Reimagine our town, rebuild our world

Taking action on climate change is now critical. At Transition Town Lewes in East Sussex, we believe that, by working together as a local community, we can find brilliant and inspiring ways to reduce our contribution to global warming, manage our impact on the planet – and help our town to thrive.

‘Transition Town Lewes’ simply means we’re working to transform our town into a community that isn’t reliant on fossil fuels and that can live, work and feed itself in ways that support, rather than damage, our natural world.

We run projects, provide information and host talks and workshops to enable everyone do their bit to tackle the challenges our world faces. Check out what we’re doing – and come and join us!

News

Get advice on making your business greener

Get advice on making your business greener

Get advice on making your business greener Friday 26 May (and every last Friday of the month), 11am-3pm, Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2LX Are you a business owner? Want to find out how your business could be more environmentally...

After the Big One, what’s next?

After the Big One, what’s next?

After the Big One, what’s next? After more than 60,000 people descended on Westminster in April (including many from Lewes) to demand an end to fossil fuels, has the government responded to the protest’s demands? If not, where does climate protest go from here? Mark...

The Big One

The Big One

The Big One: The environmental protest for everyone (yes, everyone!) Friday 21 April – Monday 24 April, Houses of Parliament ‘The Big One’ – set to be the largest single environmental protest in UK history - will take place at the Houses of Parliament 21 to 24 April....

Spending Lewes Pounds

Spending Lewes Pounds

Support local businesses by spending Lewes Pounds   Did you know that the Lewes Pound (LP) runs a monthly subscription scheme whereby you can get an extra LP1 for every LP20 for which you have a standing order? This means that in these difficult economic times...

Heat pump talk presentations

Heat pump talk presentations

Download our Heat Pump Talk presentations Big thanks to everyone who came to the packed-out Transition Town Lewes talk on Heat Pumps last month.   Special thanks to our speakers – local renewable energy expert Neil Williams and Ian McKay of sustainability...

Come to the Grand Opening of Lewes Climate Hub!

Come to the Grand Opening of Lewes Climate Hub!

Come to the Grand Opening of Lewes Climate Hub! 
Saturday 18 March, Lewes House, 32 High Street, 11am-3pm, FREE (regular opening hours will be 11am-3pm, Wednesday to Saturday) Exciting news! Lewes Climate Hub is moving to bigger and more central premises in Lewes. And...

Talk: Should I get a heat pump?

Talk: Should I get a heat pump?

Talk: Should I get a heat pump?   Thursday 9 March, Elephant & Castle Pub, White Hill, Lewes, BN7 2DJ, 7.30pm (doors open 7.15pm), FREE (donations welcome) Lots of people have been asking us if a heat pump would be a greener, cheaper way to heat their home...

Events

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

Lewes’s favourite green podcasts

In lockdown, podcasts are proving a great way to be inspired, get new ideas and learn from others’ real-life experiences – especially when it comes to taking action on climate change. So we asked seven of Lewes’s environmental movers and shakers what they’re listening to.

Helen Meade - Programme Manager, Railway Land Wildlife Trust

Mothers of Invention – episodes 55 mins
One podcast I have been really enjoying recently is Mothers of Invention. It covers everything from the crucial role of indigenous communities to how microbes can help in carbon capture, with great humanity and a good dose of humour.

The Wild – episodes 10 mins-30 mins
I’ve never been very good at picking favourites, so would also mention The Wild with Chris Morgan, especially the fabulous soundscape episodes, which are like a balm for the soul.

Tim Rabjohns - Plastic Free Lewes and Lewes Open Eco Houses

 

How To Save a Planet – episodes 45-60 mins
I really like this podcast partly because the two presenters are very personable but also because they look at climate issues in a very human way.  For example the episode called ‘Trying To Talk To Your Family About Climate Change? Here’s how.’ – is something that I struggle with and they illustrated the point by interviewing a US senator and his son.  The former is very conservative and was anti climate change at first and his son talks about how he won him over, over time.  They also give practical tips in the show notes

There are many good episodes, including Breaking Building’s Addiction To Fossil Fuels, where a business man retrains to offer financial products for the greening of buildings affordable to low-income households in New York

People Fixing The World – episodes 25 mins
This show is not only about the environment, but many of the episodes are about solutions people have found to specific environmental issues e.g. saving Dolphins in Cape Cod, new solar technology, solar railways, building with fungi etc.  I always come away having learnt something and feeling better because I know the solutions are out there. Friendly, no nonsense style that you’d expect from the BBC!

Mark Engineer – Organiser, Extinction Rebellion Lewes

The End Of The World Has Already Happened – episodes 28 mins
Don’t be put off by the title! This BBC three-parter is a lot more positive that it sounds. Actually, that’s not true. It pulls no punches about the fact we’re in deep trouble. Which is fine – because we’re in deep trouble. But it’s not without hope, and is particularly interesting on dealing psychologically with the scale of the crisis and the helplessness we all feel. Plus some William Blake poetry.

Lesley Healey – Director, Common Cause Cooperative

What Planet Are We On?episodes 60 mins
This series presented by Liz Bonnin talks about solutions. Not pie in the sky, far in the future things (though they often get a mention), but practical actions on lots of different fronts that will make a difference to our planet and our ability to occupy it kindly and carefully. More to the point, things that individuals can achieve.

English Pastoral – episodes 14 mins
I also recommend listening to ‘English Pastoral’ by James Rebanks, farmer and author of the best-selling ‘A Shepherd’s Life’. I was just about teenaged when the farmer ripped out the hedges and trees along the field behind our house to make one enormous field. Sitting crouched under piled up straw bales, listening to the mice is a cherished childhood memory and one that I hope future children may experience.

Matthew Bird - Cabinet Member for Sustainability, Lewes District Council; Climate Lead at Sussex Wildlife Trust

The Climate Question on the World Service is wide ranging and very listenable. I listen to Costing the Earth regularly which picks some really interesting subjects and Crossing Continents has the odd climate change episode from a Finnish perspective or something!

I’m really interested in climate adaptation as I don’t think there’s enough public examination of what we need to do now to deal with locked-in climate change. Listened to a few episodes of America Adapts which annoys me in style as much as it interests me in content! Generally I watch/listen to Ted Talks especially the two Georges, Monbiot and Marshall!

Audrey Jarvis - Chairperson of Friends of Lewes Trees Committee, Lewes Urban Arboretum

Tweet of the Day – episodes 5 mins
I enjoy Tweet of the Day, BBC Radio 4 and available on Sounds as a back catalogue. I like it because it reminds me of how good it is to be out and about in Lewes and hear and see the birds singing.

Dinah Morgan – Management team, Lewes Climate Hub

George Monbiot – The invisible ideology – Part 1- Consumerism, capitalism and neo-liberalism – 47 mins

Not a podcast per se, but I strongly recommend this talk by George Monbiot recorded in February 2020 exploring the forces that have led to the dire state our world is in.  In three-quarters of an hour, it explained so much that was just an unclear shape in my mind and turned it into a coherent form. As usual Monbiot was eloquent with loads of interesting references. I cannot recommend it enough!