Welcome!

Transition Brentford is a group of volunteers working on and supporting local initiatives as well as looking for ideas to help us live a more sustainable way of life.
Since the challenges we face are numerous our initiatives – and our partners – cover many aspects of daily life:

We’re not going to change the world overnight but with broad community support we can make a big difference. Please have a browse through the site and see how you can contribute!
For information on what’s on this month, have a look at the events section. (Each of the Menu items above has a page and most sub-pages in a drop-down menu. For full site map see bottom of column right).

News Roundup

No, not the weedkiller. For an idea of what’s happening in the Transition world, around the world and locally, it’s worth looking over our ‘backpages’ and the (local) links in the column to the right to find out.

See here for the latest Transition Network Newsletter. That led me also to this Transition Streets initiative which looks really interesting. For Heathrow, Chiswick, Ealing and other local groups, see the links in the column to the right.

In Brentford, there’s always something happening at Syon Lane but to keep us all informed of other events and actvities locally, it would help if some more of you could contribute that news to this website. Do it please! (See also our Food page and similar pages under ‘Take Action’ above). (And ‘here’, in Spain, it continues to rain without a break – for news of Transitions in Spain, see the Transition Newsletter above)

Trevor

Transport in London

Naomi Chadwick has asked us to bring her paper on transport in London and pedestrianisation from 15 years ago to the attention of all Brentford ‘transitioners’.

You can find it here: http://mondodesigno.com/london.html (and if you later click on the ‘Back to the contents page’ link at the foot of that page you will also find other items of interest).

Naomi has also offered to give a talk or presentation on this topic. Please consider this and let us have your feedback by leaving a reply/adding a comment below.

Trevor

Chiswick Transition Meeting 16th April

Next Chiswick Transition Meeting (keeping up with the neighbours).
(Next Brentford Transition Meeting late April or early May? – to fix details of public event/meeting late May. In the meantime – outside Morrison’s, Brentford, Saturdays from lunchtime or Tuesday 1st May 7pm at Hounslow Green Drinks, Magpie, Brentford or Syon Lane Community Allotment, Sunday afternoons).

Chiswick Transition Planning Meeting Monday 16th April
Will be this coming Monday 16th April at 7.30pm at my place:
52 Hazledene Raod London W4 3JB.

We want to prepare for our next film show – George IV booked for Wednesday 16th May
To discuss future activities and
To take forward ideas from our last brainstorming event.

Everyone is welcome to come along and bring your inspiration and ideas!
Looking forward to seeing you here next week
Diane, Anna, Jon and Daniel

Useful links?

Where better to update/post from than Tavira Public Library – but I mustn’t miss the bus. (And yes, being here isn’t so eco-friendly – but it’s tipping it down after months of drought). Thought these coupla links might be of interest:

http://www.onetoremember.co.uk/xcart/ – source for books relating to wind, solar energy and other topics (from Berkshire)

http://www.bigbarn.co.uk  – a source directory for locally grown food. Pity about the clunky/slow web implementation but at least a good idea. Putting in a Brentford postcode brings up Hen Corner. Some of the other suppliers are somewhat pretentious with eye-watering prices – you pays yer money etc.

Will add some ‘pseudo-minutes’ by way of comment to last post re meeting later pending receipt of the real thing (Action Points) from Simon

Trevor in Tavira

Meeting Tue 27 March 2012

A further reminder for tonight’s steering group meeting tonight.
Transition Brentford – Steering group/General Meeting 7pm
Tuesday 27 March 2012, The Docking Station 108 High Street Brentford

Possible agenda with possible time constraints:

1. Introductions (say who you are). This meeting/agenda. Minutes (of last meeting), Chair/Facilitation – 5 mins?

2. Constitution (final thoughts, decision)  -  2 versions on the website; apart from minor corrections needed, the principal difference is unincorporated not-for-profit association (without formal trustees): Constitution(BrentfordTT)concise.doc  or unincorporated charitable association with formally appointed trustees: Unincorporated charity const (pdf) – 10 mins?  (to 7.20)

3. Where do we go from here?/Relationship with Syon Lane (and other local groups?) – 15 mins? (to 7.40) (not really discussed last time).

4. Communications! (inc. mailing groups, websites, facebook etc – feedback) – Can you also contribute to website/facebook?  15 mins?  (to 7.55)

5. Training. Becoming an ‘official’ transition group? (See also ‘branding’) – 10 mins (to 8.10)

6. Everything else – Add your own. ‘AoB’. Public meetings and issues?  Actions/Activism and Groups, Brainstorming – 35 mins?
(to 8.45)

7. Next meeting – venue, status and frequency. – 5 mins? (8.50)

Possible adjourn to Magpie? (is there a cheaper alternative?)

Some events

Some events from Occupy London and other local campaigns:

http://occupylsx.org/?p=3966  – this weekend and scroll down to comments on that page for an article from Transition Shoreham in Sussex.

http://www.ourolympics.org/Our_Olympics.html  – explanation of why some people want to demonstrate at the Olympics

http://www.waronwant.org/news/events/events/upcoming-events/17443-blood-sweat-a-gear-the-human-cost-of-the-london-olympics  – related War on Want event this Saturday

www.gamesmonitor.org.uk/node/1520 – further article about London 2012

Watch the “Crisis of Civilization” documentary

Make sure you have a look at this freshly released documentary by Dean Puckett, featuring Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed.

[Free to stream online here: http://crisisofcivilization.com/watch/]

It offers a bird’s eye view of the critical issues mankind is facing and joins the dots by demonstrating the interconnected nature of these problems.  Taking the viewer on a journey, it gradually presents the links existing between climate change, soaring demand for rarefying energy, the limitations of our food production system, the deepening financial crisis and the geopolitics of fossil fuel which engender increased militarisation and terrorism.

It demonstrates that our current system of reckless neo liberalism which condemns us to endless growth and insatiable consumerism is the main driving force behind these imbalances and is reaching its limits. It also reminds us that the overewhleming majority of raw material and land ownership is concentrated in too few hands, presenting a key barrier to overcome.

It’s not all doom and gloom as it starts to offer some solutions based on localisation and decentralisation of our current models towards more community led actions.  Very much in line with the ethos behind the ‘Transition Towns’ movement.

All this presented in a creative and entertaining way, drawing from amazing archive footages from the Prelinger Archive (http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger) and cool Terry-Gilliamesque animations by Lucca Benney.

You may not agree with all its views or conclusions but it has the merit of carefully sticking to reported hard facts  (that can be referenced on their website in the ‘learning machine’ section).

Although being impressively exhaustive I personally feel that it could have added a more optimistic note on human ingenuity in finding new ways of powering our world.  Such as Hydrogen power or new generation nuclear power using Thorium, which although still far from materialising could nonetheless prove to be gamechangers if we were to put all necessary resources behind it (the type of joined up effort that can put a man on the moon). 

Please watch and tell us what you think! Most importantly let this inspire us to find local solutions to make a difference, one initiative at a time.

“Carbon”, stupid!

Chiswick Transition’s screening of the ‘Age of Stupid‘ starring Pete Postlethwaite was, unfortunately, attended by only about two dozen people (in George IV, Chiswick High Road, with a capacity for about 150).  The film is very heavy on ‘doom and gloom’ and the probable (we hope) melodramatic exaggeration (near human extinction by 2055) didn’t really inspire or help to get the message across. This is a pity and leaves one wondering just how long we really have got.

Fuller report later, in the meantime consider your carbon footprint on one of these footprint calculators: http://uk.zapmeta.com/wsuk/aw1c800/carbon%20calculator%20UK/  or, just one example: http://www.carboncalculator.co.uk/effects.php

See also: http://transitionbrentford.wordpress.com/take-action/energy/  and avoid flying, driving, eating too much or eating meat (carbon footprint of affluent ill-health to follow).

Is this political?

To consider this hot topic (coolly?) we have added a very wordy consideration under ‘Inner Transition/Politics’ as a sub-page of the ‘About’ page above. (Find the link/page yourself!)

This is followed by some links you might find useful in exploring the topic.  Please feel free to add your own wordy comments by way of reply and we will edit and publish these after moderation.

Trevor (a personal view not endorsed by anybody)

Minutes, Occupy

Minutes from 15 February have now been added.  And here is a very interesting blog post about the Occupy London group, post-St.Paul’s eviction. (I think a fair view unlike the non-reporting from the BBC)