Discussion following News from Nowhere talk
Thanks to the News from Nowhere Club for hosting a Transition Talk on 8 August in Leytonstone.
In his talk, Paul Gasson set out the context of climate change and peak oil, and talked about the principles of Transition Communities, and some of the local activities. The talk was followed by a discussion in which people contributed their thoughts on what is important to them and can be done. These thoughts are summarised below.
If you would like to discuss any of the points raised below, or get involved with taking action, then please do get in contact with us.
1. Local groups and organisations to partner with/get in touch with
· Organic Lea
· Hornbeam centre and café
· Residents’ Associations
· SLADA’s Youth Programme
· Second Nature food shop
· HEET
· Abel and Cole online
· Please re-screen “Age of stupid” and “End of Suburbia”.
2. What do you feel passionate about?
· Stopping cars
· Food
· Sustainability
· Urban food growing
· Permaculture
· Creativity and community as an alternative to consumerism
· Practice of arts and skills
· Building local sustainable communities that are connected
· The government is planning to build 2 or 3 million homes, so what is going to happen to green spaces and agriculture?
· Absolute waste, e.g. wood, furniture
· Energy saving in Victorian Houses
· Scientific thinking as part of the answer
3. What would you like to change?
· The school run
· Back-street public transport via small buses
· Have lovely front gardens everywhere
· Less food wrapping
· Less food miles
· Supermarket shopping
· The return of fresh fruit and veg stalls to this area
· Creating a local skills bank to that people can learn and teach
· More local involvement
· Community notice board
· Moving from profit as sole motivation to getting more people involved (competing choices)
· The media, press, world of advertising.
4. What would you like to do now?
· Distribute geraniums to front gardens
· I want to engage pensioners in Transition Towns, + bringing together the skilled and the unskilled
· I want to introduce it to my local residents’ association (FORA)
· Get a bike for short local journeys
Main themes emerging:
· Food growing
· Transport
· Community
· Skills
· Energy
· Waste
