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The real question is not “How can we keep
    everything going as it is?” but rather “How
    can we learn to live the good life within
    realistic energy constraints?”  - Rob Hopkins
 

Transition Westcliff

(open to work with people from Southend-on-Sea and beyond)


Who we are and our vision and aims


Transition Westcliff is an exploration of how the people of Westcliff on Sea and the surrounding area can prepare for a carbon constrained, energy lean world. TW is a community-led initiative which is working towards the creation of an Energy Descent Action Plan for the town. The thinking behind TW is simply that a town using much less energy and resources than we presently consume could, if properly planned for and designed, be more resilient, more abundant and more pleasurable than the present.
  • local food
  • local renewable energy
  • local economies
  • strong local communities
  • simply relocalize

Get your dairies out for the next events:

  • Core Group Meeting - 18th of February,  Wednesday at 7.30pm. New people are welcome, places limited so give us a call or email before. Meet up at bottom of Southend Highstreet. Check out and add to Open Agenda.

  • Transition Drinks, Transition Chat - 26 February, last Thursday of the month, from 19:00 for a few hours. At the Cricketers Pub, crossroads of Milton Rd and London Rd, Westcliff-on-Sea. A chance for members of the public to meet for an informal chat about Transition Westcliff and green organizations and projects in Southend-on-Sea.
     
    • TRANSITION WESTCLIFF FILM CLUB - Last Friday of the month, 19:30 till 21:30 at St Marks Church, Princes Street, with a friendly chat/discussion after the film and presentation of local groups and projects. Free entry (suggested donation £2). Tea, coffee and biscuits available.
    Friday 27 February 2009 - The Power of Community (53 min)
    This is an inspiring look at what hope, community, intelligence & hard work accomplished after Cubans ran out of oil.


    A chance to get involved:

    Our Steering Group is open to people interested in working with the community to find local solutions to the issues of climate change and peak oil. Sounds like a bit much at first:)? No worries, we will help you get clued up and skilled up in a supportive environment. We are no experts but local people on a journey.

    Here are a few other bits we could use help with.

    EcoHomes Tour

    Solar panels, wood stoves, insulation, water conservation etc are of interest to us so read more about it here and home owners get in contact to share your experience. Map mind over here.
     
    Edible garden tour

    Don't have an allotment but thinking about starting work on your back garden? What to grow and how? Do you want to see local back gardens in bloom full of veg and fruit? We want to!
    Read about it here. If you want to help get in contact, open your garden to us or volunteer to help with the guided tours. Map mind over here.
     
    Scrumping

    Have you seen fruit or nuts lying around in yours, maybe the neighbours garden or in some public space? Apples, pears, plums etc just rotting on the ground while they could be gathered up and made into some delicacies by those who need them? Don't have time to pick them up or there are just too many in your garden. We will gather up the fruit and leave you a fair share to enjoy:) Why waste if it can taste? Full story here.

    What we've been doing last month:

    We had an exciting last week of January. The first Transition Drinks were very interesting and well attended. We had an interview for the Yellow Advertiser and on Friday we had a screening of End of Suburbia with an interesting discussion afterwards.

    The core group meeting brought up many interesting items especially about the need for intensive publicity, starting a food subgroup with an open space event and how to set about Transition Southend.

    We continued our networking by making loads of phone calls, sending emails and arranging meetings for February - this time with the Southend Credit Union.     In the previous months we meet Tracy who is the new Sustainability Officer for Southend Council and who will be working hard to support the council in meeting its environmental targets around the issues of climate change.

    Transition Towns News and Projects...

    Transition Towns News
     
    Watch a video about Transition Towns on BBC

    From Transition Culture blog: The Perils of an Economy Based on Bricks and Boutiques

    “People are saving.. how unpatriotic!”  People will continue to save, and we need to harness that.  In Birmingham, the Council is trying to reintroduce ‘Brummie Bonds’, as an investment model to raise money for local projects.


    Why are we actually doing this Transition Thing?

    Unstoppable Climate Change

    A new report contains the incredibly depressing news that, if we continue to pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we will hit a point of no return and change the climate for a thousand years.


    Silly Money - where did all the money go?

    Methane and permafrost - the ticking bomb

    It's not something new to many of us, this issue of the potential release of squillions of tons of methane from the warming permafrost. However, seeing it actually happening adds a certain visceral element that drives it home, just a little bit more. 


    If those stories are a bit scary or confusing and you are asking yourself what you can do - take a look at the Transition Towns projects, browse other local projects for practical solutions and hey! come up with your own, share them and get involved.
     
    Local News and Events:

    Emerge - all work no play? Join in.
    Another interesting project by the community arts group.

    Did you know about a little orchard not far from you?     Take a stroll, enjoy and protect.

    Food Coop in St Marks Centre, Westcliff. Still going strong - get in contact.

    Food for Life Partnership in local schools - connecting back to food and land.

    First organic gardening seminar took place, visit the next ones. Volunteer for the Organic Seminars

    Credit Crunch Cookery Course.

    Sack gardening and keyhole kitchen gardens demonstration.

    Grass Roots Reading group was very interesting. Come to the next meeting. 28 February, Saturday 2-4 pm at Southend Library.

    International Women's Day. 7 March


    Your suggestions will help us:
     
    What did you think about this newsletter? Survey is here.

    When we've asked you is starting Transition Southend a clever idea we got a few responses, one of them below:
    As I said at the inaugural meeting I feel that to succeed it is imperative to relaunch initiative as Transition Southend.  You will not overexert yourselves because the project will encompass Westcliff and people from the surrounding areas will be more likely to join in.  Well done for what you have achieved so far.

    Over the next few months we will be planning how to launch Transition Southend and what should it be so if you want to get involved it is a very exciting time now as you can influence our local history.

    Big thanks to:

    Milton Community Partnership for publishing the events in their newsletter, Emerge for helping us spread the word about Transition Westcliff and our supporters for their ideas.


    Staying in contact

    If you have something you want to share with us, feel free to get in contact.

    Share information, your ideas and feelings and share in the work here.

    Sent to you by Kamil Pachalko on behalf of Transition Town Westcliff




    Contact Details

    Transition Westcliff - tackling peak oil and climate change, together, now


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    In an article in In Context (1991), Robèrt described how The Natural Step Framework would create change:

    "I don't believe that the solutions in society will come from the left or the right or the north or the south. They will come from islands within those organizations; islands of people with integrity who want to do something...

    This is what a network should do — identify the people who would like to do something good. And they are everywhere. This is how the change will appear - you won't notice the difference. It won't be anyone winning over anyone. It will just spread. One day you don't need any more signs saying "Don't spit on the floor," or "Don't put substances in the lake which can't be processed." It will be so natural. It will be something that the intelligent people do, and nobody will say that it was due to The Natural Step or your magazine. It will just appear