News
Tell Your Story to Paris!
Thu, 18 June 2015
The Transition Network has launched a search for 21 inspiring stories to tell at the December COP21 conference. In December world leaders meet in Paris to negotiate a global climate treaty. Transition Network is planning to celebrate by creating a booklet, in many languages, telling the story of 21 diverse and amazing stories, as well as celebrating many more on our website over the next few months.
Wouldn't it be great if at least one of those stories was from a group in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire? Take 10 minutes to tell them your story by 21st June and it might be!
Your story could be large or small. It could be a project or a process, a partnership that really worked, or a group that really made things happen. It could be of new community gardens created, events that had impact, imaginative ways of saving energy, of people connecting, learning and having fun together. It could be about stuff that was built, or relationships strengthened, things that increased the sense of resilience and wellbeing in your area. What would you like representatives at COP21 to hear? Stories that show that a positive way of living with less is already happening? With your help the Transiton Network can infuse COP21 with a sense of what's possible.
Take a few minutes to fill in the simple form online and your story might be chosen.
A Climate Change Poem a Day
Tue, 16 June 2015Carol-Ann Duffy, the UK’s Poet Laureate, has curated a collection of 20 poems about climate change: www.theguardian.com/environment/series/keep-it-in-the-ground-a-poem-a-day
Community Energy Group Survey
Tue, 16 June 2015Carbon Co-op have launched a survey to find out more about the activities of community energy groups across the UK in delivering energy efficiency and retrofit projects. Carbon Co-op are one of the leading organisations offering whole house retrofits and energy efficiency improvements in their area and they’d like to help other groups to do similar things by developing a set of online tools. The survey is designed to understand the state of the sector, the relative interest in carrying out energy efficient retrofit and to understand some of the barriers to this.
Funding for Urban Community Energy Projects.
Tue, 16 June 2015The Urban Community Energy Fund (UCEF) funds community energy projects through their development phase, to determine viability, and get them ‘investment ready’ – i.e. a sound proposition for bank or other financer to take the project through the construction phase. A grant of up to £20K and a loan of up to £130K are available. The loans are ‘contingent loans’ meaning they won’t have to be paid back if a project can’t proceed to construction phase. There are deadlines to apply for funding every other month. The next is Friday 31st July.
www.gov.uk/urban-community-energy-fund
UCEF compliments the Rurual Community Energy Fund, which provides a similar service for projects in rural areas: www.wrap.org.uk/content/rural-community-energy-fund
One More Eco Building Left to Visit
Thu, 28 May 2015The Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Eco Open Homes event isn't over... yet!
Every day until Sunday, 10am-4pm, the Derbyshire Eco Centre will be opening it's doors to the public. The Centre has been constructed using sustainable methods, materials and technologies including local stone, a living green roof, rainwater harvesting, air source heat pump and solar panels.
The centre and the surrounding landscape were built to gain an 'excellent' standard from the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Measure. A second phase is planned to provide further sustainable technologies with the aim of making the site self sufficient in energy.
The building is the county hub for courses and activities focusing on education for sustainable development. It supports Derbyshire County Council’s work to address climate change issues, promotes creativity through the arts, and teaches skills to help conserve the natural world and to live healthy lifestyles. The centre is an all–weather facility to deliver heritage building skills, sustainable technologies, rural crafts, arts, environment and energy saving courses.
Depending on staff availability someone will often be able to show you around for 15-20 minutes. There are also laminated sheets for each part of the building to allow people to do self-guided tours, and you can view climate change display boards installed in December 2014.
If you would like a more in-depth group tour and talk lasting 90 minutes please contact the centre to discuss your needs. There will a charge for in-depth group tours.
www.everybodys-talking.org/ecohomes/events/derbyshire-eco-centre-nr-wirksworth