Climate change

Reflecting on the past year...

Transition Bristol has achieved a lot this year. There are active Transition neighbourhood groups across the City and Transition Bristol has a strong and very committed Core Team which has achieved some really positive things in 2008.

We have continued to hold the monthly network meetings, some of them themed, from which we have had good feedback.  We have developed our website with the help of some really enthusiastic volunteers and send out a monthly newsletter with an ever increasing number of subscribers.

We have also run stalls at the Organic Food Festival and had a presence at the Schumacher Conference.  We have contributed to the National Transition Network document on structure.

In September we ran some very successful food related events, 'Share the Harvest' and 'Eat the Change', both of which will be further developed next year.  We have also held a joint workshop with the Soil Association which will hopefully at some point in the coming year lead to the establishment of Community Supported Agriculture Projects across Bristol.

In February, Daniel Lerch of Post Carbon Cities in the US gave a talk to Bristol City Council, a very significant outcome of which was the setting up of a Peak Oil Task Force for Bristol, and in the last few days Transition Bristol folk have returned from the Transition Cities Conference in Nottingham, held with the very important aim of trying to work out how Transition might be achieved at city level.

 ...towards 2009

We have achieved a lot, but there is still work ahead!

At the start of the year we will be holding a big open space day for anyone who is interested to have a say in how Transition in Bristol will unfold over the coming year.  What sort of unleashing will we have?  What will it be called?  How will it look? Which working groups will start to form?  When will we start the process of energy descent planning?  These are the exciting things we will need to consider very soon, so hopefully you will be part of this by coming to this open space day and  being a part of the process.  Watch this space and our website for further details!

Happy Christmas and New Year to all of you!

Transition Bristol Network Meeting 

Transition and the Arts

At the October Network meeting, there was an open space session on Transition and the Arts, notes of which can be seen here.  At this meeting, David Mowat will be present to invite anyone interested to form a steering group for his Ecoshow.  See his ideas here.

There will be space for you to hear what has been happening in other neighbourhoods and share news of your own.  There will also be a chance to hear what happened at the recent Community Supported Agriculture event.

March for Climate Change Action

London, December 6th

Speakers include George Monbiot, Caroline Lucas MEP

Apple orchards-not executive flats!

Hamilton House, Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3QY

Don't miss this unprecedented opportunity to influence what land is used for in Bristol.

Bristol City Council is currently asking people, businesses and developers how they think land should be used in Bristol between now and 2026. It is urgent that we make use of this opportunity to begin creating and realising our dreams of sustainable, local living. This means we can insist on land for food rather than flats, for example.

The deadline for submitting your suggestions is 19 December

We think this is too short.  If you agree, sign our online petition to have the deadline extended.

The meeting will run as follows:

19:10-19:20 Introduction by Claire Milne of Transition Bristol

19:20-19:40 Talk by Sarah O'Driscoll, Bristol City Council Planning Department

19:40-20:00 Questions

20:00-21:00 Open sessions on:

City Centre Planning-Learn how to find and plot land in your area using City Centre maps as an example.

How to do a land plotting walkabout in your area

Form filling surgery

Ideas for land use change

Neighbourhood space-if there are other people from your area

Sustainable Redland

The Redland group had its AGM on 12 November, where we ran a lively 'carbon counting for beginners' workshop and finished with a party. Events in December will include the Whiteladies Farmers Markets on Friday 5 and Saturday 20 December, and our Orchard workday (weather permitting) on Sunday 21st. We are planning an event for January which will partly be about getting to know new members, and partly for deciding our projects/events/outings etc for 2009. Major themes we want to pursue in 2009 include a garden fruit and veg growing project, and a possible farmlink 'community supported agriculture' project.

Transition Easton

We're still looking for active assistance. If you're interested, there are loads of different ways to help. You might like to help us in talking to local people about Transition, or add content onto our new website, help keep the database up-to-date, help organise some reskilling activities or a whole host of other things!

Whether you've got a day a week or just an hour to offer, we'd love to hear from you!

Email transitioneaston (at) yahoo.co.uk (anti-spam - replace the (at) with @)

or call Abby on 0781 4747606

Keep Castle Park Green!

Public enquiry begins 1st December

The Old Council House, Corn Street, Bristol

The following notice has been received from Castle Park User Group:

Bristol City Council and developers Deeley Freed are still intent on building on our green space. In a bid to stop this, Castle Park User Group have applied to the council to register Castle Park as a Town Green. If successful, it will be permanently protected from development. The Council and the Developers constitute the main objectors to the proposal, and the issue is going to a public inquiry

Support the move to protect our green space for all time

Assemble 9.15am outside the Old Council House; bring banners and placards.

The inquiry is due to run for one week, with two evening sessions.

The times are 10.00am to 5.00pm each day, plus Monday & Wednesday 6.00pm to 8.00pm

There is more information on the internet here

Heart and Soul Group

Many people have expressed interest in a Heart and Soul Group for Bristol. There have been a few meetings for those interested in getting such a group going, held on the first Friday of the month.  If you would like to register your interest and would like more information, you can contact Paul Baker.

paulbaker@paulbakerandcompany.co.uk

Tel: 0782882213

Starhawk returns!

Holding the Vision-A two day workshop Wednesday 3rd-Thursday 4th December 9.30apm-5.00pm Bristol Venue to be confirmed  Places still available on the Starhawk training days. Transitioners from all over the UK are converging for this 2 day event. If you're interested in coming please email sarah.pugh@ymail.com for a booking form.

For more details, click here

The Green Register

End of Year Party. The Tobacco Factory

Simon Lewin, Head of Technical Consultancy at the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), will start the evening off with a talk on developing biomass projects in the South West.

Simon will be sharing valuable lessons learnt from CSE's experience of developing over 40 different biomass projects in the southwest for the SW Bioheat and Coordinated Woodfuel programmes.  These range from small-scale domestic and community systems of a few kilowatts to multi-megawatt industrial systems for a variety of clients including schools, community organisations, housing developers and industrial users.

For further details or to book a place, please call 0117 3773490 or email  mail@greenregister.org.uk

To receive these newsletters, just go to the Transiton Bristol Website at www.transitionbristol.net and fill in the sign up form on the front page.

Please note that if you would like anything to go into next month's Newsletter, email the details to events@transitionbristol.net  Deadline is usually about three days before the end of the month.

Sincerely, Jane Buttigieg

On behalf of The Transition Bristol Team

Transition Bristol