There was a great article in yesterday’s Independent Extra section called The Front Garden Farmers and yes, GROFUN got another few column inches! and also please check out this empowering story about a village in Hampshire called Martin who are collectively growing and rearing as much of their food as possible and making a profit, operating as a cooperative. The idea is to wean people off the supermarket and we at GROFUN salute them!
An International Days of Action for Squats and Autonomous Public Spaces has
been called for on the 11th and 12th of April 2008.
http://april2008.squat.net:8080/. Across Europe diverse groups of enraged
creatives will be reclaiming spaces for art, housing, workshops,
discussions, talks, films, food, swap-shops, music, performances & open mics
to name but the bare essentials.
Whilst their motives are locally specific, these autonomous actions are
drawn together by common threads: (more…)
Where? 1:30pm in Easton Community Centre - to learn some simple uplifting songs, then we’ll join the procession as it passes about 2:45pm
Come and join your voice to the chorus – let’s make a chorus! - it’s good for your body & soul – bring songs to share or just come and make a noise – it’s a living tradition, let’s keep it alive.
Wear: any combination of purple, pink, blue (but especially purple)
If you get stuck … shout for help. Or call John 07877 999764.
At Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Rd, Easton on Tuesday 5th February 2008 at 7.30 prompt . If you know people who plan to come, please pass this on. Tea and Coffee will be available. Donations will be welcomed to cover hire and refreshments costs, so please bring what you can afford. Volunteers are needed to collect donations, etc. The petition now stands at 3250, well done everyone for publicising this issue. The LibDem leader has received 800 emails on this topic and the Green party website has a large article about it, crediting Bristol Cycling Campaign with making this information public (unlike the first Evening Post article 10 days ago). If you scroll down, you will find a large amount of new information. It will be up on the website shortly www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk. Happy reading!
If you haven’t already done so, tell the council to reject the plan by signing the e-petition at http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/petition.php?id=161 In the meantime, to register your interest, contact savethecyclepath@bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk or savetherailwaypath@yahoogroups.com
“Calling all urban greenspace champions!:
Help us plant the seeds of truly sustainable communities in the South West
Are you someone who recognises the growing importance of greenspace networks in our towns and cities – for health, biodiversity, local food production, low carbon access, recreation and play, sense of place, quality of life…and all round sustainability? Do you have a vision for the ‘garden’ towns and cities of the future? Would you like a stronger voice in debates about the development of the region? Growth plans are set to create lots of new neighbourhoods in urban areas of the South West alongside plans to regenerate many of our existing communities. (more…)
…….The West of England Partnership, composed of local councillors, are submitting plans to Whitehall for funding to use it for a rapid transit bus route from Emersons Green to Ashton Vale, one of three in the scheme. The Bath end of the path is under similar threat. (more…)
Post Peak Agriculture/ From the USA without FlyingTransition Bristol Talk with Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association and Josh Hart of the Chooseday movement.
The talk is on Post-Peak Food & Farming and the subject is ‘Fossil Fuel Depletion: Agriculture and the Soil Association’. Josh famously came to the UK to study without using an airplane. Here his story.
Wednesday 14th November at Redland Friends Meeting House 126 Hampton Road at 7pm
Sustainable Solutions and Survival International are showing the film ‘The Heart of the world’ - a film about the Kogi people of Columbia who have a message to give to the world.
Their survival is under threat and so are many other indigenous tribes in the world. This will be followed by a short film by Survival International and a discussion.
Event is free
Venue-the Fielden Theatre at the City Academy, Russell Town Avenue
Time - 7.15 for 7.30 start on Thursday November 8th
Bar and refreshments available before the film.
This Tuesday (Oct 30th) sees the start of something different in Bristol, as Tuesdays become ‘Choosedays’ and people, employers and organisations across the city come together behind a citywide initiative to promote ‘Tuesdays without cars’. (more…)
| European foreign ministers will decide on Burma this Monday - urge your own foreign minister to back targeted sanctions and incentives! |
This Monday, October 15, the foreign ministers of the 27 European Union states will meet in Luxembourg–and decide whether to live up to their warnings to the Burmese junta.
Three weeks ago, the EU vowed to step up sanctions on the Burmese regime if it cracked down violently on the protesters. If the EU fails to take action now, the Burmese regime will take it as a sign that international pressure is mere talk, and won’t hesitate to commit further atrocities.
Burma isn’t a democracy, but EU countries should be. (more…)
How would it be if Tuesdays became a focus across the Bristol region for us all to re-imagine our lifestyles - a day on which we choose to live differently.
Chooseday will begin with the challenge that every Tuesday we ‘choose’ to leave our cars at home and experience what a day without cars feels like.
The Walk to School Campaign for October 2007 is focussing on children enjoying their local environment by walking to school
Do we want children to be a part of their local community, and to respect their local environment? Or are we happy for them to become “goldfish children” - separated from the real world by a glass bubble?
Recent research has shown that children are more restricted in their freedoms than ever before (read more on BBC…) and this is having a detrimental effect on the children’s sense of place and understanding of their local community.
The Walk to School campaign wants to reverse this trend, by asking parents and children to Walk to School, and use the opportunity to get to know their local environment.
You can use the walk to school to:
Dear friend
We work for a small environmental non profit in Oxford, England which specialised in public communication about climate change. Although we always welcome initiatives aiming to increase public awareness we don’t think that the Live Earth concerts are doing enough to encourage new songs or support the amazing talent of people who are really trying to say something powerful or orginal. And, to be honest, we’re skeptical of the big rock star approach to big issues.
So we had a brainwave. We thought it would be fun to create a web based parallel concert called Alive Earth for everyone who has something they want to say.
A week last Friday around 80 people from all over Bristol met up on a beautiful sunny afternoon at the fountains for Critical Mass. Formerly very popular in Bristol, Critical Mass involves lots of people getting together on bicycles and using the space they create together to take over the roads for the length of a bike ride.
Some motorists honked supportingly, others tutted. (more…)
Hello all
The Evening Post online is running an opinion poll on whether the £80
million expansion of Bristol International Airport should go ahead.
Depressingly, so far, the results are:
A. Yes
58%
B. No
42%
If you are at all concerned about the vast increase in green house gas
emissions, the use of green fields for parking thousands of cars, the
increase in traffic on narrow roads and the extra 6 flights per hour on
average (and worse at busy times) that this will bring about, then please
help readdress the balance! Go to: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/ The
poll is in the left hand column - just scroll down and click.
Please let others know!
