Transition Town Tooting

Author: Transition Town Tooting

  • Community Renewable Energy in Furzedown


    We want to share this exciting news from the Furzedown Low Carbon Zone (FLCZ) AGM last week. There’s no time like the present, and we have decided to take the plunge and try our hardest to establish a community renewable energy project in Furzedown.

    What will that look like?

    In outline we’ll be supporting the generation of local power that should bring local benefits; probably a co-operative enterprise with a legacy for the future.  There are several models for this across the UK and abroad, and there is good local advice available: at the same time it is a pioneering project, and it will be challenging.

    Much more information to come as we get going, and we welcome local participation, partners, and support. We have a diverse team who want to make this work. More contributors welcome!

    We covered other topics too in the AGM, and the FLCZ aims to keep being active on accessible social, behavioural and technical projects that help demonstrate the value of low-carbon living, now.
    Links: 2014 AGM minutes  For background: 2013 Annual Report.

  • Furzedown Low Carbon Zone AGM – Thursday 23rd January

    Furzedown Project, 91-93 Moyser Road, SW16 6SJ
    We have postponed the AGM, originally scheduled for January 16th, to next Thursday 23rd January from 7:30-9:00 pm.
    The FLCZ was established in 2011 to promote practical local action on sustainability, energy efficiency, and green jobs.
    We are considering a community renewable energy generating project, and will be discussing this among other topics…..all welcome!

  • Meet & Make Tonight

    Much like a tree in winter the Meet & Make notice board is looking a little sparse due to the season, we are all drawing our energies and preparing for flourishes throughout the rest of the year!

    Do check out the picture for what is going on and get in contact or chat to me tonight for more info on any of the items.Meet & Make Notice Board page #0-1
    And not to worry as this just leaves us with more making time at our Meet & Make tonight which is now confirmed to be at Sprout, who are kindly lending us the venue, at 6:30 – 8:30ish. See side bar on the right for the address.
    We have an official feature craft tonight which will be making ‘Ribbon  Zipper Bags’ as demonstrated in this fab Marc Montano video. I will bring materials and sewing machine!
    Come along to try this out or bring along something else you are working on to get in some quality making time.
    Hope to see you there, contact Jeni for more details or to join our Meet & Make mailing list – jeniannewalker@gmail.com

  • The shortest day: looking forward in the Garden

    This weekend it’s the winter solstice.
    From now on the days start to get longer – slowly at first, just seconds per day. Yes it’s still winter, and the coldest weather is still to come – but for gardeners this is an exciting time!
    Over the next few weeks, come along to the Tooting Community Garden and you can feel that things are alive and moving outdoors.

    

    The winter wheat is
    coming up well
     Rocket and mustard
    leaves picked today



    Gardening helps you learn to look forwards (a New Year’s resolution?).
    This week we planted the Stella dessert cherry that Gatton School has presented to the Community Garden – there’ll be plenty of blossom and fruit to enjoy in the future.

    We’ll be open on Sundays 11-1 over the holidays.
    Check on the Community Garden’s Facebook page for any updates, and we look forward to seeing you!

  • Cycling & Better, Safer Streets

    I was reminded in Amsterdam recently, what a vast difference there is between cycling in the Dutch capital and cycling in London.

    In central Amsterdam, bicycles and feet seem the primary mode of transport followed by trams. Far fewer cars, less pollution, a more pleasant environment and a slimmer looking population from this brief survey. There are many segregated lanes for bicycles, separate bike traffic signals, a generally friendly mixing of bikes and pedestrians and no helmets, not one, in sight.  Cycling is a pleasure not an ordeal.

    Could London ever become this civilised?  Or must every journey involve a running of the gauntlet, sharing tiny spaces with huge vehicles, oblivious, aggressive or on the phone drivers coccooned in their metal boxes, cycle lanes that go nowhere etc?  As a daily cyclist, I can confirm it’s a jungle out there, even on the roads of Tooting and Balham which I use a lot.  You have to keep your wits about you to stay safe.  If only here was as cool and bike/people friendly as Amsterdam!

    So what is going on in our local area?  Campaigner Jon Irwin has several petitions running on his traffik in tooting blog looking for support for trial changes to road layouts in Tooting and wider Wandsworth, and he’d welcome your support – all petitions here.  One idea I particularly like is making a section of the A24 between Tooting Bec and Balham a French style boulevard with segregation for cyclists and pedestrians.  “Balham Boulevard” apparently has some chance of success with interest from Council Transport lead Russell King and even a name check from Boris!  Jon adds: “The campaigns I’ve been running … have been incredibly well received. Do get in touch if you’d like to help out, I can only do this with local support”. Email Jon here

    Meanwhile 20’s Plenty looks to implement a 20mph speed limit where people live.  I recently petitioned a Council meeting requesting this in my street.  Why not do the same for yours?  Already over 12m people live in local authority areas which are adopting this policy – why not round here too?  Despite Wandsworth Council never seeming keen on actually DOING anything in this area (better at talking), it’s up to us as individuals to keep applying pressure.  There is an election next year … politicians do seem to be interested in those.  DT

  • Update 4 – Gatton School Garden Sessions

    Gatton School’s Year Six classes have had two more amazing sessions, on the 3rd and 10th December. While the rainwater catchment in the Tooting Community Garden – ‘The Build’ – has been growing fast, children have been trying out some of the skills involved.

    The pictures can tell the story:
    Year Six were practicing cutting timber joints on 3rd December, to copy how the roof supports are fitted together:

    

    Four timbers complete with two lap joints each
     
    On December 10th they made a pop-up roof with hand-held gutters to show how to collect and store rainwater from a roof. It worked!



    The pop-up roof takes shape
    
    No problem! From watering can to storage without any spills

    On both days, we explored how teamworking makes a better and stronger construction.
    As of today the roof is up, and next week sees the completion of the Build – with several linked projects planned for 2014.

    

    Sorting garlic before planting
    Year One classes have continued to visit:
    Garden activities can be solo and
    reflective, or social and active!
    Can maple seeds fly? Yes!






     

  • TTT Dec Meet & Christmas Celebration

    TTT has one more meeting this year and it’ll be quite a short one from 7 to 7.30pm at the Antelope in Mitcham Rd on Tuesday 17th Dec. Happily this meet will also double up as a Christmas celebration from 7.30 onwards that could end anywhere in the beloved environs of SW17.  It’s been a busy year with so many different contributions from so many people in a wide variety of different areas.  Thanks everyone for helping TTT go from strength to strength.  Do come along and celebrate, join us for a drink and a chat, followed by an optional sampling of any of the neighbourhood’s culinary delights.  We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

  • Festive Meet and Make – this Sat 7th Dec

    A little taster..

    of the kind of mad things…

    you could be making…

    if you come to Festive Meet & Make …

    this Saturday 7th Dec…

    3-7pm at Mushkil Aasaan hall, 222 Upper Tooting Road SW17 7EW (next to Nandos)

    We will also be creating cards, producing pomanders, stirring up sweets and reusing recyclables for wrapping gifts.

    Drop in, no need to book, all free but donation buckets will be on hand for loose change.  Monies raised go to Mushkil Limited charity and TTT funding.

    email jeniannewalker@gmail.com for info

  • Latest monthly TTT email on 4th December ’13

    You can read today’s monthly email to subscribers by clicking here.
    Please email us on transitiontowntooting@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the circulation list.
    We hope to see you at a meeting or event soon!

  • Update 3 – Gatton School Garden Sessions

    During this week’s session, the Year Six children caught up with the progress achieved by the previous school groups: raising the six main uprights for the rainwater catchment build, having set the posts in concrete (see earlier Updates below in this blog).
    

    Spot the socket wrench

    What was the next job?
    Making the roof trusses to support the roof itself. So..in four small groups, the Year Six children designed sets of models of the trusses, complete with an angled pitch to ensure rain-water runoff. The children measured lengths of timber, drilled them to fit their designs, fixed them with bolts or screws, and took them back to school to experiment further: co-operating to use brand new skills.

    We made these models! The real thing is behind us.

    And what did Year One do?
    They prepared the ground, marked out rows, and planted some jerusalem artichokes: plants which will grow much taller than they are next spring and summer.

    Covering the tubers with earth – job well done!

    Next stage in the Year Six Build project? Three more sessions to go: building the trusses..and then roofing, then the guttering and water butts. Look out for the next Update!