Transition News
Map of businesses that take the Lewes Pound
There are around 80 businesses that take the Lewes Pound.
Take a look...
Lewes & Ouse Valley eco-nomics June Update
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“He is made one with nature …. Sustains it from below and kindles it above”, Shelley. |
There’s symbolism in the air! The ‘Green Man’ came late this year, almost certainly slowed (in part, at least) by our interference with nature’s cycles. Shelley’s words show us what we get from him …. But we also need to give back, allow him full flow; to start treating the ‘Green Man’ as a friend rather than a slave ….
Can you help grow Seedy Saturday
Seedy Saturday is a much loved event that takes place in Lewes on the first Saturday in February. It is a community event run by a partnership of local organisations and individuals who form a steering group as a sub-group of Common Cause. It is a financially sustainable event and has a remit to reach adults and children who may not normally attend the event.
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It aims to provide opportunities for adults and children to swap seeds, learn about seeds, plants and related issues, learn about community growing activities, buy seeds from independent seed merchants and growers and locally made food and garden products. |
The Steering Group is looking for people to join it to build on Seedy Saturday’s success and reach more people. We are keen to increase our profile using social media and to create an image which the public will identify with us and help us spread our message. We are particularly looking for people who can help as do this, but all helpers are welcome. If you would like to be involved in Seedy Saturday Lewes 2014 please get in touch
Take a look at this transcript of a video at the Sussex Community Seed Bank website...
Shared Space
A fascinating story of how to make traffic work using 'shared space'. There are some interesting principles here...
Sustainable business: how we can learn from India’s ‘frugal’ innovators
India’s culture of jugaad, or frugal innovation, has helped produce a wide range of sustainable breakthroughs. Are there lessons there for the rest of the world? Read it here on Green Wise...
Grow your own food - Jon's tips for June
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In June we should have plenty of sunshine, and no frost. (It says here). So plant out your runner beans and tomatoes, your maincrop peas and carrots...but
be ready with a watering can, in case it is dry, and a hoe, in case it
rains, and the weeds flourish. |
At least we have had reasonable weather while the blossom is on the fruit trees: with luck, a very good year for apples, pears, and plums. More...
Jon Gunson, Transition Town Lewes.
Join in with Be the Start this May!
News from Start UK
'Be the Start you want to see in the world... Join in with Be the Start this May!
Be the Start is a month long campaign throughout May celebrating the idea of sustainable living and what a rewarding and meaningful way of life it is.
From ideas for finding happiness in unexpected places, to discovering new ways to do your daily commute, from building a bee cafe in your garden, to setting up a sharing circle in your neighbourhood, there’s something different everyday that you can be the start of.
Visit www.bethestart.org and use the hashtag #bethestart'
Renewable Energy trip to Germany
Transition Towns visit Germany
Chris and Tom are back from Germany where they went to find out more about renewable
energy - take a look at their blog to follow their week.
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The
one week trip started with a train journey on the 20th April to Frankfurt, arranged by Dirk Bischof from Embrace Cooperation Ltd. Chris Rowland is a director of Ovesco and supporter of the Transition Town Lewes Energy Group and Tom Broughton is a key contact for Transition Town Chichester. Read their blog about the trip to find out more about how they deploy renewable energy in Germany. Chris & Tom's BLOG... |
Transition Free Press - New edition
A sparkling new summer edition of Transition Free Press is out now. As well as news, reviews and interviews on all transition subjects under the sun, this edition includes a 'Lewes in Transition' special with features on the Lewes Pound, the North Street development and fracking.
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TFP costs £1 and is available to buy at the Friday Food Market, the monthly Farmers Market and also Pleasant Stores and The Buttercup Cafe. To request copies or discuss advertising contact Alexis |
Wind-energy talk fuels debate
Wind turbines are the most practical and cost-efficient source of renewable energy available to the UK. That was the message of a recent talk by Marcus Trinick QC, hosted by Transition Town Lewes at the Elephant and Castle in April.
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Trinick, a leading lawyer in renewable energy, explained in his talk – Growing Turbines: Planning for Windfarms – that the sums for generating energy don’t add up without wind. EU law means that the UK will effectively need to more than double its renewable electricity share to 30 per cent by 2020, with the bulk likely to come from onshore and offshore windfarms, he said. |
Marcus Trinick QC outlines the case for windfarms.
Onshore wind is one of the cheapest renewable sources available, costing £80 per megawatt hour compared to £140 for nuclear power, for example (not to mention the far shorter lead times for setting up a windfarm compared to a nuclear power station). More...
New Directors for Lewes Food Market
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LEWES FOOD MARKET is looking for new Directors to support the Board in the development of Lewes Local Community Interest Company. Lewes Local CIC have been successfully running the weekly Lewes Food Market for almost three years and are currently looking to recruit new directors. |
The board oversees the running, promotion and direction of the market. If you are committed to the sustainable production and distribution of local food and have an interest in working in your community, we would like to hear from you.
Contact: Polly Senter 01273 480787 / polly.senter@gmail.com for more information and to arrange an informal meeting.
Notice of Planning Application & Public Consultation
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TTL should be aware of the planning application for 15 MW of PV array at Upper Stoneham Farm. |
To find out more visit the South Downs National Park planning application page and attend one of two public consultation events: Monday 29th April 2013 at Lewes Town Hall between 3 and 8 pm, and Wednesday 8th May 2013 at Ringmer Village Hall - also between 3 and 8 pm. more...
Jon's Monthly Gardening Tips for Transitioners: May
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In May you can sow, or plant out: beans, dwarf and runner: beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, and cauliflower: courgettes, cucumber, and kale: marrows, melons, parsnips, peas, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, spring onions, squash, sweetcorn, swiss chard, turnips, and watercress. But sort the weeds out first, please. MORE... |
A Civic Award for Polly
Lewes Town Council has presented Polly Senter, founder of Lewes Food Market, with a civic award for her contribution to our community. Polly was nominated by her fellow directors at Lewes Local CIC for her drive and determination in setting up and running the market.
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" I want to thank all our volunteers, and customers for their work and their loyalty. Lewes has so few independent food shops now so by providing both a regular place to buy local food and an outlet for producers, Lewes Food Market is supporting our struggling food culture." Polly |
PV Array Plan for Upper Stoneham Farm
Vogt solar UK has put forward plans for a 15MHp solar farm at Upper Stoneham Farm, between Lewes and Ringmer. The site, which is said to be relatively low-quality (level 2 or 3) agricultural land, is currently used for grazing.
The scheme would produce an estimated 14MHw of electricity a year, about half the amount used in Lewes homes. There would be c. 60,000–75,000 panels, depending on their size, and the scheme would cover about 24ha between the A26 and the B2192.
Sheep are known to be comfortable about sharing their space with solar field arrays, so the site would be maintained and enhanced as grazing land that could be returned to agricultural purposes at the end of the 25-year life of the panels. A nearby sub-station would provide the connection to the National Grid.
Two public consultation meetings will be held, at Lewes Town Hall on Monday 29th April, 3.00–8.00pm, and at Ringmer Village Hall on Wednesday 8th May, also from 3.00–8,.00pm. Views expressed at these meetings will inform a planning application to be submitted to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). More...
North Street: vision for the future
The prospective redevelopment of the North Street and Phoenix Industrial Estate area of Lewes has fuelled heated debate well before any formal planning application has been put forward. But with a site slap bang in the middle of a National Park, it also offers a golden opportunity to nurture a development that leads the way in environmental, economic and energy resilience. More...
Rubbish
Getting passionate about a load of Rubbish
Transition Network: My previous Transition experience had led me to believe that very few people were really that interested in waste, except for the possibility of upcycling it into something else. My time in Shrewsbury has already proved how wrong I was...
The Rubbish Diet
The Rubbish Diet is really easy to follow. Just keep track of what you throw away and find ways of making waste disappear by recycling, finding other uses for it or never getting it in the first place.
Resilience, North Street & The Lewes Local Plan – Dirk Campbell
The prospective redevelopment of the North Street and Phoenix Industrial Estate has fuelled a heated debate among Lewesians well before the launch of any formal planning application. Many are concerned about what development will bring, but others see a golden opportunity to reshape the centre of Lewes and lead the way in environmental, economic and energy resilience. Dirk Campbell, of the TTL Steering Group, argues here that the site should be left to develop organically.... More...
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