The next Waste & Recylcing meeting is at 6.30pm on Tue 27 May at The George pub, Trafalgar Street (map). All welcome. For more info, email waste*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk
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Open Day: Whitehawk Community Food project – Sun 25 May
Site tours, food around the bonfire and more. At the project’s site on Whitehawk Hill. Please visit www.thefoodproject.org.uk for more details and directions.
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Reclaim the Web: Using Social Media for Activism and Social Change – Sat 24 May
Reclaim the Web: One day of open conversations and presentations on using social media for activism and social change. 10am–5pm, £free (limited tickets so please register you place)
There will be talks about how things like video blogging, twitter and social networking can be used by activists and campaigners. The last two similar events attracted a mix of people from very big campaigning organisations, very small campaigning organisations, students, geeks, artists and banjo players.
Speakers confirmed so far:
Jay Dedmand and Ryanne Hodson (RyanIsHungry) - Community videoblogging
(Live video link-up from Americaland!)
Mark Boyle (the freeconomy community) - Using the internet to rebuild community
Rob Purdie (important projects) - RSS for activists
Josef Davies-Coates (united diversity) - Social networking for social change
Beth Tilston (guerrilla tv) - Guerrilla TV & video for activists
Chris Anderson (turnfront) - Robot graffiti artists, web mashups and other examples of activist tech
Bring some food. Everyone brings a dish (something vegan) and everybody shares the feast.
Film: The Power of Community - How Cuba survived peak oil – Mon 19 May
The Power of Community - How Cuba survived peak oil will be screened at 6pm in Lecture Hall A5 (in the Art A Block, which is just next to the main Library), University of Sussex. Cuba, an isolated island nation, rebuilt its quality of life following the collapse of cheap oil, supplied by the former Soviet Union. This fascinating and empowering film shows how communities pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy.
Directions once you're at the university: the 25 bus goes straight to campus and it's a 3 minute walk from the bus stop in the entrance of the campus. Head straight through the courtyard of Falmer house and keep on straight - Look out for two concrete columns: this is the arts block.
For a trailer and more about the film see here.
The film is being screened by Sussex Roots, for more on their events see here.
Transport Group Meeting - Wed 14th May
The next Transport Group meeting will be on Wed 14th May at 7:30, probably in the Bedford Tavern, but to be confirmed yet.
The Bedford Tavern is on the corner of Western Street and Norfolk Street (opposite Embassy Court)
Film: What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire – Wed 14 May
What a Way to go: Life at the end of Empire by T.S.Bennett will be screened at 6pm in Lecture Hall A5 (in the Art A Block, which is just next to the main Library), University of Sussex. A middle class white guy comes to grips with Peak Oil, Climate Change, Mass Extinction, Population Overshoot and the demise of the American Lifestyle,
Directions once you're at the university: the 25 bus goes straight to campus and it's a 3 minute walk from the bus stop in the entrance of the campus. Head straight through the courtyard of Falmer house and keep on straight - Look out for two concrete columns: this is the arts block.
For see a trailer and more on the movie see here.
The film is being screened by Sussex Roots, for more on their events see here.
Greenspeak - 'The Earth Plan Diet' – Tue 13 May
Greenspeak: 'The Earth Plan Diet - a food revolution'- Downstairs at The Globe, 78 Middle St, Brighton, 7.00-9.30pm
Not a Transition event
A public discussion, all welcome with Nigel Winter, Chief Exec of the Vegan Society & Bryn Thomas, Brighton Permaculture Trust with delicious food available courtesy of Prodigal Foods + local ale. Socialising after at the venue. Exploring the impact of our diet choices and how we can feed ourselves without costing the earth. What do you think? £donation. martin*AT*greenspeak-brighton*DOT*org*DOT*uk
Film night: The Bigger Picture – Sun 11 May
Brighton Climate Change present their monthly film night of film/drinks/campaigning info/and people. 7–10.30pm at Hanover Community Centre, Southover Street, Brighton (map). £free/donation
We have decided to start giving each film night a theme with several short films and longer features based around these themes.
Our next theme on Sunday will be 'Greenwash' which will include a few short films to warm up and then:
• A programme showing up the falsehoods and distortion of facts contained within the influential programme 'The Great global warming swindle'.
• A programme with George Monbiot looking at Corporate 'Greenwash' and why we should be sceptical of it
• And some other surprises...
As with our last venue - there will also be a bar and this time also tea and cakes!
Open Day: Moulescomb Forest Garden – Sat 10 / Sun 11 May
Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project Open Day 10th and 11th May, 1-5pm
There will be tours on the hour every hour, freshly cooked food and refreshments, bug hunts, childrens art workshops, plants and seeds for sale. See the outdoor classroom, clay oven, wattle and daub building, outlawed vegetables, wildlife pond - and spend a penny in our compost loo. All for free.
The event is part of the Brighton Festival Fringe and is one of the BBC Breathing Places open wildlife gardens.
For more information about the project and directions www.seedybusiness.org
The Great Reskilling – Sat 10 May
May 10th, 10-4pm, The Cowley Club, 12 London Road, Brighton (map).
There are no longer just three 'R's, now there are seven! - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Revamp, Restore, RESKILL!
Following on from the hugely successful Buy Nothing Day event six months previously, this will be a free community event aimed at reskilling the people of Brighton and Hove in some of the skills our grand-parents took for granted.
Workshops include: basic bike maintenance, candle-making, cloth bags, knitting, mending, electrical repair, jewellery, paper-making, nettle beer brewing, natural cleaning, hand warmers, and more...
Kids recycled art workshops running all day. A delicious vegan meal will be available at 12:30pm, £3.
This event is inspired by Transition Town Totnes and their 'Reskilling' programme, aiming to make our community more resilient in the face of climate change and fossil fuel depletion.
This one day event will mark the beginning of a range of reskilling courses and workshops held by Transition Brighton and Hove. Information will be available on the website as events are confirmed. Please get in touch if you have a skill you can share. For more information contact reskilling@transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk
Public Meeting: Another London Road is possible! – Fri 9 May
7pm, Community Base Conference Room, South Wing, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG (map)
Say 'Yes' to an alternative vision to St James’s investments' large new Tesco’s department store and car park (Picture: New Open Market).
Keith Taylor, City Councillor for St Peter’s & North Laine Ward is holding a meeting for anyone who is interested in considering alternative viewpoints and priorities for the London Road area where St James’s investments envisage a large new Tesco’s department store and car park (northern end).
From talking to a number of people who staffed and attended the recent ‘Bright New London Road’ exhibition, he observed that the Tesco superstore and the car-park are the only non-negotiable element in the developer’s vision for a new London Road.
Many local residents, who gave feedback through “post-its”, shared the local Councillor’s concern about the prospect of moving closer to a ‘clone-town Brighton & Hove’. Councillor Taylor suggests that an initial non party-political meeting be held, to allow those of a similar view start a dialogue as to how the arguments against such developments might best be composed.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved is invited to come along to an informal meeting at Community Base Conference Room, South Wing, Queens Road on Friday 9th May at 7pm.
What future plans have been floated for The Open Market?
It was reported about 18 months ago, Brighton's Open Market would get an £11 million makeover - a scheme which could lead the regeneration of the London Road shopping centre. A description of this scheme is posted here.
What is St James’s investments' vision?
The area between New England Street, New England Road (Circus Parade) and the west of London Rd (just south of Preston Circus) has been earmarked for a Tesco superstore , to be the centrepiece of major development proposed by St James's Investments for The London Road Shopping Centre.
North-South view of proposed development site (shown in red) within the junction of New England Road and London Road
St James's Investments state on their recently launched website at www.brightnewlondonroad.co.uk that they want to kick start the regeneration of London Road town centre and put it back on the map as the thriving area it was in years gone by.
East-West view showing the proposed development site (in red)
to the SW of Preston Circus (one of Brighton's busiest intersections)
Report on Public exhibition 
St James's Investments invited residents to come and see them at their Bright New London Road Shop at 11 Vantage Point, Circus Parade, New England Road, Brighton, BN1 4GW from 24th-26th April. Many residents attended and talked to the developer's representatives, who were obliging and pleasant.
Although "post-it" forms were well in evidence, the developer's official feedback form allowed negligible space for open comment. Instead, tick boxes were inserted adjacent to leading statements, some cherry-picked from the study on regenerating London Road recently carried by Urban Initiatives for Brighton and Hove City Council. Other statements, which St James's investments planted next to their tick-boxes had far more to do with sustaining a large Tesco superstore.
"insufficient parking" was planted in one feedback section and "improved parking" in another.
Increased traffic volume is the last thing which The London Road area needs, according to the regeneration study completed for The Council by Urban Initiatives.
The regeneration studies, prepared for The Council by planners Urban Initiatives and transport consultants Peter Brett Associates, envisage a one-way, bus-only London Road : see The Argus report (25.07.2007) New-look gateways To the city. Improvements to the run-down car-park to the west of London Road are mentioned, as well as the possible creation of a car-park to the east (it is hard to envisage where the latter would go), but there is no suggestion that the area around Preston Circus should be made any more congested by inviting more cars.
St James's investments feedback form also included a section on PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, inviting respondents to tick things like "Solar and wind energy" and "central power generation".
However, as the developer well knows, measures to minimize carbon emissions would be required anyway to comply with The Council's planning policies on Sustainable Building Design.
Preston Circus is already one of Brighton's busiest traffic intersections. Creating something similar to The Vogue Gyratory, regarded as 'a barrier to regeneration of the Lewes Road area', would surely have a very negative impact on London Road.
Urban Initiatives suggested (The Argus: 9.01.2007 - Gyratory Out Of Vogue and Too Much Traffic) that this "brutal" traffic system could be bulldozed along with Lewes Road Sainsbury's to allow for traffic reduction and greening.
Poorer air quality and more congested roads, which would pose even greater risks and obstacles to pedestrians and cyclists for the convenience of access for private cars, is surely not the way forward.
The developer's poster display might possibly have led some residents to imagine that their intentions had the blessing of Brighton and Hove City Council.
The actual report on the regeneration of London Road, provided for The Council by Urban Initiatives indeed considers this shopping centre as in need of regeneration, but the posters presented by St James's investments introduce bullet points of their own:
"London Road as a destination is almost impossible to get to" (St James's Investments)
Some of these posters suggest that the area is difficult to get to, when London Road is one of the easiest places to reach if you are prepared to take the bus or walk. It has countless major bus routes to & from the A23 (5, 5a, 5b), Ditchling Road (26,46A,50,50A), the A27 Lewes Rd (49, 49A, 21,22). Pedestrian access to Brighton railway station is better than ever before, and the 10-minute walk from Preston Circus to London Road Station does not involve much climbing. Buses to and from Gatwick & Heathrow Airports, London, Stansted Airport and Cambridge all stop at Preston Circus.
London Road, itself, is extremely well used by walkers, regardless of how many of them use the shops. Apart from having its own residential flats, London Road is a thoroughfare connecting the centre of Brighton (Old Steine/the main bus station / Brighton Pier) with several densely populated residential suburbs. Indeed, the pressure on pavement space near bus stops is a current problem which the Council needs to address by reclaiming more road or by reverting to the original building line (where add-on facades have encroached) to enable pavement widening.
There are plenty of taxis in evidence in London Road for people (e.g. those with mobility problems or heavy shopping) who are prepared to be collected or dropped off.
The area is only somewhat inconvenient to get to for people who would only consider approaching it in their own car. Private motorists could possibly identify with St James's investments assertion, because of two main obstacles:
1) the current level of congestion with the priority given to bus lanes, and
2) the available car parks are located in back streets on the steep incline leading towards the main London to Brighton railway.
Although there are arguments for improving run-down car parks, St James's Investments appear to be making their own case for "more parking", which runs contrary to what is envisaged in the Urban Initiatives report. The Council's official regeneration report concerns itself with the whole of the London Road shopping centre and not with the viability of a Tesco Superstore at the (Preston Circus) end of London Road.
[A] The developer's case
To review the developer's case, go to their website at www.brightnewlondonroad.co.uk. Note that you may need to install Adobe Flash Player to access the developer's website, which has recently been redesigned.
Bright New London Road
The City Council wants to revitalise the London Road area and create a high quality commercial quarter for Brighton and Hove, connecting London Road with the New England Road area.
As a major landowner in London Road town centre and as a mixed-use developer, we at St James’s Investments see great potential to create an exciting, vibrant , sustainable community right here.
St James's Investments already own Vantage Point and some of the shops in London Road. They also lease part of New England House:
We want to kick-start the regeneration of London Road town centre and help put it back on the map as the thriving area it was in years gone by.
Work with us to create a bright new London Road so that together we can get it right.
London Road is officially one of two town centres in the city – London Road and Hove – but in recent years has been in economic decline, shops are closing, both Sainsburys and the Coop have left, there is little choice for clothing and household goods – the balance has shifted away from convenience and now only 20% of the catchment are shopping locally.
In order to create a thriving town centre, the area needs new investment to attract local people to this town centre.
Vantage Point is already owned by St James's Investments:
Brighter things are already on the horizon – the planned new Open Market, City College’s new development, the connections through New England Street, the variety of small independent shops…but more is needed.
Existing problems
Traffic congestion
Poor connections
Run down shops
Derelict and vacant buildings
Insufficient parking
Lack of green and amenity space
Dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists
Anti-social behaviour
Lack of choice
Lack of investment
Noise and air pollution
Lack of facilities for the young
It’s your future. Let’s get it right together .
Promises
- Improvements to transport network
- Improved environment and linkages for pedestrians and cyclists
- Better shopping.
- Economic regeneration.
- Community facilities.
Sustainability
We could look at using:
- Sustainable materials
- Solar and wind energy
- Central power generation
- Energy efficient systems throughout
- Rainwater harvesting
- Green rooftops
We are already working for Forum for The Future to be as energy efficient as possible.
City College Capital Redevelopment Project
City College Brighton and Hove is consulting the public on a major capital redevelopment plan to transform its accommodation across four sites in the North, South, East and West of the city.
The first exhibition was held at the Brighthelm Auditorium in North Road, Brighton, on Friday April 25th from noon until 6.30pm and on Saturday April 26th from 10am until 4pm.
The second exhibition will be held in the North Hall at Falmer High School on Friday May 2nd from noon until 6.30pm and on Saturday May 3rd from 10am until 4pm.
A Great Shopping Trip
Since the loss of the Co-op and Sainsburys from London Road, new investment is now needed.
An anchor retailer is vital to attract people back to the area. This would encourage even more businesses to open and create a vibrant economy, uplifting the area for the future.
We have been looking for a store to provide a replacement anchor for the area, and Tesco, Britain’s number 1 retailer, has shown interest in coming to London Road.
NEW LONDON ROAD will include:
- New independent shop units
- A brand new anchor store on your doorstep
Tesco Superstore
An exciting combination of food and comparison goods under one roof – building on the Tesco reputation for quality and prices:
- A wide variety of fresh foods and groceries, with dedicated counters for delicatessen products along with fresh meats, wet fish, hot chicken, and some of the finest supermarket beers, wines and spirits.
- Upstairs, customers will be able to shop for clothes, beauty accessories, home furnishings, cooking products, goods for the home, electricals, toys, sports goods, CDs, DVDs, clothing range, cosmetics department, books, magazines and greeting cards.
A better place to live
OPEN SPACES, NEW HOMES, JOBS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS
A town centre needs to be a better place to live too, with lots of public space and things to do on your doorstep. Would you like facilities such as these?
- Cafés and restaurants
- Better community facilities
- Better health facilities
- Attractive open spaces
- Linking in with other developments on London Road
- New jobs for local people
- Safe and secure environment
- Entertainments and leisure
- Improved educational facilities
A place for business to grow 
If we get this right, other businesses will want to be here. This could include:
- offices for media and creative businesses
- workshops for arts and crafts busineses
- an art gallery
- large corporate offices
- standard office units for small to medium-sized business units
- small business start up units
Problems getting there? 
The one-way systems, through roads and the railway line cutting the community in half, traffic congestion, difficult access routes for pedestrians and cyclists – just a few of the problems which make London Road as a destination almost impossible to get to!
But on the plus side, the area has frequent public transport linkages, which we can build on, to make this route in and out of the city easier to get to.
If we can make it easier to get to London Road, then we can start to think of building a really exciting future.
[B] Comments and reactions
What is happening about The Open Market?
The proposal for the £11 million makeover of The Open Market is yet to be registered. The Tesco proposal could clearly effect the trading environment, though if the proposed location does not involve the former Coop Department store, as originally rumoured, the effects may not be so direct.
Could increased traffic volume turn Preston Circus into something akin to The Vogue Gyratory on Lewes Road, causing further congestion, pollution and risk to the detriment of pedestrians and cyclists?
Preston Circus is already one of Brighton's busiest traffic intersections. Residents may remember that when Cruise missiles arrived in Greenham in 1983, demonstraters brought traffic in Brighton to a halt by blocking both The Clock Tower and Preston Circus intersections.
Tesco would very likely want some integral parking, resulting in more motor traffic being drawn into the area.
Two years ago, residents who took part in the Urban Initiatives consultation on regeneration of London Road shopping area, identified the existing volume of traffic as the major obstacle in making London Road user-friendly to pedestrians and shoppers. The stakeholders who attended the three sessions, organised by Urban Initiatives are likely to watch St James's investments' vision very closely.
Will this be a sustainable development?
St James's Investment has trailed the possibility of incorporating some sustainability features into their proposal. Local campaigns and community groups concerned about the environment, are also likely to scrutinize the actual plans, if and when they come to be registered.
Some residents already sense that Tesco is keeping a low profile, even though they have been earmarked as the "anchor company" in this development proposal.
What are the local environment concerns likely to be?
With the enlarged Sainsburys having led the New England development, and Waitrose interested in The Preston Barracks site on Lewes Road, residents who prefer to support small traders, green box deliveries, Fair Traded products, and companies which source more of their stock locally, may not welcome another large supermarket development.
The supermarkets may respond by promising to support local suppliers, but their relentless drive to capture market share will not be welcomed by some small retailers.
Conservation Groups' Reactions
The Brighton Society is among the local Groups which have already raised concerns. They note on their website that St James's Investments, the developer, has said that sufficient car parking would be needed to make the area (a Tesco superstore?) financially viable.
1) 'how many spaces' is 'sufficient' car parking?
2) How will London Road, already congested, cope with the extra traffic which would be generated?
The Brighton Society also hopes for:
a) an open and honest public consultation, which helps guide proposals for the area
b) a genuine opportunity to influence those proposals - Will the new proposal promote the use of public transport?
What happens next?
When St James's Investments register their planning application, residents will have (at least) a 3-week consultation period in which to make our views known to the Council. If local residents feel that a proposal involving another large supermarket (with provision for more car-parking) would be detrimental to the area, as several felt in relation to the Sainsburys Store which opened last year within the New England Quarter, then there is likely to be a campaign.
Residents' Reactions
1. Some regeneration is clearly needed to make London Road a pleasanter area to shop. It will be interesting to see if the plans proposed by St James's investments favour public transport users & pedestrians or invite more car-users into the area.
2. I think that the area is run down, and I believe the Open Market will thrive if people want it, whatever Tesco do. But I do have some thoughts on the type of development:
- There should be lots of homes, and every one should have a southern quadrant facing open space of 10% of the internal floor space and a minimum of 5 square metres, to include soil for growing stuff.
Almost none of the homes will be ground floor, but above other uses, set back one above the other.
- All the developments should have photovoltaic panels and a mixture of ground source heat pumps and solar water heating for hot water and space heating.
- The London Road should retain and improve at least half of the existing architecturally pleasing buildings, but push back the building line to the original one, not the front of the property line as now. 
This will widen the pedestrian area, allow for small squares and outdoor leisure areas, plus planting and probably a new cycle lane adjacent to the road, but not on it, nor on the pavement.
- Private personal transport should be for the elderly, frail and disabled, and its access should be kept to the margins, though I would retain the parking built beneath Mayflower Court (this is an example of homes over another use, though not as clever as it could be).
The TBH Big Rethink meeting – Wed 7 May
Notes by John Kapp
Present Jo Nean (facilitator) Steve Watson (leader) John Bristow (leader) Dave (leader) Doly (leader) Maureen (leader) Liz, Laura, Louis, Ted, Jackie, Vicky,Lara Lewington, John Kapp (secretary)
Report back
Members reported back on their attendance at regional meetings of Transition Towns. The movement is spreading like wild fire. It is proposed to form regional, national and international forums of Transition Towns, eg for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and overseas.
Agenda for this meeting
1 To decide how to make decisions
2 To consider proposals to change the structure of TBH.
3To consult those present by world café method.
4To adopt Aims and Principles (as Lewes and others have done)
5To decide on the next meeting.
6Any Other Business (AOB)
1 Decision making
It was proposed to adopt the consensus model of decision making as the default , with the option of deciding by consensus to adopt another method to save time eg delegation of powers to an individual, or voting on specific decisions.
Suggested hand signals to indicate intention: Wish to speak = hand up. Agreement = wobbling hands, Strong disagreement= blocking movement of palm. Weak disagreement, dis-association, stand aside= no signal. (like ‘nem con’=none against)
It was proposed to offer training in facilitation of meetings. Agreed. Action Jo
2 Change from ‘hub and spoke’ to ‘forum and spoke’ structure
It was proposed to widen the Hub from just the co-ordinators of the groups, to a forum of all members including the co-ordinators, or their substitute, so that no group is unrepresented. This was agreed (1 stand aside) on a trial basis for the first Forum meeting, without yet dissolving the Hub. Action: All to attend
It was proposed to offer new members occasional induction meetings. Agreed. Action Jo, Steve, john B.
3 World café consultation
In 3 groups we considered what is good, bad and interesting about TBH. The leader wrote down points made. for writing up and considering later. Action: Dave, Maureen, Doly, to write up conclusions for consideration at the next meeting
Charlie Haward of Evolution, had written a fun ‘structure’. It was proposed to incorporate this into our structure. Agreed. Consult book ‘Gaia democracy’. Action Jo, Steve, John B.
4 Aims and Principles
The Aims and Principles of Lewes were tabled and it was proposed that we adopt Aims and Principles of our own, as a vehicle to achieving our objective of creating an Energy Descent Action Plan for Brighton and Hove, compiled from each groups contribution to it. This was agreed. Action ? (secretary will draft for next meeting)
5 Forum meeting
It was agreed to hold the first forum meeting on Thurs 5.6.08 at 7.30pm at corner of Edward St, Brighton Agenda: Matters arising from this meeting, including
conclusions of World Café consultation, Aims and Principles. Action Louis
6 AOB
a) It was proposed that Co-housing should be either a new group of TBH, or an affiliation of existing group to TBH. This was agreed enthusiastically. Action Vicky
b) Participation in Frank Jay’s Green Wave Festival, Preston Park, Weekend 5-6 July was proposed. Agreed enthusiastically. Action Jackie?Notes from World Cafe discussions
Questions:
What is good about Transition Brighton & Hove? (these notes by David Greenop)
Communication:
• Website:
o Very professionally produced
o Well managed
o Response from webmaster quick & helpful
o Appears fresh & tidy
o Content kept up to date
• Publicity activities:
o Radio interviews
o Press articles
o Public talks
o Leaflets
• Events:
o Events at the Cowley Club such Buy Nothing Day, Swaparama, From Planet to Plate and Great Reskilling are engaging with people in a way that is different from other green groups.
Community focus:
• TB&H provides an opportunity for communities to do something together to tackle Climate change and Peak oil
Involvement:
• A good diversity of ages, backgrounds and interests of individuals involved in TB&H
• Individuals show respect for each other and disagreements get resolved
• There is a strong sense of urgency to get things done
• TB&H provide opportunity for networking, skill sharing and making new contacts
• Provides an opportunity for individuals to develop new skills such as facilitation and leadership
• Encourages learning new things and seeing things in a new perspective
Interest Groups:
• Some Interest Groups are working well although started earlier than the 12 Step suggested.
• Interest groups foster a positive feeling of being involved in a group with a purpose
• Developing activities down to a participation level e.g. food events and community allotment
• TB&H interest groups working in partnership with other organisation is a good model
Political / Organisational:
• Being a politically neutral organisation is important as it is non-partisan and allows TB&H to control the agenda, to determine its own alignments and raise difficult questions.
• Support from and access to B&H Council Sustainability group
What is working well and needs to continue
Communication: Continue the use of public facing activities such as the website, events, talks, press articles and radio & TV interviews, perhaps our own local radio show. Be a source of trusted public information on what is happening on Climate Change & Peak Oil
Special Interest groups: These need to be encouraged and developed as they are positive way for people to get involved. New ideas for Interest groups could be seeded and they should be given more autonomy. Collectively they give a resilient network cell type structure which is self supporting. Encourage skill exchange across groups.
Events: Whether large scale or small, initiated by TB&H or done in partnership can reach many different parts of the population of B&H.
Involvement: Need to continue to diversify with involvement from all parts of the population. Increase our local networking with individuals and organisation. Continue to educate yourselves by encouraging knowledge and skill developments and in particular leadership.
Organisational: Continue to have dialogue with B&H Council and remain politically neutral. Strengthen our network and cultivate a culture of Action, followed by Reflection, followed by Dialogue.
Question:
Things we don't know/are unclear: (these notes by Doly Garcia
- Not knowing enough useful people outside TBH
- Not knowing the technical issues about CC and PO
- Not knowing structures and decision-making processes
- Not knowing the skills we have within TBH
- No consistent understanding among people outside the hub of what TBH does
- Perceived as a "wobbly jelliness" (nothing is clearly defined)
- Not clear who has decision-making power
- Not clear how people can join TBH
Other things we lack:
- Not enough reaching out/publicity/education and awareness, and almost none directed to specific different groups of people
- Not enough strategic thinking (EDRAP), and not enough linking of interest groups to EDRAP
- Not enough active people in some groups. Proposal: move the edge towards the inside, make the lurkers more active
- Not enough information sharing, internally and externally
- No sense of urgency
- No social activities
- No general principles
Issues with meetings:
- Bad advertising of meetings
- The meetings aren't properly structured. Proposal: Action lists, find good facilitators
- Boring meetings
People/perception issues:
- Perceived as middle class
- Some people are judgemental (anti-techie, anti-fluffy)
- Not everybody's views are respected (cliques)
- Too much Transition Towns jargon
- The hub appears an elite within TBH
- Perceived as a talking shop
- TBH is too centralized
Public Talk: Impacts of Climate Change in Bangladesh – Wed 7 May
10-11am at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton (map), £free. The talk will begiven by an Oxfam project worker from Bangladesh who will be presenting on her work in helping local communities in Bangladesh adapt to the impacts of climate change. Presented by Brighton & Hove City Council. For more details click the image to the left.
Energy Group meeting - Tuesday 6th May
Energy Group meeting: 7:50 pm for 8:00 pm, Tuesday 6th May 2008
Sanctuary Café
This is off Western Road, near the Jugglers
Bus stop: between Norfolk Square and Brunswick Square.
You will recognize the right table because there will be a windmill model on it.
Agenda Transition Energy Group
1. Introductions.
2. Appointments to be decided of
e.g. (i) Note taker for next meeting (rotates amongst some members of the group).
(ii) Facilitator (i.e. chair – rotates).
(iii) Other posts.
3. Progress reports.
LED Traffic Lights & Street Lights,
Shoreham Harbour Wind Turbines,
B&H City Council contacts,
EDRAP (Energy Descent & Resilience Action Plan),
University of Sussex “Design Solutions for Climate Change” – 8th May,
Energy Services Company,
Smart Metering,
Funding & Bank Account,
Small scale Solar Panels.
4. Open discussion.
5. Venue and date and time of next meeting.
Meeting: Food group – Tue 6 May
The next Food Group meeting is on 6 May at 7:30 at Jiva's house - 97 Hanover Terrace
We thought it would be fun - and fitting - to enjoy some food at this meeting. Please bring something to share - vegan and veggie food only please. There are some vegans in the group, so it would be nice to have an even spread!
At the meeting we will discuss the following:
- forming a monthly programme of events. the events will focus on particular skills: bread making, food foraging, backyard gardening, etc. we'd like to decide on the first three to go into the next Transition B&H events programme.
- awareness raising - what can we do to raise awareness of Transition B&H and food issues? One suggestion was to have a stall at the farmers' markets around B&H.
- engaging with other groups doing food work - at a recent Transition B&H meeting, it was suggested that the different interest groups need to find out more about and engage with other groups doing work in their area. At the last meeting we thought the Food Group could send an introductory letter to different groups across the city involved with food work. A draft letter will be brought to the meeting for comment.
On this occasion, it would be great if you could send a quick email to food*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk to say if you can make the meeting so we know roughly how many to expect!
TBH newsletter – May 2008
If you wish to receive this newsletter as an email each month, please register on the forum – this will put you on our mailing list.News
First TBH public talk
On 17 April TBH held the first of its public talks, with Jeremy Leggett talking on peak oil and Jim Watson on options for generating energy locally. The talk was well-attended, but for those who missed it a YouTube video will soon be available to watch on the website.
Introduction to Brighton & Hove sessions
If you want to know more about what Transition Towns and Transition Brighton and Hove are about, and learn more about climate change and peak oil, we will soon be running introductory sessions. If you are interested in attending please contact introsessions*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk so we can get an idea of numbers.
Transition Network conference
The Transition Network Conference was held at the beginning of April in Cirencester. There are now 50 Transition Towns/Cities around the country with more than 600 thinking about become one, and the conference may be becoming so large that smaller, regional conferences will be necessary next year...
Transition Library
There is now a category on the forum when people can offer to lend, and borrow, books on transition-related subjects. If you have books on climate change, peak oil and other relevant subjects and think others will benefit from reading them, please offer to lend them out. Lending/borrowing arrangements at the top of the forum.
TBH allotment
TBH has been offered its own allotment, next door to Whitehawk Community Food Project on the top of Whitehawk Hill. There are many ways we could use this, from growing food to teaching people how to, running workshops, etc. You are invited to get involved, the allotment needs everyone from those with skills in permaculture design down to those who don't even know what a trowel is but want to learn in a friendly community allotment. It's just brambles at the moment, but if you'd like to have a hand in deciding it's future and get involved in any capacity please contact Jo at allotment*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk to come to the first meeting. Transition Interest Groups news
The dates of all Transition Interest Group meetings are on the website. (If you want to see meetings just for the area you are interested in, click on the link under 'Search Posts by Area of Interest', further down the page in the right hand column.)Requests for help
TBH is not really about the coordinating group initiating projects and recruiting help – it's more about people who are part of TBH providing help for your own projects. If you have an energy-reducing project that you need help with, if you have a pie-in-the-sky dream and you want to throw ideas around about it with other people, please advertise them here (by replying to this email), and it will go out in the next newsletter.
Researching the Energy Descent Action Plan
The Energy Descent Action Plan is the document that TBH will be drawing up over the coming months and years, which will be our blueprint for how Brighton & Hove will take steps to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and become more resilient to future energy scarcity. The Transition Interest Groups (Food, Transport, Energy, etc) are beginning to research all the ideas that groups and individuals in Brighton & Hove have for this. We want to know your ideas, what you are excited about doing to reduce energy use, so that a framework can be drawn up for the Plan. Please contact the group coordinators with your own and your groups ideas – contact email addresses for each group are here.
Skills inventory
There are more than 300 people on the TBH mailing list, but we don't know what skills and talents you all have with which we could be helping each other! So we would like to make a 'skills inventory', so that when people are looking for particular skills for future projects there are people they can call upon. So if you are a carpenter/copy writer/wind turbine builder/graphic designer/cook/Farsi teacher/anything else please let the skills inventory know. The way to do this is on the forum. Log in (if you have lost your log in details, or are having problems logging in, please send an email to webmaster*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk), click on 'Profile' in the top bar, and fill in the 'Occupation' or 'Interests' boxes with the skills you have. This will add to a searchable skills database.
Support for TBH from Radio 4A
Local independent Brighton radio station Radio 4A have been welcome supporters of Transition Brighton and Hove's aims and objectives, and are keen to interview anyone putting on transition-related events to promote your activities. They would also like to receive regular updates about TBH activities. If you'd like to take them up on this please contact Debbie at debbie_mallard*at*yahoo.co.uk.Neighbourhood groups
TBH Neighbourhood groups are gradually forming, often as part of existing community groups. If you are interested in starting a Transition neighbourhood group in your area, please contact hub@transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk. Or you are already part of a community group and would like a member of TBH to come talk to your group about transition towns, please contact talks*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.ukUpcoming events
For Upcoming Events see the main page of the website.General information
Joining Transition Interest Groups (Food, Transport, Energy, etc): either sign up in the Usergroups on the forum – how to do this here – or contact the group coordinators directly, see here.
Forum: please remember to add your news, opinions and suggestions to the discussions on the forum – this is the place where ideas for projects and collaborations can begin.
Brighton & Hove Green organisations index: the TBH website has a updated directory of green Brighton organisations, including campaign groups, awareness-raising literature and training, local produce suppliers, transport alternatives and lots more.
Contact details: contact emails for all hub members and group coordinators are available here.
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