Transition Bedford

On the subject of Foraging, as mentioned from time to time by TB people, what’s the general opinion on Yew Berries? Are they a useful food source or a deadly poison?

If I look on the World Wide Web, I can find both points of view. Most sites say that every part of the tree is brim full of cyanide, one of the most deadly poisons around.  Other websites say that while the pips are deadly, the flesh of the berries are edible.

Has anyone on Team TB ever investigated the matter of Yew Trees?

Thursday December 3rd with the Wildlife Trust at Randalls Farm Broadmead rd Stewartby, volunteer induction 10.30- 12.30. Conservation work party 12.30-5, there will be mince pies and hot drinks. Are you interested in volunteering, delivering and gaining skills in community events and conservation? You will be helping towards our goal of ensuring that biodiversity is more resilient to climate change. There are also limited education volunteering opportunities available. The morning will consist of a brief introduction of our work, a site tour and informal chat.

( Buses run from Bedford bus st and will drop off outside on request, train also from St Johns into Stewartby). Please wear outdoor clothing and bring a packed lunch. Booking is essential and you must be over 18, for further information please contact Ruth Brockett Education and Community Officer on 01234 768542 or email ruth.brockett@wildlifebcnp.org. We look forward to seeing you.

I’ve always believed that the transition would be a mix of incremental and step change and that the step changes are largely psychological changes in the way we see ourselves. My belief follows that these psychological changes would come about through global events, festivals, celebrations and protests (not the traditional anti protests but protest in the modern more creative sense displayed in the video below), where people join together from across the globe for 1 day or 1 hour to do the same thing, whatever that thing might be. This global union or connection makes us conscious of each other in a new way. Well in my understanding a global shift is one step closer. Watch and enjoy!!

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Bedford will come together and vote on our new Mayor in the coming days. This article isn’t meant to answer the question “Who will be the next mayor?” nor “who should be the next mayor?”, that’s your choice. It’s a quick temperature gauge on the local political promises around climate change.

I put a question to each of the mayoral candidates via the Times & Citizen;  “I see a Local Authority’s approach to renewables as a kind of litmus test to just how seriously you take the issue of climate change, i’m not particularly interested in opinions on climate change, i’d like to know what specific policies you intend to implement to increase renewables in the area?” The Times & Citzen published a written edit of the response in last Thursdays edition. My initial response was one of dismay at how many of the answers seemingly missed the point. However, some of the content is lost in translation which is largely an issue of editing. I’ve since watched the video responses online. I urge you to take a look. The candidates mostly promise significant action. This article is a request that we hold to account who ever gets in.

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I came across this video on the Transition Culture blog. The narrator and creator of the “6 Steps of Community Engagement” is  James Samuel, a founder of Transition in New Zealand, and publisher of the blog Yesterday’s Future.  If you have seen ‘In Transition’, James is the guy discussing Oooby with the outrageous shirt.  He was recently asked to give a talk to a local CSA project, giving them some ideas for how to manage their project.  He developed a 6 stage process which looks like a good way of looking at creating successful projects.  You can see his presentation below, and read a transcript of it here on the Transition Culture site. If would be great to get everyone’s comments (both from Transition Bedford and from other Transition groups) on these ideas, as I’m sure all your insights will help us.

Whether we are aware of it or not, the members of the Initiating Group (IG) at Transition Bedford are now evolving from the “forming” stage into the “storming” stage. Can you feel it? Entering the storm means we are making real progress, even if it seems unclear right now. So, at this important juncture, in hopes of taking us even further into the eye of the storm, I’d like to share some ideas which have been swirling about in my mind ever since my Transition Training in London. It has to do with media, our responsiveness to it, both conscious and unconscious, and our role as leaders in the community. (more…)

Some time ago, Bedford received an Age of Stupid award.  This happened because planning permission was rejected for a proposed Wind Farm in the Bedfordshire village of Podington.   The whole issue was covered, in some detail, in a movie called, The Age of Stupid.   In that movie one could see the residents of Podington campaigning against the wind farm.   The campaign against the wind farm came across, in the film, as a very NIMBY (not in my back yard) affair, with campaigners affirming that they were concerned about climate change but making it very plain that this form of renewable energy would not be tolerated in their own neck of the woods.

So the question arises.   Did Bedford deserve its Age of Stupid award?   Why not see the film and make up your own mind?   The film will be showing as part of a double bill with the controversial film “The Great Global Warming Swindle” at the Bedford Film Society on Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th November at Bedford High School Sports and Performing Arts Complex, Bromham Road, Bedford,   MK40 2BS.  Shows start at 7.30 PM and non-members can attend as a guest for a cost of £3 at the door.

For the alternative view, there is an article on the Bedford Today Website, dated 8th June 2007, which makes the case against the wind farm.   The article was entitled: Protestors welcome wind farm report.

Richard Gillard

There is no denying that we live at a time in history when much of the world around us is changing. The currently fluctuating economy is proving to be challenging for many, causing us to change our spending and saving patterns. Climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuel dependency are becoming more and more apparent, making it necessary to make rapid decisions about how to address the issues, and to reflect upon how we need to change as a society. Technology is also rapidly changing the way we interact, and we frequently find ourselves on the one hand more able to communicate at a virtual level, but also feeling more and more isolated from one another in the flesh. Over the past few decades, we have become increasingly disconnected from the sources of our own sustenance (such as food production) and more and more dependent upon our own technological creations for survival. To see how dependent we actually are, imagine how vulnerable you would feel if tomorrow morning you woke up to find you had no internet or other telecommunications systems, had no access to electricity, oil or petrol, or you were unable to obtain food, clothes, medicine and other necessities from outside sources. (more…)