Transition Cafe

Several people lamented how it was all nice and productive to focus on the agenda items during Transition meetings, but it resulted in us not knowing each other very well, and so we decided to hold a purely social get together on 15 December at the Alexandra Cafe. About 8 people came and although the temperature was a bit excessive for many of us who have turned down our heating at home as much as we can stand, it was a great success and we decided to continue having them. The next one will be on the 15th again in January from 7pm in the Alexandra again. We decided on the 15th so that those who couldn't make it because it was on a Tuesday in December hopefully will be able to come on Friday 15 January. We haven't discussed yet whether we want to keep going to the Alexandra or will rotate pubs as we rotate days of the week, or maybe meet at people's houses instead. If you can't make it but want to make a suggestion for the February date or venuehttp://lgmacweb.env.uea.ac.uk/green_ocean/positions/Buitenhuis/feedback.htmldo get in touch. (Erik Buitenhuis)

Climate Action in Norwich and London - TN reports

In December 2009 in Copenhagen the world’s governments met for what might have been be the last chance to agree on joint global actions to cut greenhouse gases to prevent runaway global warming. It was called ‘the most important meeting in history’. Millions of people were pressing their governments to do more – and to agree the best policies, even if some powerful oil, biofuel and aviation businesses oppose this. There were calls for a declaration of a Climate Emergency so that strong measures can be implemented such as 10% emission cuts by 2010, the building of a new green economy, an end to agrofuel use and protection of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

The Wave in London

On 5 December Transition Norwich travelled down to London to take part in the The Wave, the biggest climate march in history, when thousands converged on the capital to the planetary crisis being discussed by the nations of the world at Copenhagen.

It was a big march with 50,ooo people dressed in all shades of blue: royal blue dragons, sky-blue banners,turquoise wigs, indigo-striped faces. While MPs and campaigners spoke eloquently and passionately at Speakers' Corner, thousands gathered in Grosvenor Square before moving through the great shopping and political highways of the West End towards Parliament. Placards supplied by political and religious organisations declared an end to climate chaos, poverty and capitalism, brightly coloured homemade ones (including our own) from all round the UK declared Climate Emergency, Cardiff is Ready and There is No Planet B. Along the way and as we circled the Houses of Parliament both sides of the Thames we met fellow Transitioners - from Ipswich and Bungay at Speakers' Corner, from Berkhamsted by the Houses of Parliament, from Brixton, who were carrying a banner over Westminster Bridge. At three o’clock Big Ben sounded and a great cheer went up from us all. Was anyone listening? Is this the time when ordinary people get to speak out about the 101 issues that climate change brings to light, rather than give the authorial voice to the scientists and politicians and the corporations who pay for them behind the scenes? It was a beginning. Our voices were quiet, but we were there resiliently nevertheless (Charlotte Du Cann)

You can find a full report on the day on http://www.transitionnorwich.blogspot.com/ and check out the big blue pictures taken by Josiah Meldrum on flickr (http://tinyurl.com/ye2xjvv)

Climate Emergency Rally and March in Norwich

On Saturday 21 November several transitioners gathered in Chapelfield Gardens to join the biggest ever Norwich Climate March while Tom Harper set up the TN stall on Millennium Plain ready for the Climate Emergency rally. There was a buzz in the air as the organisers and police negotiated the route which had already been agreed. At last the Samba Band with its drums and colourful dancers started and we were on the move, but not for long as the traffic ahead of us came to a standstill on St Stephen’s Street. This gave us lots more time to hand out leaflets and get the message across to the fascinated shoppers that climate change is real and we need to act now. The Transition Norwich banner was up there near the front and was clearly visible on the TV News bulletins that went out over the weekend.

Then hundreds of people gathered outside the Forum for the Climate Emergency Rally where speakers including Dr Ian Gibson warned of the dangers of runaway climate change and of this being the “biggest issue of our time”. County Councillor Andrew Boswell said: "Gordon Brown should declare a National Climate Emergency and tell it like it is” and our very own Tully and Kate spoke about some of the solutions and all the positive things that are already happening in Transition Norwich and Bungay. (Christine Way)

While many people travlled to Copenhagen for a Global Day of Action midway through the talks. candlelight vigils and call-to-actions took place all over the planet. On Saturday 12 December Norwich joined 800 cities in 81 countries in mourning for what we have lost, celebrating what we care about and want to preserve and demanding that those in Copenhagen act while they can. (Lesley Grahame)

TckTckTck includes Avaaz, 350.org, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, and many others.

Transition Circles– Strangers' Circle and TC West - Wednesday 13 and Monday 26 January

Winter transition talk is all about home energy and heating most of all. There was a lively flurry of emails when the temperature dipped at the beginning of November and everyone shared their tips about keeping warm and retrofitting their houses. Long johns appeared on our front page and in the TN blog. Some of us turned the radiators on very low, most of us were holding out till the first frosts. Meanwhile keeping a 50% cut in our carbon emissions as our main intent, TN2 is collating a skills audit and individual case studies, so that others can see both the narrative and the numbers involved. The neighbourhood circles are now looking at Stuff (TC West) and Food (Strangers') in relationship with radical carbon reduction. Meanwhile Christine Way of Transition Central checked out Carbon Conversations in Cambridge (watch this space next month for a full report).

Strangers' Circle. The Strangers (after Strangers' Hall, originally a meeting house for the Huguenot weavers), are a group of us that live in the hinterland of Norwich. At our first meeting in Shotesham we laid down the tracks of our personal powerdowns that ranged from nearby issues (non-green teenage sons, a clothes habit, hot baths) to the wider ones, such as social equity in relation to our pursuit of resources and the clash between a new culture of limit and spiritual concepts of endless universal energy. In our second meeting at Mangreen we got down to details: we laid our electricity, gas and oil bills out on the table and discussed how we could live without all that central heating and hot water.

Last night in Reydon we had a meeting based on Transport (giving everyone an opportunity for serious car-share!). We brought our mileage records and sitting by a roaring wood stove Tully crunched the figures. We were all about the same with our car habits, around 1 ton. Some of us were still flying, others of us had stopped. Our bus and train travel carbon use was minimal. What becomes clear in this simple but exacting scrutiny is what fossil fuel you think you are using bears almost no relation to what you are actually using (which is way higher). That no matter how we look at it, we have been living in an artificially powered world for so long, it is a challenge to face reality together and discover a way out of it. (Charlotte Du Cann).

The Transition Circles meet regularly in people’s houses (see calendar for full details). If you would like to join a neighbourhood circle or start one up do get in touch with any of the following people: TN2 and Strangers' Circle - contact Tully at tully@transitionnorwich.org. Transition Circle West (NR2) - contact Helen Wells on heavenwells@mac.com. Transition Central - contact Christine at transition@innerspace.co.uk.

Communications: Read All About Us!

TN is getting in the news. Not only have the Buildings and Energy group been interviewed by BBC1, but we have also been invited to join the OneWorldColumn on the EDP, specifically to write about the Transition movement and its related issues. The OWC is written by a co-operative of six writers that comes out each Saturday. Last month Charlotte Du Cann of TN and Trevor Phillips of Campaign Against Climate Change both focussed on climate change and the need to radically downshift our lives. Check out their respective articles, It’s Time to Leave the Pleasuredome and Slaying Dinosaurs in Copenhagen at OneWorldColumn.org. Meanwhile here is the news of our TN blog, now entering its second round... (You'll have to visit the TN blog to find out why Primark is in the picture!)

Since the November bulletin, the TN blog (www.transitionnorwich.blogspot.com) has gone from strength to strength.

The vision of a low-carbon life can be a daunting one, and last month we have tackled some difficult subjects. Charlotte talked candidly about the mental challenge involved in consciously letting go of our addiction to the oil-fuelled consumer lifestyle we’ve grown so used to. Tully wrote about the pressures from those around us to consume, and the way in which the public spaces in our society reinforce that pressure. There may be no easy answers, but understanding the question is often the first stage in finding a solution.

Yet, proving that transition has its own richness and sense of fun, we’ve also talked about everything from meeting strangers on buses, to the pleasures around us in nature; from hot baths to tents, to the realisation that Real Men Wear Tights. Oh yes!

But perhaps the dominant subject this month has been food, starting off with carrot and cumin scones before moving on to the subject of growing our own food. A series of passionate posts by Jane C, including some fabulous pictures, on the subject of baking bread had me heading for the kitchen, while Mark W’s picture of Breakfast with Friends made me realise that I didn’t even know what a quince looked like. If you don’t either, head to the TN blog to find out! (Jon Curran/Comms)

Little Melton Cycle Path – Friday 4 December

We are campaigning for a safe, off road cycle path that will enable children to get to the schools in Little Melton and Hethersett and will enable everyone to quickly reach places of work at the Hospital, UEA and Research Park. There are proposals to enlarge the Research Park and for 1000 more houses at Hethersett – without action the roads will become more dangerous, more congested and more polluted.

Please come to one of the locations below – it just needs to be for a few minutes in order to show your support and maybe get your picture on TV!

08:00 to 08:45 at Hethersett Village Hall – South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon will meet children as they ride to school. A crew from BBC TV is expected – as well as the local press. If you come on your bike please wear bright clothing and have lights as it will only just be light!
09:00 to 09:15 at the pedestrian crossing over the A47 at end of School Lane, Little Melton – MP Richard Bacon will see how dangerous the existing crossing is.

The full details are at http://www.little-melton.org.uk/news/CyclePath.html. If you can help with the campaign then please contact John on 01603 812472 or john@heaser.com or visit http://cyclelinks.org.uk/.

Lights Out! TN Filmed by BBC1 on Energy Audit – Sunday 6 December

One of the ideas of the Buildings and Energy group of Transition Norwich was to carry out an audit of the lights being left on in shops and offices around the city long after anyone was using them. As part of a programme looking at climate change issues both in an international context and at more local level action, the BBC politics show filmed a report on this project on the evening of 11th November.Maria Price and Mark Crutchley from the group were interviewed by the show's presenter in Norwich, and filmed looking at the lighting in various city centre shops. The report is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday 6th December in a programme which will also include an interview with Professor Kevin Anderson, head of the Tyndall Centre. (Mark Crutchley/Buildings and Energy)

World Cafe on Creating Personal Change - Tuesday 8 December

The Resilience Plan group together with the Heart and Soul Group invite you to join us in a discussion about "getting from here to there". A lot of the Resilience Plan has been written and gives some clear ideas about how we need to change our food, transport, home heating etc. But how do we get from here to there? What are the inner, as well as outer, obstacles to change, and how do we help to overcome them? Come and join the cafe to answer these questions. (Note: this was going to be an Open Space, but in the interests of reaching a conclusion that can be written up in the Resilience Plan, we've decided to go for a World Cafe format instead. This involves a series of small-group discussions, each with a predefined question and a facilitator. We're sure you'll enjoy it and we aim to engage all of your wisdom and insights.) (Erik Buitenhuis/Resilience Plan)

The cafe will be held in the Alexander Room, United Reformed Church, Princes Street, Norwich NR3 1AZ. Arrive 18:45 for a 19:00 start, bringing cake is optional.

Meeting to discuss the Transition Circles, 16 June 09

Transition Circles - TN2 and Circle West - Friday 27 November and Tuesday 1 December

It’s all about heating this month. All the Transition Circles are talking long johns and fingerless gloves, we’re getting out our electric, gas and oil bills and getting down to the nitty-gritty. We are also deciding how to work together. TN2 is now becoming a hub, exploring the main ideas and philosophies behind carbon reduction and disseminating them to the outside world. Transition Circles are neighbourhood groups that concentrate on personal carbon reduction and how these actions might influence and impact the local area. Initially the subjects under discussion will be the main drivers of Carbon Cutting – energy, transport and food.

TN2 On 6 October we shared the last of the party cider and a delicious meal at Christine’s flat in central Norwich. We introduced ourselves by speaking about the qualities and experiences we bring to this project. We went in order of age (22-74) and our skills ranged from oceanography, local government funding and research into sustainable communities to creative directorship, psychology, consciousness and on-line collaborative learning. We then had the “big discussion about how we see this group and the Transition Circle process” that included the recent funding bids, whether we should use a fixed programme such as Carbon Conversations or Totnes Together with a curriculum and workbook, and whether we were still committed to cutting our emissions to half the national average over the next year. In amongst the many tangents concerning bees, neighbours, co-operative food sharing, car-sharing and how to keep cheerful, we were discovering a creative and fluid structure that will not only enable us to work together but want to. (Charlotte Du Cann/Strangers' Circle)

Transition Circle West met on 26 October, starting as usual with a bring-and-share meal. This month Teresa Belton gave a somewhat abbreviated version of the Social Science Cafe workshop she had developed for CUE (Community University Engagement) East’s first Sustainable Living Festival in the Forum in May, called “Increasing Happiness, Decreasing Consumption”. This combined a setting out of the findings of research into wellbeing with exercises to explore aspects of life that nurture wellbeing. Of course, Transition people know all about the downsides of consumption already, so the consumption element of the workshop which would be included for a more general participant group was left on one side. Afterwards the group said they felt it was well worthwhile to be helped to be reminded of those things that really do cultivate our sense of wellbeing - none of which have either an environmental or a financial cost. (Teresa Belton/TC West)

The Transition Circles meet regularly in people’s houses (see calendar for full details). Transition Circle West will be held in NR2 on 1 December - contact Helen Wells on heavenwells@mac.com, Transition Central will be meeting in central Norwich during December (date to be confirmed) - Contact Christine at transition@phonecoop.coop, The Strangers’ Circle will be meeting on 30 November in Reydon - contact Charlotte at theseakaleproject@hotmail.co.uk

FILMS: Vanishing of the Bees directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein (UK, 2009)

Today is the last day of Bee Action week and cinemas all over England are buzzing. The documentary film, Vanishing of the Bees, investigates the syndrome known as colony collapse disorder that has decimated honeybee populations throughout the world, affecting not only the production of honey, but the pollination of trees, fruit, vegetables and herbs that make up a third of what we eat every day.

The mysterious disappearance of billions of bees has coincided with the use of systemic pesticides known as neonicotinoids. These damage the bee’s immune system in subsequent generations, making them vulnerable to disease. Manufactured by the pharmaceutical corporation, Bayer (CropScience), these toxins also affect the ability of the bees to navigate - they suffer from loss of memory and co-ordination and literally cannot find their way home.

Neonicotinoids are illegal in many European countries, including France, Germany and Italy. Governments in Britain and the United States have made no move towards banning their use. Meanwhile other organisations, such as the film’s distributor the Co-op (Plan Bee), the WI (SOS for Bees), Waveney Beekeepers (who run free beekeeping courses) and Transition initiatives, such as Sustainable Bungay (who are starting their own Community Supported Beehives), are taking matters into their own hands.

Perhaps the most effective way individuals and families can help every day is by eating fruit and vegetables grown without chemicals on organic farms or in local allotments and gardens which support a strong diversity of wild and domestic plants. By “voting with our forks” we will be giving back pollen and nectar to one of our greatest and most ancient allies on earth. (Charlotte Du Cann/Communications)

* STOP PRESS * In reference to the above some of you artists out there may have noted that there's an art exhibition planned for January 2010 at The Forum entitled 'The Elements' which is sponsored by Bayer CropScience. The Forum Trust is currently inviting entries from artists working with themes of 'Man and the Environment' from across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. So please think twice before you pick up that paintbrush! (Andy Croft, Communications)

Transition East Gathering - 14 November

Transition East is a regional collective of all the Transition initiatives in the Eastern Region. On 14 Nov the second Transition East Gathering will take place in Diss (the first, pictured here, was organised by Downham Market and Villages). This will a great opportunity to meet everyone in Transition, share in our successes, grapple with our issues and identify people who can provide specialist support and expertise. The day's programme will include mapping, open space, Transition Troubleshooting and of course lunch (please bring a dish to share, soup will be provided by our Diss hosts). Suggested donation to cover costs: £3. For further details of all events contact transitioneast.net. To book places for the Gathering contact Gary Alexander garyalex@earthconnected.net or tel 07766 711999.

Communications: The Blog Report

The two Transition Norwich blogs were launched on our first birthday party on October 4 and both have become active areas on our (soon-to-be-redesigned) website. The news blog carries all the up-to-date news and reviews and appears on the front page. It works like a live bulletin and supplies the material for this monthly in-house update of everything that’s going on in Transition Norwich. The TN blog (http://www.transitionnorwich.blogspot.com/) is a low-carbon community blog. It’s written by Transitioners in different groups and showcases the personal lives of people in Transition.

Last week we began to take turns as the TN writer-in-residence (weekends are kept open for anyone in the crew to post). Jon Curran has been talking about sweet chestnuts, children, nature, energy, wind power and all things low-carbon. Find out how to make chestnut soup and other practical and philosophical insights amongst our book reviews, bike rides, medicine plant walks, midsummer parties, zero-carbon holidays and allotment news. Do post your comments. Blogging is all about response. We’d love to hear your feedback.

FILMS: In Transition by Emma Goude (UK 2009) - Sunday 22 November

This month the Comms group is preparing a programme of events for the winter and would like your views. Please go to http://www.doodle.com/zazzr95xyrbpwxvh to select any films you would like to see and add other events that you would like in the comments below the doodle. Those who enjoyed moving across the dance floor at the Transition-supported ceilidh at The Keir Hardie Hall in September might like to step out to the low carbon acoustic band, Shufflewing, on 18 November http://www.reeldance.org.uk.

At the heart of learning how to transition to a world beyond oil is building community. In Transition successfully portrays the real 'getting your hands dirty' approach that is the hallmark of transition work, and shows it active in groups across the whole of the U.K. and the world. Also clear is how far transition work has progressed in a year. Not just in terms of numbers of groups across the country - they have proliferated !- but through the seriousness with which we are now taken by local and national politicians, policy makers, and big media personalities. "Transition Towns has become mainstream", proclaims one person in the film - but not at the expense of its fundamental creativity, infectiousness, and grassroots soul. It's great to see Transition Norwich featured so prominently in the film too - watch it and be inspired! (Chris Hull/Core)

Transport: Norfolk and Norwich Transport Plans – 28 November

Transition Norwich Transport Group has prepared guidance notes for those of you who would like to comment on the proposed transport strategy for Norwich and North Norfolk (deadline 28 November). Do please spare the time to comment if you can; the guidance notes (Word doc attached with this bulletin) give a brief overview of the plans, some of which are excellent and others which are clearly unsustainable. The consultation document can be downloaded here: http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/article/ncc071290.pdf

Transition Norwich is not a pressure group; it's up to you to make an informed response - we hope the attached notes (TNTransportNotes.doc) will help to give you the information you need. For more info contact Jane Chittenden at editor@transitionnorwich.org

* STOP PRESS * The majority of the County Council is pressing the Department of Transport for a 'Yes' decision on the Northern Distributor Route (NDR) and 80,000 new houses. http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED30

Reskilling/NR3: Save Christmas, Save the Planet – Saturday 28 November

As a way of building community, relearning old skills and affording Christmas we have decided to run a Green Christmas Fair at the local church hall. In Sewell ward ( part of NR3) the local transitioners (reskilling and NR3) have got together with the existing Church fete which was already green - bric-a brac, homemade jam and cakes and handmade knitwear. Already there is great excitement particularly amongst the churchgoers and the local community. We are planning a range of workshops to show you how to make your own Christmas gifts and generally having a low carbon Christmas which is about loving each other and not buying loads of stuff.

If you feel you can contribute in any way then please contact me, we need storytellers, reskillers (making gifts) and stuff to make things with. So if you have any of these skills or any old fabric, pine cones or hazel or willow twigs then please let me know. Kind regards, Helen Simpson Slapp – helenofnorwich@hotmail.com

Resilience Plan: Open Space Discussion on Changing Culture, Values and Behaviour – Tuesday 8 December

We all recognise that communicating the facts about peak oil, climate change etc is only the beginning of the challenge. We don't necessarily change our lives overnight just because we become aware of the facts. Other obstacles get in the way - some of them practical, others to do with our identity, values, culture and beliefs. We in the Resilience Plan group are moving towards pulling together information about the practical changes that Norwich could make to become more resilient. But we need your help in exploring how we're going to get from where we are now to that more resilient future - that is, to build a vision of how the culture and values of the people of Norwich might change to enable those practical changes to happen. Of course, building this understanding will help the whole of Transition Norwich, not just the Resilience Plan.

We're going to use an Open Space format, which means that you can bring your own ideas about different aspects of this question and invite others to join you in discussing them. Tuesday Dec 8th, 7:30pm. Check http://www.transitionnorwich.org/ for details of the venue. (Tully Wakeman/Resilience Plan)

Down at the Allotment 2: Seedy Sunday -Sunday 1 November

Erik's organic seed-swap is at Bluebell Lane South allotments, kindly hosted by Mahesh. Bring seeds to exchange, swap ideas and tips for organic growing and see what progress we have made with the TN allotment. We officially launched our City Allotment Project on Sunday 4 October to coincide with the October allotment lunch. Mahesh Pant, founder of the Grow-our-Own scheme, cut the green ribbon and work has already started on plans for the plot, which will have a circular potager-style bed for annual vegetables and permanent crops and fruit round the edges of the circle. For further info contact Jane at editor@transitionnorwich.orContact Erik at martinburo67@hotmail.com.

The allotments are at Bluebell Lane South, off The Avenues down a narrow lane immediately after George Borrow Road on the way out of the city. For more information see http://grow-our-own.co.uk

Energy and Buildings Group

The Energy / Buildings Group brings together the former Energy group with the Buildings aspect of the old Buildings/Housing Group.

A number of projects are under consideration, such as helping a group of volunteer householders who are willing to spend £5-10K on improving their properties and reporting on their progress (like ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’) to share lessons; community based power generation; carbon offsetting for businesses; providing citizens with a template to help reduce energy; a Norwich Blackout Day to raise awareness about energy consumption.

One of the latest ideas of the Buildings and Energy group of Transition Norwich was to carry out an audit of the lights being left on in shops and offices around the city long after anyone was using them. As part of a programme looking at climate change issues both in an international context and at more local level action, the BBC politics show filmed a report on this project on the evening of 11th November.

Maria Price and Mark Crutchley from the group were interviewed by the show's presenter in Norwich, and filmed looking at the lighting in various city centre shops.

Click here to view / join the Energy and Buildings email discussion group (Google Group) 

Down at the Allotment 1: Big Dig Day - Sunday 25 October

Calling all spade-wielding Transitioners! The ground of the TN allotment needs a good dig-in before winter planting can begin. If you would like some good resilient exercise this Sunday, do drop in and join the Big Allotment working party. (No need to bring a spade however - all tools provided by the Grow-Our-Own scheme). Even if you can only contribute for an hour (or cheer from the sidelines) do come along. Bring a dish to share if you'd like to stay for lunch.

The allotments are at Bluebell Lane South, off The Avenues down a narrow lane immediately after George Borrow Road on the way out of the city. For more information see http://grow-our-own.co.uk/. For more info contact Jane at editor@transitionnorwich.org

Photo by Kathryn Siveyer of Transition Canterbury transitioncityallotment.blogspot.com

FILM: The Vanishing of the Bees - Tuesday 27 October

The Vanishing of the Bees (U) is showing at Cinema City on Tuesday 27 October, 8.30 Director: George Langworthy. USA/UK 2009. 102 mins.

Honeybees pollinate one third of the food we consume, from apples to tea, but populations across the globe are declining dramatically. The causes are unknown, with theories ranging from poor weather and pests to pesticides.

The Vanishing of the Bees investigates this potentially catastrophic problem through interviews with scientists and beekeepers, in the process asking wider questions about modern intensive agricultural processes. Presented by The Co-operative as part of their Plan BEE programme. Find out after the screening what you can do to help halt the decline.

For more information visit http://www.vanishingbees.co.uk/ www.facebook.com/PicturehouseDOCS Book online or on 0871 704 2053

Transition Cafe

The Party's Over but the Band Plays On

Transition Norwich celebrated its first anniversary last Sunday with the first screening of In Transition, an inspirational documentary film about some of the 227 Transition initiatives around the UK and beyond. The film includes the unleashing of Transition Norwich at St Andrew’s Hall last October, with interviews from several Norwich people, including City Councillors Rupert Read, and Ruth Makoff and County Councillor Chris Hull.

It tells the story of the generation that looked peak oil and climate change square in the face, and responded with creativity, compassion and genius. http://transitionculture.org/in-transition/ .

Councillor Rupert Read responded to seeing himself unexpectedly in the film: ‘It was great, with lots of Norwich people – the wonderful turnout, then and now shows that the Transition movement is clearly going strong in our fine city.’

The party was held at the arts venue, Unit 5, in the Silver Triangle and n the true co-operative spirit of Transition everyone gave a hand. The apple juice was pressed that afternoon after the launch of our plot at the Bluebell Allotments. The food was all home-grown, organic and fairtrade and cooked by a Transition cooking bee.The bunting was made from recycled clothes by the Reskilling group.

The evening was opened by the Sheriff of Norwich, Professor Tim O’ Riordan, who expressed his support for the Transition movement, which he described as ‘organic, helpful, exciting and fun, showing how we can live sustainably and enjoy life’. Tully Wakeman then gave an overview of the work of the various theme groups and the practical projects we have been working on during the last year.

Journalist Ariane Heinz, 65 from Germany, visiting friends in Norwich said that ‘The Transition (from oil dependence to local resilience against economic and environmental shocks) have a long way to go but it’s the only way. In my home town of Cologne, we are gathering information to help each other reduce our energy use by 1% every 6 months’

After the film party goers enjoyed low-carbon cider and beer, and danced to live music from Transitioners Tom Foxe, Fret 6 and the John Preston Tribute Band, all amplified by cycle power. More like a party than a protest’ is how party organizer Charlotte Du Cann described her first year of Transition, not just tonight’s event. For founder member Tully Wakeman the year was ‘an exciting journey of finding out how we should be doing things, with valuable views and contributions brought by lots of different people’ . (Lesley Grahame/Comms)

Opening Out - TN2 and the new Transition Circles

The TN2 group began in July with a focussed discussion about what personal actions we had already made in the face of climate change (ranging from reduced use of water and fuel, cycling to work, almost zero waste) and how we should log our carbon adn ecological footprints and make connections with other groups embarking on similar explorations. Since then we have been rippling outwards meeting in three neighbourhood groups (Circle West, Stranger's and Transition City Lunch). These new groups are known as Transition Circles. the main hub is known as TN2.

In our main meeting in September fourteen of us began to swap stories and start building a co-operative network of people and resources, as well as map out what a low-carbon way of life might look. We also decided to base each of our subsequent TC meetings on the principle carbon- cutting themes of energy, transport and food. Our next meetings will be based on Electricity. So "get the bills out" and come along and find out how we can all reduce our electricity use and still keep our (inner) lights switched on (Charlotte Du Cann/TC Stranger's)

Transition Circle West met for the first time in August and has committed to monthly meetings. We plan to meet in each others houses and to share food, ideas and support for ways of reducing our carbon footprint. We made a start by using a range of carbon calculators to see where we are now and where we would like to be in a years time. (Helen Wells/TC West)

Transition City Lunch Circle This new Transition Circle is for anyone who lives, works, shops or has a regular connection with the city during the day and would like to join a Transition Circle. These Transition Circles are groups of individuals committed to supporting each other in reducing their carbon footprint and leading an enjoyable low energy life style. As the plan is to create a sociable event as well as a constructive business meeting we will meet at lunchtime and share food. The first meeting will be in Christine’s flat at Inner Space on Monday 12 October at 12.30. 01603 614460 or transition@phonecoop.coop for more information (Christine/TC City Lunch)

If you want to join us, do come to our next meetings and bring food to share. Please check the calendar for dates and venues.

Now We Are Six - the new core group

Representatives from all theme groups met last spring and thrashed out some constitutional issues for Transition Norwich. One of the things we agreed was that we need to have a Core Group, which should be of 6 people, elected by the membership. We felt continuity is important so agreed 3 people should step down each year, i.e. ideally nobody will serve for more than 2 years. In early summer we asked (via the Bulletin) for nominations, and received only 3, so those people were elected automatically.

The new members are Jane Chittenden, Alex Haxeltine and Tom Harper. They join the continuing members Christine Way, Chris Hull and Tully Wakeman. The core group thanks Greg Colbourn and Sarah Gann, who stood down at this election, for their valuable work during the first year of Transition Norwich (Tully Wakeman/Core)

Jane Chittenden: lives and works in Norwich, running a small communications company. I am a lifelong champion of good food and a "green gardener and a member of the communications, resilience planning, transport and business/economy groups.

Tom Harper: recently moved to Norwich from London. I am a 'Be the Change' Facilitator, trained in jan 2008 and since then have been in a state of 'blessed unrest' regarding environmental sustainability and social justice issues. I am passionate about getting involved on a deeper level with the transition movement here in my new home city

Alex Haxeltine: lives on Stafford Street in the west of Norwich and works as a researcher in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, I have some 20 years experience of working on climate change and sustainability issues. and so far have been most involved in the Heart and Soul group, TN2 and the Resilience Plan group.

This Low Carbon Life – new TN blog goes live - Sunday 4 October

Blogging is an internet phenomenon. First we had information sites, then ecommerce, then e-everything. Facebook, email, google – the internet became ubiquitous and everyone got connected. But as we became connected, somehow we got further apart. Blogs are different. For me, blogs put real people back at the heart of the internet.

Our TN blog is designed to showcase the Norwich transition experience, from those who are living it. The highs, the lows, the challenges and the triumphs! If Transition is itself a community experiment, then our site is also an experiment in community blogging. Unlike most blogs we’re asking a number of authors to share their unique experience – and unique voice. Some will write a little, some lots, some will post photos and some will post paintings. What ever happens, it will be an exciting journey.

So add the blog to your favourites, post your comments, and tell us what you think! http://www.transitionnorwich.blogspot.com (Jon Curran/Comms)

Norwich Green Guide

Kerry Lane (TN2/Resilience Plan/Reskilling) writes: I am an environmental science student at UEA and a regular participant of Transition. In my three years in Norwich I have gradually discovered more and more of its amazing secrets and I would like to make it possible for others to discover them more easily. So I want to put together a guide to living a green life in Norwich, giving all of the local information on places to get local food, where to bank, recycling centres and everything else under the sun. If you would like to help make this a reality or have any titbits of information then please join the Norwich Green Guide group at http://groups.google.com/group/norwichgreenguide Any help appreciated!

Our First Birthday

Come to our First Birthday Party and see the first Norwich screening of the In Transition film. We’ll have low-carbon and local drinks and snacks and music to set the scene, as well as feedback from the key TN groups that have been active around the city since our Unleashing last year. The party is for everyone in Transition Norwich and anyone else who would like to come along. We’re asking for donations at the door between £3-5 to cover costs. 7.30pm at Unit 5, Beckham Place, off Edward Street. If you would like to book a place or give us a hand on the night contact Elena at info@transitionnorwich.org or phone Charlotte (01502 722419).

Allotment and Growers Group

From the autumn of 2010 the TN Allotment Group is widening its remit to include all our veggie-growers, whether they have an allotment, a garden in the sky, a proper kitchen garden or just a window-box. We'll carry on swapping seeds, plants and tall stories at regular events throughout the gardening year. Look out for the garden-share scheme coming soon too.

Securing reliable sources of local food is the most urgent of the Transition tasks, because most modern farming and food production is totally dependent on fossil fuel and chemicals, which can't be sustained even in the short term; and increasingly climate change will affect the reliability of intensively farmed crops. In Transition we're buying from our local growers, producers and sellers (organic wherever possible) to support our communities and build sustainable food practices for the future. And we're working as a group to grow our own seasonal and regional fruit and vegetables -we're learning new skills and rediscovering skills that have almost been lost. Along the way we are growing and eating really delicious food together.

Our aim is to share and learn together, with a mix of conventional allotment growing and permaculture techniques. We are keen to concentrate on delicious tasting fruit and veggies as well as exploring what grows best in our Norfolk climate!

Members of the group so far are a mix of experienced gardeners and newcomers keen to learn how to grow great food for themselves and their friends and families. Several of us have plots at the Grow Our Own community allotment scheme at Bluebell Lane South and we catch up at Grow Our Own regular meetings to share a meal together (ideally made with produce from the allotments), on the first Sunday of each month.


Contact: Jane Chittenden jane@janechittenden.co.uk

The Allotment

Securing reliable sources of local food is the most urgent of the Transition tasks, because most modern farming and food production is totally dependent on fossil fuel and chemicals, which can't be sustained even in the short term; and increasingly climate change will affect the reliability of intensively farmed crops. In Transition we're buying from our local growers, producers and sellers (organic wherever possible) to support our communities and build sustainable food practices for the future. And we're working as a group to grow our own seasonal and regional fruit and vegetables -we're learning new skills and rediscovering skills that have almost been lost. Along the way we are growing and eating really delicious food together at our community allotment.

The TN Allotment is a group plot on the Grow our Own community allotment scheme based at Bluebell Lane South in the west of the city, near the university. All the plots in this scheme are organic.

Our aim is to use this plot as a learning centre, with a mix of conventional allotment growing and permaculture techniques. We are keen to concentrate on delicious tasting fruit and veggies as well as exploring what grows best in our Norfolk climate!

Quite a lot is already happening on the allotment since we acquired it in October 2009. Vegetables: the broad beans have all come through (Sabberton Supreme beans are looking particularly good), the garlic and onion sets are starting to shoot; and the spring cabbages are bedding in nicely. Fruit: there are lots of little strawberry runners to plant later; and we have discovered that our mystery tree (a legacy from the previous owners) is a self-fertile Stella cherry. Our permaculture experts are putting aside some cuttings from pruning the allotment's fruit bushes.


We have made good progress on digging. There is more to be done when the weather improves - too cold at the moment. Over the winter we are planning to propagate some herb cuttings – any offers from people with interesting herbs?

Our outline planting plan will be developed in detail, starting before the spring rush in March and updated during the course of the year as new seeds and plants become available. We'll be using seeds and seedling plants that are available to us as members of the Grow Our Own scheme, which also provides us with all the tools we need (no need to bring your own), together with water, organic compost and manure - and lots of advice on tap from seasoned allotment-holders.

Events planned for 2010 include a Plant Swap in the city centre; a Taste the Difference session to compare different types of popular fruit and veg varieties (summer holidays); a Seedy Sunday to swop seeds (late autumn, to follow on the success of last year's event) and contribution to the Grow Our Own open day, which was a huge success last summer with apple and pear juice pressings, plant sales and delicious veggie dishes, cakes and puds for visitors to try, all made from allotment produce.

Members of the group so far are a mix of experienced gardeners and newcomers keen to learn how to grow great food for themselves and their friends and families. Meetings will be synchronised with Grow Our Own regular meetings to share a meal together (ideally made with produce from the allotments), on the last Sunday of each month.. Volunteering is on the last Sunday of the month; food-sharing on the first Sunday.. The Grow Our Own team are usually at the allotment site on Wednesday mornings and Sunday mornings; the allotments are open every day until dusk.

Contact: Jane Chittenden jane@janechittenden.co.uk

Transition City Allotment Launch – Sunday 4 October

We're officially launching our City Allotment Project on Sunday 4 October at 1pm to coincide with the October allotment lunch. Mahesh Pant, founder of the Grow-our-Own scheme will cut the green ribbon at 1pm. Work has already started on plans for the plot, which will have a circular potager-style bed for annual vegetables and permanent crops and fruit round the edges of the circle. Come along to Bluebell Lane South between 10am -12 noon to see our allotment plot, share ideas and meet fellow-growers. Stay for the allotment lunch if you have time (1pm) and bring a dish to share.

For further info contact Jane at editor@transitionnorwich.org.

Our First Birthday – Sunday 4 October

Come to our First Birthday Party and see the first Norwich screening of the In Transition film. We’ll have low-carbon and local drinks and snacks and music to set the scene, as well as feedback from the key TN groups that have been active around the city since our Unleashing last year. The party is for everyone in Transition Norwich and anyone else who would like to come along. We’re asking for donations at the door between £3-5 to cover costs. 7.30pm at Unit 5, Beckham Place, off Edward Street.

If you would like to book a place or give us a hand on the night contact Elena at info@transitionnorwich.org or phone Charlotte (01502 722419).

TN2 First Autumn meeting - 3 September

After our first large and exuberant gathering of midsummer, TN2 had a focussed discussion in July about what personal actions we had already made in the face of climate change (ranging from reduced use of water and fuel, cycling to work, almost zero waste) and how we should log our personal carbon footprints and make connections with other groups embarking on similar explorations. We decided to meet in two Transition Circles (TC West and The Strangers) during August, so we could swap stories and start building a co-operative network of people and resources, as well as map out what a low-carbon way of life might look like. If you want to join us, do come to our next open meeting on Thursday Sept 3 at Inner Space! Bring food to share. NB 7pm start not 7:30.

Developing a Resilience Plan

Transition Norwich is developing a positive vision of the kind of Norwich we would like to live in in the future, and to build the city’s capacity to deal with any crises that will come along the way, such as peak oil and climate change. Through our theme groups we have expertise in different aspects of this, such as food systems, buildings and how to heat them, transport, and reskilling.

The aim of the Resilience Plan (also known as an Energy Descent Plan or Pathway) is to capture these visions and this knowledge in a single document that we can share with each other and with others, such as local authorities. A Resilience Plan Group has set itself up (and you’re welcome to join it), and is asking all of the theme groups to make their contributions to the Plan. Hopefully this has been discussed in theme groups over the summer and most groups are now finalising a first draft of their respective chapters. Over the autumn we hope to bring these together into a coherent whole. If there are contradictions or inconsistencies between what different groups have provided, we will discuss these with the groups concerned. We also hope to hold a visioning event that will be open to everyone involved with Transition Norwich. (Tully Wakeman)

Transition Norwich's Very Own Allotment

Stop press - we have just heard that Mahesh Pant of Sustainable Living Initiative (see Allotments Open Day article below) is reserving a block of allotment strips for Transition Norwich at Bluebell Lane South allotments, which will become available in October. In the Transition spirit, we will be planning to grow and share produce where it is most needed; and we'll be keeping a blog record of our successes ... and the things that maybe don't go so well, like slugs and bugs! For further information email Jane Chittenden at editor@transitionnorwich.org

Keir Hardie Ceilidh – Wednesday 16 September

Ceilidh dances are held at the Keir Hardie Hall on the third Wednesday of each month between September and May and feature some of the best ceilidh bands in East Anglia. The first dance this season is being jointly promoted by TN and the band is Ethel’s Cats. All the dances are called and are preceded by a short walk through – so no experience is needed – but a good sense of humour helps. The music is lively and the dances are quite energetic.

John from the TN Waste group writes: “So why is TN having a Ceilidh? A ceilidh brings strangers together to have fun, but needs them to work together and learn new skills – it is a great experience to be part of a room full of people all moving together to the music from a skilled band. Ceilidh music and dances are based on the traditions from our past but each caller and band adapts the dances and brings in new musical elements. We hope you can see the parallels to the work of the Transition movement!” Tickets on the door £4 (£3.50 conc). 8pm Wednesday 16 September. Keir Hardie Hall, St Gregory’s Alley, NR2 1ER www.reeldance.org.uk or phone John (01603 812472)

3-D Model of City Centre Donated to TN

Norwich City Council has generously donated its 2m x 2m 3-D model of the city centre to Transition Norwich, to be used at exhibitions and events to show how the city is becoming - or could become - more resilient. We could use it to show (for example) a vision of tram and cycle routes; independent local businesses, green spaces. It will be a fantastic resource for helping to make our visions of the future come alive.

Greenpeace Fair – Sunday 6 September

The Waveney Greenpeace Fair is held annually after the harvest in the open fields of Hulver Farm in North Suffolk and is one of the principal fundraising events for Greenpeace. Lively and good-natured, this Fair is enjoyed for its wide range of stalls (excellent for food and second-hand clothes), local bands and beer, campaign info, green cinema tent, children’s area etc. Transition Initiatives from East Anglia, including TN, are sharing a stall in the tea-tent (accompanied by cycle-powered music), so if you want to meet fellow Transitioners, come along and find out what is happening in the region. N.B. This year the entry fee for cars is £20 (zero parking in the lanes), so do car-share, cycle or take advantage of the free bus shuttle from Bungay or Halesworth www.waveneygreenpeace.org

The Greenhouse Trail and Open Building – 11-13 September

The Greenhouse have created a climate change exhibition that will be on display upstairs from Friday September 11th to Sunday 13th inclusive, from 10am-5pm. Full of thought- provoking images and text, the exhibition will explore the issues facing humanity, and explore the actions that need to be taken now to prevent runaway climate change. We will be focussing especially on renewable technologies, and how they can play an important role in reducing CO2.

On Sunday 13th, the Greenhouse will be opening and running a climate change/building trail. The event is free and you will be given a route to walk around the city with clues and questions. Follow the route and come back to the Greenhouse for lunch, or afternoon tea and cake and the chance to win a raffle prize! The walk is approximately 4 miles and takes approximately 2 hours without breaks. Start any time after 10.30am and finish any time up to 4.30pm.Contributors including The Energy Savings Trust, Warm Homes, Good Energy, Norfolk Solar - and Transition Norwich (volunteers to support our stand would be most welcome). The event promises to be engaging, interesting and fun, so please come along and join in! For details of the route and more, visit www.GreenhouseTrust.co.uk.

Green Buildings Open Days in Norfolk – 10-13 September

The Campaign to Protect Rural England's annual season of guided tours at energy-efficient buildings across Norfolk. From cottages to mills, barns to smallholdings, studios to sheds - each of the 12 buildings opening their doors has something different to offer. Many harness the energy of the wind, sun, river and rain. Some are hand-made - built from straw, cob, earth or timber. Some have roofs of sedum, wildflowers and grasses. Many use sheep's wool, recycled newspaper and other recycled or reclaimed materials. Visit www.cprenorfolk.org.uk/news-events for more information and then book with the Energy Saving Trust (01376 531547).

Carbon Chronicles and Seize the Day – Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 September

The Zero Carbon Caravan arrives in Norwich on the 18th on its cross country journey from Wales via Transition Initiatives in East Anglia. To celebrate a tragi-comic opera, Carbon Chronicles, is being performed with a local and professional cast with the opportunity for anyone to join in. The story is about elemental beings who become part of Earth, life and fossil fuels, their exploitation by humans and the consequent planetary crisis and climate chaos. Learn simple tunes and choruses and make musical instruments from recycled and found materials and decide how the story ends at the Open Workshop, 10am-4pm Saturday 19th, United Reform Church, Princes St. Performance, 7.30pm at the Friends Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane (free admission). To take part please contact Lesley Graham (01603 920801) lesley7railway@yahoo.co.uk

On the Sunday there will be a Zero Carbon fair at Chapelfield Gardens with the highly acclaimed radical folk band, Seize the Day. 2-8pm. Transition Norwich will be there with a stall. All volunteers welcome. Please contact Elena info@transitionnorwich.org to help on the TN stall and for details on how to join Chris Keene (TN Transport) on his epic two-wheeled journey see www.zerocarboncaravan.net

Sustainable Living Initiative's Allotments Open Day – Saturday 26 September

This is a great opportunity to visit Mahesh Pant's community allotments scheme just when it is at its productive best. Highlights of the day include a tour of the allotments, a gardening game/quiz for all ages, a raffle, sustainably produced refreshments - and of course, a wide selection of organically grown allotment produce. Free entry. The allotments are at Bluebell Lane South, off The Avenues down a narrow lane immediately after George Borrow Road on the way out of the city. 12-4pm. For more information, see http://grow-our-own.co.uk/docs/openday.png

Big Lunch in NR2 – 18 July 2009

Small beginnings made for a great party. First there was one- she registered on the BIG LUNCH website and talked to a friend; then there were two- they made a slip asking if anyone was interested and put them through all the letterboxes on Connaught Road inviting us to a meeting, and caught people in the street who couldn't say no! Then there were 5 - and with one offering to do poster invites and put them on all the trees, and one with an awning to put up over the pavement, and one with tables and chairs, and all of us saying we would be there.

We were off. There was one moment at 1pm- our starting time when we wondered if it would just be us, but then everyone started to arrive and about 50 people came and shared food and talked and found old connections and new connections, neighbours who had been there for 30 years and others just moving in, we had musicians playing and the sun shone and we all thought we'll do this again. (Helen Wells/NR2)

Local Food – How to Make It Happen in Your Community

by Tamzin Pinkerton and Rob Hopkins (Green Books)

Out on the 17th, this is an invaluable guide for setting up practical and inspirational food projects - including CSAs, community orchards, garden shares, food coops and directories. Reports and tips from world-wide Transition initiatives, as well as “mission statements” from key food activists, from Growing Communities in Hackney to the fruit gleaning project, Abundance, in Sheffield.

Reskilling - The Norwich Green Guide

Kerry Lane (TN2/Resilience Plan/Reskilling) writes: I am an environmental science student at UEA and a regular participant of Transition. In my three years in Norwich I have gradually discovered more and more of its amazing secrets and I would like to make it possible for others to discover them more easily. So I want to put together a guide to living a green life in Norwich, giving all of the local information on places to get local food, where to bank, recycling centres and everything else under the sun. If you would like to help make this a reality or have any titbits of information then please join the Norwich Green Guide group at http://groups.google.com/group/norwichgreenguide Any help appreciated!

Dance Camp East

This ten day camp provides a wonderful example of low impact community living for around 500 people. We camped in circles of about 30, each around an open hearth which provided endless cups of tea and vast pots of delicious food each day. The circle is your home base and family for the week; a place where you can chill out when not dancing, singing, being creative, having a massage or taking part in the huge range of workshops and activities on offer. The low impact facilities included sauna, hot tubs and bucket showers for deep cleansing as well as beautiful compost poo palaces. There was a very strong emphasis on reducing waste, reusing and recycling. This year we were blessed with the most glorious weather and it certainly ranked as one of the best Dance Camps I have ever been to. There was a posse of Transitoners from around the country and we enjoyed many chats in the café and the circles and even gathered for a workshop led by Chris Southall from Clacton http://www.ecodiy.org/). In the final cabaret we sang a transition song written by Julian Nangle from Transition Chichester: Here are the words and I’ll leave you to guess the tune. (Christine Way/Core Group)

Imagine there’s no oil
Not easy if you try
No oil production
See the oil men cry
Imagine all the people
Living without oil - yah ha

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’ve got to get it right
We hope some day you will join us
To see-ee-ee the oil free light

Imagine roads and airports
It isn’t hard to do
Empty and abandoned
No public transport too
Imagine all the people
Walking to their work - yah ha

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’ve got to get it right
We hope some day you will join us
To see-ee-ee the oil free light

Imagine living simply
With hammer and with nail
No need for competition
Just helping those who’re frail
Imagine all the people
Living in an oil free age yah –hoo

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’re not the only ones
There is a call for resilience
From ee-ee-ach and every one.

Dance Camp East

This ten day camp provides a wonderful example of low impact community living for around 500 people. We camped in circles of about 30, each around an open hearth which provided endless cups of tea and vast pots of delicious food each day. The circle is your home base and family for the week; a place where you can chill out when not dancing, singing, being creative, having a massage or taking part in the huge range of workshops and activities on offer. The low impact facilities included sauna, hot tubs and bucket showers for deep cleansing as well as beautiful compost poo palaces. There was a very strong emphasis on reducing waste, reusing and recycling. This year we were blessed with the most glorious weather and it certainly ranked as one of the best Dance Camps I have ever been to. There was a posse of Transitoners from around the country and we enjoyed many chats in the café and the circles and even gathered for a workshop led by Chris Southall from Clacton http://www.ecodiy.org/). In the final cabaret we sang a transition song written by Julian Nangle from Transition Chichester: Here are the words and I’ll leave you to guess the tune. (Christine Way/Core Group)

Imagine there’s no oil
Not easy if you try
No oil production
See the oil men cry
Imagine all the people
Living without oil - yah ha

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’ve got to get it right
We hope some day you will join us
To see-ee-ee the oil free light

Imagine roads and airports
It isn’t hard to do
Empty and abandoned
No public transport too
Imagine all the people
Walking to their work - yah ha

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’ve got to get it right
We hope some day you will join us
To see-ee-ee the oil free light

Imagine living simply
With hammer and with nail
No need for competition
Just helping those who’re frail
Imagine all the people
Living in an oil free age yah –hoo

You may say we’re alarmist
But we’re not the only ones
There is a call for resilience
From ee-ee-ach and every one.

TN2 First Autumn Meeting

After our first large and exuberant gathering of midsummer, TN2 had a focussed discussion in July about what personal actions we had already made in the face of climate change (ranging from reduced use of water and fuel, cycling to work, almost zero waste) and how we should log our personal carbon footprints and make connections with other groups embarking on similar explorations. We decided to meet in two Transition Circles (TC West and The Strangers) during August, so we could swap stories and start building a co-operative network of people and resources, as well as map out what a low-carbon way of life might look like. If you want to join us, do come to our next open meeting on Thursday Sept 3 at Inner Space! Bring food to share. NB 7pm start not 7:30.

Transition Training

This inspiring weekend course run by Transition Network trainers is essential for those wishing to know how to set up, run, and maintain a successful transition initiative. This course is packed with imaginative and inspiring ways to delve into both the theory and practice of Transition. If we can fill the course with people from East Anglia it will help us to network, support each other and increase our chances of a successful transition. Last year the course here was oversubscribed and bookings are already coming in from far and wide so book your place soon.

Further details are available at http://www.transitiontowns.org.uk/ or email mailto:info@transitionnorwich.org (01603 614460).Bookings can be made by sending your cheque for £105 payable to ‘Transition Norwich’ to Inner Space, Maude Gray Court, St Benedict's Street, Norwich NR2 4PA.

REPORT: TN2 Second Meeting

On 21 July a group of TN members agreed to form a "collaborative community" of people taking practical steps to reduce our carbon and environmental footprint, whilst living the positive vision of the world we want to create. After our first large and exhuberant gathering of midsummer, this was a sober meeting as befits the beginning of a bold and committed enterprise. We discussed our ideals, our aspirations, our doubts, what personal actions we had already made in the face of climate change (ranging from reduced use of water and fuel, cycling to work, almost zero waste) and how we should log our personal carbon footprints and make connections with other groups embarking on similar explorations. We decided to meet in two Transition Circles (TC West and The Strangers) during August, so we could swap stories and start building a co-operative network of people and resources, as well as map out what a low-carbon way of life might look like. If you want to join us, do come to our next open meeting on Sept 3 at Inner Space! Bring food to share. NB 7pm start not 7:30.

Enter the Dragon

Celeste, our very own Transition Dragon, has made her debut at the Lord Mayor’s procession on 11 July, driven in wizard style by Chris Hull and accompanied by her creator Bel and attendant Transitioners. Thousands of Norwich citizens turned out to welcome her. After a short rest, she is in residence at the Forum, in the Millennium Library from 27 July to 8 August. She plans to tour the county in the autumn.

Celeste is here to campaign for more sustainable use of the elements that she is made from (earth, wind, fire and water).

To find out more, visit http://groupspaces.com/e/click/rreq-vhmp-1xr8tylgbe?u=http://www.transitionnorwich.org.

The Power of Community

This powerful film tells the story of how Cuba responded to the peak oil situation that was imposed upon it by the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is perhaps one of the most inspiring films about transition and provides hope that we can make the lifestyle changes needed to survive in a post oil society. Instead of ice cream bring a loaf of bread or some chopped veg to add to a big pot of soup to share during the interval. This will be followed by a discussion about how we can use some of the ideas in the film here in Norwich. 7pm at Inner Space, Maude Gray Court, St Benedict's Street.

The Age of Stupid - 9 July

The Age of Stupid is being screened again at Cinema City on Sunday 9th August at 5.20pm, followed by a panel discussion. In this film Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the environmental wasteland of 2055, looking back at footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we save ourselves when we had the chance? This is essential viewing for anyone interested in life on earth in the 21st century. The film sold out when it was screened here in April and has been doing so around the globe, so book early (0871 704 2053) or http://groupspaces.com/e/click/rreq-vhmp-1xr8tylgbe?u=http://www.picturehouses.co.uk.

REPORT: Transition Training 2009

Transition Norwich, Transition Dereham, Transition Harleston and Transition Unoki were represented at the Transition Training in Norwich last weekend. TT Network facilitators Mandy Dean and Mike Payne led participants through presentations on peak oil and climate change, pair and group work exercises on personal stories of transition, visualisations of a resilient future and Joanna Macy exercises on inner change. Participants also ran their own Open Space session on local issues. Although most participants were already involved in theme groups locally, another, Eric Maddison, is hoping to start a Transition initiative in the Unoki district of Tokyo in Japan - his trip overseas just happened to coincide with the training. Although surely clocking up the biggest carbon footprint for attendance at a TTN training weekend, he was forgiven! Details of Transition Training across the country are available fromhttp://groupspaces.com/e/click/rreq-vhmp-1xr8tylgbe?u=http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TrainingforTransition

EVENTS: St Benedict's Fair and Transition Party

The Summer Solstice weekend was a busy and challenging one for Transition Norwich with our first party on Mousehold Heath and a stall at the popular St Benedict's Street Fair. It poured with rain on Saturday but the resilient Transition party crew carried on having a good time. 40-50 people cycled or walked up the hill to the Ranger's House where we gathered happily under the willow and apple trees. Everyone brought a sustainable dish. Children made fabric sunflowers and flower-dotted paper and listened to Su the storyteller. We learned about making felt slippers and herbal highballs, drank home-made elderflower cup and ate home-grown strawberries. We swapped clothes and books at the “Old is the New New” stall. Tom sang with his cycle-powered dynamo. Later we had a jam session in the Triple Crunch tent and proved that a spot of stormy weather doesn’t need to get you down!

Meanwhile on Sunday The St Benedict’s Street Fair the weather was fairer, but we were competing for airspace. Co-ordinator Andy C writes: "A great team assembled at short notice, but it was hard to hard to engage with people, as we had an oppressively loud sound system blasting full pelt from a very short range". Nevertheless we were there and the post-it board was again very popular. People wrote their thoughts down about their visions for a resilient Norwich. Key themes were transport and allotments - better facilities for cyclists, independent shops and vegetable growing workshops for schools.

Midsummer Transition Party

Meanwhile . . .roll up for the party of the year - a Summer Solstice outdoor picnic hosted by HEART AND SOUL, RESKILLING and NR3. It's a chance for everyone in transition to get together, have fun and celebrate in a sustainable way. We're having it in the garden at the Ranger's House at Mousehold Heath (a house also in transition, with plans for becoming a nature study centre, run on alternative energy). Do bring food and drink to share (and plate, fork and cup) and anything you feel would make the party go with a swing. There will be reskilling activities through the afternoon (check out the main TN calendar next week for details and times), as well as storytelling, live music, children's crafts, an "Old is the New New" stall, skills exchange, a conversation cafe and more. For directions, and more information on what to bring see the attached map. A good drop off point - and look-out across Norwich - is on Brittania Road opposite the track to the house. See you there!

Time: 12noon-5pm (and beyond). Food: Bring and Share stall, please bring any locally sourced, organic, in-season dishes and also the recipes (for special diets and for Transition cookbook). There will be a BBQ and drinks, tea and coffee available for a donation. Transport: There is very limited parking so people are encouraged to walk and cycle, or car-share from further afield (find someone to share with by registering your journey on http://www.carsharenorfolk.com/). Nearest car park is ten minutes walk. There will be walk and cycle groups leaving from the Red Lion Pub at 11.45 and 2.30 if you would like some help finding your way. Please drop us an email if you want to join one of these groups, as they'll only run if we have sufficient demand, transitionparty@hotmail.co.uk.

Transition Circles

What if we only had three years to save the planet? was the question Tully posed to the whole of Transition Norwich on June 16 2009.Inspired by the Transition Conference in London, he wrote a challenging paper Transition 2.0 and called an extraordinary meeting where a more urgent, ambitious and bold approach to creating a better world was laid out. 54 people came together to step up personal action in the face of climate change.

After that initial meeting a group who decided to dedicated themselves to a year of cutting carbon emissions came together. We discussed our ideals, our aspirations, our doubts, what we had already let go of (ranging from dramatic reductions in use of water and fuel, cycling to work, almost zero waste) and how we should log our personal carbon footprints and make connections with other groups who are embarking on similar explorations. Subsequently three Transition Circles met during August in order we could swop stories and start building a co-operative network of people and resources, as well as map out what a low-carbon way of life might look like.

Transition Circles are neighbourhood groups that concentrate on personal carbon reduction and how these actions might influence and impact the local area. Initially the subjects under discussion are the main drivers of Carbon Cutting – energy, transport and food.

Each of the circles has it own style of meeting but covers the four main subjects: energy, food, transport. At the beginning we are laying down our personal powerdowns and considering everything from small issues to the (non-green teenage sons, a clothes habit, hot baths) to the larger ones such as social equity in relation to our pursuit of resources, the clash between a new culture of limit and spiritual concepts of endless universal energy. Our meetings are social occasions where we share our low-carbon high veg recipes as well as look at our electricity, gas and oil bills, car log books. Where our feelings about the future, and the data and our ordinary lives meet.

TN2 Transition Norwich 2.0 (TN2) was the original hub group of the Transition Circles. It explored the main ideas and philosophies behind carbon reduction and disseminating them to the outside world. Unlike programmes such as Carbon Conversations or Totnes Together which work to a fixed curriculum and workbook and have a designated faciliator, the group was engaged in a creative discovery and cutting edge of carbon reduction. We took turns in facilitation and note taking. One of its main aims was to create a collaborative community of people taking practical steps to reduce our carbon and environmental footprints.

TN2 looked at how best to seed new groups, securing a £1000 funding from Norwich City Council, as well as collating a skills audit and individual case studies.

It enjoyed a lively downshift debate on the googlegroup, which then became the platform for carbon reduction, the TN community blog, This Low Carbon Life.

The Strangers’ Circle is one of the Transition Circles established through the “Transition Norwich 2” discussions. Like Transition Circle West, we are a small group of individuals who are working to reduce our own carbon footprint and environmental footprint, coming together to learn from each other and support each other in this endeavour.

The members of the Strangers’ Circle all live outside Norwich, and mostly south of Norwich. (The word Stranger was used in Norwich in the middle ages to describe someone who didn’t live in Norwich).

During our first year we looked at the main drivers of home energy, transport, food and “stuff” (that is, consumption of goods and services in general). We set out to quantify how far we managed to reduce our footprint, most of us determined to reduce below half of the average UK footprint, and then work on further reductions after that. We then set out to discuss the wider ramifications of Resilience.

Because we live in geographically dispersed locations, some of us are thinking about seeding new groups in the places where we live.

To find out more about this group or to take part please contact Tully Wakeman tully@transitionnorwich.org

Transition Circle West began at the same time as Strangers and was open to anyone living in the west of Norwich interested in raising their awareness and cutting their carbon. The group met monthly in each others' houses. Meetings start with sharing food and then go onto the theme for the night, which can be energy in the home, stuff, travel, food, and how we can support each other to reduce our consumption and therefore our carbon footprint. The idea was to form neighbourhood groups- as each group attracts new members and grows too large to fit in a living room- it will split into two - so the Transition ethos will spread like cell division.

In the course of a year we collected and measured our use of household energy and created a baseline that we will measure again next year to see how we have reduced our energy consumption. Part of what the group does is share stories and experiences of how each of us lives, what is working, what is difficult, real lives making real changes.

In August 2010 Transition Circle West split and seeded into three groups -Transition Circle Earlham North and Earlham South and Transition Circle Hethersett.

Contact: Kerry Lane(kezereky_the_first@hotmail.com) for Earlham North and

Erik Buitenhuis http://lgmacweb.env.uea.ac.uk/green_ocean/positions/Buitenhuis/feedback.html for Earlham South and Hethersett

Photos of the Strangers Circle by Mark Watson and Carbon Conversations by Christine Way; illustration of the Transition Circles West by Helen Wells.