in the lounge room at St Pauls Church, Blandford Rd AL1 tickets on the door £5/£3 conc.
the goal is zero waste For one year a couple avoided buying material goods and attempted to live without producing garbage. At the end of the year, they just couldn't stop.
All Welcome! Bring your friends and come and see this special film event brought to you by St Albans Friends of the Earth and Transition St Albans
May/June other events
Sat 25th May - Inside Out Day at The Courtyard Café1-6pm
A fun day to meet local groups and enjoy live ukelele and buskers, arts and crafts, upcycled and vintage treasures, fabulous food and drink, stalls including Transition St Albans. At the Courtyard Cafe, 11 Hatfield Road.
Sat 1st June - ‘The Spirit of ‘45’a community film event in Cottonmill Lane 7.30pm
All welcome: directed by Ken Loach the film celebrates a period of unprecedented community spirit in the UK.Screening by Riverside Road Transition Streets with 'popup cinema' at St Albans Sub-Aqua club (with bar) Cottonmill Lane AL1. Tickets £5/£3 concessions
Advanced bookings only email or phone/message to reserve your seat: riverside.streets@yahoo.com or Tel: 07984 930 743 and we will confirm your booking - payment is on door.
Tues 8th June Green Drinks in the Yurt at the Blacksmiths Arms! 8 -11pm
Social get together discussing environmental issues at The Blacksmith's Arms pub 56 St Peter's Street, St Albans. The green drinks will take place in the wonderful Yurt at the back of the pub.
The AGM was attended by over twenty people who heard a presentation by the Chair Jack Easton highlighting achievements of the Energy Group, Food Group and Transition Streets in the last year.
The presentation included information about additional activity during the year including representation on Radio Verulam's 'The Environmnet Matters' the development of monthly newsletters to all members, increasing press coverage of the Streets project and the Open Food Gardens programme, and the public screening of: 'In Transition 2 - a movie'.
Transport Group
Ideas for a transport group were discussed and there is scope for the development of a transport group, or 'living streets' projects if any members were interested in this.
Steering Group
Faye Brook, who had been on the steering group in the last year had stood down and the chair thanked Faye for her hard work and commitment to the group especially her work to develop the communication side of the project. Two members of the steering group were carried over for the next year: Heather Teare and Catherine Ross, and Jack Easton and Andrew Allen were re-elected. Gail Jackson was newly elected to the group.
Community Supported Agriculture
Peter Bloomfield an active member of the Food Group spoke about the development of a Community Supported Agricultural project in St Albans, with a presentation giving examples of the many different kinds of projects in the UK. Peter is planning to hold a public meeting about the project to ascertain local support.
Plant Sale Members of the prodigious Food Group brought in a fabulous array of seedlings and plants, ready to put in the garden including gherkins, green and yellow courgettes, watercress, cabbages, spinach, chervil, tomatoes and numerous others, all at bargain prices!
Our Transition Streets project continues to go really well. Over 40 households are already involved in the six existing groups and another seven Streets are getting started over the summer.
There are several groups in St Albans, plus others in Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Kimpton, so there may be one close to you already! Each group of neighbours meets about once a month, taking turns to host the meeting in their homes.
The groups discuss how to cut their carbon footprint and cut their bills, each meeting with a different topic like energy, water, transport and food. Groups are loaned energy monitors to help those new to energy saving understand what lights are using what watts! There is a useful work book with ideas to help discussions, and useful contacts in the local area.
Groups have reported a number of outcomes from the meetings, including being offered the use of a neighbour's garden for a community growing project, being able to recycle a used oil tank to a neighbour, and the start of a new community film club.
Remember, you don’t need to be a green ‘expert’ to start a group, because we provide you with all the information you need. For the full list of Streets and info on how to start your own group, go to our website, read our factsheet, or drop us an email.
OpenFoodGardens Summer Programme
Sat 25th May - Open Food Gardens skills sharing 2.30-4pmSuccession sowing, soil fertility and rotation at 23 Gresford Close Al4 OUB
Sunday 9th June - OpenFoodGarden 2pm - 5pm at 104 Marshalswick Lane AL1 4XE
Your opportunity to explore this large garden with a variety of fruit trees including quince, soft fruit, vegetables and herbs. Suggested donation of £2 per garden visit. No dogs except guide dogs. Wheelchair access restricted
Sat 22nd June: Open Food Gardens Skills sharing2.30pm-4pm. Watering, pests/diseases at 2 The Almonds, AL1 1UZ
Sat 29th June:Open Food Gardens skills sharing2.30pm-4pm. Watering, pests and diseases at 23 Gresford Close, AL4 OUB
Who needs the Chelsea Flower Show when we have our own home grown St Albans Open Food Gardens Summer Programme!
Come and join our fantastic skilled gardeners and share your growing tips, and learn a few more at the skills sharing sessions.
Volunteers wanted
Volunteers are still wanted to help maintain the Courtyard Cafe demonstration garden. If you would like to help out and come along to do some basic garden maintenance e.g. weeding and digging please contact Heather Teare email heather.teare@btinternet.com
OpenFoodGardens open this summer:
Sunday 9th June 2pm - 5pm 104 Marshalwick Lane AL1 4XE
Sunday 8th September 2pm - 4pm
24 Oaklands Lane AL4 0HR
Suggested donation of £2 per garden visit. No dogs except guide dogs. We are sorry but wheelchair access restricted. For more information and dates go to www.transitionstalbans.org
Energy Saving Homes September 14th/15th
Have you made some energy efficient changes in your home? Open Energy Saving Homes is looking for local householders who have made improvements. You may have put in draught-proofing, energy efficient heating, maybe even solar panels.
Please get in touch to have a chat about how you could take part in St Albans Energy Saving Homes weekend in September. Contact us through the website www.transitionstalbans.org Look for inspiration here...
'Something is stirring. People around the world are deciding that the well-being of their local community and its economy lies with them.
They’re people like you. They’ve had enough, and, rather than waiting for permission, they’re rolling up their sleeves, getting together with friends and neighbours, and doing something about it. Whether they start small or big, they’re finding that just doing stuff can transform their neighbourhoods and their lives. "
The aim of ‘The Power of Just Doing Stuff’ is to take Transition mainstream, to reach out to more people.
It aims to share the ideas that the Transition movement has defined over the last 8 years in a way that connects with people both within it and outside, and to share the experience and thrill of working as a community and taking power back into our own hands.'
Peter Bloomfield, who gave a presentation about Community Supported Agriculture projects for this year's AGM is working with others towards the development of a CSA project in St Albans.
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is usually a partnership between farmers (or a growing project) and the local community, providing mutual benefits and reconnecting people to the land where their food is grown.
Different communities have developed variations, some groups growing their own orchards, others developing local food co-ops. Types of CSAs include:
Vegetable box schemes (sometimes including dairy products and meat)
Allotment sites on farms
Orchards
Co-operatives (farmers developing co-operative networks to access a variety of products).
Everyone in St Albans should have the opportunity to get involved in our unique project and you can help with this.
Whether you get involved in a group, or tell your friends about the website, events, or have a look on our Facebook page and like it, or join us on Twitter, what you do makes a difference.
To receive the newsletter and join the mailing list
If any of your friends would like to receive the newsletter and news updates they need to email info@transitionstalbans.org and ask to go on the mailing list.
Sunday 9th June - OpenFoodGarden
