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27th August 2010
Dear WiT folks
A reminder that our next Open Meeting is on Tuesday 31st August, 8.00pm, The King's Arms, Market Hill, Saffron Walden
We hope to be joined by at least one member of the Cambridge Transition group so we can swap notes and experiences.
On September 18th, the WiT Food4Thought group is joining forces with the Lionesses at the Michaelmas Fair on Saffron Walden Common to present a number of our local food producers as well as demonstrating techniques for growing your own in a small space.
The Bigger Picture: recommended reading, listening and viewing
* Jeremy Leggett continues to chronicle "triple crunch" events at http://www.jeremyleggett.net/triple-crunch-log/. He says: "[...] I hope it might be useful to busy folks perhaps a bit behind on news and appreciative of a concise way to catch up quickly. For example, to take a topical debate - the comparison of nuclear and renewable power - why not try the following if you have a moment. Download the word-file 2010 log from the Triple Crunch Log page on the website, and word-search "nuclear", scanning only the bold-font headlines in the entries where the "n" word features. It takes only four minutes, and you have an interesting survey of the nuclear-power industry's year to date. Then do the same for "renewable." This takes less than 5 minutes"
* Two prominent peak oil commentators, Richard Heinberg and James Howard Kunstler, both comment on the significance of the faltering global economy. Heinberg takes a sideways look of our predicament at http://richardheinberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/museletter-219.pdf while Kunstler explains why he sees systematic failures of finance as a threat to all of our fundamental economic arrangements, including our ability to live in an orderly society, in an audio broadcast at http://media.libsyn.com/media/kunstlercast/KunstlerCast_122.mp3
* Dave Gardner’s upcoming documentary "Hooked on Growth" looks at modern society and asks, why are we behaving irrationally? There’s overwhelming evidence we’ve reached the limits to growth, yet we continue in our addiction. See an interview with him on Peak Moment Conversations at http://www.wordpress.peakmoment.tv/conversations/?p=405
Best wishes to all
Steve (on behalf of the WiT core team)
28th June 2010
Dear WiT folk,
A reminder that our next open meeting is this Tuesday, 29th June, at 8.00pm in the King's Arms, Market Hill, Saffron Walden. Everyone welcome.
The theme of the meeting will be the current financial crisis and how transition communities might respond. This will be illustrated by excerpts from a powerful and thought-provoking talk given at the recent Transition Network Conference in Devon by Nicole Foss (aka "Stoneleigh") of Automatic Earth. Her position is that we are just slipping over the edge into the greatest financial Depression the world has ever seen, off the back of the biggest financial bubble the world has ever seen. This will, of course, bring significant personal consequences for individuals, families and communities. (Perhaps this is the presentation we should have had from Miriam Kennet a couple of months ago!). The whole talk is available to download as an MP3 at http://sheffield.indymedia.org.uk/2010/06/453356.html in case anyone would like to preview it before the meeting or to follow it up afterwards.
We'll also be talking about how we might use the arts and literature to convey the transition message.
Hope to see you there.
Best wishes,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
14th May 2010
Dear WiT folks,
A round-up of topical news and forthcoming WiT events.
Peak oil news
Jeremy Leggett comments on recent events:
"In the run up to the UK election, evidence of an imminent global oil crunch has continued to build, un-noticed by the majority of people, almost entirely uncommented on in the election campaign. The CEO of a major oil company has admitted it no longer pays to build up new oil reserves. A US military panel has warned of dramatic shortfalls in oil supply by 2015. A senior US government official has said he is worried that peak oil could come as soon as 2011. In the wake of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security report warning of peak oil by 2015, an FT columnist has opined that policymakers, economists and "peak oilists" are "starting to speak the same language." Meanwhile, BP - or was it Halliburton? - have shown that deep-water oil production is not as easy as many hitherto imagined. CIBC's Jeff Rubin has gone as far as to suggest that the Deepwater Horizon accident will be to offshore oil development what Three Mile Island was to nuclear."
It seems likely that serious issues of energy supply and security will fall on the new coalition government's watch. This is interesting times.
Energy and economic growth
In his latest Museletter, Richard Heinberg argues that when we combine China's unprecedented consumption levels with furious growth rates, we quickly arrive at absurdities and impossibilities. Heinberg concludes: "It is all a remarkable spectacle. Sit back, watch, and marvel if you wish. But know one thing: unless we collectively wake up, engage the brakes on this runaway train (and here I am speaking not just of China), and start discussing how we will adjust to the end of economic growth as we have known and defined it, none of this will end well".
Totnes Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP)
Transition Town Totnes has produced its EDAP which can be viewed online at http://totnesedap.org.uk/ TTT's EDAP "is designed for and by a local community. It sees the changes necessitated by climate change, peak oil and the UK’s debt crisis not as a crisis, but as a huge opportunity for entrepreneurship, creativity, community, enhanced resilience and a greater quality of life. In these pages you will find not just a vision of a more resilient world, but practical steps to reach it, key research, inspired ideas and a glimpse into the town’s recent past and what we can learn from it."
TTT's EDAP is an inspiration to us all and gives WiT something to aspire to.
WiT events
The next Open Meeting is on Tuesday 25th May at 8.00pm in the King's Arms, Market Hill
Updates from the working groups, ideas for an information point in the town, a discussion of the Totnes EDAP, and general Transition chat.
Sunday, 30th May 2010: WALDEN WALK
Saffron Walden & District Footpaths Association has joined forces with Walden in Transition to organise a unique WALDEN WALK around the edges of the town on Bank Holiday Sunday, 30th May, starting at 10am at the Lord Butler Leisure Centre.
The walk will be launched by the Mayor and Mayoress and will be open to the general public. The route (see map) uses public footpaths as well as some private land especially opened for this event.
The walk will be in two parts. In the morning it will be 4½ miles and go from the Lord Butler Leisure Centre around to the Eight Bells where there will be a stop for refreshment. In the afternoon the walk will leave the Eight Bells at 2pm and extend for 3½ miles around to the Lord Butler Leisure Centre.
On route there will a number of stops at information stations highlighting some background to the area. No costs are involved - only refreshments. The public can walk either one part or do both. Children are welcome but the route is unsuitable for pushchairs. If dogs are brought, they must be under control and leashed when leaders request.
For further details, contact either George Turner on 01799 524206 or Jean Coe on 01799 522590.
Best wishes to all,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
18th March 2010
Dear WiT people,
Forthcoming events
Saturday 27th March. 10am
Trees Group. Six trees will be planted on the north side of the Common Car Park - 2 London Plane, 2 Norway Maple and 2 Beech (three of the four species used on the north side of the common) at 6.5m centres to match the existing. They will be nursery pot-grown and about 8-10 ft high. Is any prepared to help source the stakes, ties and palling protection? If so, please contact John Ready on 01799 516100 or johnready@btconnect.com
Tuesday 30th March, King's Arms, Market Hill. 8pm
Informal open meeting. The Energy Group will also be reporting back on the deal for renewable electricity they have struck with Green Energy UK, and they will be handing out fliers for distribution to friends and neighbours. Everyone welcome. £1 contribution towards the hire of the meeting room in the King's Arms.
Tuesday 13th April, Friends' Meeting House, High Street. 8pm
Clone Town, Ghost Town or Our Town? A talk by Miriam Kennet. Miriam is the co-founder and CEO of the Green Economics Institute and founder and editor of the International Journal of Green Economics. She teaches for the Institute in a variety of universities and governments all around the world, and is a prolific writer with over 60 articles, books and other publications. The Institute she founded aims to reform economics, and to create a new school of economics which works for today’s problems, including the current downturn.
Miriam will be talking about the issues facing this and other towns, particularly in the face of proposed supermarket developments. She will present her analysis of who benefits, who loses, and what opportunities there are to create alternative and satisfactory outcomes for all.
£3 entry (to cover speaker expenses) at the door. Everyone welcome.
Recent news and articles
Climate change
Climate change report sets out an apocalyptic vision of Britain
Mass migration northwards to new towns in Scotland, Wales and northeast England may be needed to cope with climate change and water shortages in the South East, according to an apocalyptic vision set out by the Government Office for Science.
Heathrow would be converted into a giant reservoir by 2035, there could be severe restrictions on flying and driving and farmers would be forced to sell their land to giant agricultural businesses. Greenhouse gas emissions would be controlled by carbon rationing for individuals, which would lead to “significant shifts in lifestyle as everyone tries to stay within budget”.
The Government would ease pressure on the South East by planning to “disperse citizens to three new towns in Dumfries and Galloway, Northumberland and Powys”.
The vision is published today in a report entitled Land Use Futures: Making the Most of Land in the 21st Century. John Beddington, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, who directed the research, said that climate change and the growing population would present Britain with difficult choices about how it used its land.
“Business as usual is not an option over the longer term. The effects of climate change and new pressures on land could escalate, seriously eroding quality of life,” he said.
The full report is available from http://www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/ActiveProjects/LandUse/lufoutputs.asp
Peak Oil/Economy
Richard Heinberg's latest Museletter makes interesting reading as usual. This edition includes two essays: "Life After Growth" and "Goldilocks and the Three Fuels". Heinberg argues that the transition to a no-growth economy (or one in which growth is defined in a fundamentally different way) is inevitable, but it will go much better if we plan for it rather than simply watching in dismay as institutions we have come to rely upon fail, and then try to improvise a survival strategy in their absence. Available from http://heinberg.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/214-life-after-growth/
Triple crunch
A very useful resource to listen to if you're on the move is available at Radio Ecoshock, a syndicated weekly radio show hosted by Alex Smith in Canada. The latest edition "Expecting Collapse" has interviews with Dmitry Orlov and John Michael Greer, both prominent peak oil/economy/climate change commentators. Worth listening to and available from http://www.ecoshock.org/2010/03/expecting-collapse.html
Best to all,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
16th February 2010
Dear WiT people,
Advance notice of our next open meeting in the King's Arms at 8pm on Tuesday, 23rd Feb.
We are delighted to welcome Jenny Smith of Harlowsave Credit Union to talk about credit unions and their relevance to WiT. All welcome.
Recent reports
The Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security has issued its second report: "The Oil Crunch - A wake-up call for the UK Economy" The report argues that oil shortages will affect the economy within 5 years, and is something that the incoming government will have to deal with. Comparing it with the credit crunch of 2008, the report says: "[...] we face a situation during the term of the next government where fuel price unrest could lead to shortages in consumer products and the UK’s energy security will be significantly compromised. This has the potential to hit UK business and commerce as well as the most disadvantaged in society with yet another crisis."
Sell the Sizzle, a report from Futerra Sustainability Communications.
"In this guide we argue that climate change is no longer a scientist's problem, it's now a salesman's problem. We call upon government spokespeople, climate campaigners and business advertisers to stop selling visions of hell. Instead we must all create and sell a new vision of a 'low carbon heaven'."
Both reports are available from the Resources section of the WiT website at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Resources
News from working groups
Trees and Open Spaces Group With the support of Saffron Walden Town Council around a dozen Walden in Transition volunteers planted 13 fruit trees in the area of the Anglo-American Memorial on Valentine’s Day. The organiser of the planting was the town’s Tree Warden, Mary Flint.
All the trees are native to East Anglia and were supplied by the East of England Apples & Orchards Project. One of the apple varieties is named after Dr Gabriel Harvey who used to live in Gold Street.
The seven apple trees planted were Laxton’s Epicure, George Cave, D’Arcy Spice, Peasgood’s Nonesuch, Dr Harvey, Norfolk Royal Russet and Red Falstaff. The two pear trees were Improved Fertility and Robin. The two plum trees were Cambridge Gage and Blue Tit and the two cherries were Merchant and Summer Sun.
SWANLETS continues to attract new members and add to the range of skills and services offered. See http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?SWANLETS for details and how to apply for membership.
The Energy Group is actively researching the best value options for supplying renewable electricity, and is working towards making its recommendations. See http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups:Notes_from_Meetings:Energy for details.
The Walden Pound Group is working closely with the Saffron Walden Business Forum to help launch the town's Loyalty Card scheme at the beginning of April.
**STOP PRESS** Miriam Kennet, director of the Green Economics Institute, is planning to visit Walden to talk on the situation we find ourselves in with the Tesco and Sainsbury's applications, to discuss the drivers for supermarkets, why they are doing this, who benefits and suggest some solutions. Details will be posted as they become known.
Best wishes,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
8th February 2010
Dear WiT people,
Some dates for your diary:
Sunday 14th Feb
The first tree planting session organised by WiT's Trees & Open Spaces group will be taking place between the cricket field and the American War Memorial - starting at 10am. Bring a spade!!
Tuesday 23rd Feb
WiT open meeting. King's Arms, Market Hill, Saffron Walden, 8.00pm. Everyone welcome. We are please to welcome Jenny Smith from Harlowsave Credit Union to talk about credit unions.
Thursday 25th Feb
A screening of the documentary "Pig Business", Saffron Walden Baptist Church, 7.30pm. Entrance free and by ticket only from Saffron Walden Baptist Church office; Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre; Inspired Expressive Arts, Central Arcade, Saffron Walden.
This is a hard-hitting documentary with some distressing scenes of animal farming, so not suitable for the very squeamish or under 16’s.
Thursday 4th Mar
10 Good Reasons Event. 2pm at the White Hart Hotel, Coggeshall . A seminar to look at how rural shops and services in Essex can be supported, promoted and sustained by encouraging people to stay local. Contact RCCE on 0844 4773938 or email kris.radley@essexrcc.org.uk.
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
21st January 2010
Dear All,
Coming WiT events
Sunday, 24th Jan, 2.00-4.00pm , Day Centre, Jubilee Gardens, Saffron Walden
The Skills Exchange Working Group present the first SWANLETS social and trading event. SWANLETS is Saffron Walden's LETS (Local Exchange and Trading Scheme). For details see http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?SWANLETS
Come along to discover how SWANLETS works, meet members and find out what skills they are offering. Bring along anything you'd like to trade for SWANS.
Everyone welcome.
WiT open meeting. Tuesday, 26th Jan, 8.00pm, King's Arms, Market Hill, Saffron Walden. Everyone welcome. Come along, find out about what WiT is doing, and have your say.
WiT Working Group meetings
Energy: Monday, 1st Feb, 7.30pm, 30 Castle Street
Trees: Wednesday, 3rd Feb, 8.00pm, 1 Mill Lane
Details at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups
Please contact the group convenor if you would like to attend either of these meetings.
Best wishes,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
23rd December 2009
Dear WiT newsletter subscriber,
Next open meeting
A reminder that our next open meeting is on Tuesday 29th Dec at 8.00pm in the King's Arms, Market Hill, Saffron Walden. As suggested at our last meeting, we'll start with a short structured session of news and announcements (including the launch of SWANLETS, news from working groups, hire of films, the forthcoming Carbon Conversations course), before moving on to a more free-ranging discussion. Everyone welcome.
UKERC report - please sign a petition
Chris Jones has emailed me with the following:
"I have put a new petition on the Number 10 website specifically asking UKG to address the “significant risk” of Global Peak Oil before 2020 which was identified in the UKERC Report. The closing date is in January. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/UKERCoilreport/
[...] I would appreciate some support in signing up to it, as one other aspect of the EI Conference was the difficulty in getting the message across and showing UKG the extent of public disquiet about Peak Oil."
Signing the petition takes seconds, so please support it if you can.
Wishing you all a merry and low-consumption Christmas and New Year.
Steve (on behalf of the WiT core team)
20th November 2009
Dear All,
This is mainly to remind everyone that we're having an informal gathering this coming Tuesday, 24th November at 8.00pm in the King's Arms, Market Hill. This is the first of what will be a regular event on the last Tuesday of every month.
This is a chance to meet fellow transitioners, to find out what the working groups are doing and to suggest other projects that will help to prepare ourselves for a lower energy future.
Other news
I will be speaking on the subject: "The Challenge of Climate Change: Can Industrial Civilisation Co-exist with a Healthy Planet?" at the Saffron Walden branch of the United Nations Association at 1.00pm on Wednesday 25th Nov in Friends' Meeting House, and again on Friday 4th Dec, 7.30pm at Christ Church, Chelmsford (see http://www.chelmsford-tuc.org.uk/). Everyone welcome.
An IEA "whistleblower" has recently spilled the beans that the truth about imminent peak oil is being suppressed because of fears that panic could spread on the financial markets (see http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL916368720091109) As always, Richard Heinberg's Museletter makes interesting reading. In the latest edition at http://heinberg.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/210dilemma-denial-aspo-2009-address/, Richard talks about the perils of treating the situation we find ourselves in as a "problem" when it should better be described as a "dilemma". Problems have solutions whereas dilemmas do not - humanity’s energy and environmental crises will not be “solved” in the sense that no strategies to will enable us to continue as before.
For details of what the WiT working groups are doing, see http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups:Notes_from_Meetings
Best wishes,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
27th October 2009
Dear All,
Transition News
Two major reports have been published since the last newsletter:
Heads in the Sand: Governments Ignore the Oil Supply Crunch and Threaten the Climate
This report argues that governments have failed to acknowledge a looming oil supply crunch. Their collective failure means we have lost a decade in which action could have been taken. Recognition of the oil supply crunch would also have injected a sense of urgency and increased ambition into climate change negotiations.
The Great Transition: A tale of how it turned out right
This report from the New Economics Foundation argues that nothing short of a Great Transition to a new economy is necessary and desirable, and also possible. Business as usual has failed. Yet prime ministers, finance ministers and governors of central banks are still running around – perhaps a little less frantically than they were – trying to allay fears and convince us that this is not the case.
Both reports can be downloaded from the Resources page on WiT's website at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Resources
WiT News
At the last Open Meeting it was decided that WiT should not apply to become an official Transition initiative at this stage.
There are plans to run a food event at the end of April. Please contact me (steve@netweaver.org) if you'd like to be involved in planning this event.
The next meeting will be a social event in The King's Arms, Market Hill, on 24th November at 8.00pm. All welcome. The plan is to make this a monthly event.
More detailed notes from the last Open Meeting are at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Reports:Open_Meeting_25_Oct_09
The Skills Exchange Group is setting up a LETS scheme. To become a member, please sign up at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/LETS_form.html
Keith Farnish (author of "Time's Up: an uncivilized solution to a global crisis") will be speaking at an open meeting in the Spring, and inviting us to walk with him in a local open space to reconnect with nature. Details to follow.
Partner projects
The Sustainable Homes Show 2009 is next Saturday, 31st October, 10am-4pm in Saffron Walden Town Hall. Free entry. More details at http://www.sustainablehomes.org.uk
The Walden Food Market is still looking for volunteers to help on Saturdays. Contact Liz Goddard at Vegboxes@aol.com for details
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
9th October 2009
Dear All,
Energy concerns have been in the news this week with forecasts of steep rises in energy prices (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8297882.stm) and an acceptance by the UK Energy Research Centre that peak oil is a reality (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8296096.stm). Meanwhile, a study by the International Energy Agency reveals significant reductions in carbon emissions as the recession reduces consumption, presenting the world with a “unique opportunity” to move away from growth fuelled by oil and coal (http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2146). Our efforts here in Walden to educate and prepare ourselves for the challenging times ahead become ever more important.
New working groups
At the last open meeting, two new working groups were established:
Communications. Ensuring that the Transition case is made wherever appropriate, for example in response to relevant local news stories or opinion.
Contact: Christine Clemens
E: cdaaeclemens (at) gmail.com
T: 01799 501220
Energy. Exploring the potential of a consumer energy co-op.
Contact: Trilby Roberts
E: trilbyroberts (at) yahoo.co.uk
T: 01799 522966
Please contact the group organiser if you want to get involved. A reminder also of the other working groups and partner projects: Skills Exchange, Walden Pound, Trees/Open Spaces, Values, Food, Transport and Homes, whose details can be found at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups.
Next open meeting
This will be held on Sunday 25th October at 2pm in the Day Centre, Hill Street, Saffron Walden. The meeting will be devoted to a discussion of whether WiT should become an official transition initiative, what our obligations and responsibilities would be, and what the advantages and disadvantages are. It's important that every working group is represented at this meeting.
Transition East meeting
There's an opportunity to meet fellow transitioners in the region at a meeting on 14th November in Diss (see http://www.transitioneast.net/forums/transition-east-discussions/790833567#185507038). We hope that someone from the core team will be attending, but please let me know if you would also like to go.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
17th September 2009
Dear All,
Welcome to the latest WiT newsletter.
Transition news
* A new book by Keith Farnish: "Time's Up! An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis". Recommended reading for Transition folk. See http://www.energybulletin.net/node/50128 for a review.
* David Strahan last week gave a presentation on Peak Oil to Uttlesford councillors, officers and partner organisations. Lest anyone thinks the "massive" oil find recently discovered by BP signal the end of Peak Oil, David pointed out that the find is sufficient to meet current global oil requirements for around 3 weeks.
* French oil giant, Total, is warning of a looming supply crunch. See http://www.peakoil.net/headline-news/total-warns-of-looming-supply-crunch
* Franny Armstrong, director of "Tha Age of Stupid" has launched the 10:10 campaign in which individuals and institutions make a personal vow to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. http://www.1010uk.org/
WiT news
* The Societies Showcase on 5th Sept was a great success, with many people stopping by the WiT stall for a chat. It was a good opportunity to put forward the positive vision that we have for a town which consumes less and is much better connected than it is today. The Skills Share working group did particularly well, with 45 people expressing an interest in signing up for the scheme.
* The Working Groups are now well under way with much interesting work going on. See http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups and "Notes from Meetings" for details.
* The next open meeting is on Sunday 27th Sept at 2.00pm in the Day Centre, Hill Street, Saffron Walden. The meeting will feature reports from the Working Groups, a talk by Amy Corzine about her recent book "The Secret Life of the Universe: The Quest for the Soul of Science", and some videos from "The Powerdown Show" which highlights some interesting Transition work that's going on in Ireland.
News from Partner Projects
* Walden Local Food is still welcoming volunteers to help on a Saturday. For details, contact Liz Goddard at Vegboxes@aol.com
* Community Organic Farm and Nature Reserve at Sewards End
Open afternoon: Sunday 20th 2009
Noakes Grove covers only 8.6 acres but it is a fantastic new nature reserve now being run as a community organic farm by a newly created community interest company: Organic Countryside CIC [www.organic-countryside.co.uk]
Local Wildlife Site: before the land was sold at auction last autumn, its importance had already been recognised by Uttlesford District Council, who had designated part of it a Local Wildlife Site because of the rich variety of rare flowers associated with the long-established, “unimproved” grassland. These include wild liquorice and four different species of wild orchid.
Oxlip wood: there is a 1-acre ancient woodland which, unlike most ancient woodlands nearby, has never been planted with conifers. It contains many mature native trees plus coppice hazel & ash. In one corner of the wood is the grave that contains the cremated remains of the three Reeve brothers who farmed the land as part of Seward's End Farm for most of the 20th century and who never adopted modern, intensive farming. Near their grave is a hollow tree with a colony of wild bees in it.
Ancient hedgerows divide up Noakes Grove into fields, scrub land and the wood: the map of the land today is identical with the first detailed map of the area published in 1844.
Noakes Grove is now both owned and managed as a community farm
It is owned by the community: bought at auction in October 2008 with a loan from a well-wisher, Organic Countryside CIC is now selling the land in blocks of 25 square metres (£100 each) to local people who wish to support the project. Although the land becomes their property, it comes with a covenant that it is to be managed in perpetuity as a community organic farm, so the new owners cannot be tempted to build on it! Nor do they get any rent: just a certificate of ownership, the right to visit the land whenever they like and first refusal of the food that the farm will produce and sell locally.
The money raised from the sale of blocks of land is being used to repay some of the loan and to equip the land as a working farm. Sales so far have paid for the fencing of the land and for rge flock of eight sheep that have just started their work of managing the grassland in the best possible way for the wildflowers.
Wiltshire Horn sheep were chosen because they moult naturally and do not need shearing. They are also able to live out all year round and suffer many fewer ailments and fly-strike problems than more modern breeds.
The sheep are looked after by the community too: there is no paid farmer, just a team of volunteer shepherds and shepherdesses who visit the sheep every day and tend to their needs.
Organic land. The land has never been sprayed with pesticides or modern fertilisers – so it is already, in effect, organic land. But, as the land was only registered with the Soil Association a few months ago, and has just received official “in conversion to organic” status and the associated grant aid, the farm will only be able to label its produce “organic” late in 2010. But that will mean the first lambs born to the young ewes already living at Noakes Grove will be fully organic when they arrive in spring 2011.
Open afternoon: on Sunday September 20th Noakes Grove will be open for visitors to meet the sheep and explore the woods, field and hedgerows.
Wild harvest: visitors will be welcome to pick some of the blackberries, sloes (for sloe gin), crab apples (for jelly) and rose hips (for syrup).
By car: To visit Noakes Grove by car, drive 200 yards down Redgates Lane – the small road that runs from Sewards End Village Hall towards Ashdon. Signed parking in one of the fields will be available from 2:00 pm onwards.
On foot: For Saffron Walden residents, a much nicer and healthier option is to take a circular footpath walk from Walden to Sewards End and back that will take you through Noakes Grove. The walk and tour of the reserve starts from the bus stop in Tesco's car-park at 2:00 pm and will be led by local traditional woodsman, Andy Basham. Note: the bus stop is simply a convenient place for everyone to meet, there are no buses to it on Sundays and the Tesco car park is not a public one. So please leave your car at home, or park in a road nearby, and walk to Tesco.
Full details about the Noakes Grove and the Organic Countryside project are on www.organic-countryside.co.uk
Hoping to see you on 27th Sept at 2.00pm in the Day Centre.
Best wishes,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
14th August 2009
Dear All,
Some general news to start with:
Richard Heinberg makes a detailed analysis of the Recession and its interplay with Oil Depletion in his latest Museletter at http://heinberg.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/208-the-end-of-growth/
Freshly published this week is a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas which advocates the introduction of Tradable Energy Quotas http://appgopo.org.uk//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53
The International Energy Agency is forecasting sharp rises in oil prices as demand for oil steps ups in response to attempts to get economies out of recession http://omrpublic.iea.org/
WiT Working Groups
These are now well under way. Details and reports are at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups
Working Groups will report on progress at the the next Open Meeting which is on Sunday 27th Sept at 2.00pm in the Day Centre, Saffron Walden
Please let me know if you would like to start a new group, and in particular if you are interested in joining a Voluntary Simplicity group (steve@netweaver.org)
Help Needed
The Walden Local Food Market is now trading every Saturday in Butcher Row (behind the Town Hall and WHSmith). The market was set up specifically to meet the objective of the Transition Town movement to increase the resilience and security of the local food economy, drastically reduce food miles and reduce fossil fuel dependent agriculture. All the fruit and veg on sale are local, organic or both. At present we can only afford to pay the market manager, but to make the venture work we need a rota of volunteers able to give a few hours once or twice a month to work on the stall. If you can help please contact Liz Goddard on 01799 531113 or liz@waldenlocalfood.co.uk, or market@waldenlocalfood.co.uk
Societies Showcase, 5th Sept
WiT will have a stall at the town's Societies Showcase on Saturday 5th Sept from 10am-3pm in the Town Hall. Please drop in and say hello or, even better, come and help us get the transition message across.
Talks and Presentations
If you know of a local organisation that would like a talk about transition thinking in general and WiT in particular then please get in touch with me (steve@netweaver.org)
Sainsbury's
You may have seen in the press that Sainsbury are proposing to build a store on the outskirts of the town. Here is WiT's response:
"The news that Sainsbury are considering building a store on the outskirts of Walden raises questions which deserve serious thought.
Our settlements are planned on the assumption that there is a capacity for everything to grow indefinitely; ever more housing, more people, more roads, more traffic, more energy consumption, more economic growth. Within this set of suppositions it is taken for granted that people will forever access the services they need by means of cars running on unlimited supplies of cheap fuel, and that we can continue to import most of our food and other goods from distant locations. If any of these assumptions are wrong then our community is already in deep trouble.
We know that oil is a finite and diminishing resource, and that the products derived from it will become ever more scarce and expensive. The International Energy Agency - a generally conservative organisation - has recently warned of massive increases in the price of oil if international demand rises in response to attempts to get economies out of recession. Indeed, some energy analysts are beginning to argue convincingly that most Americans have bought their last car; the situation in the UK no different.
Supermarkets' business models are underpinned by reliance on cheap, readily-available energy. A new supermarket out of town is therefore an arrangement that will not serve us well and, as currently configured, is unlikely to have a useful long-term future."
Best wishes to all,
Steve on behalf of the WiT core team
3rd August 2009
Dear All,
Here's a round-up of the latest news from Walden in Transition.
Working Groups
Several of the Working Groups have had their first meetings, and you can read the notes from them at http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups:Notes_from_Meetings
Upcoming meetings are:
Skills: 12th Aug
Values: 1st Sept
Transport: 2nd Sept
Trees/Open Spaces: 8th Sept
Walden Pound: 15th Sept
You are welcome to come along any of these group meetings, but please make the relevant group contact aware beforehand so that they know to expect you. For details of these and the affiliated Food and Homes projects see http://www.walden-in-transition.org.uk/?Working_Groups.
Please support the local food market which opens on 8th August. For details of Walden Local Food see http://www.waldenlocalfood.co.uk/
Resources
Jeremy Leggett has emailed us with details of his new website in which he chronicles Triple Crunch events. http://www.jeremyleggett.net/
Peter recommends a short award-winning film on climate justice at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWfb0VMCQHE&feature=related. It's in German with subtitles, but don't be put off!
Steve has found a good resource explaining in simple terms why the economy is in the mess it is, and why the next 20 years will be completely unlike the last 20 years. http://www.chrismartenson.com/ and click on "Crash Course"
Transition Training
The Transition Cambridge are offering us places at the reduced rate of £50 per person on their Transition Training workshop which runs on the weekend of 5th-6th Sept. For details see http://www.transitioncambridge.org/training. If you'd like to attend, please let me know (steve@netweaver.org) asap.
Societies Showcase
We're planning to have a stall at the Saffron Walden Societies Showcase in the Town Hall on 5th Sept. If you'd like to help, or have ideas about how we should present ourselves, do please let me (steve@netweaver.org) know.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the Walden in Transition core team
10th July 2009
Dear All,
A reminder of forthcoming Working Group meetings:
15th July, 7.30pm, Skills Group. 111 Radwinter Road
29th July, 7.30pm, Walden Pound. 111 Radwinter Road
23rd July, 7.30pm, Trees/Open Spaces/ Woodlands. 1 Mill Lane
1st Sept, 8.00pm, Values. Venue TBA
2nd Sept, 8.00pm, Transport. Venue TBA
Please let me know if you'd like to join one of these groups and haven't already signed up.
When you meet, it's useful to ask yourselves the question: "Who else should be at this meeting?" so we make sure we're not excluding key people.
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Meanwhile, Richard Heinberg gives us food for thought in his latest Museletter and proposes that July 11th is marked as "Peak Oil Day":
"On July 11, 2008, the price of a barrel of oil hit a record $147.27 in daily trading. That same month, world crude oil production achieved a record 74.8 million barrels per day.
For years prior to this, a growing legion of analysts had been arguing that world oil production would max out around the year 2010 and begin to decline for reasons having to do with geology (we have found and picked the world's "low-hanging fruit" in terms of giant oilfields), as well as lack of drilling rigs and trained exploration geologists and engineers. "Peak Oil," they insisted, would mark the end of the growth phase of industrial civilization, because economic expansion requires increasing amounts of high-quality energy.
During the period from 2005 to 2008, as oil's price steadily rose, production remained stagnant. Though new sources of oil were coming on line, they barely made up for production declines in existing fields due to depletion. By mid-2008, as oil prices wafted to the stratosphere, every petroleum producer responded to the obvious incentive to pump every possible barrel. Production rates nudged upward for a couple of months, but then both prices and production fell as demand for oil collapsed.
Since then, with oil prices much lower, and with credit tight to unavailable, up to $150 billion of investments in the development of future petroleum production capacity have evaporated. This means that if a new record production level is to be achieved, further declines in production from existing fields have to be overcome, meaning that all of those canceled production projects, and many more in addition, will have to be quickly brought on-stream. It may not be physically possible to turn the tide at this point, given the fact that the new "plays" are technically demanding and therefore expensive to develop, and have limited productive potential.
On May 4 of this year, Raymond James Associates, a prominent brokerage specializing in energy investments, issued a report stating, "With OPEC oil production apparently having peaked in 2008, and non-OPEC even earlier in 2007, peak oil on a worldwide basis seems to have taken place in early 2008." This conclusion is being echoed by a cadre of other analysts.
Maybe it's a stretch to say that the production peak occurred at one identifiable moment, but attributing it to the day oil prices reached their high-water mark may be a useful way of fixing the event in our minds. So I suggest that we remember July 11, 2008 as Peak Oil Day.
We are now approaching the first-year anniversary of Peak Oil Day. Where are we now? The global economy is in tatters, yet oil prices have recovered somewhat (they're now about half what they were in July 2008). World energy consumption is down, world trade is down, the airline industry is shrinking, and most of the world's automakers are on life support.
It is too late to prepare for Peak Oil–a year too late, in fact. Now the name of the game is adaptation. We are in an entirely new economic environment, in which old assumptions about the inevitability of perpetual growth, and the usefulness of leveraging investments based on expectations of future growth, are crashing in flames. Even if economic activity picks up somewhat, this will occur in the context of an economy significantly smaller than the one that existed in July 2008, and energy scarcity will quickly cause most green shoots to wither.
It is impossible to say what will happen in the future with regard to oil prices. Clearly, very high prices kill demand by undercutting economic activity. Thus it is possible that the barrel price of petroleum may never break last year's record. On the other hand, if the value of the dollar were to collapse, then the sky's the limit for prices in dollars per barrel.
It is easier to forecast the oil supply trend: though we'll see level-to-rising production temporarily from time to time, in general it's down, down, downhill from now on.
Even though Peak Oil is now in the past, its annual commemoration on Peak Oil Day may serve an important purpose by reminding us why our economy is shrinking, and by focusing our thoughts on ways to facilitate the transition to a post-petroleum world.
What are some appropriate ways to commemorate Peak Oil Day? I'd suggest spending time in nature, engaging in a 24-hour oil fast, or organizing a neighborhood bicycle parade and solar-cooker bakeoff.
Mark your calendar. What will you be doing on July 11?"
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An essential read on peak oil, climate change and economic collapse is James Howard Kunstler's "The Long Emergency", but for an excellent video of Jim presenting his main arguments see http://fora.tv/2006/05/12/Long_Emergency#fullprogram (ignore the rather off-putting sponsorship message by Chevron at the start). Understandably, he talks about America's predicament, but his arguments apply equally to us in the UK.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
29th June 2009
Dear All,
Many thanks to all who came to the open meeting on Sunday. It was a very productive meeting and, as promised, I'll have details of the Working Groups on the website (www.walden-in-transition.org.uk) within a few days. I'll also be sending contact details of Working Group members to their respective main contacts via email soon.
Thanks also to those who said they would like to be involved but had other commitments on the day: you will be able to sign up to groups that interest you via the website once I've collated the information.
For your diary, the next open meeting is on Sunday 27th Sept at 2.00pm in the Day Centre. At this meeting the Working Groups will report back on progress made over the summer, and we plan to show another film. Everyone welcome, even if you weren't able to get to any of the previous meetings.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
18th June 2009
Dear All,
I'm grateful to Amy for sending the following link http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php in which Michael Moore suggests a use for the newly-redundant General Motors plant in the US.
Belinda has also drawn our attention to "biochar", a form of charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass, which might be a useful way of capturing carbon (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar). This could be of interest to any Woodlands group that might come out of our first open meeting. David points out, however, that not everyone is convinced by the Biochar argument (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/24/george-monbiot-climate-change-biochar and other articles in the Guardian).
Meetings
23rd June, 8pm, Council Chamber, Uttlesford District Council Offices.
Sustainable Home Network
LED lighting. This meeting will elaborate on what Jake was talking about at our last meeting: applications of ultra-low low energy, ultra long-life lighting, their availability and applications.
Also on 23rd June, Saffron Walden Town Library, 7.30pm
On-line tools for effective campaigning: demonstration and training evening, hosted by mySociety.org
mySociety is a charitable project that builds websites to bring people closer to the democratic system. Using its services, 200,000 people have written to their MP for the first time, over 8,000 potholes and
other broken things have been fixed, and nearly 9 million signatures have been left on petitions to the Prime Minister.
This is your opportunity to try out the tools for yourself and discover how you might use them to support your Transition work.
Reminder
Next WiT open meeting, 28th June, 2pm, Day Centre, Jubilee Gardens, Hill Street, Saffron Walden. All welcome.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
8th June 2009
Dear All,
Some of you have been sending me links to useful websites which I'm passing on here.
From Ginny: The Freeconomy Community, http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/, Very relevant to Skills Share
From Issa: Low-impact Living Initiative, http://www.lowimpact.org/, Excellent resources relevant to Transition
From Amy: Liftshare, https://www.liftshare.com/uk/, Find long-term or one-off journey-sharing partners. (National Liftshare day is tomorrow, 9th June)
From Steve: Richard Heinberg's Museletter: http://heinberg.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/206-look-on-the-bright-side/ Always thought-provoking stuff from this Peak Oil commentator
Many thanks for these, and please pass on any others that you find.
I'm also attaching a revised contacts list from the Open Meeting with some minor corrections. (Not available via the website. Please contact us if you would like a copy).
Looking forward to seeing you on 28th June in the Day Centre.
All the best,
Steve on behalf of the WiT Core Team
2nd June 2009
Transition in the news
Madeleine Bunting in the Observer on Sunday 31 May wrote:
[...] If you want to catch a glimpse of the kinds of places outside the political mainstream where that new politics might be incubated, take a look at the Transition movement. Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, was one of the first to spot its potential when he described this young and fast-growing movement as "absolutely essential". Other politicians have been similarly intrigued, and last year The Transition Handbook came fifth in MPs' list of summer reading. It isn't hard to see why politicians are so interested. The Transition movement is engaging people in a way that conventional politics is failing to do. It generates emotions that have not been seen in political life for a long time: enthusiasm, idealism and passionate commitment.
Within three years it has gone from an idea to having 170 towns, villages and cities signed up as transition communities, working in 30 countries, and thousands more all over the world using the transition model. It is viral, catching on faster than its founder, Rob Hopkins, can track. Its message is that peak oil and climate change demand dramatic changes in the way people live, and, given that no one has the answer, communities themselves must start working out how that change might come about. It offers no answers, no solutions, only some tips in a handbook for how to get started. Transition lays the challenge squarely at the door of everyone. This is too big and difficult for government alone to tackle, too overwhelming and depressing for individuals to face alone.
Transition is rooted in a new politics of place: geography matters again as people look to the community immediately around them to devise the solutions for sustainability and resilience. At one level it works as a way of regenerating social capital, building up relationships with neighbours, working out how to collaborate again on common interests – community gardens, recycling, waste and strengthening the local economy. At another level it is about educating people about the challenges of peak oil and climate change, but the mobilisation and consciousness-raising is directed towards optimism and hope, not despair: how can this community use its skills and imagination to build its future?
The result is a proliferation of experiments, all of which are charted on their wiki websites: the collaboration is both local and global. Communities in Somerset can swap ideas and get inspiration from Brazil, Australia or the US. It's a world away from the smooth presentation of party politics, and transitioners are quick to point to the disclaimer on their site – they have no idea if the movement will work. They're organising local food festivals now, but tomorrow it could be community renewable energy. The emphasis is always on conviviality and enjoyment; on learning skills that have been lost over the last few decades – how to cook, grow food, repair and make things. Scotland has funded several transition organisers to work across the country. This is an unusual thing: local grassroots environmentalism that is full of hope for the future.
Their meetings don't have agendas or presentations – Miliband came to their annual conference recently as a keynote listener. They use what's called open space technology, in which everyone brings their ideas and everyone participates. Humble, self-organising, the movement owes much to the idealistic thinking of the early 70s. This is a time for revisiting those alternatives, which have been so contemptuously dismissed for a quarter of a century.
Part of its growing success is how it meets several needs simultaneously. It tackles social recession – the sense of disconnection and fragmentation of community – at the same time as it collaborates on the huge behavioural change that will be required for a low-carbon society. The latter is far more likely to come about in the context of personal relationships than as a result of discredited politicians dictating change. It is fulfilling an unexpected appetite for political engagement at a time of widespread disillusionment with the conventional political processes.
Hopkins is emphatic that transition groups refuse all political affiliation; they must build alliances to work across all parts of their community. But it is intriguing to see how the movement is experimenting with the sorts of ideas those in conventional politics are talking about – localism, decentralisation of power to communities, an environmental politics that is utopian and hopeful rather than gloomy. Of course detractors can point out its wholemeal worthiness, but it is stubbornly swimming against the tide of pervasive political pessimism, and given the unpredictability of the times, who knows where it will end up?
Full article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/31/reform-transition-a-new-politics
1st April 2009
Dear All,
A Farm for the Future
I thought you'd be interested in a repeat of "A Farm for the Future" which is being shown this Saturday, 4th April, at 5.20pm on BBC2. The BBC tells us that this is the final outing for this film, so don't miss it!
"Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family’s farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key.
With her father close to retirement, Rebecca returns to her family’s wildlife-friendly farm in Devon, to become the next generation to farm the land. But last year’s high fuel prices were a wake-up call for Rebecca. Realising that all food production in the UK is completely dependent on abundant cheap fossil fuel, particularly oil, she sets out to discover just how secure this oil supply is.
Alarmed by the answers, she explores ways of farming without using fossil fuel. With the help of pioneering farmers and growers, Rebecca learns that it is actually nature that holds the key to farming in a low-energy future."
Dr Rupert Read will be talking about food security at our next meeting in the town hall on Wednesday 15th April at 7.30pm.
More from Jeremy Leggett
Jeremy emailed us yesterday as follows:
"An illuminating event in the peak oil issue today. I took part a formal debate on the motion that "This House Believes Peak Oil is No Longer a Concern" , at the Seventh Petroleum Geology Conference, in the QE2 Centre. A former chief geologist at BP, David Jenkins, argued for the motion. I argued against, using the case made by ITPOES in our first report published in October last year. Julian Rush of Channel 4 News chaired, and around 500 oil industry people voted at the end.
Around three quarters felt that peak oil is indeed a concern.
At the end of my statement arguing against the motion, I made the point that was all about the risk of a mighty global industry having its asset-assessment systemically overstated, with potentially ruinous economic implications, and that couldn't possibly happen could it? This thought raised a nervous laugh.
They have got it wrong. Many of them know it, or at least fear so. This seems ever more likely to be the next big one, to wash over us in a few years, perhaps just as we are finally clawing our way back up out of the financial crisis. You all know what this means for the Transition Towns movement."
Best wishes,
Steve Willoughby
Walden in Transition
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