Transition Bedford

Growing your own fruit and veg can get expensive, if you’re splashing out on new tools, compost and even a snazzy new shed (er, yes, I’m guilty as charged). But there’s no need to spend a lot of money on seeds. Seed swaps are springing up all over the country as a way of  sharing the bounty of seed that comes from saving your own, and spreading the excess of packets that comes from an overenthusiastic session at the garden centre!

Bedford is no exception, and on March 5 from 10-1 the second annual Seed Sharing Saturday takes place at the Bunyan Church Hall on Mill Street. There’ll be free seeds for all (even if you don’t have any to swap, and people on hand to offer advice, and refreshments of course. Oh, and Garden Share Bedford will be there to spread the word about our new matchmaking service for gardens and growers, so do come along to find out more!

All the details on the seed swap are available on the Bedford Borough Council website, or download this poster (PDF file) and put it up in your window to let more people know about the event.

Tony Juniper

I am most pleased to announce that on Wednesday 20 January, at 6pm UK/1pm EST, I will be hosting campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and one of the UK’s best known environmentalists, Tony Juniper, on the special 1st anniversary edition of my radio show, my radio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul

A dynamic and inspiring speaker, and often referred to as an “Eco Hero”, Tony has worked for the last 25 years for change toward a more sustainable society at local, national and international levels. Amongst his almost endless list of personal and professional experiences, he has served as Vice-Chair of Friends of the Earth International, and is currently Special Adviser to the Prince of Wales Rainforests Project, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic’s new Green Magazine supplement, and is the Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, England.

On this very special anniversary edition, Tony and I will discuss his thesis of “Harmony” as taken from the upcoming book of the same name he is currently writing with Prince Charles and Ian Skelly, and is scheduled for publication by Harper Collins in autumn 2010. Tony will tell us about the present state of environmentalism, what we’ve achieved and not achieved, and what’s next for humanity at this time in history, and explain how the solutions to the ecological and economic problems we now face at a planetary level are not due so much to our political, technological or corporate systems, but rather to the fundamental fact that we as a culture have become disconnected from the Earth, and are illiterate as to how nature works and how we as humans fit into the natural order on a cosmological and spiritual level.

On the air, Tony will offer us some easy, joyful and practical ways to re-engage and reconnect with our planet and re-establish the true, holistic harmony that is meant to sing within every human soul.

You absolutely will NOT want to miss this most important and truly inspiring show.

Listeners can listen LIVE or “on demand” any time at http://ow.ly/UvBM

Another upcoming guest of interest to Transition Town followers and other “green” folks is Dr Leo Sharashkin, translator/editor of the “Ringing Cedars” (aka Anastasia)  book  series that is creating a wide-spread “return to the Earth” movement in Europe. That show is coming Wednesday 24 February.

To be sure you don’t miss either of these broadcasts, subscribe to the show either via iTunes, or mark it as a favourite on Blog Talk Radio.

Just look for “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”
http://blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

Great changes are happening at the Global Wellness Circle (GWC).

GWC was started in May 2008 as a means to support local holistic wellness businesses, and to provide a forum where people can join together to learn about each others’ values and beliefs, and form friendships and partnerships. The focus from the onset has been to build an inclusive, holistically-minded community and to provide information to the public about health, environment, and overall wellbeing of mind, body, spirit, society and world.

Now 18 months old, the Global Wellness Circle is going through some exciting changes.  Originally a small business, GWC are now in the process of applying for CIC status (Community Interest Company/Social Enterprise), and the Bedford chapter have established a firm link to our Transition Bedford initiative. That means, whereas GWC used to have a policy of drawing only from its paid membership for its speaker rota, they now are inviting (and encouraging) volunteer speakers from Transition Bedford OR other Transition Towns to speak as a representative of their initiative and the Transition Town movement in general, to share whatever valuable skills or information they have with the group.*

GWC have active chapters in Bedford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Hemel Hempstead, and should be getting Northampton and Dunstable up and running by February 2010. They welcome anyone and everyone to attend their events (membership is NOT required to attend), and hope that with the addition of Transition Town members, they will become an even more vibrant and exciting group, working together for a better future.

To see the kind of events GWC help to promote, check out their November 2009 events listings at http://www.global-wellness-circle.com/events/events_listings/2009/GWC_events_1109.html The listings include a wide range of events such as GWC evenings, local workshops, training, speakers, community events, exhibitions, radio shows, parties and more, all in the central UK area. All events focus on health, wellbeing and natural lifestyle, and include activities for children, families and adults.

For more information about GWC, or to enquire about becoming a speaker, kindly contact Lynn at lynn@global-wellness-circle.com. You are also invited to subscribe to the GWC mailing list at http://www.global-wellness-circle.com, so you can receive both their events listings and their newsletter, “All is Well”, every month.

Wishing you WELL,
Lynn Serafinn
Founder, Global Wellness Circle
Chair, Transition Bedford

* If you are a member of a Transition Town group and would like to speak at a GWC meeting, it is expected that you will come as a representative of your TT initiative, as opposed to representing your private business. If you do wish to promote your private enterprise (e.g., a green or holistic business you own), you are most welcome to consider becoming a practitioner member of GWC.

We received this invitation from the Quaker Meeting House about an event you might be interested in on 20 November. Reply to this announcement if you intend to attend so those of us are going can connect. Thanks! –Lynn
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Dear Quaker Meeting House hirers and friends,

I would like to invite you to a public meeting organised by Bedford Quakers entitled “Climate Change, Copenhagen and Us”, at the Harpur Suite, Bedford on November 20th at 7.15 pm. Please see attachment with details of the event and the supporting organisations to date (TTBedford admin note: sorry, this attachment did not come with the email we received). We are delighted that Tony Juniper, a leading environmentalist, and Patrick Hall MP are our main speakers.

Please circulate notice of this meeting widely if possible.  If you would like to use our printed posters and/or fliers, reply to us ASAP and we can arrange a convenient collection point.

We would like to retain email addresses for communication purposes until a week after the Copenhagen Summit . If you prefer otherwise please tell us.

With your permission, we would also like to share your email address with the supporting organizations listed above who may wish to contact you regarding similar events. If you are happy for us to do so, please let us know.

Please reply to bedfordquakerevents@googlemail.com

Why is this important?
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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.

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…)

In a recent article, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was quoted to say that the Bedfordshire town of Bedford, should be given a “stupid award” owing to its local planning committee opposing the construction of wind farms on aesthetic grounds. While the implications of this opposition are duly noted, the recently formed community initiative Transition Bedford, part of the larger Transition Town Network of over 1500 local initiatives worldwide, replies, “Look deeper, Mr Prescott, and you will find that the people of  Bedford are not at all stupid in matters to do with climate change and peak oil.”

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FREE Film Premier
“In Transition”
Wed Sept 9^th 2009

(09.09.09… a call to action)
Ent. Shed, Castle Rd (Next to Gordon Arms pub),
Bedford, MK40 3QY
doors open at 7.30pm (more…)

Invite your mum, call up your long lost friend, email your address book, send out the memo at work; we’re all meeting at the park for a bite to eat…. it’ll be great to meet you!! I’ll make sure i bring a little extra grub to share.

Sunday, 19th July – Russell Park, at 1pm on Sunday – Transition Bedford will be hosting our Big Lunch.  Come join us and find out about community action in your areas. You can go to the following link, locate the icon which is placed in Russel Park and register if your going to attend.

How Sharing Lunch Spreads the word on Sustainability

Local community members; directors, artists, gardeners, parents, activists, teachers etc….. have decided to spread the word on how to live a more green lifestyle by taking part in an Eden Project initiative called “The Big Lunch”. The plan is for as many people as possible across the UK to sit down to lunch with their friends and neighbours, on one day – Sunday, 19th July.

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