DEAL FAIR TRADE FORTNIGHT 27th Feb-11th March

DEAL's FAIR TRADE FORTNIGHT: 27TH FEBRUARY TO 11TH MARCH 2012
The theme this year is “Take a Step for Fairtrade”.

1. 21st February 2012. Pancake Evening at Trinity Church, Deal. Delicious pancakes served with Fairtrade lemon juice, sugar, honey, jam, chocolate spread etc.

2. Friday 24th February. We plan to have a stall at Café Eden in St. Richard’s church hall from 10am to 12noon.

3. Monday 27th February, Friday 9th March, Saturday 10th March - information stall in Deal Sainsbury's. 10am to 1pm.

4. Monday 27th February to Sunday 11th March. Deal Library - information stall.

5. Monday 27th February to Saturday 10th March. Skylight Cafe in the new Golf Road Community Centre is promoting Fairtrade and selling cakes and biscuits made with Fairtrade ingredients. We are having an information table here.

6. Wednesday 29th February. As this year is a leap year Happy Walkers are dedicating their Wednesday 29th February walk to Fairtrade, taking a step rather than a leap. They are finishing at the Skylight Cafe afterwards for some Fairtrade refreshments.

7. Friday 2nd March. We are supporting the Women’s World Day of Prayer taking place at Walmer Baptist Church.

8. Saturday 3rd March. Walmer Baptist Church is having a coffee morning from 10am to 12noon. We plan to supply Fairtrade biscuits for this and they are using Fairtrade tea and coffee.

9. Sunday 4th March. Wendy Boorman who is our beach warden for the Marine Conservation Society is working with Deal With It and Fairtrade to have a beach clean, meeting at Deal Pier at 9am. All are welcome for this and we pray for fine weather.

10. Thursday 8th March. We are working with Cllr. Eileen Rowbotham to celebrate International Women's Day.


Sue Delling 

Co-ordinator 

Deal Town Council Fairtrade Working Group

Dover District Cycle Forum Greenway & Times Campaigns

(1) RIVER DOUR GREENWAY Phase 2


The consultation for phase 2 of the River Dour Greenway cycle route between Ladywell and the seafront in Dover has just opened. A lot of thought has gone into how to skirt Pencester Gardens, approach and cross the Market Square, nip through the alley past the Museum, and use the precinct and the underpass to reach the far side of the A20 and the seafront.
CLICK HERE
or go to this link:https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/roads-and-transport/major-transport/current-schemes/Consultation%20leaflet%20Phase%202%20-%20Proposal%20%20Questionnaire%20and%20Maps.pdf

...for the consultation documents which include maps of the route and a questionnaire.

Please fill this in and return to Traffic Schemes Team, Highways and Transportation, Kent County Council, Ashford Highway Depot, Henwood Industrial Estate, Javelin Way, Ashford, Kent,

TN24 8AD. Alternatively you can email traffic.schemes@kent.gov.uk, making it clear that you’re commenting on this scheme.

Consultation responses need to be received by Monday 5th March.
============================


(2) SUPPORT "THE TIMES" "CITIES FIT FOR CYCLING" CAMPAIGN!

Please sign up to support this nation-wide call for safer cycling on roads. This link shows three ways you can take action and help generate more support for the safer cycling campaign:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/

Most important is to persuade our local MPs, Charlie Elphicke and Laura Sandys (and as many others as possible) to attend the parliamentary debate on the measures called for by The Times's campaign on February 23.
Please take a moment to click on the link above, through which you can write to them with your concerns.




There's lot's more in the newspaper daily, most also appearing (for free) online, e.g.:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3307439.ece

best wishes,

Ian

Ian Killbery earlystart@me.com
Chair, Dover District Cycle Forum
representing everyone interested in cycling in Dover District
affiliated to SPOKES East Kent Cycle Campaign http://www.spokeseastkent.org.uk

GP Dover & Deal Meeting 19th Feb

From Sarah:

 

"Invitation to a Meeting for Green Party Members of Thanet and the Dover / Deal areas (and anyone thinking of joining the Green Party )

 

Sunday 19th February @ 4.30 pm -5.30pm in the Black Douglas - Beach Street opp the Royal Hotel, Deal"

Victoria's Green Matters - 9th Feb 2012

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:
 We were almost thinking about Spring, with longer days and sunshine leading to thoughts of getting the garden into trim for the coming growing season. But it was not to be and winter is here again with a vengeance to remind us that it isn’t finished yet.

We can think ourselves lucky that we live inside nice warm houses and don’t have to forage for food. Our garden birds aren’t so lucky and many will not survive this desperately cold spell of minus temperatures and heavy snow falls.

We can do lots to help them. Small birds in particular often lose weight overnight with the effort of just keeping warm. Unlike humans, birds need saturated fat to keep warm so suet balls are a good option. (Don’t put them out in the nets that they are sometimes sold in – birds can get trapped in them). Grated hard cheese is another source of fat and is loved by shyer birds such as wrens and dunnocks.

Fruit, such as apples, is good too, and will be quickly eaten by starlings, blackbirds, robins and thrushes. Peanuts are a favourite, of course, but always use a feeder to minimise the chance of birds choking on whole nuts. Shelled sunflower hearts are very popular with lots of birds as they are easily converted into energy.

Water is vitally important for birds, too, for both drinking and bathing so take steps to de-ice your bird-bath or garden pond.

Look after your birds and enjoy their antics!

DWI Meeting 28th Feb - Banish Plastic Bags

Deal With It's Feb meeing will be on Plastic bags and their impact on the environment and wildlife

We have Amber Bytheway from the Deal based 'Banish The Plastic Bag' Campaign (if you have not signed the petition you can find it here ) and Patrick Old Chair of the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory

The meeting ison Tuesday28th Feb at 7:30pm at Dealability, 43 Victoria Rd Deal.


All welcome

Deal Sea Defenses

Just in case you missed the consultation exercise by the environment agency and DDC at the Deal Town Hall on 3/4 Feb - You can get submissions into before it goes to DDC planning later in Feb

The work seems to be in two parts a) more shingle & rocks on beach between Sandown & Deal Castle b) a new sea wall on the prom between Deal Castle & the Royal.

The work will start in Sept - The main disruption will be the closure of the prom for some of the time between Oct-Dec? Limited money to from either EA or DDC to turn this into something interest on the seafront...

EA Site & Contact: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/135503.aspx

New Transition Film is coming....

New Transition Movement Film [Transition 2.0] is coming!

Here is the inspirational trailer.

Who knows the next one may cover what we are doing here in Deal
http://youtu.be/XKN3RLkEGfM

Great Mongeham Society Meeting 23rd Feb

Christopher Alexander and "The Nature of Order" presentation

The Great Mongeham Society is now in its twelfth year and the scheduled  evening's entertainment is a presentation by Sajjad Afzal-Woodward on  the architect Christopher Alexander, the author of "A Timeless Way Of Building" and "A Pattern Language".

His work has already inspired many of us in the green and transition movements and now in "The Nature Of  Order" he presents the core of a new cosmology that will hopefully guide all our efforts in the future to heal ourselves and the earth.

Great Mongeham Society Meeting, 23 February 2012 Village Hall 7.30pm

thanks to Sajjad for the info.

For more info on Christopher check out Transition Culture or http://www.patternlanguage.com/leveltwo/ca.htm

Dover Council to Charge for Garden Waste from April

Just as the District's recycling is creeping upwards Dover District Council are planning to introduce Garden Waste Charges from April.

This is shorsighted as we can as a community use such waste to produce compost as DDC & KCC has been doing or produce in other green energy initiatives

 From the DDC Website:

"New Garden Waste Collection Service

We are making changes to the way we collect garden waste.

In order to extend the service to all resident we have decided to introduce a chargeable collection service starting in April 2012.

Why are these changes being made?

The current garden waste service is only available to approximately 72% of the district and we continue to get requests from residents who wish to join the scheme but are unable to do so.

When does the new service start?

The new service will start in April 2012. You will need to subscribe to the service by April 2012 to continue to receive a garden waste collection.

How do I subscribe to the new service?

We will be sending an information leaflet to every resident at the beginning of March which will explain how the new service works and how you can subscribe. We will start taking payments for the new service in March.

How do I get more information on the new service?

We are in the process of finalising the details of the new service. Full details of the service will be given in an information leaflet, which will be sent to every property in the district, in the beginning of March. Further information will also be available on our website in the end of February."

Outdoor learning for Teachers at Rippledown 1st March

Rippledown is holding a free event for teachers on:  

Thursday March 1st 2012 between 4pm - 8pm

At Rippledown Environmental Education Centre and we'd be delighted if you and your colleagues would attend.

Find us here on Google Maps: http://g.co/maps/c7ssc

The event is for all: Head Teachers, Teachers and Classroom Assistants interested in Outdoor Learning.

As well as fantastic home cooked food, campfire and activities there will be a wealth of interesting talks on Outdoor Learning for schools as well as a tour of the facilities available to your school at Rippledown.

For more information and to book places online see: http://rippledown.com/march-1st-a-free-event-for-teachers/ or call us on 01304 364854.

We sincerely hope you and your colleagues can make it.

Kind regards

Dave Jones & Carol Hopkins

Human Powered Vehicle Champs at Fowlmead

Fowlmead Country Park will be hosting the very exciting "2012 - Human-Powered Vehicle World Championship" 8-9-10 June". 

 

The 2012 WHPVA World Championships will be held in England at Fowlmead country park in Deal, Kent on the 8th, 9th and 10th of June 2012. 

This is an event where people from all over Europe and possibly further afield will race some of the world's most efficient and advanced pedal cycles in existance.  We have only a very minimal rule-set for basic safety but none of the restrictive and arbitrary rules so often imposed by most cycling organisations which stifle innovation.  Here amateur cyclists will be achiving speeds in excess of 40mph on the flat riding machines at the cutting edge of bicycle technology.

The event is open to anyone, there is no pre-qualification needed and you can ride pretty much any pedal cycle you wish, bicycle, tricycle, quad, foot powered, hand powered, race a unicycle if you really want.  There will be several races over the 3 day period ranging from a 100 meter flying start sprint to a 2 hour mass start circuit race.  Points will be allocated to the racers for each race and the rider with the most points at the end will be declared world champion!
 

I understand this has recently been held in Italy and the cycling participants are looking forward to a "nice, smooth, fast, swoopy race track", great local B+Bs and super East Kent ale and breakfasts (not in that order!) 

 

Full details at http://www.wc2012.bhpc.org.uk/

 

Thank you Sarah for the report

Victoria's Green Matters - 2nd Feb 2012

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:
Investment for the future has come to light this week, both at home and abroad. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced a prospectus for the development of a marine energy park in the South West. Further parks are envisaged in Scotland at the Pentland Firth and in Orkney.

Marine energy is thought to have the potential to generate between 150MW and 300 MW by 2020, contributing £15bn to the economy by 2050 and in doing so creating thousands of jobs and a source of low carbon electricity.

It is good to hear that the ‘greenest government ever’ is doing something tangible at last to maintain its image even if that image has been tarnished by statements such as George Osborne’s claim that environmental policies might hold back economic development. It is quite obvious that the opposite is true.

In New York, the Roosevelt Tidal Energy Project, will provide a series of tidal turbines on the East River comprising 35 generators by 2015 if environmental impact studies on people and wildlife prove to be minimal in effect. This is great news alongside US President Barack Obama’s decision to ban the import of oil from tar sands in Canada, the world’s dirtiest fuel.

All we need now is further investment in renewable energy projects, money for the Green Bank to lend, a Green Deal to make homes more energy efficient, strong carbon emission targets and for the government to forget all about a new airport in the Thames!

Let's Energise our Deal! Deal's Green Energy Fair 10 March

Deal With It are organising a Green Energy Fair on 10th March 2012 at Deal Town Hall between 1pm - 4:30pm.

We will have stalls from Green Energy firm supplying PV, Solar Thermal, Wind power, heat sinks and wood stoves. There will be exhibits from the green energy park at Richborough, Dover District Council will be on hand to explain how you can make your home snug with the right insulation. Lots of info, people to talk to on saving money from your energy bills and reducing yours & our carbon footprint.

There will also be music from Deal Buskers Collective and the great bicycle generator to see how hard it is create power which we take for granted.

The Event is free.

East Kent FOE Feb Meeting

Our next meeting will be held at 22 Farrier Street Deal on Wednesday 8th February 2012 at 7pm.

AGENDA.

1)   Coordinators Update.

       2)   Feedback from The FOE Regional Gathering

       3)   Campaign Choices for 2012..

       4)   Sholden Housing Development update

       5)   Shale Gas Drilling update.

       6)   Any other matters.

       7)   Date and Venue of the next meeting.

Stuart Cox, Group Coordinator
Tel 01304 363729, email sfcox@cooptel.net

New York gets Tidal Power

From Green Business
Start spreading the news, New York could see a tidal energy array deployed in the East River by the end of next year, after the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) awarded its first pilot project license for a tidal energy project to developer Verdant Power Inc.
The company confirmed yesterday that it has been granted a 10 year license that will allow it to "demonstrate the commercial viability" of its tidal stream turbine technology.

The project, known as the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, will boast 1,050-kilowatts of capacity provided by a series of tidal turbines deployed on the bed of the East River.
Trey Taylor, co-founder and president of Verdant Power, told news agency Bloomberg that the company will now aim to deploy five turbines at the site by the end of next year, with a further 30 generators scheduled to be installed by 2015.
Under the terms of the pilot license, the company will undertake an environmental analysis to measure the impact of the project on local habitats and wildlife. If the project proves to have minimal impact the company will then be able to apply for a longer commercial license, allowing it to sell power to local utilities.
FERC chairman Jon Wellinghoff hailed the project as a leap forward for tidal energy technologies in the US.
"Issuing a pilot license for an innovative technology is a major step in the effort to help our country meet our renewable energy goals," he said in a statement. "FERC's pilot process is doing what it should: allow for exploration of new renewable technologies while protecting the environment."
The project could prove to be the first in a wave of new marine energy projects in the US. FERC said that it had already issued 100 preliminary permits allowing firms to study the feasibility of developing specific projects, while another nine organisations are in the pre-filing stages of developing license applications, and three have filed license applications that are currently being considered.

Victoria's Green Matters - 26th Jan 2012

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:
 Our future is renewable energy. Whichever way you approach the problem of energy supplies for the coming years, the answer comes up the same. We have two difficulties to counteract – climate change and peak oil. If you are a climate change denier, the continuing increase in the price of ever decreasing supplies of cheap oil must be a cause for concern.

While there is a chance that there could be a new ‘golden age’ for gas, which countries hooked on energy supplied by coal see as an easy substitute, gas is a fossil fuel. It produces half the carbon dioxide that coal produces but its continued use spells disaster for the climate with a 3.5ºC temperature rise by 2035 when the maximum rise of 2ºC is all the climate will tolerate.

Renewable energy showed strong growth last year despite the global financial crisis. Developing countries such as China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, amongst others, invested a third more than previously, reaching £136 billion in 2010. Governments in the developed world need to put firm targets in place for renewable energy so that gas does not overcome development.

Renewable energy has many benefits other than just environmental. Job creation is the most important in the present situation with 3 million unemployed and many young people included in this figure. Security of energy supply is also vital.

A comprehensive mix of wind, wave, solar, hydropower, and biomass, with many technical innovations, will give us both these goals.

The SW gets Tidal & Wave energy

From Green Energy

Greg Barker to name region as the first of a series of parks designed to acclerate development of wave and tidal technology

A huge area running from Bristol to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will today be named as the UK's first designated zone for the development of marine energy.

Climate change minister Greg Baker will announce the South West Marine Energy Park (MEP) and launch a prospectus outlining how the public and private sectors will work together on the project during a visit to Bristol.

The prospectus says the South West MEP will make it a priority to secure additional incentives for business investment including, business rate reductions, higher levels of capital allowances, Regional Growth Fund and other enterprise grants, inward investment, and access to the Green Investment Bank.

It will also look to coordinate port and infrastructure development to support the industry's growth.
As well as national and local government, the Crown Estate, local enterprise partnership Regen SW, the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter, and marine energy testing site Wave Hub will all be involved in the marine park.

"This is a real milestone for the marine industry and for the South West region in securing its place in renewables history as the first official marine energy park," Barker said in a statement. "The UK is already a world leader in wave and tidal power, so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine power a real contender in the future energy market."

The government has earmarked marine energy as having the potential to deliver between 150MW and 300MW of installed capacity by 2020, contributing £15bn to the economy by 2050 as well as creating thousands of jobs and providing a predictable source of low carbon electricity.
Over the last year it has brought in a series of measures to encourage the nascent industry, including invested £20m to scale up prototypes and upping the levels of support under the Renewables Obligation subsidy scheme from two tradable renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) per MWh to five ROCS per MWh.

Further parks are also envisaged in Scotland at the Pentland Firth and Orkney Islands.
Johnny Gowdy, programme director at Regen SW, said the region's marine business base, strong manufacturing sector, and world leading research and demonstration facilities meant it was uniquely placed to accelerate the development of the technology.

"The launch of the South West Marine Energy Park is a recognition of the great resources, research facilities and businesses we have in the region," he said. "It also puts the South West in a position to attract future investment, and to be at the forefront of the new global marine energy industry."

DWI Meeting 24th Jan 2012 - DWI goes European

Good start to the Green New Year in Deal with a great meeting led by Alan Grieve on 'a postcard from detmold'.

This was a climate protection conference for towns linked to Detmold (in Germany) which took place in Oct 2011.

Deal's representatives were Alan Grieve from DealWith IT and Cllr Eileen Rowbotham from the Town Council. Basically it was chance to share experiences in making their communities more sustainable with a diverse set of linked towns including Deal's Twin in France St Omer, Hasselt in Belgium, Zeitz in East Germany, Oraiokastro in Greece and Kaunas in Lithuania.


Alan presentation showed how local community and local government working together had introduced bio-mass plant in Detmold and electric transit system in Hasselt.

Sarah gave a intro on our plans for 2012 and this was the highlights: Plastic Bag meeting Feb, Energy Fair at the Town Hall in March, Beach Cleans, Schools Green Projects, Tree wardens, 2nd year of Garden Share, Guerrillia Gardening group, Canterbury Climate Fair, Energy Coop, Green Village at Smugglers Fest, perhaps some chickens, Autumn Local Food Fair ... and thats only what I could scribble down. Please get involved and don't be shy if you have an idea you have got to make Deal greener.

Many thanks for Alan & Sarah's work for tonights meeting.

We will try to Alan's report and presentation on the documents area and will add a link back on this posting

Deal With It on BBC Inside-out on #Fracking

Just in case you missed the BBC SE 'Inside-out' programme on moves to exploit Shale and other unconventional gases in Kent and the rest of the country by the discredited 'Fracking' method it is now on Iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01b94c2/Inside_Out_South_East_23_01_2012/

Well done our Rosie.....

Permaculture in East Kent

Kent Permaculture Courses 2012

The Ultimate training for Transition!

There are lots of brilliant courses happening in Canterbury, Faversham and Deal by trained and experienced teachers.
Learn sustainable living skills, feel empowered to live more abundantly living more ecolologically.


For All courses look at the Permaculture association website.
http://www.permaculture.org.uk/courses


Canterbury- Manor Barn. Centre for Peace and Personal Development
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 12/13th May Manor Barn
Permaculture Design Course 12th May to 11th November
Part 1 Core theory, tools and applications. May 12th to 18th
Part 2 Permaculture in Action. Tour to Centre of Alternative Technology and other established projects
Part 3 Design weekends Sept 7/9th and Nov 9-11th
PDC : www.designedvisions.com
All other courses: www.livingincircles.com / www.dynamic-equilibrium.co.uk


Faversham- Rifleman Cottage
Permaculture Design Course 7-21st July
www.designedvisions.com


Deal - Rippledown Environmental Centre
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 12-13th March
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 18-20th May
Family Permaculture Design Course 4-19th August
Permaculture Design Course Sept 7-9th , Oct 12-14th, Nov9-11th, Dec7-9th
www.rippledown.com
 

Jo Barker Dip Perm Des
Permaculture & Life Tracking
.....Love your Life, Love your Land.....

www.dynamic-equilibrium.co.uk / 01227 832569