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1. Introduction* 2. 'How to fundraise for your TTT group or project' workshop* 3. Do-It-Ourselves Skillshares Update* 4. Update: Totnes & District Energy Descent Action Plan:2009-2030* 5. Introducin
1. Introduction
Whilst
many Transition birds flew off, or cycled off, to sunny shores in
Cornwall and beyond, some of us stayed to hold the fort and enjoy the
quietude of the office… As the skies treated us to much lovely drizzle,
our gardens turned lush and bountiful, helping to spread the gardening
fever. Our ever-inspiring and dedicated TTT gardening teacher is
starting another veggie-growing course in September. Some of us loved
this so much we’ve signed up again, so do join us! – call Nick Prater
on 01803 849001. Or you might choose Dartington’s pioneering
Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture: this innovative course starts
in September and is proving very popular.
The new planting season is approaching fast and the =Fruit and Nut-Tree Planting Project coordinators would love to hear from volunteers to help bring more members of the community on board before the next planting days in November and Decembe
r. Please contact Wendy on 01803 868305 or Holly on 01803 732545.
The great Do-it-Ourselves skillshare scheme was launched, with plenty of enthusiasm, by Asha and friends. Ben’s basic bicycle baintenance bash was a roaring success and a few glorious muddy days were spent cob building at Christian Taylor’s
Beenleigh Meadows Farm. The plans are for more cobbing days, further
bushcraft reskilling with Alarik, and other wild and tamer schemes. If you have dormant skills come and revive them with a little help from some friends: call Asha on 07942 598155.
The summer was marred by very sad news: a great friend of the Transition movement, Professor Brian Goodwin, passed away in July. He was a trustee of the Transition Network and had recently written about the movement.
Brian founded the Msc in holistic science at Schumacher College and was
a tremendous inspiration to all. For Satish Kumar, co-founder of the
college, “ Brian was not only a great scientist of our time but he was also a sage. He had little ego and big generosity. He was approachable, humble and always available (…). He brought authority, authenticity and profoundness to our work. He will be greatly missed”. Rob Hopkins also expressed his deep appreciation on the Transition Culture website - read here. In the spring Brian had married lovely Christel, who was in my Home Group and is planning to return to The Netherlands. My life has been greatly enriched by meeting them both and with my deepest condolences I wish Christel a healing transition.
In the Heart and Soul Group we have been busy organising the visit of Joa
nna Macy (www.joannamacy.net), another luminary and wonderful advocate of a holistic understanding of life. Just like Brian did, she combines scientific rigour with deep wisdom, profound psychological insights and the most generous heart. She is a pioneer of social and eco-activism, coined ‘The Great Turning’ (“a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift
from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation”)
and founded the Work that Reconnects, a creative form of group work
based on systems thinking, spiritual teachings and deep ecology. It is a great privilege for us to welcome her in Totnes, where she
will be giving a public talk on September 23rd. We are also organising
three workshops on The Work that Reconnects with experienced
facilitators trained by Joanna – on September 13th, October 11th and December 13th. Not to be missed!
The
autumn programme contains many other goodies – movies, bike ride,
action workshops and much more – so we can all look forward to a rich
season of transition action and spirit. A warm Welcome Back on board to
all!
Annie Leymarie (Volunteer Coordinator)
2. 'How to fundraise for your TTT group or project' workshop
This workshop, delivered jointly by South Hams CVS and TTT, will give you the basic skills you need to find potential funders and create succesful funding applications. More details will be provided to participants nearer the time.
To register please email fionawardttt@googlemail.com.
Click here for more.
3. Do-It-Ourselves Skillshares Update
Our
community is home to vast number of valuable skills, many lying dormant
and underused. D.I.O. Skillshares have recently been launched as
practical, free and fun
opportunities to share our skills with others over a relaxed cup of
tea. They are free, easy, informal and
flexible, and everyone benefits. D.I.O. has had a great response so far
and we've already held skillshares on basic bicycle maintenance,
bushcraft and cob building - huge thankyous to Ben (bikes), Alarik (bushcraft) and
Christian (cob-building - see pictures!) for hosting these. Stay tuned for dates of skillshares on
tool care, building a pedal-powered blender and curtain making, but in
the mean time join us this Saturday for a second bus
hcraft skillshare
with Alarik.(See below.)Please have a think about what skills you can offer for a future skillshare. The skill-share can take any form you want - from a couple of hours workshop, to a discussion you want to host, or even a short-term apprenticeship. If you want to get on the D.I.O. Skillshares mailing list, or would like offer a skillshare, or you have a skill you would like to learn from others, please contact Asha on 07942598155 or email asha@eatthesuburbs.org.
D.I.O. Skillshare #4 - More Bushcraft with Alarik
This Saturday August 29th, 5pm - Sunset
Learn
wild food & tree identification, cordage (natural rope) making,
firelighting with friction using the bow drill method, and we'll cook up our
dinner together over our fires. Come
along if you know nothing about bushcraft or if you're well experienced
as we need others with similar skills to share/help.
Bring: a
wood carving knife (or something that could act like one), some quality
string/cord (eg tent guy rope or a strong non-stretchy
shoe lace), water proofs just in case, and something simple to cook for
dinner (if bringing vegies please have them ready-chopped) along with a
cooking pot & utensils, and maybe a thermos of tea to share.
Meet on the little bridge at the Totnes end of Dartington Drive (near the gate/house)
Cost: FREE!
Please
contact Alarik with any questions and/or to register your interest so
he knows how many to expect. alarikgreenland@hotmail.com or 07840921022. (Skillshare will be postponed until further
notice if the weather's looking bleak.)
4. Update: Totnes & District Energy Descent Action Plan:2009-2030
The
first round of in-house consultation with members of TTT groups is now
almost complete and for those of you who have contributed to this
process to date many thanks.
The process is now opened up for
wider consultation. The redrafted documents which comprise the Topic
based themes and Timeline in the Plan are now available for comment and
review on both the TTT website and the LocalEyes website. LocalEyes
website is being used as it allows a space for your comments which
other can also view, allowing for discussion on views and ultimately
you will be able to vote on certain points should there be
non
-reconcilable views expressed.
In the first instance I
recommend you click here to see an overview of the structure of the document, then take the
LocalEyes link on the right column to view the documents and add your
comments. If you prefer you are welcome to down load any of the
documents and using track changes (in the tools menu) amend and email
to my address below, however others will not be able to view your ideas
at this stage.
1. Please comment on, add to, delete the content, layout etc & suggest extras, photos etc
2. Add information about projects associated with your group to the timeline in main text as appropriate / likely to pan out.
3. Add other relevant activities you are aware of not but not included here
4. Add ideas / have a bit of fun with the pathways table
5. Add any targets, events, plans or policies coming into force that you know of to the pathways
6. Any useful references you think we could add
LocalEyes
is set up as a local website for local people to link in with
activities etc happening where they live. If you live outside of
Totnes and District, you will need to enter using the TTT postcode (TQ9
5HN), but it would be helpful if you could add your town/country to
your view to help us see where comments have come from.
Open Consultation closes Friday 28th August. Revisions & to the printer during September
Publication date 24th October 2009
Many thanks for your patience. I look forward to hearing your comments and ideas.
Jacqi - EDAP Coordinator
5. Introducin
Don Lang has kindly stepped forward to take over this role from me
as of September. He has a strong business background, both
theoretical/academic and practical. He lectures in Sustainable
Development, Economics and Business, works on urban design and formerly
was a business rescue consultant and gave talks through Business Link
on financing innovation. He is new to Totnes and also already involved
in the Building & Housing group.6. "Scalable microcosms of hope"
Transition
Towns received a prominent plug in a letter sent to the Queen this
month, which set out to provide a useful response to Her Majesty's
recent big question, 'Why did we not see (the recession) coming?', and
to counter a less than satisfactory response that had already been
offered by the British Academy. Signatories of the letter included an
interesting mix of respected figures and authorities including our very
own Rob Hopkins and Transition Network's Peter Lipman. It also serves
as an eloquent summary of how our economy and ecology are linked, which
those of us less conversant with the intricacies of this aspect of
Transition may find useful. An extract of the letter is given below and the full letter is available here.
Thomas Freidman said recently in the New York Times "Let’s today step out of the normal
boundaries
of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if
the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a
deep recession? What if it's telling us that the whole growth model we
created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and
ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother
Nature and the market both said: 'No more'."Thankfully there is a vibrant debate in civil society on these issues. Groups like Transition Towns, described by Jeremy Leggett as 'scalable microcosms of hope', and digital democracy Moveon.org, Getup.org, Dosomethingaboutit.org.uk, Localeyes.org and 38degrees.org.uk are giving individual citizens and collectives a new voice and real power in politics of change.
Hal Gillmore - TTT Outreach Group
7. Sustainable building company launched in Totnes
Members
of the Transition Town Totnes (TTT) Building & Housing Group have
founded Totnes Sustainable Construction Ltd (TSC Ltd) as a not for
profit company limited by guarantee. The aims of the company are
sustainable design, construction and refurbishment with an emphasis on
real affordability. Although the company has no formal link with the
transition movement the close association is signified by the fact that
Rob Hopkins is one of the seven directors. All the directors are
longstanding TTT activists. As a company limited by guarantee any
profit must be ploughed back into development and growth and cannot be
paid as dividends.
(Pictured above: Hockerton Housing Project, Notts.)
The
directors have over a hundred years of building experience between them
and are determined to work according to ecologically sound and
sustainable principles and methods. Company Chair, Chris Noakes, said,
“We will prioritize the use of local and sustainable materials and want
to build in an aesthetically pleasing as well as 
environmentally
friendly way. We want to pioneer building in a way that meets the
challenges of climate change, peak oil and people’s aspirations for a
different way of life.”
Projects currently under consideration range from retrofitting existing housing to small developments of new build ‘eco-homes’.
Good
employment practice is another objective listed in the company’s
memorandum of association and TSC Ltd undertakes to promote the
wellbeing of employees and subcontractors through work that is
satisfying, safe and useful. TSC Ltd is compiling a register of local
building tradespeople who may wish to work with them. Registration
forms will be available soon.
TSC Ltd are encouraging anyone who wants to find out more about their services to contact the Operations Manager, Chris Noakes.
8. Copland Neighbours Big Lunch -What a Good Day!
It
was blustery enough for Winnie the Pooh on Sunday 19th July but that
didn’t keep the Copland Meadowers from their al fresco lunch!
Tablecloths firmly clipped down and umbrellas anchored, about 50
neighbours gathered together to share good local food, and excellent
company. This was the “Copland Meadows” Big Lunch.
The Eden
project’s big lunch idea was to bring our streets to life, get
neighbours, often made strangers by busy lives, to share some of their
time.
The Copland Meadows event was organised by a group of
neighbours who have been working together on a “Transition Together
project” as part of Transition Town Totnes. Over the last few months
they spent several evenings working out ways of becoming more
environmentally friendly by sharing their ideas and information. Most
did not know each other before. They saw so many benefits from meeting
each other and enjoyed it so much that they decided to set up the
street’s Big Lunch and invite all 70 houses to join in.
The response was fantastic. Everyone who came brought something to share so the food 
was excellent, and plentiful. There were people of all ages, many of whom had not even set eyes on one another before!
“So
what number are you?” was the most frequently heard question. This
often followed by musings about how time rushes by so fast that we
don’t leave enough of it to make moments like this, to say “Hi, how are
you?”
This turned out to be not just good food and company but
a surprise world premiere event as well! Glen Park performed a song she
had written about Transition and the Big Lunch, very ably accompanied
by Dave Harwood. (Garage music at its very best!)
Copland
Meadows Big Lunch was a success on so many fronts: we all met
neighbours we had not spoken to before; we shared our food and drink
with each other; we shared our thoughts, life experiences and ideas,
children who didn’t know each other met and played with each other; we
began conversations we can pick up on later; we felt like a community.
Many
thanks to Barbara Hales for organising us and to Liz and Mike Waterson
and Maggi and Keith Fielder for sharing their garden space and much
more, to enable this to go ahead. And thanks to Copland Meadowers for
being neighbours! - Carole Whitty
9. Transition Training - Places Left! 5-6th September 
We still have a few places on the next transition training to be held weekend of 5-6 Sept – there
is a 50% concession rate for all TTT-ers – so if you haven’t already
done this fabulous training now is your chance to get the whole weekend
for £50! For info on course content see here.
To
book contact Steph at the TN office on Wednesday 2nd September, send an
e mail to me, call 05601 531 882, or pop in after 2pm.
10. Transition Festival - 19th September
If anyone is able to run a Transition Totnes stall promoting TTT and the Transition Network. that would be great. Hopefully there will be a couple of thousand people at the event - contact the TTT office if you are interested. Thanks.
11. Reskilling Corner
With Gardening Courses starting up again and Do-It-Ourselves Skillshares stacking up ready for the Autumn - it might be time to have a slow evening in with some of the harvest from your gardens. Forget stocking the freezer and instead try out this tried, tested and tasty receipe for:
Runner Bean Chutney (thanks to Lucy Cole, North Devon)
2lb sliced beans
4 large chopped onions
1.5 lb sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons dried mustard
1oz turmeric
1.5pints vinegar (cider pref.)
Cook the beans and the onions in 1.4 pints in vinegar til done.
Add the sugar and cook a little more
Blend the cornflour, mustard, & the turmeric with the ¼ 
pint of vinegar into a smooth paste.
Add this to the beans and the onions.
Stir and cook until it thickens (a few minutes).
Try and keep it for a few months - or if you are like us, scoff away after a couple of weeks...
12. Upcoming Events
Saturday 29th August. 5pm - Sunset. Meet on the little bridge at the Totnes end of Dartington Drive (near the gate-house)
D.I.O. Skillshare #4 - More Bushcraft with Alarik
Learn wild food & tree identification, cordage (natural rope) making, firelighting with friction using the bow drill method, and we'll cook up our dinner together over our fires. Come along if you know nothing about bushcraft or if you're well experienced as we need others with similar skills to share/help.
Bring: a
wood carving knife (or something that could act like one), some quality
string/cord (eg tent guy rope or a strong non-stretchy
shoe lace), water proofs just in case, and something simple to
cook for dinner (if bringing vegies please have them ready-chopped) along with a cooking pot & utensils, and maybe a thermos of tea to share.
Cost: FREE! Please contact Alarik with any questions and/or to register your interest so he knows how many to expect. alarikgreenland@hotmail.com or 07840921022. (Skillshare will be postponed until further notice if the weather's looking bleak.)
Wednesday 9th September. 8pm. The Barn Cinema, Dartington
The Transition Movie
Come
and see how what began as a small community-focussed Totnes initiative
to relocalise and ‘power-down’ in the face of peak oil and climate
change, has now grown to be a movement spreading across the country and
the world. It all began here in Totnes…
Tuesday 22nd September. 4-6pm. Starting points tbc.
Time to dust off the old bike for….
Transition Town Totnes Sponsored Bike Ride
On European Car Free Day
Join TTT for a a pleasant bicycle ride along our country lanes to mark
European Car Free Day. The starting points for the rides will be local
community halls in the 15 parishes surrounding Totnes, with all rides
leading to Totnes Civic Square for some refreshments and light
entertainment. Riders can join the ride for short or longer sections
of the routes.
Schools, families, commuters, cycling groups and anyone with an
interest in cycling can register for the ride and enjoy the fun.
Clubs, organisations, offices, companies and friends are welcome to
get a team together. We are asking everyone who rides to get some
sponsors. Half the sponsorship money riders raise can go to your
school, local club or favourite charity, the other half (or all if you
prefer) can go to TTT to support our work.
Registration has now opened. You can download the registration and sponsorship forms here or call Jacqi o 07922 411266.
“The hidden promise of our dark age: the wisdom, strength & beauty we can discover” - with Joanna Macy
Internationally renowned speaker, activist, author and originator of "The Work that Reconnects".
Thursday 24 September, 10am-1pm.
Tour of Devon Waste recycling, composting and landfill sites at Newton Abbot
Numbers are limited to 15 and booking is essential!
Contact Eleanor Chandler on 01803 865793, email echandler66@yahoo.co.uk.
Sunday 4th October 8pm : Birdwood House, Totnes & the Bowden House (later)
TTT Arts: Full-moon Photography Workshop with Shai Zakai
On the night of the full moon, ground-breaking Israeli
eco-artist Shai Zakai will be giving an illustrated lecture in Totnes,
then running a hands-on experimental photography workshop in the
grounds of Bowden House.
Creating a unique visual language for that night by using cameras,
digital, film and pinhole, to capture the things we didn't see but the
camera did....the seldom seen, the spirit of place, lit by moonlight,
flashlight and firelight.
We'll have facilities to print and talk about the images, and perhaps plan a public showing.
The venue of the atmospheric Bowden House Woodshed Studios offers us
open natural space, fire for tea and snacks, and dry indoor space.
8pm for the talk followed by 10-30 pm onwards workshop, fire, food:
Woodshed Sculpture Studio, Bowden House Community, Totnes. leCosts:
lecture- £5/3, workshop- £25/15,talk + workshop £27/17.
Places are limited - to book ring Mike Jones 01803 865252
See Shai Zakai www.eco-art.co.il
Tuesday 6th October. Methodist Church Hall 7:45pm. £5 (£4 concs)
The Age of Stupid: film-showing
Film-screening organized by Oxfam and TTT with all profits going to support Oxfams work in Haiti where the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere are already suffering the effects of climate change. Tickets available from Oxfam Shops in Totnes.
To look at all of our previous bulletins please click here. In order to receive this monthly bulletin by email, please register on our website. Please note that for the autumn we are back t being open Tuesdays - Thursdays 10am-1pm. Thanks. Transition Town Totnes, 43 Fore Street, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5HN. Tel: 01803 867358 Email: totnes@transitionnetwork.org