Transition City Lancaster Newsletter February 2010

Great Unleashing Getting Involved A Car Club for Lancaster? Upcoming Films Piccadilly Gardens Appeal Special Events Transition Newspaper Food Research Project Final Thoughts

Transition City Lancaster Great Unleashing- 17^th April Here’s a few tasters to whet your appetite. There will be a Children’s Carnival Workshop, story telling and muisic. Stalls, talks films and discussions will culminate in an evening party with Howard Haigh and the band proving energetic music. More details will be available soon! David Wasdell, one of the world’s leading experts on the dynamics of Climate Change will be speaking on the topic “What on Earth is Really Happening to Climate Change?” The Energy Saving Trust will be present to offer Energy and Driving advice: they will be bringing along a Smart Driving Simulator. Come along and learn some fuel saving techniques John Whitelegg internationally renowned expert on sustainable transport and advisor to many transition groups around the country will be giving the opening talk on transition. Getting Involved in the Activities If you’d like to get involved in some of the events, projects and activities then there are lots of opportunities to do so. Simply fill in the online form and tick the box(es) you’d like to help with. There’s everything from doing a turn on the TCL stall to playing music! Some of the activities looking for volunteers are: Oil Barrel rolling – peak oil awareness raising – in Market Square. Storing Food and Preserves swapping stall, TCL stall – see the form for more ideas. Travel and Transport Car Club Meeting The Travel and Transport group are undertaking a survey to gauge interest in setting up a local car club in Lancaster. Car Clubs allow you to have a pay as you go car available when you need it. For full details of how car clubs help to save you money and save the planet see the national charity website CarPlus Car Clubs web site. Please fill in our online form here. If you'd like to help set up a Car Club in Lancaster the next meeting of the Travel and Transport group will be looking at the ground work that one of the TCL members has already carried out and how to drive the project forward.Come along on Tuesday 22 Feb , 7.30 at 1 Ashfield Ave (Steve's house) email: Steve@guiver.plus.com Please email to let me know if you are going to come along If you can’t come to the meeting but you want to register your interest in a scheme for Lancaster Please fill in the Car Club survey form here Upcoming Films TCL are showing the following films (at the Storey Centre on Meeting House Lane Lancaster) during the next two weeks, as part of the transition education film club. A one night only membership fee of £3 is payable. Age of Stupid The Age of Stupid is a compelling call for action, a heartfelt plea to our common humanity to help create a positive future. www.ageofstupid.net Thursday 18th February 7:30pm Dirt! Takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. www.dirtthemovie.org Thurs 25th Feb 7:30pm Piccadilly Gardens Project Alison Kaberry, a tireless TCL supporter, who has put work in to helping a number of local projects and helped them and us to gain funding is now looking for support for a Piccadilly Gardens Project. Piccadilly Garden, a local social enterprise, is raising funds to have a yurt on site for their own use and that of community groups – that’s us. Their recent fundraising event at the Gregson with performers Hum Holler'n'Sing, Bossa Halfanova and the Terms, as well as an exciting promise auction, has brought their total to over £1,000 - a great big thank you to absolutely everyone who contributed. Donations will continue to be collected as more money is still required! If you would like to make a donation, however small, please call into Piccadilly Garden on Piccadilly, Scotforth LA1 5AA or ring them on 01524 381513. Special Events and Workshops Rob Hopkins, the co-founder of the international transition network will be visiting Lancaster and giving a talk on Tuesday April 20^th from 7:30pm in St Thomas’ Church, Penny Street. For a preview try the following link to a short YouTube movie “What is Transition?” In May Shaun Chamberlin, author of ‘The Transition Timeline’ will be giving a full day workshop on planning for the future of Lancaster. Watch the TCL Website for details In July Chris Johnstone (author of Find Your Power and a section of The Transition Handbook) is a specialist in the psychology of positive change. Is coming to Lancaster as a guest of TCL to host a workshop called "Strengthening Skills for Positive Change". Transition Newspaper Massive thanks to Wendy Haslam, Lauren Walker and all the contributors to the first edition of ‘Lancaster TRANSITION TIMES’. All items are now in and the editor and proof readers are doing their best. The paper will be delivered to 20,000 houses In the district in mid March! Transition Food Research Lancaster University student and TCL food group member Ava Shackleford is looking for volunteers who are willing to share their opinions on local organic food through an informal interview. The research is part of a dissertation on building local resilience to peak oil and climate change. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, and are free any time before 26th Feb, then please contact Ava at a.shackleford@lancaster.ac.uk or 07866363340. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and hope to see you soon. Final Thought Martin Luther King, Jr: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.