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TTKingston Newsletter #50 Tuesday, 9th November 2010 Welcome to Newsletter #50 from Transition Town Kingston, in this newsletter... T Events... Screen Green! Film Festival (from 4th to 11th November) From the Ground Up Food Coop – Eat and Meet (Wednesday 10th November) "Plastic: where do you think it goes?" (Thursday 11th November) TTK Open Meeting at the Environment Centre (Tuesday 16th November) London Low Carbon Communities Network (Thursday 2nd December)
In the news... Christmas cookery – a skill sharing opportunity Interfaith forum report Free electricity from the sun Surbiton Neighbourhood - Traffic, Parking and Public Transport Consultation Do you care about climate change and feel frustrated that not enough is being done at the political level? South London Waste Partnership procurement continues despite loss of PFI credits Kingston report outlines health risks of climate change Kingston Council reports success in kerb-side recycling, and closure of recycling sites Another green job opportunity...
News from TTK’s Food Group – From the Ground Up Co-op Find out more about our fantastic food co-op, and come and meet them!
How you can get involved... and do you have some news to share? Volunteer? Check out this month’s opportunities bulletin and get involved! Action Groups
Quick Link http://ttkingston.org/ Visit our website! Events this fortnight... and beyond Screen Green! Film Festival from 4th to 11th November A film festival bringing together documentaries from 14 European countries which focus on the ever relevant theme of the environment and in particular humankind's fragile relationship with the natural world. A number of cultural institutes and embassies in London and the European Commission Representation in the UK collaborate to present Screen Green! an eight day festival from the 4 to 11 November at five different London venues. Find out all about the films and venues at http://www.europeandocfestival.org.uk/. From the Ground Up food coop - Eat and Meet, Wednesday 10 November The From the Ground Up is a food cooperative which means all opinions count. And because they are all volunteers they need your help and ideas. So please come along – read more about this meeting in the From the Ground Up section below! "Plastic: where do you think it goes?" Thursday, 11th November, 7-9pm Greener upon Thames, greatly assisted by Kingston University's Sustainability Hub, presents a free evening of short films, talks and Q&A with Zac Goldsmith MP and Roz Savage, British ocean rower, environmental campaigner and author, at Kingston University, Penrhyn Road campus, KT1 2EE. Light refreshments will be served. The GUT campaign is now targeting the Olympics, hoping to make the London 2012 games plastic-bag-free - please sign the new petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petition/40435.html. Invitation here http://www.e-voice.org.uk/greenerkingston/content-centre/serveattribute?attribute=content&revision_id=4736917 Still some places available, so please RSVP to info@greenerkingston.org.uk to get onto the guest list.
TTK Open Meeting, Tuesday 16th November, 6:45pm-9pm Our monthly open meetings are the main forum where decisions are made and plans hatched! A great choice for your first TTK event - meet people, raise ideas and get involved in projects. All welcome. Free refreshments. Venue is Kingston Environment Centre, Fairfield East, KT1 2PT. London Low Carbon Communities Network, Thursday 2nd December, 6-8pm The London Low Carbon Communities Network (LLCCN) is a new network that offers all organisations working in their own ways to tackle climate change and to cut carbon emissions an opportunity to cooperate, share experiences and build skills. The network is designed to: • Support existing voluntary action on climate change • Engage and support new voluntary action groups • Enable better cooperation between groups and sectors They invite you to the fourth London Low Carbon Communities Network December networking event at City Hall, where you can hear about the experiences of community groups working in London's ten Low Carbon Zones. Drinks afterwards in the Bridge Lounge, 186 Tooley Street. Representatives from as many of the zones as possible will be there sharing their positive experiences as well as highlighting areas where they might need some help. Will this area-based approach achieve a significant reduction in carbon? (20% by 2012 is the target.) Is it an approach that can be adopted more widely to get results? Directions to the event can be found here http://www.london.gov.uk/city-hall For more information or to RSVP please email Susan Sheehan at SSheehan@lambeth.gov.uk More events of interest... On our website at http://ttkingston.org/events/ Kingston University’s website http://www.kingston.ac.uk/environment/happen_events.html. In the news... Christmas cookery - skill sharing opportunity Would you like to make your own Christmas cake, marzipan, Christmas pudding, mincemeat, pickled onions etc but don't quite have the confidence to go it alone or just prefer to cook in company? Toni Izard is keen to run sessions for small groups to cook any of the above in her kitchen during November. Days and times can be arranged to suit. Ingredients can be provided. Just email Toni at baizard@hotmail.co.uk for more information. Interfaith forum About 60 participants enjoyed the talks, food and small group discussions at the interfaith forum on sustainability in the Guildhall on 28th October. The forum was organised by a council officer Jean Cousens, who did an incredible job, and she was assisted by TTK members. It was chaired by Derek Osbourne, Head of RBK Council and committed pagan. Many faiths and non-faiths were represented. Lead speaker Muzammal Hussain gave an inspiring talk that included the idea of diversity about where we want to go and how we get there. Lead speaker Laurie Michaelis pointed out that if we reduce our energy consumption by a factor of three and if technology helps us reduce it by an additional factor of three then overall we should hit the 90% target. The small group discussions considered the advantages and challenges of a simple and sustainable life, the action we need to take, and what the texts of various faiths say about this. The meeting brought the issues to the fore and hopefully there will be follow-ups. For more information contact Martin Birley (martin.birley@talk21.com). Free electricity from the sun TTK members should be aware that there is currently a window of opportunity to install photovoltaic panels on your roof for free. The government’s feed in tariff means that you can get at least 7% annual return on capital invested over a guaranteed 25 year period in addition to reducing your electricity consumption from the grid by a considerable amount. If you don't have capital, then many companies will rent your roof space from you and still let you use the electricity. For more information contact the energy subgroup or Martin Birley (martin.birley@talk21.com).
Surbiton Neighbourhood - Traffic, Parking and Public Transport Consultation Members of Transition Town Kingston attended the Surbiton Neighbourhood Community Plan on 28th October. The first thing we pointed out was that there was no mention of cycling and walking! The meeting was attended by local councillors, council staff and residents and was a good opportunity to raise issues and suggestions. There were about thirty people there and the overall feeling from everyone was that we all learnt a lot from each other. The Surbiton Neighbourhood committee of councillors meets at the Dysart School at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 8th December. The public are welcome – find the agenda and format of the meeting on the Kingston Council site: http://tiny.cc/zbr9l. Find out about your neighbourhood committee here and think about going along – a lot of local decisions are made in these forums http://tinyurl.com/3x56k2h. Do you care about climate change and feel frustrated that not enough is being done at the political level? The Big Climate Connection, organised by Stop Climate Chaos, took place on 5th/6th November, but it isn't too late to arrange to meet your MP to outline your concerns on climate change and other environmental issues. Lucy Bertenshaw will be arranging a time to meet Edward Davey, MP Kingston and Surbiton, so please email Lucy (lucy_bertenshaw@yahoo.co.uk) to let her know if you are interested in coming along to the meeting or email if you have any questions. South London Waste Partnership procurement continues despite loss of PFI credits The South London Waste Partnership confirmed that it intends to continue with its existing procurement negotiations for new waste treatment facilities, despite the withdrawal of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding. The Partnership says it remains well placed to procure a value-for-money solution to the challenge of diverting 200,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill. On 21 October, Defra announced that PFI credits were being revoked from seven waste infrastructure projects, including the South London Waste Partnership. More at http://www.kingston.gov.uk/news?id=109526&src=newsletter. Kingston report outlines health risks of climate change NHS Kingston and Kingston Council have published their joint annual public health report, which focuses on the links between health and climate change. The report, which is thought to be the first of its kind, emphasises the inextricable link between the wellbeing of the local population and any environmental changes. It also outlines that the public health of the local population is fundamentally threatened by climate change. Dr Jonathan Hildebrand, Joint Director of Public Health for NHS Kingston and Kingston Council, said: “Whether we’re aware of it or not, our personal health and the environment around us are inextricably linked, and our report shows that a sustainable environment is also a healthy environment. Read more at http://www.kingston.gov.uk/news?src=newsletter&id=108750. Kingston Council reports success in kerb-side recycling, leading to closure of recycling sites The majority of recycling sites throughout Kingston are to be closed permanently at the end of October due to the reported success of Kingston Council’s kerb-side recycling services. The removal of recycling sites across the borough, which was agreed to by the Council’s Executive on 29 September, has been a priority since the introduction of the Recycling and Landfill Waste Collection Service in 2008 and, more recently, the Recycling Service for Flats. Both services have enabled more than 60,000 households in Kingston to recycle from their doorstep. The investment in kerb-side recycling and landfill services has seen the recycling rate almost double from 25% to 46% since 2008, further enforcing the decision to remove the sites. For more information on the Recycling and Landfill Waste Collection Service or the Recycling Service for Flats contact the Council’s Customer First Contact Centre on 020 8547 5560 or email environment@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.
Another green job opportunity Save the World Club is looking for a part-time Development & Financial Manager to help ensure the smooth running of SWC projects and fundraising. Appointment expected to start after 1 March 2011. CV and covering letter required before the closing date, December 15th 2010. More information at www.savetheworldclub.org. You might enjoy this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA&feature=related TTK’s Food Group – From the Ground Up Co-operative The From the Ground Up Food Co-op is open for business! The From the Ground Up Food Co-op offers the Kingston Community affordable certified organic fruit and vegetables at exceptional prices. About the Co-op The Co-op is a not-for-profit organisation run by a community of volunteers who are passionate about eating healthier, better tasting food farmed by earthfriendly practices. This is a fortnightly collection service with no minimum requirements. For more information, please contact fromthegroundupcoop@gmail.com or visit http://ttkingston.org/groups-and-projects/ground-up/. From the Ground Up food coop - Eat and Meet, Wednesday 10 November The From the Ground Up is a food cooperative which means all opinions count. And because they are all volunteers they need your help and ideas. So please come along – read more about this meeting in the From the Ground Up section below! From the Ground Up is growing - if you want to have a voice in its development and what it can offer the Kingston Community please join the co-op. Discussions will cover policy, funding, marketing, products, volunteering, technology, community activities (e.g. schools), and anything else people want to discuss. And there is great food! Venue: Stephanie Hofielen, 33 Woodside Road New Malden KT3 3AW at 6.30pm for 7pm start. If you have any questions, please call 020 8949 2425. Please RSVP to fromthegroundupcoop@ttkingston.org. How you can get involved... and do you have some news to share? TTK always needs volunteers, contact the TTK Steering Group if you can offer your help: ttkingstonsteering@yahoogroups.com. Opportunities always available! Keen to get involved? This is the place to start: http://www.ttkingston.org/cmsassets/documents/9003-890256.ttk-opportunities-bulletin-oct-10.pdf TTK has seven public action groups, working to spread the word and get people involved. Visit http://ttkingston.org/groups-and-projects/ to find out more about the activities of these groups. Business Action Group BAG's next meeting will be on Tuesday 23 November, 7.00pm, at 5 Degrees, the new cafe opposite the Guildhall - anyone who'd like to help us make progress with our Green Enterprise Directory are very welcome. Got a news item? If you have a local event or news item relating to TTK in particular, or of relevance to the Kingston area more generally, please send it to Sarah Bowness via sarahbowness@hotmail.com, and it will be considered for inclusion in this newsletter. Please put TTK in the subject line.