Trees: The Convenient truth

Deal With It are showing the Forestry Commission Film : 'Trees: The Convenient Truth' at our April monthly meeting at DealAbility, 43 Victoria Road, Deal CT14 7AY - at 7:30pm. All Welcome


Copy of the leaflet > Here

Garden share to pub share...

You have heard of garden share, well how about Pub-share?

Pub landlord, Richard Munden at the Chequer Inn in Ash is turning his part of his pub garden into allotments and is offering out for a share of the produce. Interested contact Richard on 01304-813918 http://thechequerinnash.co.uk/

Victoria's Green Matters - 8th April

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:  
The Transition movement has an inspiring motto – ‘from oil dependence to local resilience’. Since the industrial revolution we have been using fossil fuels to fire up our enterprises and society has become dependent upon them. We are now approaching the end of our supplies of these fossil fuels and we must go forward to a world that is resilient to life without them, through communities that have found a better way to live.

Much is talked of Peak Oil. Doubters say that we will never run out of oil; realists know that Peak Oil refers to the ease with which oil can be extracted which is therefore related to its price. As extraction becomes more difficult, and so more costly, oil prices will rise and most other prices will follow suit. This has already started.

People who doubt that man’s actions have exacerbated climate change with the burning of fossil fuels must at least see that as prices increase, alternative sources of energy must be found and used.

The Transition movement focuses on the positive, encouraging communities to come together and work towards a post oil life. There are lots of ways that people can unite to share their skills and make their lives better. It is important that the focus is on improvement and that optimism is the overwhelming feeling.

Growing food together, either on an allotment or in gardens, is an opportunity to educate people about where food comes from for those whose only knowledge is the supermarket. Rethinking transport and moving away from the car towards walking, cycling and using buses and trains cuts carbon emissions and reduces air pollution. Working towards locally produced energy through community owned wind generation or bio fuels both cut emissions and give independence from the large generators.

Deal has the raw materials to achieve these aims and to become a Transition Town. Why not join with us and make it a reality?

www.transitiondeal.blogspot.com

Ask the Climate Question....

Just in case you have not noticed there is an election on its way. The upcoming General Election is a major opportunity to show all of those bidding for our votes just how much pressure there is on them to do the right thing. We can  make it clear to our candidates that we want effective action on climate change.
A new national campaign 'Ask the climate question' has been launched and is around asking three big questions to Parliamentary candidates:

• Will you commit to putting the UK on track to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, through genuine emissions reductions here in the UK?
• Will you commit to ensuring at least 15% of all energy comes from renewables by 2020?
• Will you commit to providing the UK’s fair share of the money that developing countries need to adapt to climate change and develop their economies in a low carbon way – on top of existing overseas aid commitments?

Deal With It will be writing to all the main candidates standing in Dover & Deal  with a survey which will include these questions plus local ones such as the on the local train service. We then will publish their answers here and in the local press. If you have an idea for a question please email us at dealwithittoday@yahoo.co.uk

FOE slam new council carbon trading scheme...

Commenting on the launch of the Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme today, which will require both public and private sector organisations to monitor and report their emissions from energy use as part of a new UK-wide carbon trading scheme,
Friends of the Earth's economic campaigner David Powell said:
"It's right to require both the public and private sector to cut their emissions, but expecting councils to compete with companies for carbon credits is wrong in principle and wrong in practice.
"Carbon trading doesn't tackle climate change - existing schemes like the EU Emissions Trading Scheme have created empires of speculators and traders but have barely made a dent in emissions.
"Taxpayers want their money to be used to improve their local areas, not given to big business.
"The Government should instead set Local Carbon Budgets for all councils that encourage them to work alongside hospitals, banks, supermarkets and retailers to cut emissions - instead of competing against them."
http://www.foe.co.uk/

Boris's Bikes start in London in July....

Base on the popular Parisian velib system the 'London Cycle Hire' starts on the 30th July with 6,000 bikes in 400 locations in the city.

Users will pay an initial membership fee of £1 for 24-hour access, £5 for seven-day access, or £45 a year. They can make unlimited journeys and the first half-an-hour will be free. On top of that, the London Cycle Hire charge for members will be £1 for a journey of between 30 minutes and one hour, £4 for up to 90 minutes, and £6 for up to two hours. Cyclists will use a new smart-card – similar to an Oyster card – to unlock the bike (Photo: TFL -Shows artist impression of bike station)
 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/12444.aspx 

Rosie's Green Matters - 1st April

Deal With IT's Co-ordinator, Rosie Rechter this week writes our regular column in the East Kent Mercury :
Sustainable Community
One definition of the ideal sustainable community lists five dimensions

• Increase local economic diversity
• Self reliance
• Reduction in the use of energy and careful management and recycling of waste products
• Protection of biological diversity and stewardship of natural resources
• Social justice

Just an idealist’s dream? Well no actually. The little island of Westray in the Orkney Islands off Scotland is well on its way to becoming the UK’s first self sufficient community. Faced by serious economic problems and increasing depopulation, in 1998, they formed a Development Trust.
Following the above five guide lines, they created a bio-fuel plant for the island’s cars using old cooking oil, built a methane plant using slurry and grass, have an electric car powered by a small wind turbine, one of the finest organic salmon farms, a wonderful diversity of wild life and a flourishing and growing community which will be enriched by their new wind turbine, an Enercon E44 (900KW) which is now up and running and already creating an income for the community. Initially, Westray Development Trust hope to earn £100,000 each year from the clean energy they generate, and this will rise to over £200,000 annually over the course of the turbine’s life. Could we learn something from this success story?

At our Green Forum on Renewable Energy last week, a member of the audience pointed out that while the solutions we were offering for people to generate their own renewable energy by making an investment in solar energy, and also covering the possibility of DIY solutions for those with the necessary skills (16 people signed up for the planned workshops to mentor people who wanted to do this) that still left a lot of people unable to join in the financial advantages on offer.

Community generated clean energy is of course the most efficient way of providing a secure energy source for the future. Could Deal in 10 years time enjoy some of the advantages that Westray is enjoying today?

Beachwatch at Kingsdown

Volunteers from Sea France & Kingsdown recently cleared 37 sacks of rubbish from Kingsdown Beach. Working as part of Marine Conservation Society's BeachWatch programme which  clears beaches around the UK and raises awareness of the damage that litter, especially plastics which never biodegrade, can do to our marine life. .... Watch this space as we will be organising an Deal With IT session soon.


Full story at http://www.yourdeal-sandwich.co.uk/ 

Follow the work of the MCS here:  http://www.mcsuk.org/

Deal - Is so bracing....

Dover District Council's webiste have nifty page on local Air Quality Monitoring - there is a Air quality survey run by the University of Brighton plus lots of useful documents at the KAQ site. The nearest monitoring sites are all in Dover and all get 'green' ratings, even the Docks (Ramsgate was amber last year)

DDC: http://www.dover.gov.uk/environment/air_quality.aspx

Kent Air Quality site: http://www.kentair.org.uk/about.php

Dover District Council are talking rubbish.....

Well not exactly - Dover District Council and Shepway District Council, in partnership with Kent County Council, will soon be entering into a new, joint contract for recycling and waste collections. They say "A joint contract will offer economies of scale which will help to ensure that we get the best price for our residents for the collection and disposal service".
There is a online questionaire (and one in this week's local papers) ... this is a great opportunity for us to register our long requested desire to extend recycling locally. Please log your comments by Friday 18th June: http://www.dover.gov.uk/waste__recycling/changes_to_collections.aspx

Commonwork: Grow, Cook, Eat - what the projects are all about....

Spring is in the air and exciting new work is underway at Commonwork.

The inspiring Grow Cook Eat project will work with schools and community groups to encourage people of all ages to grow and cook healthy and sustainable food.
 
The Food Hub will explore ways of encouraging local communities to buy locally produced food from a number of community based food hubs, set and up and developed by Commonwork in partnership with local groups.
As part of these new projects, we will be renovating the Middle Yard to provide learning and cooking spaces. We will also be digging and developing new growing spaces next to the current organic vegetable plot.
Grow2Grow is a new social enterprise set up in partnership with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) which will provide nurturing opportunities through farming and horticultural placements for vulnerable young adults with or recovering from mental health problems. This project will work alongside and with the Grow Cook Eat growing spaces.

And, in addition, the cows are getting new accommodation. Once the cows are back out in the fields for the spring and summer, work will begin to replace the old winter sheds with new accommodation that will provide more space for the herd.
We hope that all this building and renovating activity will not cause any major inconvenience to our friends and visitors… it will be worth it all in the end.
Commonwork Bore Place Chiddingstone, Kent TN8 7AR
Email: info@commonwork.org Web: www.commonwork.org Tel: 01732 463255

Commonwork: Grow, Cook, Eat and get paid as a gardener ...

Commonwork
Study centre and organic farm is recruiting for two new education and care farming projects involving organic vegetable growing and wellbeing
Grow - Cook – Eat  
Gardener/education project  - Full time, £18-21k pa

Grow2Grow  
Gardener/mental health project  -Full time or job share, £18-21k pa

Thanks to Local Food and Ecominds for funding these projects.
Details and application from

Commonwork

Bore Place Chiddingstone, Kent TN8 7AR

info@commonwork.org  www.commonwork.org 01732 463255

Closing date for applications: 6 April 2010  - Interviews on 15 and 16 April 2010

News on Thanet Wind Farm.....

THE world’s largest wind farm, to be built off the coast of Thanet, will bring hundreds of new jobs to the isle, the Isle of local paper the Thanet Gazette reveals.

The team behind the London Array project has chosen Ramsgate port as the location for their new 1,800sq m operations and maintenance headquarters for the 100 turbines. The array is seven miles off the coast at Broadstairs and will produce 300mw of clean power for 240,000 homes.
Thanet Gazette article: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/eastkent/London-Array-comes-isle/article-1928340-detail/article.html

Contractor website: http://www.vattenfall.co.uk/en/thanet-offshore-wind-farm.htm     and http://www.warwickenergy.com/thanet.htm

Early warning: Canterbury Climate Fair 15/16th May

Canterbury Greenpeace are organising a two day Climate Fair on the 15th & 16th May - Deal With It hope to have our stall there. More details to follow...

The Climate Fair will run from 9am to 5pm on the Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on the Sunday.
There will be campaign stalls, entertainers, Fairtrade and organic produce stalls, and displays stretching along The Parade and St George’s Street between the ancient clock tower and historic Rose Lane.

Canterbury Climate Fair website: http://www.canterburyclimatefair.org/
Canterbury Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/groups/canterbury

Transition Towns Film ...

We had a showing of the new film on the Transition Towns movement 'In Transition 1.0' at our March Monthly meeting (at DealAbility 4th Tues each month). A great film, very informative, not preachie and really showed the diversity, depth and energy that has been unleashed since the movement started in 2006.

We need to start the debate locally whether this is a route we want Deal to go down. The film is great 'openner' for those discussions & action. We own a copy of the film and we want it to be used. We will be using it again in our meetings but we need you to use it too.

Do you fancy running a 'home meeting' for friends & neighbours; are you a member of another organisation or a teacher/student which would be interested in showing it at you school/college? If so please contact us asap at DealWithItToday@yahoo.co.uk

For more info on the Transition Movement: http://www.transitiontowns.org/

You can watch the film online as well but its 40mins long http://vimeo.com/8029815

'Go forth and generate'

'Go forth and generate' was Rosemary Rechter's, DWI Co-ordinator, closing remarks after a very interesting Saturday afternoon at Deal's Green Energy Forum. Over 50 people in a packed hall in the Landmark centre listened to Steve Plater, OU energy researcher explain the history & options available for green energy solutions. Steve is happy to take follow on questions at steve.keiko@tiscali.co.uk

Jack Domane described his own experience in using and building a variety of heating solutions and how a small investment & some DIY could produce cost-effective and safe Green solutions - a number of the audience joined with Jack in setting up a local DIY Energy group to take things forward in Deal. If you are interested contact him direct on  01304 364 138 or email j.daledomane@btinternet.com.

We also had solar installation engineer Hannah Jones from Eternal Energy Systems who took us thru the practical issues on installation and could demonstrate the solar power & heating systems in her wonderful 'green godess' van. www.eternalenergysystems.co.uk Tel: 01227 262699
. Mike Bundy from the Energy Savings Trust was also on hand to explain the new feed-in tariff. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Feed-in-Tariff-Clean-Energy-Cashback-scheme

A big thank you to all our speakers & the staff at the Landmark.

Earth Hour -27th March Show you support here.....

http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/

New 'Embrace my planet' website ....

Have you come across the website dedicated to wind & renewable power? 'Embrace My Planet' is  the arms-length campaign of RenewableUK (formerly BWEA), the trade association for renewable energy suppliers in Britain. While it is sponsored by companies, the campaign claims that it itself is activist-led. Some very useful information and a cool map widget showing active and planned renewable sites http://www.embracemyplanet.com/

Fill that hole ....

The Cycling Touring Club  (CTC) has launched an anti-pothole website where you log dangerous potholes and see local danger spots at http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/

Every thought of sharing your garden..... ?

Local food production is a central theme in developing a sustainable community. Growing your own either in an raised beds or like me in tubs can be great fun & really rewarding. But if you want to go to the next level or you dont have a garden waiting for an allotment can be frustrating.

Garden sharing is one possible option - this grew out of Totnes Transition movement and now spread to many other towns. Simply it is about matching up people with underused gardens with people who want to grow veg and spliting the produce between you. If you are interested in starting a Deal group please leave a comment here or drop us a line at dealwithittoday@yahoo.co.uk. There is also the Channel4 Landshare website which works along simpler lines at http://landshare.channel4.com/

PS: The Landmark centre in Deal has also started an allotment club -The Cleary Club Allotment Group meets every Monday and Friday 10.00am - 1.00pm. Its free to take part and you get to take home any vegetables that you grow. For more details, please call into the Landmark Centre and have a chat with Paula Moorhouse, Cleary Club Manager or give her a call on 01304 389165.