Transition Kentish Town Newsletter March 2020

Welcome to March in Kentish Town!  

There are so many wonderful things happening locally to brighten up the days and put a spring in your step!

Highlights from February include:

February saw the Vegbox Community Cafe commence its residency at the Think&Do Community Climate & Eco Action Space in Kentish Town Road.  With delicious organic homemade soups, cakes and a selection of hot drinks, starring ‘Buna Oromia Ethiopian Coffee’ - organic, single-origin & Fairtrade. The cafe is open from 10am to 6pm - Monday to Saturday - and for late night events too!



Come and take a walk around our Think&Do imagination space and get involved in the climate action projects.

If you would like to use this space to host a climate action/climate justice event, or would like to host your own Think&Do pop up, we would love to hear from you! Contact: thinkanddocamden@gmail.com.

We also need volunteers to help host and meet and greet. Do you have a couple hours free a week? If so, get in touch!  

www.thinkanddocamden.org.uk
 

Greenpeace Ocean Experience: Journey from Pole to Pole event was a packed day with over 250 enthusiastic visitors! Immersive experiences using virtual reality headsets, fantastic talks by Lisa Thomson about the importance of our oceans for a healthy planet as well as a thought-provoking photography exhibition. 

You can also support the oceans by signing the Protect the Oceans petition.


 

Friends of the Earth Clothes Swap at Think&Do

Another fantastic Clothes Swap was hosted by the wonderful team at Friends of the Earth. Over 100 people came into Think&Do swopping their pre-loved clothes for other pre-loved clothes!

Following animated Fast Fashion Workshops at Think&Do last year Acland Burghley & Parliament Hill Girls School have now set up their own Clothes Swop Shop rails!



 

Power Up North London



Success for Power Up North London Community Share offer at Hampstead School!

It has been an incredibly productive few months for Power Up North London.  With the help of many members of the Transition community we raised £46,000 to install nearly 50 KwP of lovely solar panels on Hampstead school. We also worked with Muswell Hill Golf Course to raise a further £45,000 to install a solar array there. The installations are well underway and should be completed by mid-March.

As if that weren’t enough excitement, we have also just installed a solar array at Kentish Town City Farm, a key part of their greening plan.

PUNL is growing rapidly and there are lots of opportunities to further scale our work. We would love to hear from you if you would be interested in volunteering to help us realise those opportunities. There’s lots to do - from fundraising to marketing to engineering and project management. If you might have some time to help please contact us at: powerupnorthlondon@gmail.com.

Rewilding Camden

We held a great tree planting session at the Raglan estate in late February. Amid a gale force storm, 10 lovely trees were planted by residents and the local community! For more info contact: rewildingcamden@gmail.com






 

Events coming up in March:

• Not buying compost that contains peat
• Not buying plants that come in peat-containing soil
• Not buying from nurseries and shops that sell peat-containing products

In our workshops we will be using sand which has been locally recovered (from underneath a demolished garden shed) and home-made compost, which is transported by bike-trailer.

Reducing Plastic
Conventional gardening can use a lot of plastic, most of it single use and not recyclable (because of soiling, mixed materials, and the “wrong colour” of plastic).
We can help reduce plastic waste by:

• washing and reusing our plastic pots and containers
• buying compost and manures together with friends/neighbours/allotment associations - delivered loose
• not buying compost and manures in single use plastic bags
• not buying plants in plastic pots

Local and Low Carbon Plant Production

• Let’s not buy plants which have been imported or transported from far
• Let’s not buy plants from nurseries which use plastic, peat, mineral fertilisers and pesticides

Details of the Sustainable Gardening Workshops in March



Workshop 1: Thursday 5th March - 4pm to 6 pm
Plant Propagation - Strawberries, Ransoms & more!

We will learn plant propagation of strawberries using runners.
Learn how to propagate from bulbs and corms: Ramsons and Lesser Celandine. Transplanting digitalis “Pam’s Choice”.
Children and adults welcome.

Workshop 2: Friday 6th March - 4pm to 6 pm
Making your own Bird Feeder & Birdseed!

Make your own bird feed and bird feeder from attractive clay pots, local clay, local sticks and recycled wire. Bird feed uses muesli and organic fat.
Children-friendly workshop.

Workshop 3: Friday 6th March - 6pm to 8 pm
Grow Your Own Beer!

We will be learning about propagating hop plants using Golden Hop plants for container growing: Everyone can take away their own Dwarf golden hop “Primadonna”.
There will be a talk by a local brewer about how the hops are used to flavour beer. And an introduction on how the hops are used in brewing and a community brewing project in St Mary’s Church and how to support it. Your home-grown hops will be turned into “Transition Tipple” - a local community beer!
For adults.

Workshop 4: Tuesday 10th March - 4pm to 6 pm
Making Paper Pots, Seed Trays & Seedling Compost

We will be making paper pots and seed trays for seedlings: peas, runner beans, sweet peas. And mixing our own seedling compost.
Children-friendly Workshop.


Workshop 5: Thursday 26th March - 6pm to 8 pm
Make your own Nettle & Ramsons Pesto!

We will be making nettle and ramsons pesto with organic plant oil and organic nuts and cider vinegar. And look at the uses of nettle in making twine and fertiliser.
Suitable for older children and adults.


Workshop 6: Saturday 28th March, 10 am to 12 noon
Making Pea Wigwams & locally grown Twine

We will be making attractive pea wigwams and plant supports using locally grown bamboo and locally grown Acer water shoots. We’ll also make and use locally grown twines from nettle, bramble and vines.
Suitable for older children and adults.

Participation is free, but a donation of £2 for materials is welcomed.
The maximum number of participants per session is 10 including the tutors
All workshops will take place at: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ:
www.thinkanddocamden.org.uk
 

Upcoming Events - a small selection!

Kentish Town Bike Workshop

When: Monday 2nd March - 6:30pm - 8:30pm.
Where: Kentish Town Health Centre, Bartholomew Road, NW5

A free monthly drop-in bike maintenance workshop run in collaboration between Camden Cyclists and Transition Kentish Town. Our mechanics will support you to fix your bike. Tea and cake while you wait! It's always the first Monday of the month, except when there's a bank holiday, when it's the second Monday instead.

 

Divest Camden

When: Tuesday 3rd March - 7pm -8.30pm
Where: Think&Do 315 Kentish Town Rd, Kentish Town, London NW5 2TJ, UK

Camden Divest campaigns for Camden Council to stop investing in fossil fuels. Join us for our monthly meeting to find out about our plans for 2020 and how you can get involved. All welcome.
 

The Secret Life of Trees
 
When:  Thursday 12th March - 4pm-5pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)

An inspiring, informative talk about trees, conservation and seasonal tips, with Jake Camilieri, member of the Camden Forest Project and Tree Officer at Camden Council.
Further info: www.thinkanddocamden.org.uk.






 

Camden Forest Tree Giveaway



When:  Saturday 7th March - 10.30am - 1.30pm
Where: Parliament Hill Farmer’s Market, Hampstead Heath, Highgate Road entrance

Join the Camden Forest team and help us create a Camden Forest in gardens across Camden!  We are giving away small garden trees to tree guardians. All you have to do to receive a free tree is to begin a story around it. 
The trees are Rowan, Field Maple and Bird Cherry. They are small bare-rooted whips which can be planted during the winter. 

We are working closely with the fantastic TCV in Camden, who have supplied the trees. Further info: https://camdenforest2025.wordpress.com.
 

Fermentation Workshop & Supper

When:  Wednesday 11th March - 6pm-8pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)
Book via Eventbrite.



Join Gill Jacobs, Kelly Hill and VegBox @ the Think&Do Community Cafe for a fabulous Fermentation Workshop! 
Come and discover a wonderful way to use up winter vegetables and learn how to make sauerkraut to improve  your health with millions of beneficial gut bacteria. Why pay high prices in the shops when you can easily make it yourself?  This is a lovely way to share and make food together. Discover how people made use of vegetables in the days before refrigeration.  We will also talk about making raw milk kefir, and beetroot kvass, which you can try on the night!

£5 each for materials and a bowl of delicious soup made by Vegbox, plus any donations to VegBox Think&Do.

Booking via Eventbrite is essential as we’re restricted to 15 places, on a first come first served basis. 

Please bring an empty jam jar (medium size) for taking the sauerkraut away, a cutting board & a vegetable cutting knife.
 

Re-Imagining Kentish Town Hackathon

When:  Thursday 12th March - 6pm-8pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)



Come along and take part in the conversation about how we co-create a Vision for Kentish Town in 2030. Imagine what Kentish Town could look like.  Bring your ideas and your dreams and most importantly your imagination and let’s create a town for the future right here in Kentish Town!
 

Camden Unwrapped: Tackling the ‘Plastic Problem' in Camden

When:  Saturday 14th March -12-4pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)
Book via Eventbrite. 

Join us for a hearty, plant-based lunch, mingle and have some great conversations. We will be ‘hacking' single-use plastic in Camden!



Think about your home, or your school or work place, how much single-use plastic do we need in our lives and do we know what happens to it when we throw it away?

At this Camden Unwrapped event we will discuss the single-use plastic in our lives, talk about where it can be avoided and how best to dispose of it. There will also be a quick-fire recycling quiz, plus the Greenpeace Oceans Experience with virtual reality headsets - making a come back for one day only!

From our local government to our own actions and the corporations we pay to take it away, this event will educate and inspire us all to take some action and how best to reduce our consumption of pointless plastic.

If single-use plastic (and seeing a reduction of it) is your passion, Climate Emergency Camden would love to talk to you about some amazing and fun volunteering opportunities with CEC and its Waste & Resources group!
Contact: climateemergencycamden@gmail.com.
 

Making Sense of Climate Justice

When:   Monday 16th March - 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)

"What do we want? Climate Justice! When do we want it? Now!” 
But what is climate justice and why should we all work for it? 

In this workshop we explore why the climate solutions must take into account how past and present systems of injustice have created and perpetuated climate change. We also learn why those who are least responsible for climate change are suffering the gravest consequences. We will also look into how people are demanding social and economic justice and link up our local struggles to global ones. 
 

Spring Equinox Seasonal Feast with Vegbox

When:   Friday 20th March - 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)
Book via Eventbrite. 

Come and join Transition Kentish Town and the fab vegbox.org.uk for a seasonal feast to celebrate the Spring Equinox. At this pop-up supper, you can expect delicious seasonal veggie food, drinks, music and storytelling. Together, let’s celebrate the start of spring with an evening of fun and laughter!
 

Putting the Park back into Parking Hackathon!

When:  Saturday 21st March - 10am-11.30am
Where: Think&Do - 315 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ (opposite the Library)
Book via Eventbrite.

What if your street was full of pedestrians and nature rather than traffic? What if the air was clean and the sounds you heard were birdsong and the breeze? Along your street there were mini-parklets instead of parking spaces, spaces to garden, or just sit down and chat with your neighbours?



Do you have a car parking space where you live which you don’t use? Have you decided to give up your car? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, and you would like to turn your ex-car space into a mini parklet. Or do you know of another location where you think we could put the park back into parking? If yes, please come to this event and let's get brainstorming how to put the park back into parking!

The event will be attended by the fab neighbours of Leighton Rd, NW5 who recenly got permission from Camden Council to install and plant two skip gardens!
 

Other News

Read the inspiring Tale of the Camden Think & Do - from Rob Hopkins, Debbie Bourne & Farhana Yamin

The Refill Station were at Think&Do in February

There are lots of stimulating, thought-provoking, inspiring events coming up at Think&Do in March and April

Spring-time greetings from us all, we look forward to seeing you at one our events soon!