Transition Island Blog

Changes have been made to enable this scheme to work more effectively in the UK.

Originally conceived in the USA, the UK branches found the American rules increasingly restrictive as the country took Freecycling to heart.  However, the scheme is still dedicated to keeping useful stuff out of the landfill.

The Independent Association of Freecycle Moderators, a group consisting of over 450 Freecycle volunteers across the United Kingdom, has chosen the name ‘Freegle’.

This name means a couple of things. First, the name is a combination of the words Free and Google. This refers to how our group is like Google for finding free stuff. Second, the name can be broken up into the phrase “Free Goods Local & Easily”, which we feel is representative of how a group like this operates.

The tagline for the Freegle organisation may also be “Freegle - Waste Not Want Not“.
More on this story at the Guardian.

The same moderation team is still here working away in the background helping to keep the group running smoothly. Because the name of the group has changed, the web and email addresses have changed as well. They are now:

Web: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IWReecycle
Email: iwreecycle@yahoogroups.com

Vegswap enables you to swap your home grown or homemade produce with other local gardeners. You can save money, reduce food miles and be gentle on the environment and enjoy fresher, better tasting fruit and veg.

Swap Fruit, Vegetables, Seedlings, Plants and much much more.

Find out more here.

Networking Event for Community Food Projects
in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

The next Fresh Ideas Network regional event for community food projects will be held on Monday 29th June, 10.00-15.00 at the Wessex Conference Centre, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2NF

The theme will be ‘The Four A’s of Food Access:  Availability, Affordability, Awareness and Acceptability.’  

The day will include presentations, workshops and networking activities.

The event is free and travel costs can be reimbursed for participants working as volunteers for not-for-profit organisations.

Places are limited to 50. In order that we can ensure good representation from all areas across the county as well as a good cross section of types of projects and organisations, we are asking those interested in attending to register their interest via our event administration website at  http://freshideasnetworkevents.eventbrite.com by Monday 1st June and we will let you know if you have a place by Monday 8th June.  

Hope to see lots of you there! The Fresh Ideas Network

For more information on what Fresh Ideas does, please visit our website as below:
www.freshideas.org.uk   Subscribe to our newsletter

INVITATION to a free lunchtime talk on climate change, ponds and carbon storage 6 May 2008.

In recently published work, Professor John Downing from Iowa State University says that across the globe, ponds ‘may bury 4 times as much carbon as the world’s oceans.’

‘The world’s farm ponds alone may bury more organic carbon than the oceans and 33% as much as the world’s rivers deliver to the sea.’

To find out how ponds take up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and the implications for climate change, you are invited …

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Pets are happy & healthy… right?

Let’s say, just for the sake of example, that you were a dog. Or a cat, if you prefer (although I can’t imagine why you would). You’d spend your days lazing about, taking naps, playing outside, and eating treats. Humans would pat your head and tell you how cute you looked.

Sounds like a pretty neat life, right? Lighthearted, carefree, simple. . . I bet you’re a little jealous.

Well, I thought it was pretty neat too, until I found out that pets are full of toxic chemicals.

Read more about the Environmental Working Group research.

Action:
Start planning organic food and natural cleaning products to protect your pets.

The UK’s thirst for bottled water appears to be drying up.

New figures show that sales are falling for the first time in years.

Shop sales of bottled water fell by 9 per cent to £284m in the year to March, according to independent retail analysts. Also, water cooler sales have also fallen, although not as dramatically.

environmental costs

Green groups said they hoped the figures suggested the public was turning away from bottled water because of the environmental costs of packaging and transportation. Some of it travels to the UK from the Fijian islands in the Pacific!

Production of a litre bottle of Evian or Volvic generates up to 600 times more CO2 than a litre of tap water.

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Pesticides continue to be linked to serious illness.

The Pesticide Action Network points out:

‘They are the only manufactured chemicals specifically designed to be toxic.’

‘They are also the only group of toxic chemicals routinely intentionally dispersed in the environment.’

So why are we encouraging our children to eat more?

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I found a brilliant book for people who want to do more than just a little bit.

‘365 ways to change the world’ by Michael Norton gives you just that. He says:
* The world is full of problems….
* Everyone has their own idea about what’s wrong…
* The issues that confront us seem so huge…
* Together we can change the world…

Each day has its own page,
with a different way, with ideas, stories, websites
and where appropriate Awareness Days.

And there is a parallel website - encouraging us all to become an Everyday Activist. Join a community of people dedicated to taking individual everyday actions to help change the world for the better.

ten favourites…

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The House of Commons All Party Small Shops Group estimates that there will be no independent shops by 2015.

This equates to the closure of over 50,000 small businesses and a massive knock-on effect for other small businesses in the local community.

The Federation of Small Businesses is campaigning on Keeping Trade Local.

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Last year was the 20th anniversary of The Great Storm, on the 15/16 October 1987.

Overnight, 15 million trees were lost and streets, hedgerows, woods, public parks, private gardens and historic landscapes changed.

Many people woke up to radically different views out of their windows - and also to new recognition of the real value of trees in their patch.

The even more widespread storms of 1990 reinforced the message.

Conker-tree disease

This year, we have the discovery of a virulent new disease sweeping through Britain’s much-loved conker trees.

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