Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm

Arnolfini

Cost: £7.50, £6.75 concessions.

Buy Tickets here.

We assume human wants are unlimited, that people prefer to gratify their desires sooner rather than later, that human needs (and indeed everything real) are quantifiable. These assumptions extend their influence far beyond economics. Charles will explore where they came from, and what the world might look like when they shift.

Charles Eisenstein is a teacher, speaker, and writer focusing on themes of civilization, consciousness, money, and human cultural evolution. David Korten says Eisenstein is “one of the up-and-coming great minds of our time.”

Charles will be joined by Jacqueline McGlade, who at the end of May will have completed an incredible ten years as director of the European Environment Agency, based in Copenhagen. Jacquie will discuss what she sees as a knowledge revolution. To succeed in the future we will have to create new ways of networking knowledge in a radically different way. We will need to tap into new forms of social power, learning how to co-operate with people who we do not know and may not even like.

This event is a double bill with ‘Business Innovation with Richard Branson’ - you can buy a special discounted ticket for both events.

Cost: £35 (£25 concessions and members of the Schumacher Society)

Buy tickets here (link.)

For 25 years sustainable development has been held up as the solution to the world’s problems. But instead we have had ever more pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. Sustainability has been abused like few other terms in history. It is time to think not just about sustaining the world’s badly damaged ecosystems and human communities, but about regenerating them instead?

This day of Schumacher Lectures will map out steps towards regenerative development – in the context of climate change, urban futures, environmental policy and new approaches to ethics in a deeply materialist world.

Our speakers are among those leading this movement – cities expert Herbert Girardet; Satish Kumar – editor of Resurgence & Ecologist; Jane Davidson, former Welsh minister of environment; Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement; Mary Clear of Incredible Edible Todmorden; European planner Michael Schwarze-Rodrian and Carbon Coach Dave Hampton.

Rob is the co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and of Transition Network. In February 2012 Rob and the Transition Network were among NESTA and The Observer’s list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals, and in 2012 won the European Economic and Social Committee Civil Society Prize. Rob lectures, blogs and writes widely on Transition. He is the author of 3 books – and with this talk he’ll be launching his latest, ‘The Power of Just Doing Stuff’. He lives in Devon and grows fine beetroot.

The Power of Just Doing Stuff

What can the work of Transition initiatives, now popping up in 40 countries, contribute to our thinking about how we create a sustainable, and more resilient future? Rob will regale us with tales from across the Transition Network: of how solar energy is reviving a London community, how a small garden in a town in Portugal brought a community back together, of the communities looking to community resilience as the foundation of their economic future, and the pioneering local food business founded by people with no previous knowledge of either running a business or local food. It is through joining up such stories, he will argue, that a new economic story starts to emerge, one that goes beyond theory and can already be seen in action around the world.

Do you love growing fruit? Do you have connections to orchards or market gardens in and around Bristol? Did you work at Long Ashton Research Station? Bring photographs, fruit-related objects and materials, and stories about fruit growing to our outdoor photographic and recording area. Share your experiences of growing fruit for commercial benefit, and for pleasure, in allotments, gardens, and community projects.

Contact: Shannon Smith

hocohello@gmail.com

0117 373 1587

www.community-orchard.org.uk

Inside and Out tour of St Werburgh’s self build homes. Talks and discussions to inform and inspire. Hosted by Ecomotive.

When:
Saturday, May 11th, 10am-1pm

Where:
The Yard
Bristol, England

This is a free event. 50 places only.

To reserve your place please go to www.selfbuildtour.eventbrite.com

To celebrate the UK’s first National Self Build Week, which is running from 4-12 May 2013, Ecomotive invites you to come and peek behind the scenes of the Award Winning Ashley Vale self build site. Discover how the community here achieved it and how you might achieve it too.

This is a rare opportunity to see inside more than one home, so you can feast your eyes on the different living spaces, gardens and energy systems of some of the self builders and talk to them in person about how they turned their dreams into reality.

Mayor George Ferguson has recently stated his commitment to self build in Bristol so we anticipate there will be opportunities to get involved yourself over the next few years. This tour offers you the chance to find out about different types of self build project, and to get you thinking about how you might design and build your own home that reflects your values and meets your needs.

Total 50 places. Free. Donations welcome. Refreshments provided.

Visit www.selfbuildtour.eventbrite.com (link) to reserve your place!

Click on this link to listen to Ecomotive’s very own Jackson Moulding on BBC Radio Bristol (30th April 2013). An inspiring and engaging interview. Find out all about National Self Build week and his personal journey as a self builder in Ashley Vale.

We are looking at your experiences and those of disabled people in everyday life. We are interested to see whether experiences of assessing risk, meeting barriers and obstacles, and being (inter)dependent on others gives us all any insights or knowledge that could be useful when thinking about how we can all live more sustainably.

When and what
Come to a workshop, in Bristol, Sat 1 June, where you can find out more about the research and decide details of how you’d like to be involved. You can also explore using the cameras and any art materials you’d like to use. (We will show you how to use them, and explain the sorts of things we’d like you to photograph and record. You can keep copies of all the photos you take.)

After that we’d like you to pair up with a disabled participant (who will have support if needed) to plan and take two walks together. You can choose where you walk, they can be short and as local as you like. We will provide you with a camera, audio recorder and other materials you need to record your conversations and your walks.

In the Autumn, we would like to come back together in the group to discuss how things went for you in your walking pairs, and to talk about the photos you’ve taken and things you’ve recorded. We will also invite you to contribute to the project’s website through the blog and twitter feed.

Sharing research
We will write a report on what we find out and make sure that people who are thinking about sustainability know what we find. These include the City Council, the Environment Agency and other people who make policies and plan for sustainability. We will also upload things to the project website, where lots of other people can see what we’ve found out.

For more information, any questions and to volunteer, please contact:

Alison Parfitt 01242 584982 alisonparfitt@phonecoop.coop
Dr Sue Porter, University of Bristol, 01173310993 sue.porter@bristol.ac.uk

If you are interested in this project but unable to volunteer as a participant, we would still love to hear about your walking experiences. We have a website http://walkinginterconnections.com and invite you to leave your comments on our Guest Posts page.

First, the really exciting news:

Bristol Drugs Project collaboration bid

As of literally five minutes ago, we’ve been included in a bid by the Bristol Drugs Project to deliver a year of DIY solar and off-grid training workshops to their service users. If successful we’d receive a budget of over £30k to help those battling drugs and recovering from addiction to develop their skills and confidence, with money specifically requested to run follow-up workshops for participants wanting to become workshop leaders themselves.

Even more excitingly, the panels from the DIY solar workshops will be used to build another Solar Tree, this time in the centre of Bristol!

We will find out in July whether the bid has been successful, and if we are, the programme will begin in spring 2014. Can’t wait.

Ecotricity partnership

We’ve just struck a deal with Ecotricity to encourage more people to switch to a green energy supply, and support us as they do it. Switch to Ecotricity today using this link and you will earn us up to £60 in the process.

If you’re already hooked up – spread the word. In fact: do that anyway!

Lightyear Foundation training

We’re looking forward to training a team of volunteers from the Lightyear Foundation in three weeks before they head out to Ghana to run practical science workshops for school children. They came back after their trip last year recognising the need for electricity in many of the communities they visited, and so went hunting for training in DIY solar. The rest is – or will be – history!

April & May workshops

Pictures from our April DIY solar and (first ever!) off-grid training sessions are up on the site here.

There are currently three places available for our next DIY solar workshop on 18th May (book here) and six places available for our next off-grid training session on 19th May (book here). Both take place in Bristol. Please do spread the word.

And the rest…

We’ve got a new blog piece (link) all about the importance of consumption and a fantastic report on future energy solutions that you all need to know about…
In the news: low income households hit by ‘triple injustice from carbon reduction policies (link); US cities join push to sell off fossil fuels (link) (paste into google to get round firewall); Carbon bubble could trigger new financial crisis (link); nPower & big six grilled by MPs on tax avoidance (link).
Fuel Poverty Action are holding a benefit gig (link) on 7th May at Catch Bar in London – head down to support an important campaign.
Some useful petition links if you’ve got a spare second; tell nPower to pay their corporation tax (link), email your MP to demand a greener Energy Bill (link), stop the gas & electricity rip-off – demand fair prices from the Big Six (link)

So – lots happening and lots to do!
Thanks for keeping in touch,

Max, Dan & Laura

demandenergyequality.org
@demandeneq

https://www.facebook.com/demandenergyequality

Switch to Ecotricity & earn us £60!

A special deal for local traders in the area has been negotiated for Stokes Croft Traders and Business Group (SCT&BG) to secure an enhanced recycling scheme for all the local businesses, in particular helping cafes and restaurants keep unavoidable food waste out of landfill and manage it responsibly. This includes Stokes Croft, Cheltenham Road, Picton Street and other areas nearby.

The service was designed by local sustainability expert Martin Fodor.

The scheme was launched for businesses to sign up at the SCT&BG meeting on April 9th.

Participants will then secure a visit from the partners CollectEco, who will discuss arrangements and offer a welcome bonus service to each member joining.

The new service has been trialled by local trader Café Kino. Roxy Brennan from the café says “We are a workers co-operative, vegan cafe, committed to being part of the community and improving the world around us by using ethical businesses and products and recycling as much as possible. Working with CollectEco has been great – they’ve been very helpful, Steve is always available to contact and since piloting their food waste scheme we’ve managed to vastly reduce our general waste. We’d love other businesses in the area to use the scheme too and help to make Stokes Croft a greener and cleaner area.”

The first new business to join the sign up to the scheme will be award-winning sustainable restaurant Poco. Jennifer Best says “ Poco is looking forward to joining the new service. We’re running for the Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Ethical Restaurant – managing our waste and our sustainable behaviour is part of our bid.” Voting starts this month http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/foodmonthly

The service is being provided by CollectEco – Director Steve Sliney says: “We’re delighted to be working with the traders’ group to offer an enhanced service that allows such a high level of recycling including food waste for cafes and restaurants and other materials.”

The company ensures at least 90% of waste is reused or recycled, with compostable waste being treated in a system that creates methane for energy and a soil product through anaerobic digestion. Any non-recycled waste is converted to energy.

The scheme was created for the traders group by Martin Fodor, who saw the need after inquiries by a local café wishing to manage their wastes responsibly.

Martin says “It was clear that there’s plenty of scope to reduce waste and recycle almost everything produced by traders, but no one was working with them to solve this together.

I visited businesses to assess their needs, devised the practical solution that addressed their issues, and have been delighted to work with the traders’ group to provide a viable service that’s good for the businesses, cuts waste, and helps improve the local environment.”

Martin has been supported by Business West’s Go Green project; a service funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Bristol City Council, which aims to help Bristol based businesses improve resource efficiency and save energy and money

The Bristol Green Capital Partnership has also backed his work to extend the project across the city as part of its drive to make Bristol the European Green Capital.

The new service is being promoted to members of the Stokes Croft Traders and Business Group now and will be extended to a wider area of the city once it is running regularly.

Notes for the editor

*The area of the service currently covers Stokes Croft, Cheltenham Road, Picton Street and other areas nearby.

The scheme is for cafes, restaurants and others with compostable waste, plus a comprehensive recycling scheme that’s open to all other traders in the area. Almost all materials can be collected by arrangement. Advice on waste reduction and reports of what traders achieve together is also part of the scheme, enabling this area to reduce waste costs and landfill tax, make environmental improvements to streets, and publicise what the scheme achieves. It also cuts unnecessary vehicle movements in the area and reduces bins cluttering pavements, so improving the amenity for the community.

Café Kino contact: Roxy Brennan, eat@cafe-kino.com, 0117 9249200 .

Poco contact: Jennifer Best, jenbest@eatpoco.com, 0117 923 2233 or email

Poco won the Sustainable Restaurant Association Environmental award this year.

CollectEco contact: Steve Sliney, 07748 585 861 or 0117 941 5887 .

Stokes Croft Traders’ and Business Group is coordinated by Destination Bristol

Contact Eva Stuetzenberger: eva.stuetzenberger@destinationbristol.co.uk, 0117 929 0484

Business West’s Go Green scheme contact Nina Skubala, nina.skubala@businesswest.co.uk, 07500 668659

The Go Green Improving your resource efficiency service is funded by Bristol City Council and the European Regional Development Fund.

Bristol Green Capital Partnership contact Darren Hall, darren.hall@bristolgreencapital.org, 0117 9222170 or 07585307354

Martin Fodor: 07905 340972

Bristol has been placed first or second in each of 12 categories in which we were asked to submit information for the initial stage of the bid, putting us in a stronger position than ever before.

However, we know that there is more that Bristol can do to be a greener place and we believe the award will help accelerate us on that journey.

Next, we must convince a European jury that Bristol deserves to win the Award. We will make a presentation in May in Brussels and the announcement of the winner will be made on June 14.

For more information and how to support the bid please go here. Let’s make it happen in 2015!

The Energy Bill currently before Parliament is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to clean up our power sector and create low carbon jobs. This is being opposed by George Osborne, and his allies, who want to extract gas by fracking, turn the UK into a “gas hub” and block the transition to a sustainable future.

Osborne has so far managed to keep a 2030 goal for carbon free electricity out of the Energy Bill. However, MPs from each end of the political spectrum – Conservative Tim Yeo and Labour’s Barry Gardiner – have tabled a series of ‘green jobs’ amendments to put the target back into the bill.

A mass lobby from members of the Transition network, and other citizens who want a future for themselves and their children, can help drive these changes through Parliament. You can do this very simply via a Greenpeace link:

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/battle-britain-has-begun-20130212

and join the business leaders, UK companies, investors and civil society groups, who want to see carbon-free electricity by 2030. Do it now, and get your friends and colleagues to campaign for a future!

Transition Chepstow have been invited to help convene a Transition presence at Green Gathering again this year.

It takes place in Chepstow, between August 1^st and 4^th.

We’re hoping to find three or four other initiatives (preferably local!) who could help co-create the Transition input.

We have a marquee available which we can use for displays, talks, workshops, entertainment etc.

Any group that are interested can contact me via info@transitionchepstow.org.uk

We will aim to get complementary tickets for those taking part.

Many thanks, Marcus Perrin