TRANSITION CIRCLES: Earlham North - 30 November

This month we had a wide ranging discussion on money all the way from the global economy down to our individual savings. We inevitably discussed the spending review, but we also discussed alternatives to money and how sharing things is a great way to save money and the planet. We also thought that there should be another level of economy between the government and the household so that you could make decisions at something like a street level.

Next month we will be talking about personal hygiene! A rather taboo topic in modern society where the adverts tell us what we should want, but does everyone wash their hair with herbal essences under a waterfall? We shall be enjoying our bring and share feast and discussion at 6.30 on Tuesday 30th November at Lucinda's house. If you live in this area and would like to join us then we would love to meet you, just email Kerry on kezereky_the_first@hotmail.com.

OTHER TRANSITION CIRCLES: Transition Circle Hethersett meets on 1 December; Earlham South meets on 7 December (see calendar for details of all meetings).

Applying deoderant pic from(http://www.bellasugar.com.au/Use-Natural-Deodorants-8041996 from TN blog An Ode to Dirty Hippies by Kerry Lane

LOOKING AHEAD: Winter festivities - 15 and 21 December

Many people will remember the John Preston Tribute band that played at the TN party last year. John and some his friends will return in December but this time playing a very different type of music when The News Of The Victory play for a ceilidh at Keir Hardie Hall. NOTV is one of the most unusual ceilidh bands and are at the rock end of the folk rock spectrum. You can hear them at http://www.thenewsofthevictory.co.uk/ and details of the dance are at http://www.reeldance.org.uk/ . TN people will be there – come and join us for a fun evening!

It sounds very much like a winter party might just be on the way too... watch this space. If you'd like to get involved in planning it, please email elena on kezzycat@hotmail.com

REPORTS: Core Group Changes

At its October meeting the outgoing members of the Core Group began the process of handing over to an almost entirely new group. Chris, Christine, Jane, Alex and Tully have all decided to step aside. We thank them all for all they’ve done in starting and supporting Transition Norwich over the last 3 years. Fortunately Tom stays on, while Jane and Alex have agreed to attend a couple more meetings to smooth over the transition. Elena, Kerry, Liz and James were the new faces trying on the Core Group for size, and we hope that some or all of them will decide to join the group and make it more valuable than ever to Transition Norwich.

New members are always welcome, so if you are active in Transition Norwich and are interested in joining the core group then let Kerry know (kezereky_the_first@hotmail.com).

Original core member Chris Hull leads Celeste, the Transition Dragon, at the Lord Mayor's Procession, 2009

Zero Carbon Concert - 27 November

Climate campaigners have organised a zero carbon world concert on the eve of the next UN climate summit to demonstrate that a zero carbon world is both achievable and fun. The concert will consist of a number of events all over the world – in England, Wales, Holland, Italy, Poland, Sierra Leone, China, Australia and the USA.

The summit begins on 29 November and there will be an event in Norwich on 27 November featuring Vic Salter, Pedalo, Ruth Gordon and Jimmy and the Magic Shoe in the St Thomas Church Hall, Earlham Rd. It will be acoustic so that it causes no carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, people will be encouraged to travel to the event without emitting carbon. They are asked to walk, cycle, or use public transport instead of driving – unless they have an electric car powered by green electricity, or a diesel vehicle using waste vegetable oil. Also, the venue will be unheated - we've asked them to turn off the gas central heating - so dress accordingly!

N.B. Norwich Critical Mass Bike Ride is on Friday 26th, NOT Saturday 27th as stated in error on some Zero Carbon Concert posters. Concert organisers apologise for this error.

Tickets are £2 in advance (from Chris Keene, 01603 614535, 07801 250982 chris.keene@tiscali.co.uk) or £3 on the door. You can have a look at the website for the zero carbon world concert for a zero carbon world at http://www.zerocarbonconcert.org/

Low Carbon Cookbook - 23 November

Six of us met for our second Cookbook meeting at Christine’s. We had a great cook up with seasonal veg and fruit in Christine's big North African pan and planned out the book, the way gardeners and permaculturists do: by thinking ahead. We decided to map our cooking and growing year beginning today, paying attention to everything that goes into the pot.

Afterwards we looked at the ingredients we had brought and their provenance: Erik’s exotic prickly achocha, nasturtium flowers and rainbow chard home-grown in Hethersett, Christine’s garlic and tomatoes from her terrace, leeks from a market garden near Mark, a bunch of fragrant herbs from outside Charlotte's door, apples and blackberries from Bee's orchard in Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk potatoes, courgettes and flat beans from Norwich market's Folland’s Organics, We shared gifts: out-of-date walnut and avocado oils, cous cous salad from the Green Grocer, sweet chestnuts gathered from Thetford forest. We shared resources: Felicity Lawrence's incisive investigation into supermarket food Not On The Label, documentaries The Power of Community and A Farm for the Future, David Gershon's visionary Social Change 2.0 and Masanobu Fukuoka's no-till agriculture classic The One Straw Revolution.

We talked organic, vegetarian, meat, fish, freegan, industrial! And how we saw The Low Carbon Cookbook taking shape over the coming year, who would focus on what areas. For a full write up of the day see Mark's blog.

If you would like to get involved with this project come to our next meeting! We're planning to write "information boxes" on all aspects of the food production, including a directory of local resources and recipes with ecological footprints. Contact: Charlotte Du Cann rootsshootsandseeds@hotmail.co.uk

Creating a vision of Norwich Community Agriculture - 24 November

Norwich Community Agriculture is the name (for now at least!) of the new co-op we're setting up to run the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme and the School Market Garden. But what else is it? What else will it be doing two, five, or ten years from now? And also, what kind of organisation do we want it to be? How should it enhance the natural environment, support the people of Norwich, or look after its employees? How should it be managed? What do we want to contribute to it in terms of time or other resources? And what do we want to get out of it such as learning new skills, finding employment or widening our social groups?

These and all other possible questions will be dreamed about, discussed and determined on Wednesday November 24th, 7:30pm at the Baptist Church on Duke Street. If you're at all interested in getting involved in NCA, come along, and bring your wildest dreams with you.

For full update of the NCA see Transition Themes Week (18 November) on This Low Carbon Life.

NCA - Job opportunity for grower / farm manager

Norwich Community Agriculture - the food producing co-op that has emerged out of Transition Norwich - is seeking a full time grower / farm manager to run our two organic vegetable growing sites – a 4-acre CSA and a 2-acre school market garden.

We are looking for someone with strong organic horticulture skills and ideally some experience of growing at a market garden scale. It will be a hands-on job but also involve managing casual staff. Ideally candidates will be able to drive a tractor, undertake HACCP assessments etc but we can provide training in these aspects as necessary. Salary up to 20k, starts February 2011. For more information and a job pack see http://www.eafl.org/.

Transition Singalongs

The idea has bubbled up (in more than one head) that Transition needs more singing! We're looking to start it up soon, and we'll need people who like to sing. It doesn't matter how creaky, rusty or just plain flat your voice is- enthusiasm is all that really matters.

If you'd be interested in joining in, please email Kerry on kezereky_the_first@hotmail.com

Mark and Erik connecting with the ancestors at the Transition Circles Summer Solstice Party 2010

Welcome to our November News 2010!

Welcome to our all systems-go November edition. We're heading towards winter but our wood fires are burning bright and the city trees fiery with colour. The Food and Farming projects at Postwick and the Hewett School are breaking new ground as work begins in our two market gardens. As we enter the new growing year, food and plants are definitely the gathering point: The Low Carbon Cookbook Coop begin their seasonal food mapping today, a new Permaculture group has sprung up exchange growing ideas and good practice and the TN annual Seed Swap takes place at the Bluebell Allotments this weekend. Don't miss!

As the world summit on Climate Change approaches at the end of the month in Mexico, carbon reduction is back into focus: on 5/6 November groups from all of the UK are lobbying MPs, while our third cycle of Carbon Conversations are happening all over the city, including UEA and County Hall, and our home-grownTransition Circles enter their second year.

Meanwhile the TN blog This Low Carbon Life enters Year Two in high spirits: our new features week has been considering Waste - upcycling, recycling, bio diesel, food and incendiary incinerators - and we celebrated our first creative year in a fortnight where everyone chose their top posts and pictures.

And talking of festivities, here’s a great reminder of the firework of the year, the Magdalen Street Celebration. Keep an eye out for our upcoming sing-along, ceilidh, and winter party!

Text: Charlotte Du Cann, Prodution: Mark Watson, Design: Andy Croft

Carbon Conversations - 8 November

An inspiring, practical 6 session course on low-carbon living. Designed by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, it engages people both emotionally and practically and was recently featured in the Guardian as one of the 20 best Climate Change solutions. Most members reduce their CO2 emissions by 1 tonne during the course and develop plans to halve their footprints over a longer period. £20.

Monday 8^th November 10.30 -12.30 Anne Dismorr and Christine Way in the Golden Triangle or

Monday 1st November 19.15-21.30 on Ipswich Road, to be held fortnightly. If anyone wants info Tel Lois Hill 01603 623816 or 01603 630297.

Wednesday 27^th October 19:30 - 21:30 with Christine Way and Peter Ellington at Inner Space (It is not too late to join this group)

Contact: Christine Way at http://www.blogger.com/training@transitionnorwich.org or call 01603 614460

RELATED EVENT: Be The Change Symposium - 7 November

A profound inquiry into how we might realise a bold vision: How to create an environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling human presence on Earth. If you are ready to be disturbed, inspired and moved to action – with like-minded & hearted, deeply committed people please come. Bernadette Ryder will facilitate the day. She was one of the first Europeans to train with the Pachamama Alliance to bring the symposium to the UK and is now one of the UKs leading trainers. More info at http://in-rhythm.com/

Suggested donation £25 - £35 You are very welcome to turn up on the day with lunch to share although we would prefer if you could let us know: 01603 614460 http://www.blogger.com/training@transitionnorwich.org

Be The Change is at Inner Space, Maud Gray Court, St Benedict's St, Norwich. 11am-5.30pm.

Permaculture group

Permaculture can be used design anything (your life, garden, business, community project, kitchen etc...really...anything!) to be a sustainable (low input) system. Low energy, low time, low cost, low planetary impact. We can learn from observing natural systems that there are principles of how they function efficiently. These insights can then creatively shape the design.

The foundation of permaculture systems are the ethics of earth care, people care and fair sharing of resources.

It's about making connections.

The Norfolk Permaculture group has come together through a shared understanding through our experiences and learning of permaculture.

We wish to support each other through sharing skills, knowledge, contacts and be extra sets of hands on projects. We want to be a hub for those new to permaculture in Norwich and Norfolk (and some of Suffolk ) or those who have just finished their design courses.

There is now a Norfolk Permaculture website (hooray!) which can be found here.

We've set up a google discussion group so we can easily share information with each other. This could be offers, requests, sharing info, details about courses or workdays. If you would like to be added to this google discussion group please email Tierney: tierneywoods@yahoo.co.uk.

For background info and reading there are books available in the Norfolk County Council Libraries.

The Big Climate Connection - 5 and 6 November

In 2009 Stop Climate Chaos organised The Wave – the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change. This year the Coalition are calling for people to connect with others in their communities and lobby their MP on 5 and 6 November.

With supporters coming together from more than 100 organisations, we hope to show MPs that people from all walks of life – from environment to development groups, from unions to local community and health groups – are calling for action on climate change.

November is a key time for climate politics, giving everyone an important opportunity to influence world and local issues. A new Energy Bill is on the way, which could make it easier and cheaper to improve the energy efficiency of homes, and clean up the emissions of the electricity we use. Lobbying our MPs will influence and strengthen the bill in parliament. It also comes three weeks before the UN Climate Talks in Cancun, so we can ensure MPs push for key policies for significant progress towards a fair global climate deal.

Stop Climate Chaos (SCC) is the largest coalition of groups and individuals dedicated to taking action in the UK on climate change and limiting its impacts. Trevor Philips is the coordinator for Norwich South constituency 'big climate connection' lobby and will be speaking with Simon Wright MP on 5 November. To join in, register as a lobbyist on http://www.thebigconnection.org/

The National Climate March in London takes place on 4 December. If you'd like someone to organise a coach from Norwich, contact Trevor. http://www.campaigncc.org/ Trevor Philips: 07794 690322 NorwichCACC@live.co.uk

For further details: http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/

Seed Swap - 6 November

On Saturday 6 November the second annual organic seed swap will be held in the Grow Our Own allotment hut from 11-12am. Entrance is free.

Last year, a seed saving circle was formed (even before the term was coined by realseeds) to grow seeds for the group. The group will meet up at the same time to swap these seeds as well.

Grow Our Own is situated on the Bluebell South allotments. The entrance is where 82 The Avenues would be, down a narrow lane immediately after George Borrow Road on the way out of the city. For more information on the venue see http://grow-our-own.co.uk/

For questions or to sign up for next year's seed saving circle if you can't come on 6 November, contact Erik.

Seedy Saturday at Transition Canturbury by Kathryn Siveyer

FOOD PROJECTS - Breaking New Ground - 15 & 16 November

October has been a busy month for the food projects. The land at Postwick has been subsoiled and mucked, and the same was due to happen at the Hewett during half-term week. We've bought the flour mill, which is on its way from Austria. The school market garden got a good writeup in the Evening News and was mentioned on Radio Norfolk (25 October).

The shadow Board met twice, and we hope that the Financial Services Authority will approve Norwich Community Agriculture (the new co-op) by Christmas. The growing and environment group met three times, including a visit to the Postwick site (pictured), and is figuring out the details of how to make the site an exemplar of how biodiversity and organic methods can coexist with commercial viability.

And NCA has started its own blog at http://norwichcommunityag.blogspot.com/. Many of TN's fabulous members are pouring their energy, expertise and creativity into these projects, so they're bound to be a big success. (Tully Wakeman)

The group looking at how the NCA will be 'marketed' (for want of a better word) are meeting on 1st November at 19.30 at Take 5. The Board is meeting at The Guild on 15 November. The Growing and Environment group is meeting on 16 November upstairs at Take 5 at 19.30. There will also be a key Visioning Session on 24 November at the Baptist Church, Duke St (RM 5) at 19:30. Don't miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of the NCA.

Please contact Tully if you want to know more at tully@transitionnorwich.org or just turn up on the day.

TN BLOG - This Low Carbon Life - 2 November

The blog's been as lively as ever throughout October and seems set to stay that way as we meet to discuss our second year at the Bicycle Cafe tomorrow (2 November).

So far we've been wielding our own axes, recovering from shocks, chopping wood, collecting apples and manning the lifeboat.

During last month's blog retrospective each of us chose a post by a fellow blogger which had spoken to us in a particular way - no easy task given the sheer quality (and quantity) of the posts we'd turned out. Over 300 entries from 15 contributors in one year.

One of the key aspects of the blog is that we can give transition subjects a deeper and more considered attention. The Waste week is a good example - a lot of stuff came up! (Mark Watson).

For further information contact: Charlotte Du Cann theseakaleproject@hotmail.co.uk

Photo from "I'll Give You Cuts George Osborne" (Oct 22)

What a day... Even the sun came out!

And the glorious sunshine happened and the crowds came out to Magdalen Street on Saturday October 2nd to see the stalls and exhibitions and hear the music and take part in the workshops and history tours, and all the rest... well done again all that took part in the adventure (see the website for more!) and thanks to everyone that came along on Saturday and making it such a fantastic day!

Here's a slideshow featuring the people and things I got to see on the day: Taiko Drummers, Eastern Straynotes, the Sheriff of Norwich Derek James and star wandering minstrel Rio Santana under the flyover with MC Helen all powered by Tom Foxe's fantastic Human Dynamo PA (a big thank you to all who cycled!); Musical Keys Children's Workshop at Aladdin's Cafe; Pearl in the Egg Medieval Duo perform at St Saviour's The Gate near the flyover; the community mural by Stickyfingerz under the flyover. (Andy Croft/NR3)