Sunday 15th May from 11-2pm plant swap

On Sunday 15th May 2011 from 11-2pm members of the skills exchange are organising a vegetable plant swap in The Shared Garden on Kingston Road

Please grow one tray of a particular vegetable seed. Transplant into pots when large enough, look after them until the 15th and swap with other members in the Skills exchange.
When you hand your plants in, please put them in one of those blue mushroom baskets, as they are easy to label, stack and handle. For every pot you hand in you will get a token, which you can use to pay for any other pot you may like to have that was grown by your fellow Skills Exchange friend.


If you are interested in being part of this, fill your details in on the Shared Document.
www.wbskills-exchange.co.uk

More details closer to the time.
regards
Karina

Street Car

Visiting my son in Cambridge yesterday, I was mightily impressed with the convenient location of the StreetCar carpark in front of his accommodation. A nice clean Golf was waiting to be used...
We went for a walk and 1/2 hour later, the car had gone.

What a brilliant idea, especially in built up towns like Cambrige where owning a car is a nightmare(not to mention costly), but using it occasionally would be a dream for all concerned.

West Bridgford has so many narrow victorian terraced streets with multiple car drivers, where a Streetcar scheme could be the answer. Wouldn't it would be wonderful if we could have a scheme like this?

I have contacted Ryan from StreetCar who informed me that if they had enough demand in an area they might consider setting up a new scheme. Please contact them at service@streetcar.co.uk
if you are interested and let them know that you would like to have a Streetcar in West Bridgford. That way they can get a feel how much demand there is from us here.

Just imagine what positive impact these clearer streets would have on the feel and the safety of our neighbourhoods.

Are you aware of the Free local bus link, Locallink L2 bus service?

Today I was told about this free local bus link that goes through West Bridgford and runs every hour. Just enough time to do your shopping and go home!

Why not give it a try, please find route below.


Your local bus from Silverdale, Clifton, Ruddington, West Bridgford to Gamston.
Locallink L2

Locallink L2 Locallink L2 route - Via Silverdale, Monksway, Brookthorpe Way, Clifton Lane, Green Lane, Southchurch Drive, Swansdowne Drive, Farnborough Road, Clifton Road, Wilford Lane, Ruddington Green, Kirk Lane, Loughborough Road, Greythorne Drive, Rugby Road, Eton Road, Musters Road, Bridgford Road, West Bridgford Central Avenue, Davies Road, Abbey Road, Buckfast Way, Brockley Road, Davies Road, Radcliffe Road, Rutland Road, Lady Bay Road, Trent Boulevard, Regatta Way, Ambleside to Gamston Morrisons.

For more information visit the Nottingham City Council Website

Energy Expo -

Reduce your energy bills and your carbon footprint. Technology, information and advice all in one place.

Transition West Bridgford and Transition Nottingham teamed up to present the Energy Expo. The Energy Expo was the next logical step in looking at our energy consumption and how we can reduce it.

The Energy Expo explored the various types of renewable and sustainable energy souces available to householders. Installers and manufacturers talked about what is best for you and there was also advice and information about the various grants that are available from different agencies. We aimed to enable you to make the right decision about what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and your energy bill. All the companies at the Expo are local companies so you will also be helping the local economy.

Exhibitors

At the Energy Expo there we was information about:

Solar thermal energy, solar electricity, wind turbines, ground source heat pumps, insulation, advice, information, grants, combined heat and power boilers, technology, biomass and local installers.


Disenco

Disenco Energy Plc is close to final development of the first commercially viable micro Combined Heat and Power (m-CHP) appliances suitable for the domestic and commercial market. Currently the size of a washing machine, Disenco’s patented HomePowerPlant (“HPP”) is a highly efficient boiler at 92% efficiency which not only produces all of the heat and hot water to meet the home and small business demand but all the while generates electricity for end user consumption and for sale back to the national grid thereby saving enormous CO2 emissions.

Evoenergy

EvoEnergy helps people secure your energy future by designing and installing Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. As a Nottingham based national company focusing solely on one technology across domestic, commercial and public sector we can bring national expertise to a local level. We pride ourselves as a customer focused business spending time with each client to determine the system that will perform best in their specific situation and deliver at affordable prices.


T4 Sustainability Ltd.

T4 Sustainability works with individuals, families, small and large businesses, and local government, to bring about sustainable development in the communities in which we live and work.

Our work focuses on installation, design, consultancy and technical advocacy. More

Sasie

Carbon Legacy

We are all concerned about our planet and what the future will hold for us and our children. If you are interested in doing something positive both for reasons of our Carbon Legacy and for POSITIVE financial reasons then please look through our web site to see how we can help.

MG Renewables

MG Renewables Ltd is an established renewable energy company offering a wide range of Renewable Energy saving products and services. We provide a full design, supply and installation service for domestic, commercial and public sector clients. Our company prides itself on providing our customers with quality products and superior levels of customer service. Products include Solar Thermal, Solar PV, Heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, and underfloor heating.

Also:

Marches Energy Agency
Energy Savings Trust
Rushcliffe Borough Council

West Bridgford Summer Gathering

West Bridgford Summer Gathering returns

A popular West Bridgford event that focuses on sustainable living is organised for this coming Saturday.

The West Bridgford Summer Gathering is being staged for a fifth year on Saturday May 14th to encourage residents to ‘spoil themselves and their loved ones, not the earth’.

The event will feature free lifestyle, health and beauty advice, money-saving tips, all-day entertainment, and local food stalls, as well as an opportunity to discover more about sustainable living.

If you are interested in renewables, why not come to speak with the wide variety of local installers, go and visit the Energy Saving Trust Stall and sign up for the Eco House tour the day after, Sunday 15th May

Experts on energy saving, eco building, environmentally-friendly clothing and accessories, complementary therapies and green transport options will be on hand to share their expertise and offer tips.

Organiser Claudia Cole, who has run a stall at the previous three West Bridgford Summer Gathering events selling bags, said: “The West Bridgford Summer Gathering has become a firm favourite on the calendar since it was launched in 2007. It’s a real community event, and this year’s gathering looks like being just as popular.

“It’s the perfect place for people to find out more about how they can make little changes in their lives which could have a big impact on the environment, while at the same time celebrating the great strides that have been made locally in sustainable living.”

The West Bridgford Summer Gathering runs from 10am to 4pm in West Bridgford Park.

Activities on offer include drumming, sushi making for children, face painting, laser tagging for the whole family, maypole dancing, games and music and dance for the under 5s.

There will also be stalls dedicated to crafts, eco information, food, health and charities.

Visitors to the West Bridgford Summer Gathering are being encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport.

For more information visit www.wbsummergathering.co.uk

East Midlands School for Social Entrepreneurs - what makes a Transition Town?

Over the last 2 years an increased number of people in West Bridgford have started to get involved in local Transition activities. It is not always easy to explain what exactly a Transition town is. I came across this video and feel it might inform and inspire you.

If it does and you would like to see if the East Midlands School for Social Entrepreneurs can come and do a workshop here, please let us know.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

London’s Do-It-Yourself Approach to Safer Streets by Elizabeth Press on August 10,2010

In the UK, the non-profit Sustrans is pioneering a community-based method to reclaim streets from high-speed traffic and make neighborhoods safer and more sociable places.

Called "DIY Streets," the program brings neighbours together to help them redesign their streets in a way that puts people, safety, and streetlife first. So far, individual streets have benefited from DIY redesigns in 11 communities in England and Wales. Recently Streetfilms got a walk through of one successful DIY project -- on Clapton Terrace in London. With the people who made it happen as our guides, we saw how planners and neighbors collaborated to transform a place where speeding used to rule into a local street with calm traffic and safe space to socialize.

Can the DIY model work in West Bridgford?

Lost Generation

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward.

Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite too.

This is only a 1 minute 44 second long video, but it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen...forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant.

Take a minute and watch it.

Click here >>>>>>>> Lost Generation

Emergency Kit

It was during the Eco House tour when I told our visitors that the reason for installing our PV, woodburning stove, having food in our front garden, being part of the Skills Exchange, keeping chickens and having a place of work on our 'doorstep' so that we can cycle to our daily destinations was mainly to prepare our selves for difficult times ahead. For several years now many politicians have been warning us but I have not seen too many people taking these warnings seriously.

Today I received an email with a link to a very interesting article about preparation and getting ones emergency kit ready. I have attached it here and hope you find the information useful and inspiring.