Changes we want to see and make
Over 30 people gathered at the Forest Recycling project on Friday 26th June to watch the film End of Suburbia, followed by a five minute trailer for the film Power of Community.
At the end, everyone was invited to answer three questions:
What changes would you like to see?
What can you do to live the change?
What can we do as a community?
The answers were captured on sticky notes, and divided into four theme areas, which formed a basis for lively discussion.
The group’s thoughts are recorded below. If you are interested in discussing any of these topics, or taking action around them, please get in touch. There is clearly a lot of consensus around the changes that people would like to see and make. If you have any further thoughts, please add them via the comments box.
FOOD
Turn arcade site in Walthamstow into market garden, supplying the high street
Planning law to be changed to increase availability of urban space to grow food
Urban gardening
Help out on my friend’s allotment
More local production of food and energy
Grow your own
More time to grow my own food
Grow more food for yourself
Use more of my garden to grow veg
Grow more food
Grow my own
More people growing food locally
I would like to grow my own fruit and vegetables
Allotment share?
Locally, I’d like access to somewhere to grow some veg – a portion of an allotment, but it has to be close. Don’t want a whole allotment as it is too big.
Learning about permaculture and how to garden
More organic farming
Make cost of food realistic (ie reflect cost of production and transport)
Government support for local food producers
Pay farmers more
Large scale community gardening
Swapping food
Availability of local produce
Smaller local food outlets
TRANSPORT
Walk more, use more public transport
Streets of trees and people
More low carbon transport, quieter streets, safer streets
Less cars
Reduce car journeys
Less car usage
Reverse the emphasis on cars and road travel
Cycle path model like in Holland
ENERGY
Do not leave mobile on charging all night
Use less electricity
Reduce energy consumption (turn off electric appliances and stop wasting heat)
Less energy use and more government encouragement, eg grants to help with this
Fly less
Investigate alternatives
Affordable alternative energy for everyone
More use of renewable energy
Increase solar energy
Better recycling and less waste
See cost of energy increase to real cost
Thinking about carbon neutral house
Local energy production
Planning for this change on a national scale, eg renewable energy now!
Reduce use of plastic bags
Stop producing plastic bags
COMMUNITY
Educate everyone on the problems caused by consumerism
Attitude of people towards consumerism
More community involvement, eg LETS
More events promoting these changes
Join with others in learning skills to avoid paying commercial people
Talk to others about the subject
More talking to neighbours
Change of political consensus
Manage dense housing – Tokyo model
For my community to see the need for change
More self-sufficiency
Social change “less is more”
We can all make a difference by making small changes, eg Cuba experience
I have already started by recycling, using public transport, composting and growing my own organic food and veg
More sense of community
Do more things locally
Using products on a local level
Join local community and environmental groups to share knowledge and experience.
