– Below you can read an excerpt from the Transition Chepstow July 2016 Newsletter –
The Chepstow Show
Saturday, 13th August 2016
Gwent Energy CIC are again kindly sponsoring a marquee for a number of local environmental groups for the Chepstow Show. Transition Chepstow will be there, along with Bee Friendly Monmouthshire, Monmouthshire Meadows, Chepstow Walkers are Welcome and of course, Gwent Energy. Come and see us all!
This year, for the first time, Transition Chepstow are sponsoring one of the horticultural competitions at the show! We’re encouraging as many people as possible to enter, so here are the details if you’d like to have a go:
Planted Patio Pot with any Pollinator-friendly Flowers, Pot not to exceed 18ins
1st: £4 2nd: £2 3rd: £1
Pollinator-friendly plants are those which are rich in nectar and pollen and usually bare open flowers providing pollinators easy access to the pollen-bearing stamens. Note that so-called ‘double flowers’ should always be avoided (except Zinnias).
A list of suggested flowers put together by Transition Chepstow member Marc Carlton can be found on the Show’s website along with this year’s Schedule.
http://www.chepstowshow.co.uk/competitors/horticulture/
Acting today for tomorrow
Monday, 19th September 2016, 7pm
We are organising a Members Meeting to enable members to interact and share questions and feedback. Participants will be able to bring forward the issues they believe Chepstow needs to act on to prepare for a future different from today, as well as find out about existing projects and think up new ones.
You are all warmly welcome!
Battery storage for solar power
Our project for storing surplus electricity from solar panels in batteries is going well with 11 installations complete, including one in Chepstow. These batteries allow considerable savings on the electricity bill, with one household now only buying in 2% of the electricity they need, instead of 40% without storing their generated electricity.
Join us at an Energy Group meeting on the first Wednesday of every month at 7.30 pm at The Beaufort Hotel, Chepstow. Contact:
energy@transitionchepstow.org.uk.
Reporting a World in Crisis: On the problems and Possibilities of Today’s Journalism
The 4th biennial talk and forum organised on 5th July by the Transition Chepstow Health & Consciousness Group as part of the Chepstow Arts & Community Festival presented a wide ranging review of the various broadcast, print and digital media coverage of national issues and global crises, namely climate change, migration, terrorism, humanitarian disasters and political conflicts. Guest speaker Prof. Simon Cottle (Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies) explained how the perceptions of the public may be influenced by the media’s overt and covert interests. He also drew attention to the real risks of personal intimidation, injury, and even death, which investigative journalists frequently encounter in their professional duties. The well attended meeting provided a special and timely opportunity to properly address such important issues and to stimulate direct inter-personal discussion.
Dr. Peter Evans
Health & Consciousness Group Coordinator
Give it Away, Take it Away
There were plenty of interesting things to browse at our last Give it Away, Take it Away event in June at Chepstow Rugby Club, such as toys, bikes, various household items and even a rocking chair! Thanks to everyone who made the day a success and everyone is welcome to the next planned event in September!
Books donated to Chepstow Library
We launched a new collection of books at Chepstow Library with a display about Transition Chepstow. We had the opportunity to donate 14 books on sustainability, climate change and the environment with the support of Chepstow Town Council. You can find a bibliography including these books on our website and you can borrow them from the library. If a book is already out on loan, you can reserve it and you will be notified when it becomes available. You can speak to a member of staff or use the computers or the library’s website to make a reservation.
http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/libraries/
A climate change companion
The new book on climate change for the general reader by David Hicks, a member of Transition Chepstow, is now available at iBooks and Amazon Kindle, as well as a free download on his website, Teaching for a Better World.
See Upcoming Events
If you would like to find out more about our projects or events, or to get involved, please get in touch!