News from a Tooting front room near you!

Liz has been hosting a series of ‘Carbon Conversations’ meetings with neighbours in her front room: 

Our latest 'CC' is now taking a break for the summer, so I thought I'd take the opportunity for a quick update on how it's gone so far, since we started meeting once a week. In mid June a group of intrepid Tooting dwellers ventured up the hill into Furzedown, and we began by discussing :

'why on earth are we even having a conversation about carbon anyway?' 

And what do these 'tonnes' consist of, and what is 'carbon equivalent', and why should we bother when China builds a new coal power station every week? We all concluded that we did want to bother, and for me it felt good to be doing something positive.  
We had some fun thinking about what we'd say to the current prime minister about climate change if we got the chance; things like 'don't wait for other countries, just take a lead', 'be proud of the UK’s Climate Act - do more to promote it' and 'tackling inequality will help with climate change and vice versa, don't forget the multiple benefits to society'.

With thoughts racing through my mind we went on our way to ponder for a week before the next session. 

Transition Conference Report - Charles

Two of us have just been to the annual Transition Network Conference in Liverpool

Each of the 200-plus participants probably had a unique experience of the 3 days. Much of the time was offered in chunks of options...

Exciting choices, because most of the parallel sessions looked tempting…but you needed to select just one!  What would you do:  choose a very popular one with 40 people signed up, or go for a topic with a smaller group of 5? And would you prefer to be meeting the same people, or new ones?

My choices took me to sessions on social justice, on community renewable energy, on health in cities, on a long evening walk with a forester in local woods and fields, and on Kids in Transition.  

Transition Conference Report - Lucy

‘The change in direction represented by the Transition movement is as profound as any intentional change experienced by a civilisation’.

I have been at the national Transition Town Conference in Liverpool for three days. An intense experience, characterised by almost constant conversation with 259 other ‘transitioners’ from all over the world and the UK. The conference was on the campus of Hope University near Chilwall Woods in the North East of the City.

The conference recognised that after 5 years of existence the Transition movement has a great deal to reflect on. The movement can begin to look back at the evidence of its impact with confidence.  With initiatives across the world putting ‘transition’ principles successfully into action, responding quickly as communities pulling together has shown how resilience really counts. This has been especially so in the stark contexts of national crises such as New Zealand’s earthquake and Rio’s floods.   When things are destabilised you have to be ready with new ways of doing things. 

Tooting Community Garden

We have had an exciting few weeks at the Tooting Community Garden so here's a little update on recent activities. On 18th and 19th June we invited volunteers to come to the Big Dig. We certainly have some talented gardeners and knowledgeable people in Tooting. Sharing skills and knowledge was a feature of the weekend. We began by preparing the rectangular bed in the middle of the garden so we can grow some veggies. Although we are a bit late in the season we are confident we can grow some produce in time for the Tooting Foodival in September. A few weeks previously we had been prepared to dig by hand but the soil was so compact that when we were offered use of a rotivator (thanks to the lovely people at Share Community Garden!) we accepted. Following rotivation we marked out beds with concrete slabs we found in the garden. After preparing the soil a little more and adding some compost we were ready to plant.

Furzedown Low Carbon Zone

Transition Town Tooting is a partner in promoting the "Furzedown Low Carbon Zone", a new project that will help achieve the goal of an energy efficient, resilient Furzedown.  TTT has a stand at the Big Day Out and will co-host an inaugural meeting at the Furzedown Project, 91-93 Moyser Rd, SW16 6SJ on Monday 18th July, 7-9pm.  Further information will be posted soon!