Sustaining Dunbar meeting this Wednesday August 11, 2008
Posted by Morag Haddow in : Co-ordination Group News , 1 comment so farNext Co-ordination Group meeting this Wednesday, 13th August, 8pm at Halhill Healthy Living Centre. All welcome.
Agenda to include: minutes and matters arising, updates and information sharing from sub-groups (food, energy, transport, enterprise), Climate Challenge Fund funding proposal, planning our autumn food/apple event/ceilidh etc.
Please do come along and get involved.
Co-ordination Group Meeting July 8, 2008
Posted by Philip in : Co-ordination Group News , add a commentCo-ordination group meetings are now held on the second Wednesday of the month at 8pm at Hallhill Healthy Living Centre. Next meetings are therefore on 9th July and 13th August.
The main purpose of these meetings is to share information and ideas about the various activities of the various sub-groups. All welcome.
Co-ordination Group Meeting June 5, 2008
Posted by Philip in : Co-ordination Group News , 1 comment so farThe first meeting of our new ‘Co-ordination Group’ is on Wednesday 11th June at 8pm at Hallhill Healthy Living Centre, all welcome.
AGM on Wed 30 April at 7.30pm April 3, 2008
Posted by Morag Haddow in : Co-ordination Group News , 1 comment so farSustaining Dunbar’s first AGM is set for Wednesday 30th April 7.30pm in Our Lady of the Waves Church Hall
This will be introduced by an inspirational film, followed by an introduction to Sustaining Dunbar - why it was set it up, how it works and how people can get involved - before moving on to business such as the elections of Convenor, Secretary and Treasurer.
Next Meeting on 19th March March 5, 2008
Posted by Morag Haddow in : Co-ordination Group News , add a commentThe next meeting of Sustaining Dunbar will be on Wednesday 19th March, 7.30pm at John Muir’s Birthplace.
Meeting Notes 13 Feb 2008 March 3, 2008
Posted by Philip in : Co-ordination Group News , add a commentNotes of Sustaining Dunbar Meeting Notes of Sustaining Dunbar Meeting
13th February 2008
Events and Reports
-The second Transition Network Conference is being held at Cirencester Agricultural College over the weekend of 11/13th April. Details and bookings at http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNet…
Chris and Sarah expressed some interest in attending, work commitments permitting. It would be really good to have some representation at this event but we need to think how we could fund this (cost is £90 plus accomodation plus travel) as we don’t yet have funds of our own.
-Introduction to Permaculture weekend in Portobello is being organised for 12/13th April. This will cost about £40 per person. Contact: evaschonveld at yahoo.co.uk to reserve a place.
-Philip will invite Eva Schonveld to a future meeting to fill us in on Portobello’s transition initiative. See : http://transitiontowns.org/Portobello/Po… PR
-Big Tent Gathering, Falkland, 26/27th July http://www.bigtentfestival.co.uk/) will include a Transition Scotland gathering.
-Food Group
Crunchy Carrot is providing the possiblity for people with gardens which they can’t manage to link with people who would like to grow veg.
Contact with Stewart Pryde from ELC who is keen to assist with allotment provision but is short of resources. Need to identify potential sites. Paul McLennan to contact Ken Ross re. land to south of Hallhill Steading. PM
Discussion about potential for community allotment to link in with ‘enhanced curriculum’ at Grammar School and ‘eco-school’ activities etc.
Plan to arrange screening of ‘The Power of Community’ during Civic Week.
Visit to Phantassie Organics to be arranged. SW
‘Allotments in Scotland, Guidance notes for Scottish Councils’ are now available at : http://www.sags.org.uk/ This features the new Bridgend allotment site at Cragimillar Park in Edinburgh which could be worth arranging to visit.
-Energy Group
Has yet to meet formally as have been awaiting a meeting with Community Windpower.
Carbon Gym, carbon footprint calculator, has been circulated and could form part of the Civic Week exhibition.
Philip and Liz visited mid-Wales and met up with people from the Centre for Alternative Technology involved with their Zero Carbon Britain initiative http://www.zerocarbonbritain.org/) and also Ecodyfi( local regeneration organisation) see: http://www.ecodyfi.org.uk/
Suggestion of pilot project with, say, 10 households volunteering to monitor their carbon footprint in detail and to reduce this in line with Zero Carbon Britain targets.
The PowerPod will be in Dunbar on Thursday/Friday 6/7th March. On Friday 7th it will be outside the John Muir Birthplace all day and open to the public. Please come along! Isobel to do some posters. IK
-Waste and Resources
Viridor incinerator application now registered with planners and they have applied to SEPA for a PPC operating permit. IRATE group are taking lead in campaigning against this, see http://www.keepdunnysunny.com/ for more information. Please wrtie to planners, SEPA and also lobby Dunbar Community Council. ALL
In light of Ministerial statement on waste strategy of 24th Jan. East Lothian Council is now preparing an options paper for dealing with local waste. This will be put out for consultation shortly.
Mark James has been in touch with the primary and secondary schools re. recycling of cardboard and ELC re. composting. Potential future community composting enterprise?
‘Message in the Waves’ -film used to launch plastic bag free North Berwick could be shown.
-Transport
Mark is organising Civic Week Bikefest.
ELC about to appoint a Cycling Officer.
Contact made witih Keith Stark who runs Edinburgh City Car Club, and lives in West Barns.
-Enterprise
Looking at ways of encouraging people to use local shops and encouraging local businesses to adopt sustainable practices.
Potential for themed shop window displays.
Need to involve Dunbar Trades Association.
Jo Mc. involved with organising the Dunbar end of the Three Harbours festival, 31st May-8th June.
-Civic Week
14th –22nd June. Want to use this week to raise awareness and really launch Sustaining Dunbar to wider community. Jo McNamara and Ute Penny to collate ideas and co-ordinate sub-group activities/events including publicity. These currently include: exhibition at Library, Bikefest, various films –see above-, possiblity of using parade and having a stall on 14th June. Have circulated questionnaire to all sub-groups –please respond! PR, SW,MH, MJ
Constitution
A draft constitution for Sustaining Dunbar as an ‘Unincorporated Association’ was circulated and explained. It seeks to make our organisition as open, transparent and inclusive as possible. It was questioned whether affiliation to Dunbar Community Development Company should be written into this. Comments sought from all. ALL
Plan to agree final version at next meeting with a view to holding an AGM to launch ourselves formally in April.
Next Meeting: Wednesday 19th March, 7.30pm at John Muir’s Birthplace.
Meeting Notes January 14, 2008
Posted by Philip in : Co-ordination Group News , add a commentIt was agreed should use the evening to
1. remind ourselves of what we are trying to achieve
2. review the past six months, including report backs on the various talks / events and sub- group activities to date.
3. plan our next steps - this should include boring things like the role of a steering group, formalising Sustaining Dunbar’s structure / constitution, as well as awareness raising, training, etc.
Main points
1. We originally set out to
spread understanding of the challenges facing us in the future
arrive at a collective vision of what a zero carbon, zero waste Dunbar area would look like in 10 – 15 years time
think through the implications for us in Dunbar for…food, energy, housing, employment, youth, health, education etc.
We need to
figure out what we need to do now, next year and the year after to make this vision a reality and record this in an ‘Energy Descent’ or Community Plan.
focus on opportunities, solutions and develop a sense of collective purpose and action.
2. Since inception, we’ve had
an envisaging session facilitated by Sue Guy and Sarah …., out of which came the main themes – energy, food, resource use, transport and enterprise and sub-groups have been set up to take these areas forward.
a website and Yahoo group has been set up; the website already has lots of interesting information and links to similar groups in the UK and Ireland. Morag will set up and train somebody from each of the sub-groups so that each group can add information and manage their ‘page’ independent of Morag.
A talk by Ben Brangwyn, co-founder of the Transition Towns Network
An informal discussion with Morris Bradley which looked at the psychology of tackling climate chamge
3 meetings of the Food Group where one of the main activities is to try to set up a community allotment. Sarah has made contact with Stuart Pryde at ELC, who has recently written a new policy on allotments for the Council and is very keen to be involved with this venture. Other areas of discussion included how to involve the schools, seed-sharing, skills-sharing, making a calendar of seasonal veg (reference the Fife diet)..
no formal meeting yet of the Energy Group although Philip and Liz attended the Community Action for Energy conference in Newcastle which provided lots of ideas for how to go about auditing individual and community carbon footprints as a prelude to reducing them!
No formal meetings yet of the other sub-groups
3. Our next steps
Food group - convened by Sarah; continue work on allotments, identifying and acquiring land; arranging visits to other allotments (Bridgend in Edinburgh; ….other?) Contacting Graham Bell and arranging visit to Permaculture Centre in Borders or workshop with GB; event to show the Cuban DVD ‘ The Power of Community’ and general awareness raising of food issues.
Energy group – convened by Philip; A meeting to be arranged as soon as possible with Community Windpower to discuss how proposals for auditing energy use in the town could be taken forward; Philip and Liz will report back following their visit to the Centre for Alternative Technology (authors of Zero-Carbon Britain) at the end of January and Liz will give a talk at JM Birthplace on 21 February at 7.30pm. The group was also contributing to the case against the Energy from Waste Incinerator being developed by IRATE in Innerwick.
Transport group – convened by Morag; yet to meet. Paul noted that ELC is looking at traffic patterns in East Lothian and would be drawing up a Green Travel Plan to reduce impact from future demand. Discussions about integrated transport, car pooling, local buses etc to be carried forward.
Enterprise group – convened by Jo Mac; - yet to meet. Jo noted that the Council is looking at surveying the impact of Asda on town trade….Dunbar was invited to participate in the forthcoming 3 harbours festival aiming to keep interest in the High Street. Jo M noted that Visit Scotland had a remit to encourage local organisations to work towards developing green businesses. Morag suggested that more could be made of the Christmas Lights switch-on event with shops encouraged to stay open, street entertainment etc.
Civic Week; it was decided to arrange a series of awareness raising events and activities during Civic Week. Ideas for ..displays about Sustaining Dunbar; films; bike workshop; school eco-group activity. Publicity and active involvement needed to make this a success. A planning group was set up – convened by… ?
formalising Sustaining Dunbar’s structure / constitution: it was agreed that Sustaining Dunbar would officially join the growing Transition Towns network.
Sustainable Travel Town Pilot Meeting November 30, 2007
Posted by Morag Haddow in : Co-ordination Group News , add a commentEast Lothian Council have had an approach from JMP Consulting to offer their help in preparing a bid for funding for Dunbar to be a pilot sustainable travel town. This project would be along the lines of Local Motion in Darlington. The project involves encouraging as many people as possible to become creative with their travel choices.
A representative from JMP who was involved with the Darlington project will meeting up with ELC on Wednesday 16 January at 2pm in Haddington. If anyone else would like be involved, please get in touch with Jean Squires, Planner, Policy and Projects, John Muir House, Tel: 01620 823966
