All Blog Posts (87)

Start the year with TEN New Years Resolutions!

1. Start shwopping - Every year we consume around 2 million tonnes of clothes and other textiles and throw away half of this amount into landfill. Organise a shwopping party with friends and exchange unwanted items for new ones.

2. Start insulating - For every £5 you spend on energy bills, an estimated £1 is wasted. Insulating your loft…

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:53 — No Comments

Community 21

Community 21 is a joint initiative between University of Brighton and The Rural Community Council, Action in Rural Sussex which has resulted in the development of an online ‘toolbox’, social networking and data management system to facilitate community networking and engagement, information management and community led planning processes for 21st Century, sustainable communities. …

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:52 — No Comments

Transforming the UK’s energy system.

The central recommendation of this Sussex Universtiy Energy Group report recently commisssioned by Friends of the Earth is that a much greater focus is needed on community-scale energy generation.

The Government must ensure that robust action is…

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:47 — No Comments

The real world of Low emission motoring.

Details have been released today of the first nine electric cars that will be eligible for grants of up to £5,000 in a government subsidy scheme which starts in the new year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11985866…

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:37 — No Comments

Winter Resilience

More than 4.5 million UK households can't afford to heat their homes properly. According to Friends of the earth :”Revamping homes so they're better insulated and cheaper to heat would save lives, slash fuel bills and tackle climate change.

Dave Timms, Warm Homes campaigner.…

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:30 — No Comments

News from Newhaven

ESCC have accepted the reccommendation at a Public Inquiry this summer that West Beach be formally registered as... a village green.

The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Graham Amy remains confident that, although Newhaven Port Properties are still challenging this decision, the local…

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Added by Susan Thompson on January 1, 2011 at 23:30 — No Comments

A Creative Hub for Lewes

An exhibition of the work of Brighton university architecture students imagining a much needed creative hub for local artisans will be held at the Lewes Foundry this week.

Each project is considered to be based on financially and environmentally sustainable principals and designed to allow for growth or to be applied to other underused buildings in the Lewes District.

Making the best use of empty local buildings was suggested by many citizens panels involved in the Sustainable… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on December 7, 2010 at 22:00 — No Comments

Making the invisible visible

Education for Sustainable Development Conference at Brighton University - 16th to 18th December.

Registration @ http://www.brighton.ac.uk/sdecu/research/esdinds/index.html

Values are often seen as intangible and until now have been overlooked in conventional project monitoring and evaluation activities. ESD believe that the long term success and sustainability of a development project or social enterprise… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on December 3, 2010 at 15:33 — No Comments

Lighter Later -

The Daylight Saving Bill made it through the second reading in the House of Commons today.
A study into the costs and benefits of moving to permanent daylight saving time and a three year trial should now follow...

Added by Susan Thompson on December 3, 2010 at 15:06 — No Comments

Community Transport - Bus map website

The new interactive bus map on the East Sussex County Council website has made it easier for residents and people working in the county search for their destination, the bus number they require, or click directly on the map destination. Any of these methods will highlight the bus route they need.

The map shows every bus route in the county along with website links to rail stations, a number of tourist attractions and bus operators’ websites. It links directly to current service… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on December 1, 2010 at 21:57 — No Comments

A Greener Christmas...

Start suggest 20 ways to start living sustainably this Christmas... www.startuk.org

10:10 have free carbon saving e-christmas cards @ http://www.1010global.org/card-maker

Wilderness Wood - Christmas trees and organic turkeys from a family run sustainable woodland in the Sussex Weald www.wildernesswood.co.uk

Brighton based… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on December 1, 2010 at 15:33 — No Comments

Earth 350 - global climate art project

The Big Picture - Inspiring earth art from around the world made last weekend in advance of the Cancun climate conference can be seen @ http://www.earth.350.org.
From the people of Brighton and Hove gathering to form a blue King Canute to a golden Solar Sun in Cape Town made of people feasting around parabolic solar cookers...

Added by Susan Thompson on December 1, 2010 at 14:11 — 1 Comment

Sustainable Communities Act

We have been reassured by David Rogers a local county councillor and chairman of the Local Government Association Community Well Being board that the government are finally considering the proposals made by all local councils last summer as part of this process.
Updates about this can be found at www.localworks.org.

Added by Susan Thompson on November 30, 2010 at 8:41 — No Comments

The Daylight Saving Bill - Lighter later campaign

Last chance to encourage MPs to vote for the Lighter Later campaign...The Daylight Saving Bill will be discussed on the 3rd of December. Our MP is still undecided... www.lighterlater.org

All the evidence suggests that advancing the clocks would be good for Britain, with significant benefits for:

The economy – by injecting £3bn a year into UK leisure and tourism and creating 80,000 new jobs.

Health – by helping us get more exercise… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on November 30, 2010 at 8:31 — No Comments

Sustainable Farming and Butterflies

Unfortunately the Sustainable Livestock Bill ran out of debating time in Parliament yesterday.

The United Nations report, “Livestock’s long shadow”, notes that livestock farming is among the two or three most significant contributors to global climate change on every scale from local to global. It has calculated that from 18% to as much as 51% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gases come from livestock production.…

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Added by Susan Thompson on November 13, 2010 at 13:00 — No Comments

Ecology into Art Exhibition at the Linklater Pavillion

The first art exhibition at the newly opened Linklater Pavillion. Lil Tudor-Craig describes her work as follows:

"I paint native species of wild plants and the creatures they support. The pictures are about the interconnectedness and interdependence of life, our connection and our loss."

The Linklater Pavillion Lewes from 14th - 28th November 2010 10-4 daily

http://www.tudor-craig.co.uk/index.htm…

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Added by Susan Thompson on November 11, 2010 at 14:51 — No Comments

National Parks Consultation

Opinions on how the South Downs National Park should be run, have recently been requested: "'National Parks are not just beautiful and historic parts of the countryside, but places where people live and work. They are an asset to our country. This is a chance for local communities to have a say in how we should look after our National Parks for everyone to enjoy for years to come." Natural Environment Minister Richard Benyon DEFRA .

More information can be found at… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on November 11, 2010 at 14:30 — No Comments

Goodwill and compromise: Nagoya biodiversity deal.

After the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks, a successful agreement to protect biodiversity has provided a timely morale booster. Some key goals have been set, including a plan to expand nature reserves to 17% of the world's land and 10% of the planet's waters.

One of the great achievements of this conference has been to highlight the fact that biodiversity is not just about saving a few cute animals, but about preventing risks to entire ecosystems, economies and ultimately… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on October 31, 2010 at 0:08 — No Comments

Transition Town Lewes Review and restructuring meeting Thursday 28th October Lewes Werks at 7.30pm

The following discusssion recently held in Transition Totnes offers TTL some helpful tools as it begins to review and restructure decision making at the above meeting, but more crucially it also reveals some serious challenges ahead for the future of the Transition movement: "http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/ben-brangwyn/2010-09/ways-knowing">>

Rob Hopkins, the co founder of the Transition… Continue

Added by Susan Thompson on October 26, 2010 at 18:00 — No Comments

Village Connections Transition Trek to Littlington to meet Cuckmere Valley Transition.

Meeting at 10.30 am in front of Lewes Railway Station on Sunday 14th November, taking the train to Berwick and walking to Littlington for lunch.
Cuckmere Valley Transition have invited us to their screening of the Yes Men Fix the World in Littlington village hall later in the afternoon.

Added by Susan Thompson on October 25, 2010 at 7:00 — No Comments