Transition Café
 
Green Agreement Meeting
Wednesday 10^th October, Quaker Meeting House, 6.30 for food, 7.00 start, ends 8.45
 
This meeting will have one main purpose - to generate a set of workable Green Agreements for people in their own personal lives. These will cover 6 main areas where we can take responsibility for our own carbon footprint - food, waste, recycling, transport, housing, energy supply.
The Agreement is meant to provide each of us with a set of agreed goals so that we achieve as much as we can over several years,

I hope this will help to create a stronger community and more support, where we know that each person is taking steps to improve their impact on the planet (rather than assuming it).
 
We also hope this will revitalize and transform Transition Liverpool. We have some negative reasons for creating change - our core group has shrunk due to health issues and other commitments, so that we have a lot less time and energy available than before …….
 
So we have a choice – either decrease what Transition does to fit the time and energy available, or treat this as an opportunity to increase the number of people involved, and try and improve what we do.
 
So, we’re choosing to try to recruit more people, and improve the structure so that people can connect better.
 
After the meeting we would set up a Green Agreement Facebook group - this would be a closed group just for those people that make the green agreement. I hope this group might be more active and contribute to organising the Transition meetings, and have other spin-offs as things develop.
 
I can also set up an online directory based on the organisations I’ve mentioned in these newsletters, and also set up a forum – Facebook is great for friendships, photos and videos, but it is very transient, and pretty useless if you want to have a serious discussion or work together to try and create something. Again, the forum would be limited to the green group members.
 
Please come along and join in !!
 
The November Meeting will be November 14^th on plastics and recycling – we have 3 brilliant speakers for this to tell us about what they are doing – please put this date in your diary

Transition Meetups
 
Come along and say hello, talk about transition, do networking – let us know what you are doing (or what you’d like to do), hear about similar projects, discuss how to do things better, ....... and we'll tell you what we are doing. Sometimes we also just have a cup of tea and chatter !
Everyone welcome ! (we may also talk about our pet topics of co-operatives and co-housing, but not quite all the time !)
Meeting each time at The Brink, 15-21 Parr Street, from 4pm to 6pm
11^th October
18^th October
25^th October
1^st November
8^th November

Co-Housing

House in Germany where the pipes make music when it rains - Hundertwasser House in Vienna

Progress Report
 
Our Core Group meeting a few weeks ago went very well. We made good progress with our Vision and Values statement (with the help of an outside facilitator). However, we’re not there yet, so at least one more meeting will also be closed – we also need to establish a legal structure amd take some other key steps.
 
After that we will open the doors again ………
 
Buildings and housing links
 
Straw Bale housing pioneers had a go at the Dragon’s Den - report
 
Decentralized Microgridding Can Provide 90% of a Neighborhood's Energy Needs, Study Finds
 
Urban Community Land Trusts are happening and growing - report
 
Architects can be the facilitators of Community Led housing - article
 
Stir to Action have some free places on workshops – Community Ownership, De-colonising Economics, and many more organised for the next 6 months. - website
 
Living together 5: commonhold for cohousing projects – interview with Peter Burke of A Fairer Society – Low Impact article
 
Halton Senior Co-Housing is hosting two information evenings, October 8th 6-7PM at the Gregson in Lancaster and November 6th 7:30-8:30 at the Friends Meeting House in Lancaster. Our project is developing well and interested parties are now putting their names forward to reserve a unit. Please check our web site or get in touch if you would like more information. Facebook event
 
Community Land Summit – the first in the UK is in Manchester, on 12^th December – website
 
Carbon Coop are busy again !!
Finding the Right Builder - link
Upcoming trainings: website

• Routes to Retrofit - turning your plans into reality - Sat 6th & 13th Oct 2018
• Introduction to Off-Grid Power Sytems - Sat 20th Oct 2018 -
• Draught-proofing for homeowners - Sat 27th Oct 2018
• Ventilation for Retrofit - Weds 7th Nov 2018 -
• Principles of Retrofit - Thurs 8th and 15th Nov 2018 -

Resource Centre for community groups - provides an online routemap for organisations trying to decide on what legal structure to use - report

Bristol Energy. Is a publically-owned energy company (owned by the council) so that any profits benefit the local community - website
 
The ten most common mistakes in  consensus - article
 

Gardening, Nature, Permaculture

L - Heading for extinction poster                                    R - living off the grid

Is Sustainable Organic Farming the Future of Food? – 5 min Facebook video
 
Renting a House and growing food in the garden in the suburbs, where you sometimes get big gardens with good soil
Good video from Australia
 
Merseyside Biobank. Dr Phil Smith’s nature notes from September of interesting species found on Merseyside - report
 
Underwater farming being developed in Italy - video
the sea water evaporates and condenses on the roof, then drips down onto the plants
 
Bio-regionalism – an interesting article emerging after the recent Permaculture Convergence

Costa Rica, economics and ecology. They seem to be getting a lot of things right – !!! Guardian Article
 
Growing Sudley – the website about the gardens of Sudley House is now live !! Apparently they have an amazing walled garden there
 
Natural Sculpture Workshop at Burscough Community Farm, on Sunday 7^th October - booking
 
Why my farm is not a “permaculture farm” with Marit Parker of Just Wild – Gawr Teg – Low Impact article
 
Seeking future farmers for East Sussex: apply to be a smallholder with the Ecological Land Cooperative – Low Impact article
 
Ten top tips for running a market stall or craft fayre stall – Low Impact article
 
Environment and Politics
The first few articles are from different dates and sources, but it's alarming to see them gathered together in this way
 
Heading for Extinction event in Liverpool, Friday October 12^th, 6 to 8 pm at the Green Guild, event is open to the public
More rallies are planned .....
Heading for Extinction – YouTube 50min video (yes, that’s us who are at risk of extinction !)

Climate Emergency Declaration – you  can download a 24pp PDF
 
Rising Up – non-violent activists - 'The time for denial is over – we know the truth about climate change and we know the truth about current biological annihilation. …..” Interview with Gail Bradbrook
 
UN Secretary General says we have a year and a half to avoid runaway climate change - article
 
Brexit Justice Crowdfunder – to bring a private criminal prosecution of Boris Johnson for misconduct in public office (for deliberately misleading the public about Brexit) - Crowdfunder page

United Resistance – a message from one of the young people imprisoned for anti-fracking demonstrations

Understanding the vote to Leave – article – an academic view

The problems arising from the WTO, great video produced by La Via Campesina

Global Climate Emergency – video on the possible causes and consequences of climate change
 
We must take back control from Whitehall, not from Brussels – Guardian Article

Trial of a Citizens Assembly system of randomly chosen citizens in Northern Ireland – BBC report
 
Our Favourites

L - Festival of Hygge                                                   R - FunPalace

Healthy Souls - Facebook Page
The Festival of Hygge
On Sunday 14th October we will be celebrating all things hygge - pronounced hoo-ga. Times start from 12.00 until 19.00 at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, Stanley Park
Hygge is the Danish art of creating joy, comfort and contentment in everyday life, so as we welcome in Autumn join us in the beautiful Isla Gladstone Conservatory for workshops, talks, a marketplace and a Candlelight Yoga session with sound bath; as well as sessions for children and young people.
Organised by Healthy Souls, Positivity Inc and Stanley Park

Tickets available... £ 5 – normal ticket, £ 10 includes candlelit yoga and sound bath. One free child's place with every adult ticket sold

Some more details ...... Candlelight Yoga is open to all over 18, and a mat and a blanket will be provided for Candlelight Yoga but if you have your own please bring it with you
This event will be alcohol free. Facebook event and Eventbrite booking
 
The Brink - on Facebook
Check their Facebook page for guitar lessons, meditation, welfare advice, young musicians showcase, etc.
 
The Art of Falling Apart
Launch Event: 11th October 2018, 4.00pm - 5.30pm at The Brink, 21 Parr Street, Liverpool L1 4JN
(Exhibition runs: 11th October 2018 - 7th January 2019)

Now in its 5th year, Liverpool Mental Health Consortium’s annual art exhibition presents pieces from Merseyside artists drawing on their own personal experience on the theme of mental health.
“Although this exhibition has a mental health theme, the focus is most definitely the ART!! And exactly the approach to building inner strength we need to see.” (Exhibition Viewer, 2017)

Internationally acclaimed artists The Singh Twins join us once again as exhibition Patrons:
“We’re delighted to be Patrons of the Liverpool Mental Health Festival Art Exhibition for the fourth year. The range and diversity of the work, and the artistic talent on show is always impressive.” (The Singh Twins)

This year, the exhibition also showcases a collaborative Irish Traveller Women's Photography Project produced by Liverpool Mental Health Consortium, Liverpool Irish Festival and Irish Community Care Merseyside, in partnership with Irish Traveller women.
 
Qigong – The Eight Extraordinary Meridians
The 8EXM’s are the blueprint of the internal energy system; the anatomy and physiology of how it works. Our ‘Qi’ flows through them. Cultivation of the Qi allows for greater health and happiness.
This class, led by Jim Macritchie of The Personal Energy Centre, with over 30 years of practice and 5 published books to his name, teaches you the Internal Meditations required to have mastery over your personal energy.
SIGN UP for these classes at the Introductory event on Oct 24th 6pm
CLASSES START on Oct 31st and run every Wed apart from 2nd Wed of the month
Introductory Session October 24th – details on Facebook
 
Non-violent Communication – the amazing philosophy of Marshall B Rosenberg.
Non-violent Communication teaches you a way of having your needs heard and met, by being able to communicate them effectively. It teaches authenticity – not suppression. Practice, and understanding of the concepts in Rosenbergs original work, allows for a more peaceful and harmonious life.
Classes are every 2nd Wed of the month 4-6pm. Recommended donations are £1, £5 or £8
 
Halloween & Bonfire Night Party
Every year we join these two occasions into one big party on one night.
THIS YEAR it's Nov 2nd 6-10pm
 
Also see their full newsletter online for more info
 
2030 hub - Facebook page 

 Mindful Monday Mornings  - Facebook event details
Ease your way into the working week with a morning mindfulness session at 2030hub.

We'll meditate together, share a cup of tea, then learn and practice one or two mindfulness techniques put forth by a leading figure in the field. For this first session we'll begin with practices by the father of modern mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn.

This will be a gentle introduction to mindfulness, designed to help us begin the new week with intention, clarity and self compassion.
 
Business as a Force for Good - Introduction to B Corp: For-Profit + Social Mission - Facebook event
Tuesday, 23 October 2018 from 08:30-10:30am, tickets £17
 
Earth Moves - Facebook Page
 
Mesolithic Echoes Date:20/10/2018 Time: 11am-5.00pm at Belisama Community Greenhouse £20 low wage /unwaged, £30 waged, includes food. - Facebook event

Learn ancient techniques for making fire, bread and creative adornments. Connect with nature and see her as sentient. Hear the voices from the past as expressed through the landscape, creativity and ancient survival techniques.

We will learn how to produce fire by friction, do basket making, gathering and foraging. We will make flatbread on a stone, we will eat our bread with vegan scouse, which we will we will heat up on an outdoor fire.

We will do creative activities making headdresses from found material, dancing and drumming.Children with adults welcome. Children half price. Wear Warm waterproof clothes !.

Wirral Ghosts, A talk by Parapsychologist Ann Winsper - Facebook event

Sunday, 21 October 2018 from 15:30-18:30 at  Belisama Community Greenhouse
Cost £5 in advance £7 on the door. Includes drinks and snacks
 
Next to Nowhere – in the Basement of News from Nowhere – ring the white bell near the side door.
Every Saturday from 12noon – vegan kitchen, good food, pay by donation. See the website for more details

L - Willow stucture                                 R - Ecobricks with Waste not Want Not  

Heartsong Willow - on Facebook 
 
Croxteth - Growing a Living Willow Garden Structure with Heartsong Willow

Join us at the site of the Nature to Nurture Outdoor Nursery in Croxteth Park to create living willow arches that will surround a wild flower meadow.

A practical outdoor course introducing how to make basic living willow structures. Explore willow's place in nature, our culture and wellbeing whilst working as part of a group to create something shared in the community. - Facebook event
Two Wednesdays 14th and 21st of November 10am til 3pm – costs £31 or free if receiving benefits. Booking needed via WEA
 
A practical outdoor WEA course at Burscough Community Farm introducing how to make basic living willow structures. Explore willow's place in nature, our culture and wellbeing whilst working as part of a group to create something shared in the community.

Three Sundays - 11th, 18th & 25th November 2018 From 10.30am til 3.30pm with Rustic Lunch
Cost for the 3 events is £46.50 or free if receiving benefits Please book at WEA

Million Stars have been very busy, and have found time to change their official name to Million Stars
Sustainable Events Ltd ……
 
Are you planning an event in the next 12 months?
Whether it's corporate, fundraiser, festival or community focused... It doesn't matter as long as its sustainable. Pledge to make your event a #zerowaste one.... Ask us how!
 
Huge amounts of waste tents from rock festivals have been collected, cleaned and taken to prisons for re-packaging or for conversion into clothing. Now they are trying to deal with the source of the problem and get the festivals and other events to pledge to become sustainable !! 23,500T of waste is created at UK Music festivals, every year. That's the equivalent of throwing 340,00 washing machines or 16,000 cars into landfill. We've found solutions for all of this waste, even tents beyond repair.

It's not just festivals either, we take textile waste too including roll ends, offcuts and damaged goods. We consider reuse options for all waste, this includes punctured inflatables, wetsuits and we are even exploring reuse options for washed up surf boards

We're an environmental business first and foremost. Diverting 1000's of tonnes of waste from landfill and using waste as a force for social good!
 
Follow them on Facebook for more information and updates (I can hardly keep up …..)
 
Events
 
Norris Green Fun Palace
Our Fun Palace will take place in Norris Green Library and Little Sandbox. You can get to both through the main library entrance. Townsend Ave, Liverpool, UK, L11 5AF on 6th October, 2018 - 10:30AM - 3:30PM - see the website
 
Come and see what activities we have in our maker space and what you can make with the tools here. We’ve already got; puppet making workshops, clay robot modelling, origami, silk painting, crochet, face painting, 3d printing, story telling, Microbits to learn code. If you have a making skill you’d like to show get in touch.
 
There was a Fun Palace a few years ago (in 2014 at the Everyman), and Sally Moss wrote an interesting blog about what they did there – a sort of Permaculture Design “Everyone is a Designer – design your life” stall
(We're very interested in (re)developing things like this)
 
The Little Collector Crew Litter Pick is at 2pm on Sunday 7^th October in Birkenhead Park, then
Eco-Brick workshop at 3pm in the visitor centre - Facebook page

STIR magazine launch
Wed 14 November 2018, 18:30 – 21:00 GMT at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. Booking on Eventbrite
 
Cities face an uncertain post-Brexit future. In Preston, the anchor institutions have come together to reimagine their social identities through a greater commitment to Preston and the surrounding areas by means of local procurement and an increased sense of social responsibility.
 
The University of Central Lancashire, in partnership with Preston City Council are supporting the development of a co-operative city through the Preston Co-operative Development Network, opening out new and creative ideas for our future. It’s a panel discussion with good speakers.
 
This is part of Stir magazine's autumn launch series for the publication of Co-operating out of Crisis.
 
Northern Health & Sustainability Network
Workshop on food and sustainability, particularly focused on creating change in the NHS. On Wednesday 17^th October in Liverpool. 
Confirmed speakers include Amy Johnston from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Dr Susannah McWilliam from the Soil Association and Gary Stott from Community Shop / Incredible Edible, plus a speaker from ISS. There will be afternoon discussions led by Health Equalities Group, Feedback Global and Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Hospitals. In addition we are offering a site tour of the Liverpool Guild of Student’s rooftop gardens, aquaponics system and rocket composter!
For more information see the website or contact Ian Stenton ian.stenton@rlbuht.nhs.uk
 
Architectural Migrations, at RIBA North. 21, Mann Island, 22 October 2018, 1:00pm-2:15pm - website details
Dr Claire Kinsella (Staffordshire University) considers the tensions and contradictions between Irish identity, migration and the high-rise built form.

L - Surfers against Sewage Beach Clean -                      R - tents for recycling at Million Stars

Surfers Against Sewage Annual Beach and River Clean - Litter Picks in this area - Facebook
Wirral's series of Autumn Beach & River Clean dates:
        Saturday 20th October @10am - New Brighton,
        Sunday 21st October @10am - Leasowe Bay,
        Saturday 27th October @10am - Thurstason Beach,
        Sunday 28th October @10am - West Kirby Beach.
Please see our event page for more details.
 
Reconcilers Together is an ecumenical network of Christian organisations across the UK and Ireland. Our shared mission is to inspire and equip Christian leaders to be a reconciling presence in their churches and communities. We do this through our online resources and fully funded 6 month leadership training programme: Journey of Hope.  via St Ethelburga’s https://www.reconcilerstogether.co.uk/?mc_cid=4be50f28c9&mc_eid=75e848ecdc
 
Plastic and Recycling
 
ReciproCity Wirral
Featured in the Guardian !! and on Facebook
 
Waste Not Want Not
Emily is going to come to our November meeting !!
In the meantime, Waste Not Want Not is open in the food section of Birkenhead Market every Friday, Saturday and Monday (exact times can vary – see here for updates)
Also, she has some major events as part of Ecobricks Community North West - Facebook group
The Little Collector Crew Litter Pick is at 2pm on Sunday 7^th October in Birkenhead Park, then Eco-Brick workshop at 3pm and the visitor centre - Facebook page
 
Packet In Walkers ! Campaign against plastic crisp packets - website
 
Walkers Crisps have announced they will drop plastic crisp packets in 2025. In the meantime, they produce 11 million packets a day – the packets can’t be recycled, and lots end up as litter

To encourage them to bring this forward, you can post empty packets to their Freepost:-
Consumer Services Department, Walkers Snack Foods, FREEPOST LE4 918, Leicester, LE4 5ZY
Take a photo of what you send and post it on social media !!
 
The differences between recycling and bio-degradable waste - good BBC report about this. They cause a problem if they are mixed together.
Vegware are the firm in the report who are based in Edinburgh. They provide the compostable containers etc. and also provides a correct composting service for them  - website
 
Information
You could drown in information ……… but, there are some great sources out there
 
The Guardian offers an amazing range of free newsletters, including Green Light (environment news) and Lab Notes (science news) plus many more
 
Green Bullet is great, from the North West Environment Link To subscribe please email andyyuille@gmail.com  with the subject line: “Subscribe to NWEL Bulletin”.
 
Network of Wellbeing – has some great events, webinars and courses - website
 
Nesta Newsletter can be accessed online
Looks like good articles and events – using collective intelligence to achieve the SDG’s, Designing human-machine co-operation, Re-designing the internet, etc. (it’s a eweekley newsletter – lots of good stuff in previous issues too – accessed from the link !)
New Radicals 2018 - Every two years, Nesta and the Observer pull together a list of radical thinking organisations and individuals developing creative ways of tackling society's biggest challenges. - webpage
 
Arts and Crafts
 
The Neuroscience of Singing – article
 
Natural Sculpture Workshop at Burscough Community Farm, on Sunday 7^th October - booking

Pottery on the wild side: digging your own clay – Low Impact article
 
Great bamboo craft video of making furniture
 
New Thought
 
IntegralMentors proposes some new stages of development which are not yet embedded - Facebook image
 
A viable alternative to the current, bank-controlled money system? Interview with Matthew Slater of the Credit Commons Collective  – Low Impact article
 
Emotional Intelligence – 4 min Facebook video
 
Pre-Competitive Partnerships and the SDG’s article about some high-level partnerships to create environmental change, such as Cotton2040, Reporting 3.0 in journalism and New Plastics Economy. - website
 
‘Moon Shots & Puddle Jumps – Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals’, UNDP Innovation Facility shares case studies from over 25 countries of how innovation can make development more impactful, citing examples from Bangladesh, Georgia, Honduras, Malawi, Sudan and Yemen. UNDP website
 
An Infinitely Friendly Universe, article by Pierre Pradervand
 
The heart knows…the mind believes – short video of Charles Eisenstein
 
Seven Mantras of the New Revolution, article by Chris Taylor
 
Planetary Health and Regeneration - article by Daniel Christian Wahl
Why l firmly believe we are capable of redesigning humanity’s impact on Earth from being destructive to being regenerative. There is plenty of evidence that we have in the past acted as enriching, nurturing and regenerative influences on ecosystems we inhabited ……
 
Science News
We’ve been studying our own solar system for a long time, so it makes sense to us – the short version of the story is:-
- The sun formed (explaining that is another story)
- Then its gravity began to pull in all the material around – much of it rocky
- As they orbit closer to the sun, the rocks tend to be pushed away by the force of the emissions from the sun,
- The rocks bashed together, forming small rocky clusters,
- Often the force of the collisions caused them to melt and  generate a range of reactions, emitting gases
- The gases were then stripped away, again by the force of the sun’s radiation, eg Mercury, Venus
- (Earth was in a “sweet spot” where it could keep its atmosphere, but was kept warm - the earth's amgnetic field and ozone layer help with this)
- The gases began to condense a gain further out, forming “gas giants” sucha s Jupiter
 
However, we now have the right sort of telescopes to study planets in other solar systems, and astronomers are astonished to discover that there are some gas giants that are rotating very close to their suns.
These are known as Hot Jupiters, or puffy planets – the density of some of them is calculated to be similar to polystyrene !
At the moment there is no good explanations for this. Planet KELT-11B is an example – it is 1.4 times the size of Jupiter, but only 20% of the mass, and orbits quite close to its star. It could be related to the amount of radiation it receives, which is somehow not stripping away all the planet’s gases. This also raises the question “is our solar system normal” ?
From New Scientist, 22^nd September, p. 34, part of a special feature on “The Mystery of the Universe”)
 
Artist of the Month

Sarah Wilkins is an illustrator who was born in New Zealand, and works on children’s book among many other types of illustration. - see her website for more work !
 
About Transition Liverpool
The main Transition Liverpool event is the monthly “Transition Café” which is on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. We also have a Meetup every week at the Brink on Thursdays from 4pm till 6, which gives more space for discussion and connecting in a more personal way. There is an Energy Group, and every October we put on a full-day Symposium. Our main concerns are to help create a “soft-landing” rather than a crash as fuel supplies fall and demand rises, and also as the effects of climate change increase. Transition is a development model for “advanced” societies to help us create better and more fulfilled lives for all, while using less resources.
We are part of the Transition Network, and Transition Town West Kirby are also very active. Our local Liverpool website is here, and our Facebook page is here. 
Some of the main Transition publications are available online for free download - the original Transition Handbook, and the recent Essential Guide to doing Transition .
 
Newsletter Information
Data Protection
Transition Liverpool only has the following information about you:- your name and your email address. We are not gathering any other information, and we would not give or sell our database to anyone else. However, we are using this free and very convenient emailing program, MailChimp, and they supply us some information that we are not really very interested in, such as which are the most popular links in each newsletter.
We don’t know what information Mailchimp is collecting on people, and what use they may be putting it to – they are not intrusive, and there is no advertising. It seems they may be similar to Google, Facebook and the others, however, it’s relatively easy to “Unsubscribe” if you are concerned about this – click the link in the footer at the end of this email.
 
If you have been sent this newsletter by a friend and would like to subscribe, please click this link . To unsubscribe, click the link below on the footer.
If you want to send us information or news for the next newsletter, please send to transitionliverpoolnews@gmail.com Please use transitionliverpool@gmail.com for all other enquiries.
 
Best Wishes and Happy Transitions,   George