Marianne had a visit from her cousin, who is a member of TT Freiburg. She was keen to meet up with Transitioners in the Bournemouth/Poole area, so a group of us met at the Surf Cafe near Boscombe Pier on a sunny evening.

Sadly the beers were not local – Gwyn did ask. Not sure that the barbacue was serving local sausages either, though the mackerel were quoted as from Boscombe bay – the charts say it’s all Poole bay !

Monica introduced the structure of the Freiburg TT group. TT Freiburg is fairly new, and exploring lots of possibilities. http://www.transition-initiativen.de/group/ttfreiburg suggests they started in Jan 2011.

Freiburg TT has a number of small groups:

1. Publicity,
2. Heart Soul,
3. Guerilla Gardening, also a preserving garden produce (tomatoes/cucumbers etc.) group.
4. Equitable/ Ethical Economic Management/ethical consumption/sustainability group;
5. A steering group of 12 people who meet monthly.

TT Freiburg have a local currency linked to the Euro, but some people prefer sharing to using that currency.

There are several sub groups responsible for separate actions, that send one or two representatives to the monthly TT meetings. All the groups get together every three months.

The Garden Co-op has 200 members (who are also part of TT)

Each person paid €400 for the start-up for the gardening project to buy the tools etc. The vegetable crop is shared out between the 200 people

Members pay €30-€60 per month for the employment of a professional gardener and two helpers

They have leased 7 hectares (17.3 acres) of land, of which 2 hectares (4.9 acres) have been planted, the remaining 5 hectares soil is being improved with green compost. The lease is for 10 years with the option to buy it after 10 years. In some of the part where the veg didn’t do well they have planted wild flowers. They also have 2 polytunnels for Tomatos etc.

The site is 22 Km from the town. They have a little building in the middle of Freiburg where the veg is stored, collected and from where it is delivered by bike. Monica shared some pictures of the bikes with enormous  trailers – 16 crates laden with produce.

The co-op idea originated from the Jardin des Cocagnes (Garden of Eden), near Geneva, Switzerland. www.cocagne.ch which has been going for 30 years. (I also stumbled across another site with some delightful pictures of Swiss allotments at http://housetohaus.blogspot.com/2011/02/did-you-eat-your-veggies-today.html)

For Freiburg’s co-op see: www.gartencoop.org I contrasted that we pay £7 per year for membership of http://tatnampatch.org.uk, but we don’t get enough produce from Tatnam to feed ourselves !

Apparently a nearby town to Freiburg is trying to use a parallel currency. Andy highlighted that Totnes, Lewis and Stroud have done so in England.

I asked about the guerilla gardening. Monica said that this is mostly with consent, and often on communal land around housing developments. We have held discussions in Poole with the social housing trust, who are keen to encourage food growing on their land, but not yet happened. Also the attempts to get at least part of Turners Field into a community resource/productive garden.

They are exploring an idea of everyone being given a basic income (originated in the 1600s by an Englishman), and that each do work that they are skilled and interested in. A similar system was tried in a town somewhere in Africa for one year and was very successful. There is a film – Gruntagen – apparently the local government forced its abandonment (presumably didn’t meet their aspirations).

Other projects that TT Freiburg are considering includes looking after elderly people – in collaboration with others in a similar situation.

The city has invited TT Freiburg to help with a scheme where 400 people families are encouraged to join in reducing their carbon impact. 80 people came to the film: In Transition. Harriet contrasted the Transition Together work we have started in Poole and Bournemouth. We haven’t achieved on that scale yet – our target is 100 but recruiting is proving hard.

25% of Freiburg’s traffic are bicycles, and there is car sharing in many cities. They can use cars from other towns. Members pay €300/€400 to contribute towards buying the cars. The money also goes towards hiring someone to service the cars. They can book the car online. The same car share system works in Switzerland too. They can get all the information about the car they want to use, such as whether it has a motorway sticker for other countries like Austria or Switzerland. Freiburg has 12-15 cars. Next year they are planning to buy 2-3 electric cars. The city administration of Lorrach also use the car share facility. There are some schemes in the UK, but small numbers (Whipcar has about 8 cars in the Bournemouth/Poole area). Bournemouth and Poole have better than average UK cycling rates, but less than 10% of journeys to work are by bike. Can’t lay my hands on the figures just now.

We mentioned the Abundance scheme, started in Sheffield, which we have done in a limited way in the conurbation, and the Mors bags project.

Notes by Marianne and Andy

1st June The Green House Hotel

A mix of business, academic, public sector, voluntary and environmental folk gathered to be challenged on the topic ‘OUR COMMUNITY – OUR ECONOMY – OUR FUTURE – Something has to change’

The theme was “A Green Economy for Bournemouth and Poole”, and this started with a talk by Dr Alan Knight OBE of Southampton University followed by a chance for stimulating, lively discussion for people who live and work in the conurbation.

Dr Knight’s talk was based on this slideset

http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/features/southampton_city_lecture_2011.shtml

The challenge laid down by Dr Knight was to identify what is unique and important for Bournemouth and Poole, and how we positively engage business in delivering an agenda which they can sell to shareholders and stakeholders. Campaigning and negativity may get less progress than shining a torch and encouraging businesses towards the light. (I paraphrase, I was late to the meeting)

A Green Economy for Bournemouth and Poole

Transcription of the main points from each table’s discussions

Task :

• How to get everyone to sign up to the common goal of sustainability
• If that is satisfied then people will understand resource/energy implications.
• Benefits to be highlighted rather than the negatives

Table 1:

• Quality and upgradability of goods – What is the value relative to “Buy and Chuck”
• Joined up thinking: social, health, safety – public transport
• Public debate of the issues
• Celebrating sustainable practice
• Consider profit in more than monetary terms – welfare, good health, happiness as well as £, $
• Valuing mending and re-use
• Information on opportunities available to buisnesses e.g. car clubs (see near the bottom of our getting around page)

Table 2:

• What do we need to start looking at in B&P?
• Meaningful communication – positive messages – inspiration
  Engaging others with motivation and feelings from the heart
• Connection with those who can change things
• What can be done in “local” areas?
• Focus Attention
• Find out the options and new practicability
• What will make you act now?
• What are you willing to change/do?
• Make it easy to join in and add to the debate
• Engaging others/motivate others (and ourselves!)
• Education – and LEARNING
• Who participates? How to attract others to participate?
• Local – regional – national – global

Table 3:

What does B & P do?

• Education – hospitality – finance – travel
• Poole – port, import, fish
• Less travel? Energy reduction? Product design?
• “Sunlight” !!

Table 4:

• Bournemouth and Poole competition
• Models of organisation that work with communities
• Education, inspiration and Enlightenment – Communicating messages through medium for changing attitudes
• Green Legislation/ Political pressure

The meeting carried on upstairs in the bar, sampling local beers and further wideranging and lively discussion.

Many thanks for the Green House Hotel for hosting our event,  to Harriet for the idea, and to Gwyn and the Association of Sustianability Practitioners for running the event.

Thurs 17 May 2012 Transition Town Poole monthly meeting. At Friends Meeting House, 52 Wimborne Road, Poole. 7.30pm. All welcome. Paul Cooling, Carbon Reduction Officer for Poole Borough Council, will be there this month to talk about progress in reducing our town’s carbon footprint and plans for the future.

Sun-Mon 3/4 June 2012 Green Community Arts Fair, Poole Park. 10-6. See /www.greencommunityfair.co.uk

Sun 10 June 2012 East Dorset Friends of the Earth 40 years birthday celebration. Centre Stage, Westbourne. With music from Sean Taylor and Pete Christie. 7.30pm. Tickets £10 from eastdorsetfoe@yahoo.co.uk

Sun 10 June 2012 Bournemouth Sky Ride cycling event, Meyrick Park, Bournemouth. http://www.goskyride.com/

For further info contact hello@transitionbh.org or look at the Events calendar

All are invited to this event on Tuesday 24th November. It will be held at the Henry Brown Youth Centre, Cunningham Crescent (BH11 8DU) from 6.30pm until 8pm and there will be refreshments available. The film will be followed by open discussion. A further meeting will then be set up with any interested residents soon after to begin planning the set up of the development trust.

If you would like to find out more about development trusts, please have a look at this website www.dta.org.uk, or contact Martha at martha.blackburn@bournemouth.gov.uk.

The next meeting of Transition Bournemouth is at the Goat and Tricycle, tomorrow, 30th September, at 7:30 pm.

All welcome!

Any queries to Theresa, on 07958 138053.

Transition Town Christchurch is delighted to have the opportunity to show the stunning and thought-provoking film “Earth Whisperers – Papatuanuku” from our sister town – Christchurch, New Zealand.

This spellbinding and challenging film focuses on ten quirky and inspiring New Zealanders, who love, nurture and protect their environment. Shot at breathtaking locations around New Zealand, these Earth Whisperers save heritage seeds, regenerate forests, harvest and protect wild herbs, leave the car forever to ride a bicycle, and save huge swathes of old forest. This movie combines stunning cinematography with an extraordinary sound track.

The London premiere of “Earth Whisperers – Papatuanuku” takes place on September 18, and the film will be screened at The Studio, the Regent Centre, Christchurch at 7.30pm on September 21st.

Admission will be only £3.

The next Transition Poole meeting is at The Grasshopper on Tues 8th September at 7.30pm.

The second Transition Wimborne Open Meeting will be held on Tuesday 4th August, 7pm-9pm, at The Community Learning & Resource Centre (the big building on King Street, the south west side of the Minster, surrounded by car parks).

We will be showing “The Power of Community” an hour long documentary
about the effect of a Peak Oil even in Cuba when the USSR collapsed.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814275/

This will be followed by an Open Spaces format discussion, where
we suggest topics and then freely create small discussion groups
around those topics, and then summarise each discussion back to
everyone else at the end.

The topics will again cover what Transition activities can be started
in Wimborne over the summer, and into next year, as well as
issues raised by the documentary.

If you want to help the event, please download an A4 poster PDF, print off a dozen copies and post them on notice boards in your local area and clubs/offices.

Small donations of around £1 are kindly requested to meet room hire costs.

Don’t sign up, just turn up :-)

Being a pro-active person I chatted to husband, Ian, about organising one. With a certain amount of trepidation we set off taking spare lettuce and tomato plants and knocked on doors to test out the people’s reaction. We had never spoken to these neighbours before.

We were met with such warmth and enthusiasm, not the British reserve we had been expecting. Eight people agreed to come to our house for drinks and flapjack to discuss how we would proceed. The Big Lunch website produced leaflets at a reasonable cost, so we divided these up so everyone had a few to deliver.

Due to the strict policy of the local council on road closures we decided to use four, fairly flat, driveways close to each other with gazebos for protection against the changeable English summer weather.

The day was bright, with hints of sun, and windy. Gazebos were erected on drives and pegged down into grass. The men had just completed the task when a huge gust of wind blew them over! A quick decision was made to use wind breaks and make a sheltered place on a large drive with grassy garden. This area was given a party atmosphere using balloons, bunting made by some of the children, bubbles and music.

We had decided to have a finger food lunch with as much sourced and prepared locally. People brought delicious home-made food; there was pizza, quiche, sandwiches and home grown salad, fruit including strawberries dipped in chocolate (a big hit), colourful desserts with some very creative beetroot and carrot cakes. There was a good mix of alcoholic and soft drinks. No-one needed to worry about driving as we all lived there!

There was such a good mix of people; the youngest was one and the oldest well past retirement. A quick count showed that 64 people had turned up.

One man had lived in the road for 39 years and said there had never been a community event; he was thrilled that people were chatting together. Another older lady had moved into the road five years previously from a Welsh village and said she had been very lonely; she was delighted to be speaking to people who live around her for the first time. Many people said they had never had the opportunity to meet their neighbours. Our event was from 1.0-3.0pm. People were reluctant to leave but as a black cloud approached we began to pack up, dividing the rubbish into recycling and refuse. The rain held off until we had completed the dismantling. Everyone said they want this to continue with perhaps more opportunities to get together.

My memory of the day is full of chatter, laughter, music and bubbles and everyone doing their bit to make the occasion special.

This meeting will happen with the Open Spaces format, where everyone will introduce themselves and suggest topics and then freely create small discussion groups around those topics, and then summarise each discussion back to everyone else.

The topics will again cover what Transition activities can be started in Wimborne over the summer, and into next year.

If you want to help the event, please download an A4 poster PDF, print off a dozen copies and post them on notice boards in your local area and clubs/offices.

Small donations of around £1 are kindly requested to meet room hire costs.

Don’t sign up, just turn up :-)