Buiilding Sustainable Communities: a Permaculture Design Course – 31 January-26 April

The course looks at eco-systems designed for working and living collaboratively with other people whilst caring for the earth. Run by Brighton Permaculture Trust. For full details and bookings please visit: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk

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TBH Forum meeting – Wed 28 January

Minutes of meeting, by John Kapp

Available on the discussion forums under the following topics:

For agreements on structure: http://forum.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=410

For suggestions on our constitution http://forum.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=414
For report back from groups http://forum.transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=411

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NO Energy Group Topic Meeting – Tue 27 January

There is no Energy Group Topic meeting on this Tuesday, the next meetings are:
Energy group - Tuesday 10th February 2009 7.30 at Revitalise Café
Energy group topic meeting - Tuesday 24th February 7.30 at Revitalise Café

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Draft One Planet Living Plan for Brighton and Hove

Last autumn, several member of Transition Brighton and Hove attended One Planet Living's workshops, which provided an opportunity to consult on a refreshed Sustainability Strategy for our city.

Following this consultation and several studies, a draft One Planet Living Plan has now been prepared. Click here to read it. Return to LLG Home Page

Comments to Anna Francis ( contact Bioregional) to reach her by 26 January 2009.

Jacqui Cuff, our Sustainability Partnership representative, writes: "I do not imagine any big structural changes will be incorporated at this stage – the next step is for Brighton and Hove City Council to consider what they will do to promote ane help implement the OPL plan – you will see it is not so much a plan as a set of recommendations that came out of One Planet Living's workshops and case studies. Plus some suggested bioregional targets. OPL is being tried in the London Borough of Sutton, and Thurstan Crocket (of Brighton and Hove City Council's Sustainability Team will circulate details of how things are progressing there. OPL aims at a zero carbon society!!!!!!!

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Introduction to Permaculture course – Sat 24–Sun 25 January

These courses introduce the basics of Permaculture and show how this approach can be applied. These courses are run regularly. Run by Brighton Permaculture Trust. For full details and bookings please visit: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk

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Cohousing meeting: a time for new ideas – Thu 22 January

8pm at Hanover Community Centre, Southover Street, Brighton BN2 9UD (map). Speaker Bill Randall is an award-winning freelance journalist and a Green councillor in Brighton and Hove. He has a particular interest in the development of sustainable communities and has recently visited a cohousing project in Stockholm. He will also be talking about community land trusts and mutual equity co-ops - where people buy shares in a project rather than purchase a house - possible routes towards affordability in cohousing. Join us for some new ideas about how to move forward. www.brightoncohousing.org.uk 07855 422 414 info*at*brightoncohousing.org.uk

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Food group meeting – Tue 20 January

The next Transition Food Group meeting will be on Tue 20 January at Simon Parker’s house, 7 Beaufort Terrace in Hanover (map) from 7:30-9:30pm. We’ll carry forward the items for discussion to the January meeting: allotment progress, new date for the bread baking session, plans for 2009, and group aims & objectives. For more information email Ann at food*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk

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Urban Biosphere City Report arising out of Brighton and Hove's Sustainability Conference of October 2008

Summaries of the stimulating presentations given at Brighton and Hove's 2008 Sustainability Conference (held last October) are given at
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1196955.

A report outlining proposals for Brighton and Hove to achieve the status of Urban Biosphere City is given here (Microsoft Word Document). Return to LLG Home Page

This summarises outcomes from the 2008 Sustainability Conference (where the proposal was explored) and presents proposals for moving forward.

Brief notes from the second meeting of the City's Sustainability Partnership (held Monday 12 January 2009) are available from the Voluntary Sector's representative, Jacqui Cuff, who we thank for circulating the above information.

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Transport group meeting – Mon 19 January

The next meeting of the Transport group will be at 7.30pm on Mon 19 January at The Crescent pub, Clifton Hill (map)

The group has not met for a while party due to difficulty with venues. Some new people have expressed interest and we would now like to get things moving again.

Among other things we will need to discuss
• Revisit mission and aims
• Select a Project (s) for 09
• March 25 Talk – Peter Lipman and Stephen Young
• Sea Front project (download Word doc) – Update

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Workshop: Formal Consensus facilitation – Sat 17 January

Do you want your transition group to work well this year? Do you want to improve your facilitation skills for other groups? Join Nathaniel White for a workshop on Formal Consensus facilitation on January 17th. 11am to 5pm at the Anahata Health Clinic, 129 Edward Street (just up the hill from American Express, in Kemp Town: map). £5-40 on a sliding scale.

Formal Consensus is a clear decision-making structure, simpler than the parliamentary procedure that's commonly used in Board meetings, and better for bringing together the group's best creative thinking. It combines clear agreement and decision-making processes with deep democracy and participatory governance, making use of the best talents in your team-mates and your self.

Formal Consensus emerged from the US anti-nuclear movement as a way of quickly making good decisions among a group of hundreds of loosely affiliated individuals, some of whom might be government agents provocateurs. It has been successfully adopted by businesses, intentional communities, and the global activist group Food Not Bombs. Nathaniel White trained with the author of the Formal Consensus manual, C.T. Butler, in 1997. He uses the method in his paid and voluntary work, and contributed to the most recent version of the manual.

The training will focus on the structure of a Formal Consensus meeting and on the facilitation skills useful for generating high-quality collaborative decisions.

This training is targeted to serve two groups: Transition Town Brighton and Hove and the Home Ecovillage Project. First priority will be reserved for members of those groups, but other members of the public are welcome. I welcome up to twenty people. To reserve a place, contact Nathaniel White (white*at*magicatechne.com) and put Formal Consensus in the Subject line.

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Wed 14 Jan - Livelihoods2020 Group

The Livelihoods2020 (formerly Business & Economics) group consider how will we (you, your friends, your neighbours) earn a living and make ends meet in coming years, and what would a healthy and vibrant economy look like in a post carbon future, without cheap oil? How will we make it happen? What do you think?

This group meets on the 2nd wednesday of every month (11 Feb, 11 Mar...) Come along on Wed 14 Jan 09, 6.30 - 8.00pm at Brighton Media Centre, Suite 4, 68 Middle St, Brighton, followed by drinks at The Globe pub nearby. Read on for outcomes of this meeting, direction, contacts:

14/1/09 Notes / action
A useful and productive meeting; we have shifted our focus onto progress on projects - all input is very welcome. We need you.

We talked about setting up offshoot organisations / companies (eg CIC, charity...co-op?) in the future, seeking funding, being fundable and finding a work space for the group to help us launch (DE to pursue space)

Charlie D suggested creating a new breakfast workspace to provide for anyone who 'has green work needs and wants to meet similar people'
John B to oversee completing NEF 'Clone Town' Surveys

All of us to see how we can take forward ideas and actions by communicating with others before the next meeting. Each to take responsibility for moving forward (others please join in!):

Green Business Development Hub / Green New Deal - MG, MP, CD, OS, SB, DGr
Oil Vulnerability for businesses - OS, JB, DE, MP, MG
Currency / money / spending - SB, CD, MG, FJ
Product / consumer / traders awareness vacant shop – DGr, MG, CD, FJ
L2020 related talk - JB, MG > Thur 26 Feb 'Building resilient local economies with New Economics Foundation', 7.30 Brightelm Centre >> L2020 to link between talk and work of group


We are now mainly focussed on prioritising projects, planning them, getting on with them. We need your help. Please come along if you can make it, or throw your ideas about on the web-forum or get in contact. Join the group via the web-forum or contact us to be added to the (low volume) mailing list. We are always very grateful for help in organising / facilitating the group or meetings, updating the website.

Click here to see more on what we're about (due to be updated in the near future) or here to see our part of the web-forum, where your comments are very welcome.

Can you help us make this journey fun, interesting and successful? It does not matter what your background or experience, since a diverse range of skills and views are important to us.

See you there?

Martin - livelihoods2020*AT*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk / 07891 571739

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Energy group meeting – Tue 13 January

The next Energy group meeting is at 7:15 pm on Tuesday 13th Januaty 2009, at the Revitalise cafe, opposite Hove Town Hall. All welcome. For more information email energy*at*transitionbrightonandhove.org.uk

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City Sustainability partnership - second meeting Jan 12th

Monday Jan 12th 2009 at the Jurys Inn Hotel near the station (5.30 to 7.30) – PUBLIC ALL CAN ATTEND.

See http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1102381




Feedback form prepared by Chris Todd (24 November 2008)

Please complete this form after each Partnership Meeting that you attend and circulate to the CVSF Rep Support Team (katy@cvsectorforum.org.uk)

Name


Your Organisation
Brighton & Hove FOE / South Downs Campaign
Partnership that you attend City Sustainability Partnership

3 key points to be communicated from the Partnership Meeting

1
It was agreed that appointments such as the chair / vice-chairs, CSP rep on the LSP and the two CSP reps on the LSP’s LDF sub-group would all be appointed at the next meeting to give time for people to nominate themselves or to be nominated. In the interim, Professor Stuart Lang chaired the first meeting and both Chris Todd and Cllr Paul Steedman were made interim reps on the LDF sub-group (in case it met before the next CSP meeting).

2
The terms of reference were broadly agreed although they might be revisited once people have become more familiar with the Partnership’s role. Membership was left as is at present as some concern about expanding the numbers too much. It was agreed that transport was an area the Partnership should cover although there was little support for the Cycle Forum to have a seat because of its perceived narrow focus.

3
It was agreed to focus on the One Planning Living Plan and on the refresh of the Sustainable Community Strategy at the next meeting because of the window of opportunity to influence this process. There was some discussion around priorities but it was felt most helpful if a list of actions / strategies could be drawn up showing their timescales as this would allow the Partnership to prioritise and plan its work schedule.

Additional Information

This was the first meeting of the Partnership and as such quite a bit was taken up with process and time just getting to know each other. Overall for a first meeting it was reasonably positive.

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TBH special meeting: Working with Difference and making Key Decisions – Mon 12 January

7.30–9.30pm at The Werks, 45 Church Street, Hove (map). Facilitated by Nathaniel White. This is an important meeting open to everyone who has been involved in Transition in Brighton and Hove and wants to help move things forward and mobilise our energy for the year ahead.

Purpose of Meeting
The aim of this meeting is to address these issues – the top two identified in the Special meeting at the end of November (see Website – Forum-General/Transition Brighton and Hove Vision and Process).

Objectives and Outline of our meeting

• Introductions: purpose of meeting, facilitator and his role, others present, groundrules for the meeting
• Identify our common ground
• Share how we want to work together, taking into consideration both our struggles and our aspirations and values
• Identify, from this, proposed ground rules for working together
• Agree how to check these out with others not at the meeting so that we can finalise them at the next Forum meeting at the end of the month and then put them into practice in setting out our plans for 09

Closure: At the end we will have a quick review of the meeting as a form of closure.

This meeting was called by Martin Grimshaw, David Greenop and John Bristow to build on that called by Jo Nean, Martin and Jess at the end of November, and has received support from others. The outline and approach was planned with Nathaniel, our facilitator

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