the IMechE UK Energy Plan which was presented in Copenhagen in September 2009 alongside nine other countries. An important subject, so do come and engage with the issues and find out how you can be part of the solution.

Dr Cooke, a Fulbourn resident, is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Chair of the UK’s Future Climate Steering Group, an international project to mobilise engineers from more than ten developed and developing countries. She is also involved with expert surgeries for the Department of Environment and Climate Change to discuss their ‘energy pathways to 2050’.

Entry free (donations appreciated). Doors open 7.45pm

Wednesday 17th November: A talk on climate debt and a bring and share supper

7:30pm, 19 Iver Close, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB4 3JG

The Cambridge branch of the World Development Movement invites you to this talk and supper, so we can all get an update on the Climate Change Talks in Cancun, Mexico, coming up soon in November. The talk by Kirsty Wright from WDM HQ in London will be on “The Climate Debt Crisis: a report back from Bolivia”. Kirsty Wright, WDM’s climate campaigner, will give a first hand perspective of her experience in Bolivia and the importance of brining economic justice into the debate on climate change. As someone who was present at both the UN talks in Copenhagen last year and at the People’s Conference on Climate Change Kirsty can give a unique perspective on how these processes compare, and what is needed to move towards solutions that have justice at their heart; come along to find out what’s happening and how you can take action to create positive change. For more info, contact Sue Woodsford.

So there's lots going on in the next couple of weeks. Hope some of it is of interest!

Anna

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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