A broad range of homes will be showcased in over a dozen neighbourhoods such as Montpelier, Easton, Redland and Fishponds where visitors will be able to see and discuss the changes, refurbishments and renewable installations with the householders and learn from their experiences. These homes will be clustered around hubs such community centres or libraries with publicity, displays, energy advice and workshops.

Homes to be featured include some of the homes on the Refit West scheme, super green refurbished student accomodation, a Montpelier house with hemp and lime walls, housing association flats in Redland and state of the art new builds. There will be something for everyone.

Huge support is gathering for the event which came about partly due to a meeting set up by Transition Montpelier at the Fairfield Resource Centre in February. A significant collection of partners have now come together to make the event happening including the City Council, the EnergySaving Trust and Transition Bristol.

Bristol Green Doors is set to become a major feature of the city’s calendar. There is a website www.bristolgreendoors.org which has lots of information including a page for householders who may be interested in taking part. COULD THIS BE YOU AND YOUR HOME? Please take a look and pass the information on to anyone who you think may be interested.

For more on Transtion Montpelier Energy Group click here

27% of the UK’s CO2 emissions are from our homes. This needs to be reduced significantly.

We had an excellent day and our enthusiasm and passion was commented on by our trainer Bev. Comments from some of the delegates include: “Thanks for the great event on monday”, ” I really enjoyed the part of the course I attended on Monday-thanks for organising it”, Monday was an excellent day, Thank you”.

The training course content was put together by people from Transition Montpelier’s energy group (TMEG) and the Easton Energy Group and is strongly informed by the success of the Household Energy Service in Shropshire who have just been awarded a significant grant to furthur the excellent work they are doing with communities in their county. We are hopeful that this training, combined with some significant other work going on in Bristol, can hasten the way forward to our city becoming more energy efficient, secure and sustainable.

Futher information:

Cavity Walls

Programming Central Heating

The follow up document from the training here features links to many other useful sites.

Miguel’s talk kicked off a lot of excellent thinking and discussion about energy within a group of about 35 people which included locals wanting to start an energy group for Montpelier, representatives from a range of Transition initiatives from around Bristol, and people wanting to improve their homes and / or learn about the feed in tariffs and solar PV. Following introductions, 35 people split into four groups and discussed

• Home Energy Efficiency
• Solar PV and the feed-in tariff
• How communities can work on energy
• If we wanted a wind turbine for “our” community, what would we do?

Click on here for a combined report with actions in PDF form for all these groups .

There was an excellent atmosphere for which we have received some really positive feedback. Resulting from the meeting, we now have at least 12 people wanting to be part of the Transition Montpelier Energy group, five of whom are training to be home energy auditors in March. This is an excellent start. We will be meeting soon and looking at the action points suggested and making plans together for how we bring this forward in our neighbourhood. Click here if you want to contact this group directly.

The meeting opened with Miguel Mendonca’s talk following intros and welcomes from two Dans. Miguel presented some key points from his work which has contributed to the incoming feed-in tariffs. Miguel has worked for many years on ways of developing the green economy and has presented his findings to many places around the world and can now add Montpelier to the list that includes Brussels and Capitol Hill in Washington DC!

Basically the feed in tariff will encourage the take up of Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels which produce electricity that when not used in the home, feeds into the national grid for which the owner will be paid a premium rate. As such, with a healthy take up it provides an excellent way for individuals and community groups to influence government economic policy to be more sustainably oriented. A feed-in tariff for solar thermal (hot water) will come in next year.

Click here for a link to a spreadsheet provided by Montpelier’s solar company, 1World Solar run by Jon Walker which calculates the return you can make on solar PV. (If you can book up a system before April you are possibly still eligible to a £2000+ grant.)

Project group sand notices were next and following a short summary of Monday’s Tescos meeting, brief presentations were then made by individuals keen to get projects going on Food (Sally), Open Spaces (Shiona) and Energy (Dan). The meeting then broke up into smaller groups to start work on the projects.

Details of all these can be seen if you scroll down or click on each group below for a direct link.

Energy

Food

Open Spaces

The March 6^th painting of the Resource Centre room has been postponed. Thanks to all who have said they would help do this. We will keep you informed.

The speaker Miguel Mendonca at our meeting next Wednesday has played an significant role in a new government scheme that cash rewards will be available for small scale low carbon electricity production via a feed-in tariff to be introduced on April 1st. This means if you installed a solar photo-voltaic system you can use the elctricity as it is produced and get paid for what is excess.

The meeting is consequently evolving into an exciting event as we anticipate a variety of local residents, businesses, faith and community buildings accross the neighbourhood attending and considering become part of this exciting development and taking up the grant offers currently available for installation or considering how we as a community can benefit.

The agenda and format for the open meeting is as follows:

• 7.30 Welcome chat / Park Group AGM in other room
• 7.45 Introduction to the evening
• 7.55 Miguel Mendonca
• 8.15 Project introductory pitches (energy, food, open spaces, steets) plus 1 minute notices on other matters
• 8.40 Tescos update
• 8.45 Project discussions work
• 9.45 Feedback end

It would be great if people could bring a cake or food to share and their own mug. We will be setting up from 5.00 and help arranging seating etc will be most appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you.

ENTRANCE IS OPPOSITE 26 FAIRFIELD ROAD

Welcome to 2010.  Over the past few weeks with the disappointment of Copenhagen (grrr), the importance of a grass roots response to climate change and peak oil is even clearer. If you couple the very cold winter (brrr), which highlighted both vulnerabilities in national food supply as well as uninsulated lofts on our streets (faster melting snow on the roofs is the clue), you can see why we feel so strongly about what we are doing.

This newsletter has a highlights of 2009; you can download the whole thing here.

It includes details of our next meeting, some thoughtful stuff and requests for specific help that is needed. Here’s poster for our next meeting on Wednesday February 10th – click on it to download it and stick in your window:

Click on image to download poster

So what now?

First a brief reflection as 2009 was our birthing year and what a year it was!

Organising the Montpelier Spring Clean; our room and exhibition at the Montpelier Art Trail; the website; two very well attended open meetings; the Bean Feast; a sold out showing of The Age of Stupid; supporting the 20mph successful speed limit campaign; supporting home improvement workshops; the Good Energy link up; the Winter Fair. Yippee!

What will 2010 be like for Transition Montpelier?

We have had one core group meeting already (see the website for minutes) and we are very keen to translate the momentum we have built through the one-off events last year into themed projects this year relating to Energy, Food, Green spaces and Streets. All of these are summarised very briefly below or (if appropriate) give them a click for further detail. And remember if there is an idea that you have, let us know and come and present it.

Next meeting:

Feb 10th – 7.30 Fairfield Resource Centre opp’ 26 Fairfield Rd

The aim of our next open meeting is to share and develop workable ideas around the themes and create groups who will be able to carry out some responses. Some ideas are already being progressed others are in their infancy. We will use the space available to enable project groups to develop ideas.

Energy – Lower our homes emissions and start working towards a community renewable energy project

Green Spaces – Improve the parks, abandoned land and verges, planting fruit orchard in containers etc

Food – Sharing suggestions for sourcing our food more sustainably, including the presentation of an innovative ‘growing streets’ idea.

Streets – Building on from Thali cafe bike stands and Picton Square feedback

Guest Speaker – We are thrilled that the meeting will open with a talk by Miguel Mendonca who is a Research Manager for the World Future Council. His background is in horticulture, geography, history, journalism, social science and environmental ethics and has recently published a book on renewable energy policy entitled “Powering the Green Economy: The Feed-in Tariff Handbook”. For more info on Miguel and WFC see here.

It should be another stimulating night. We will be putting posters up, can you put one in your window? It really helps. (download poster here)

Success

Getting these projects moving throughout the neighbourhood is reliant on people coming forward and contributing in the same brilliant way they did for the Bean Feast and Winter Fayre. Just over a longer period of time! We hope that in highlighting these projects now, you work out how you can play your part over the next year or so. One of the great things about Transition is working with others who share the same concerns as you. We know there will be time constraints but we assume you are interested in what Transition Montpelier is doing because you believe that it can make a difference here, as it is over hundreds of other areas around Britain and increasingly the world! So if there’s a theme that interests you there are bound to be a variety of ways in which you could undertake to contribute to its progress. Please come along and find out. Just a few hours of your time could make a big difference.

Cake

As ever refreshments will be provided but if you are coming could you bring something to share too? Bake a cake, bring some fruit whatever. We all like a bit of fuel to keep us going.

Constitution and Situations Vacant

Following the two major public events and the expanding influence of the council’s Neighbourhood Partnership scheme, we are extremely aware of the importance of formalising our existence as a group. Thanks to Bronwen we have a constitution underway, and to realise our aims of keeping everyone aware of our financial situation we will need a now treasurer as well as bookkeepers for the big events. Could you do this for us? If it interests you get in touch.

Painters. We get to use the Resource Centre for nothing. It is fantastic and they are very supportive. They have asked us to paint one room which is currently black and though great for films, not the best colour for a pupil referral unit! We have agreed to do it over 4 sessions on the weekend March 6th with Sat a.m as a prepping session with three coats of paint to get rid of the black. With music, tea and biscuits, it will be fun and straight forward. Who would be up for this? The FNCG will also help.

The Winter Fayre

The Fayre was great. Held on Saturday 19th December it ran throughout the day and early evening. We hoped it would bring many, many Montpelier people out and appreciate the strengths of our neighbourhood. The feedback has suggested that it did. For pics and a write up click here

Montpelier Park Group

Will be holding a very brief AGM in the Resource Centre before our meeting on Feb 10^th at 7.30pm sharp!

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting or receiving your comments via the website.

Bronwen, Ciaran, Dan, Ed, Jane, Jess, Ralph, Richard, Sally, Shiona, Simon, Steve, Tim – The Transition Montpelier core team

Responding to global warming as well as developing energy security is why more and more communities are setting up their own renewable energy generating projects. We need to think about this, together.Peak Oil, resource depletion and resource management (think of Russia shutting off the gas supply to East Europe and the Tories’ supply scare last month) make this attractive. In response to climate change, reducing our carbon emissions by switching to a supply of locally, renewably produced electricity and hot water obviously makes sense too. (See below)

These issues are fairly obvious and not very political. This is why Ed Milliband, David Cameron, the BNP, UKIP and Transition groups are all talking about them! How and how quickly we are able to respond is where it starts to get complicated.

Many individuals are taking real action increasingly doing the necessary in house, turning down thermostats etc and installing solar thermal or photovoltaic (electricity producing) panels is becoming more common. This is all great, cutting down emissions and supporting a green economy.

We are more powerful together though and the degree of change required to meet the reduction targets identified, means that close-knit communities can play a significant role (acknowledged by both national and local governments) in stimulating change. Groups such as Transition Montpelier can build awareness and mobilise the necessary efforts to work towards projects to achieve this. (See home energy auditing below).

Community involvement schemes such as part or full ownership of a turbine can both reward and strengthen the community by providing a steady stream of income and also allow people to be members of a co-operative committed to maximising social, economic and environmental benefits.

Groups in West Oxford, Swindon and Market Harborough have shown this is possible and have schemes currently underway. The Energy4all website gives a lot of idea of what is possible also. Amongst Montpelier residents there are more than enough people with the skills and experience through their own work to enable us to do this too!

Let’s tackle the extraordinary energy challenges together. I believe we can be successful, be inspiring and even leave a legacy. I therefore ask you to join me and others in taking this on, now. Take part in the Energy Group at the meeting 10th February, Fairfield Resource Centre.

In the meantime…
Click here to Switch to a renewable electricity supplier AND get £25 for Transition Montpelier
Click here to Learn how YOU can help others and be a home energy auditor for Montpelier

•    www.lowcarbonwestoxford.org.uk/index.php
•    http://www.westmill.coop/westmill_home.asp
•    http://www.energy4all.co.uk/energy_home.asp

To download this click here

26% of CO2 emmissions come from domestic buildings with half of this simply leaking out through lofts and walls. It would be great to build a team of people who can support others to make their homes less wasteful. Take a look at the Community Energy Efficiency Programme post for more information.