March 2011 Network Newsletter
By Mike Grenville 3rd March 2011
Transition Network newsletter – March 2011
NEWS
~ February Round-up
~ US round-up edition
~ Basque Coops In Transition
RESEARCH & SURVEYS
~ REconomy survey
~ Survey on Feed in Tariffs
~ Web project survey February 2011 results
COMMUNITY NEWS
~ Transition Support Scotland reaches the end of project
~ Local Food Distribution Project
~ Dorchester Community Farm Project
~ Solar Power Plan for Lewes Brewery
~ Mayfield Unplugged
~ Transition Heathrow 1st Birthday
TECH BYTES
~ New homepage design
~ Web Widgets for your site
EVENTS
~ in the directory
~ Transition film showings
~ And Finally….
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
NEWS
February Round-up of What’s Happening out in the World of Transition
The second official Transition initiative in Canada has unleashed with a Resilience Community Festival, Putney is holding a talk about the reskilling that’s necessary to make health care systems more sustainable and resilient, Transition Shetland has been busy discussing ideas on how to get more food grown locally, Stroud held a Potato Day and you can now order a copy of their Potato Book, Worthing held a seed exchange event, Brixton has found a new home in an empty council community hall. More on these and lots more here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-03-02/february-round-whats-happening-transition
..and there is now a US round-up edition with news from Colorado, California, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and many more:
http://transitionus.org/stories/february-round-whats-happening-world-transition-us-edition
Basque Coops In Transition
Members of the Transition Training and Consulting (TTandC) team are currently working with ten transition initiatives in a pilot project known as REconomy which will identify and spread best practice in engaging existing businesses and stimulating the start up of new social enterprises. They have been training (and also learning from) new Energy Resilience Assessment practitioners in the Basque Country of Spain who are associated with the Mondragon group of coops.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-02-21/update-transition-training-and-consulting
RESEARCH & SURVEYS
REconomy survey
Calling everyone who’s interested in business or social enterprise – please can you help us? If you are already engaging your local businesses and organisations on Transition issues, or are involved in the start up of new enterprises, then please share your experiences with us by completing our survey by Wednesday 16th March.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-03-03/win-transition-books-completing-our-reconomy-social-enterprisebusiness-survey
Survey on Feed in Tariffs
If you are a community energy project, we need your input to support a swift response to possible changes to the Feed in Tariffs.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-02-17/survey-fast-track-review-feed-tariffs-community-projects
Web project survey February 2011 results
Thank you to everyone who took our survey.
You can read a summary of the results and download the full report here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/ed-mitchell/2011-03/web-project-survey-february-2011-results
COMMUNITY NEWS
Transition Support Scotland reaches the end of project
Having come to the end of their project funding Transition Scotland Support are wrapping up the organisation for now. Here is their ‘end of project’ announcement with a list of the resources they have developed and made available including ‘Games to Save the Planet’ and ‘Feeding Positive Change’ cooking fantastic food for large numbers.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-02-17/transition-support-scotland-reaches-end-project
Local Food Distribution Project
Transition Ealing in west London are looking at ways to get more local food onto the plates of people in the area. Links with other community groups are being made and a number of options are being considered including a community owned shop where members of the community own a share in the shop. As an example of how this could work they were inspired by The Peoples Supermarket, which aims to bring independently produced food and a more sustainable, communitarian form of grocery shopping to people living and working in cities in the UK: www.thepeoplessupermarket.org
Dorchester Community Farm Project
With an initial 5 year lease at a peppercorn rent for a 2 acre site in Dorchester, the project aims to provide an opportunity for those without a garden or allotment to collectively produce food for its members. Dorchester also has a Community Orchard and a Garden Share scheme going.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/projects/transition-town-dorchester-community-farm-project
Solar Power Plan for Lewes Brewery
One of the UK’s first community owned power stations could be on the roof of Harveys brewery in Lewes. OVESCo (a not-for-profit organisation for community benefit that grew out of the Transition Energy group) and Harveys brewery in Lewes are looking at installing a 98kW solar photovoltaic array on the roof of the main storage and distribution warehouse in Lewes. Under the proposal being explored, individuals would be able to invest in the project through OVESCo.
http://www.transitiontownlewes.org/news.html#item222
Mayfield Unplugged
Nothing Transition Mayfield has done has had quite the impact as a concert held to celebrate local musicians called ‘Mayfield Unplugged’.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/cms/news/2011-02-20/mayfield-unplugged
Transition Heathrow: When hard-core activism and transition combine…
They’ve been going a year now, and here’s a beautifully shot 10 minute movie of what they’ve been up to.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-03-01/transition-heathrow-most-inspiring-video-2011-so-far
TECH BYTES
New homepage design
We hope you like it, and will continue to improve it in due course. We are particularly keen on using Transitioners’ photos to reflect Transition activities.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/ed-mitchell/2011-03/new-homepage-design
Web Widgets for your site
We’ve built some ‘widgets’ to put on your site. Choose from the Latest News, Latest Projects and Latest Events widgets. Also includes links to our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social media places for those who love sharing online.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/syndication-and-social-media
EVENTS
Current events in the directory include an Eco Circus; Patrick Holden is speaking in Kingston; Making perfect Compost in Bath (!); Training for Transition in London, Bristol, Germany and Australia and many more here:
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/events
Transition film showings
If you put on films for your initiative, film distributor Dogwoof’s new ‘Ambassador’ programme could be
of interest. It supports community film showings by making new titles available earlier and offering marketing and ticketing support.
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2011-02-21/new-support-transition-film-showings
And Finally….
The Intergalactic Health and Safety Inspectorate
Gort and Klaatu send the earthling off to a possible 2040
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/gort-and-klaatu
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“No demonstrations at all in the streets, no one is against us, against me for what? All my people with me. They love me all.”
Muammar Gaddafi
“Now is the period when the cost is being paid. I’m surprised the real anger hasn’t been greater than it has.”
Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England
Follow Transition Network on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/transitiontowns
Find previous editions of the newsletter here
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/tags/transition-network-newsletter
This newsletter is published on the first Friday of each month.
Newsletter Editor: Mike Grenville, from Transition Forest Row
Contact: transitionnetworknews@googlemail.com
+44 (0)1342 825169