Transition Town Tooting

Category: Other stuff

A place to gather things that have no category!

  • FLCZ at Furzedown Fun Day

    Nice picture of the Furzedown Low Carbon Zone stall at the Furzedown Festival on Saturday.

    FLCZ Chair Giles Read (who took the photo, thanks Giles) said: “what a brilliant event The Furzedown Festival was.  The interest in the FLCZ stall exceeded all expectations, from people interested in investing to those wanting information on solar panels or just enjoying cycling for a song!” 

    Competition Cakes

    On that score it really is interesting to “cycle for a song” to see how much pedal power it requires, in my case 5 minutes cycling to put a “Man On The Moon” courtesy of REM.  However it’s actually much harder to power the 100W light bulb.  Some of the children trying out the bike were fascinated at the connection between their effort and the generation of electricity. Thanks again to Eleanor for the loan of her cycle power machine which has been a great addition over the last two weekends.

  • Re-used & Reclaimed: Carbon Conversations Meeting 3

    Our third meeting in the current Carbon Conversations series was all about exploring and reducing our carbon footprint in the things we purchase. That’s a big topic which ranged from ‘why do we buy stuff anyway?’ to re-use and ‘upcycling’.
    Richard is a participant and has been researching an apect of consumption: re-using building materials, He recommends a couple of interesting projects below:

    Hi all, I’m researching ways we can enable re-use of materials that come out of domestic scale renovation/extension work. This is something dear to my heart having been involved in making projects with Transition Town Tooting and at home using reclaimed timber – you guys will remember the water catchment project, (which was all reclaimed except for 5 lengths of timber that needed to be longer than the available) and the cold frame project that was 100% reclaimed materials.

    Re-upholstered chair with funky echeverias.
    Anyway, during my research I’ve found some really cool initiatives from around the world, and I thought I’d share them with you.
    Have a look at the vimeo clip from the Portland, Oregon based organisation called “The Rebuilding Center” and tell me if you give it an English chuckle or join in with the tears at the end!

    The Rebuilding Center also has done projects using bicycles to transport the materials they salvage form demolition jobs – hardcore! They also have lots of project ideas.

    Handmade cable drum chair

    Yooz is up in Scotland and integrates re-training in its business model.

    Ok, there’s two. Hope you like ’em and it inspires how we can better re-use the copious amounts of useful material going into skips up and down the land.
    Richard

    And thanks a lot, Richard! For more about this meeting series, click on CARBON CONVERSATIONS at the top of this blog page. All welcome to the next series we run.
    And maybe you have ideas for Made in Tooting re-use and reclamation?
    Do get in touch.

  • Made in Tooting

    We have a new project promoting all things Made In Tooting. It’s the brainchild of low impact living initiative founder Dave Darby who has organised an inaugural meeting on Wednesday June 18th – all welcome.  Over to Dave to explain the concept in more detail:

    The idea is to promote local businesses making things in Tooting, and also to help people make (and grow) things themselves. We have a web address and a twitter account (@MadeInTooting) but they’re not live yet. The idea is that local businesses making things in Tooting are promoted on the website, as are the small shops, restaurants and bars stocking the local produce.
    That way, people interested in buying things made locally can find places near where they live to buy them.

    There must be hundreds of small business making things in Tooting (as well as north, south, west and east Tooting, sometimes called Balham, Mitcham, Wimbledon and Streatham). Let’s find them and promote them!  I’ve already made contact with By the Horns brewery (beer); Naked Loaf (bread); the Urban Wine Company (Chateau Tooting!); Nuff Naturals (skin-care products). They’re all keen to get involved.  I’ve also talked to a few local shopkeepers about stocking ‘Made in Tooting’ products, and the idea was well-received. So there are plenty of things to do:

    1. finding and talking to more local businesses
    2. talking to local shops, bars and restaurants
    3. designing and building the website
    4. designing a logo
    5. making a flier to give to local shops
    6. maybe making a ‘Made in Tooting’ shelf sticker
    7. researching what other similar groups are up to
    8. helping people make and grow their own things locally

    If any of this appeals to you, and/or if you’d like to come along on the 18th, contact Dave on dave@lowimpact.org

  • Carbon Conversations Meeting 2 – Hunting Energy Use In The Home

    Report on Carbon Conversations by Eleanor. 
    On 27th May we looked at our carbon footprints and then at home energy. I’ll try to explain without jargon while recognising that learning new ‘carbon literacy’ skills is useful.

    Carbon Footprint:
    Our carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of emissions in tonnes of C02 equivalent (called C02e for short) that we use to live our lives. The average personal footprint in the UK is twelve tonnes of C02e.

    So … where would you ‘hunt for carbon’ if you want to reduce your own footprint?
    Our individual carbon footprints are made up of 5 main areas:

    As a group everyone was well below the national average, but we are all still keen to do better. The next conversations will give us the tools to take practical steps to reduce our carbon footprints overall.

    C02 in our homes
    Just to get everyone thinking we started with an exercise to determine what home comforts mattered to the group. The conclusion we came to was that once we have basic shelter, it’s all personal. Everyone has different priorities and will approach this opportunity from a different perspective.

    Turning to home energy, there are two routes to a low carbon home
    1. Use less energy (gas and electricity)
    2. Switch to an energy provider who puts renewable energy into the national grid.

    The Low Carbon Home game was a bit of fun to see if we could reduce the carbon footprint of a family house by 6 tonnes over 6 years. Some actions are free and easy to do like monitoring energy use and turning down the thermostat. Others require some time and a small investment like changing the light bulbs and some like fitting double glazing or a new boiler require building work to be carried out.


    A real life example

    The best bit was that all the points raised were backed up with a real life example. The venue for the session was in a property that had been modified to be as sustainable as possible. Susan had done exactly what the game set out to show, but in her own home.
    The house (see this link to Susan’s project) is an inspiration and it was great to see that it was achievable. The main thing was how comfortable it was, no drafts, good lighting, and still low energy. Low energy living doesn’t have to mean going without, in fact quite the opposite with the house being cosy and warm over winter. Reducing the heat losses of the house through insulation really made a difference to living in it.
    So where does heat loss occur….?

    Worth bearing in mind if you are making any improvements to your home; it’s not all about double glazing.

    Susan’s main recommendations are:
    1.   Start reading meters and measuring, so you know if you are really reducing energy use
    2.   Explore the options,really get to know your house or flat
    3.   Plan to take steps over 2-5 years, and think about the sequencing so each step is valuable




    I can’t wait to get started on implementing some of the measures discussed here today. The next meeting on June 9th will focus on consumption and purchasing ‘stuff’, and the impact our decisions on what to buy can have.
    Thanks from all the group to Eleanor for this report. 

    Please email transitiontowntooting@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to inquire about our next series of Carbon Conversations. Other TTT blog posts on Carbon Conversations can be found here.   The Energy Saving Trust – website here – is a practical resource for practical energy reduction tips.

  • Green sky thinking – here in Tooting

    On Tuesday evening 3rd June the Furzedown Low Carbon Zone is having its monthly planning meeting  at the Furzedown Pub, in the back room from 1900 to 2030.
    The group has carried out diverse local projects for the past three years with many partners. On Tuesday we’ll share updates on current plans and make new ones: our priority now is to develop a community renewable energy project locally.
    For more info, email us at furzedownlowcarbonzone@gmail.com
    All welcome – and we’d love to talk to you at the Furzedown Festival Big Day Out on 21st June http://furzedown.net/

    At Sprout Arts on Wednesday 4th June, from 1900 to 2100, there’s the first of a fascinating series of events with local architect Ayca Cutts.
    ‘Green Thinking: Designing to Survive’ is the title of Wednesday evening’s participative workshop. For more details on Ayca’s whole series at Sprout, click here.
    We are looking forward to this – and it’s a great fit with our Tooting Carbon Conversations series (click on this link for more info on our curent and past meetings)

  • Our 8th ‘Carbon Conversations’ series has begun

    We began last evening………..our small group’s exploration of understanding, choices and action on carbon reduction.
    The participants aren’t all starting from the same place on this journey. Some people in the group know a lot, some know less, and for all of us terms like a low-carbon future or carbon footprint may be simple words, but what do they mean?
    Yes, we’ve promised to be careful of jargon.
    However there is no getting away from the fact that it’s useful to become more ‘carbon literate’, and engage with some new terminology, and some measurement (‘where are all those tonnes of C02?’) –without becoming carbon bores or confusing people.

    Sketch of an earlier carbon conversation, by Alice Maggs
     

    We asked ourselves the question: why do we bother? to act on sustainability and carbon-reduction in our lives.
    Here are our responses, and no one needed to mention carbon at all in these personal and passionate comments:

    • I feel more powerful and in control, rather than helpless
    • It’s a crime not to
    • I wish to look after the world
    • I hate waste and with my ‘cheapskate tendencies’ I love to recycle
    • I care about the future, and my children’s lives
    • I believe doing positive things makes more positive things happen
    • We are all at risk – people, countries, nature
    • This is a global challenge, and I want to know what I can do

    These comments show a range – maybe some are from the head and are about understanding and facts; maybe some are gut feelings from the heart; some are about taking action that’s hands-on.
    We have a creative mix in the group for this series!

    This session was designed to frame the whole series, and the next meetings are focused on separate practical topics. The second meeting is Tuesday 27th May, and you can still join the rest of the series then.
    For more info, click here for the flyer.

  • Painting of the Wandle Valley Girls – Tonight at Sprout

    Come and see how easy it is to paint things in a totally artistic way!

    We are creating a community of papier mache ladies for the Deen City Farm exhibition as part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival. Last month we created the structures and at this evening’s Meet & Make its time to get the paints out!

    Here are some finished ones to give us some inspiration..

    We are working together on this project so come along even if you didn’t make a head last month I am so sure you will have a great time reconnecting with your creative self!

    Meet & Make 

    6:60 – 8:30 ish
    Sprout Community Arts Space
    74 Moyser Road
    Furzedown
    SW16 6SQ.

    brought to you by S.M.Ar.T network of  T.T.T.
    call or email Jeni on 07944693015 and jeniannewalker@gmail.com.

  • Join us for Carbon Conversations 19 May to 7 July

    All welcome to our eighth series of Tooting Carbon Conversations.
    We have a group formed now to start on 19th May, with a couple of places left – please do join in for a free, instructive, practical and non-judgemental tour around reducing your own carbon footprint.

    Click here for the flyer with all the details. And click on CARBON CONVERSATIONS at the top of this blog page to read past TTT posts.
    To sign up or chat, email Charles at transitiontowntooting@gmail.com – but don’t leave it too late!

    And we have a fascinating new offer:
    Our Transition Town Tooting colleague Jenny is developing the idea for Carbon Collaborations – an informal space, online and face to face in other meetings and workshops.
    Carbon Collaborations can encourage people to share their own successes and challenges in understanding and managing their own journey with carbon reduction in home energy, travel, food, consumption, and more.
    We’ll share What does that look and feel like?
    That could be expressed through wishlists, diaries, sharing equipment or time, confessions, pleas for help if stuck, photos of achievements… 
    We’ll get into this at the end of this next Carbon Conversations series.

  • AGM Report

    The 2014 AGM and 6th birthday party took place last Tuesday.  There was a Tooting related quiz and the usual AGM formalities of re-electing co-chairs and presenting accounts before a brief update on projects past present and future. 

    While we look forward to big events like the Foodival, three exciting new ideas include a drive to promote products “Made in Tooting”, Carbon Collaborations to add to Conversations and an autumn Looking Out For Tooting event finding alternative viewpoints of our beloved urban nexus.  Keep a look out for more on these on this blog and social media.

    Meanwhile today there’s a well being walk (Sir Owain and the Lady of the Well) ending on the Common where fanSHEN will perform the Applecart, both as part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival Fringe. Get down there if you can!

  • AGM 2014

    Tomorrow evening we are holding TTT’s annual general meeting (AGM) and 6th birthday party and everyone is welcome to attend.  We will vote for or against our beloved dear leaders, there will be a Tooting related quiz with great prizes, a bit of official business and a chance to hear about TTT’s variety of ongoing projects as well as find out how to get involved with some exciting new ones.  Hopefully there will be at least samosas and cake too! 
     
    We look forward to catching up with you at Mushkil Aasaan in the Upper Tooting Road from 7pm, Tuesday 29th April.