About 150 people came to Berkhamsted's Big Eco Event. There was jazz; refreshments; stalls to browse; speaker Sophy Banks - a founder member of the Transition Town movement - who talked about worldwide Transition Towns and the challenges to internal and external change.

The main outcome of the day was the forming of 7 action groups: Waste; Food; Energy; Transport; Education; Community+Business+Art; Transition Centre.
Here is a bit from each group:

We feel that our work falls into the following areas:
Campaigning - for increased access to land at LA level; with local businesses for provision of meeting areas, publicity, support etc
Sharing - skills (growing, cooking and using seasonal produce; practical (equipment); output - selling the glut of produce to the community)
Landshare - working alongside the landshare movement, to support people with land being matched with people who want to grow on it.
Local food directory - where to buy
Communications strategy - within groups, between groups/main steering groups, external groups and key messages
Vision, mission and values - because if it doesn't fit in with them then we shouldn't be doing it and also great marketing tool and forms part of key messages

Our next steps will be:
Review of resources what is out there already
Who can we work in partnership with
Skills audit
Impact assessment - what is the impact of this on local producers?

Date of first meeting for the food group will be 1st December 7pm in the Swan Youth Centre

The energy group will focus on providing information to local residents regarding the development of renewable power and on developing local renewable energy initiatives in and around Berkhamsted.

Our first steps will be to review all the ideas put forward at the event and to start putting together an overall brochure about Transition Town Berkhamsted.

Will first get the group organisation working, then will start by picking one idea from the ideas put forward at the event - probably a simple one to start with - and putting it into action.

Will be discussing the best steps forward at their first meeting. Ideas put forward were:
eco schools. What best practice we can input or enhance in schools and make it integral to the schools ethos.
meeting with school staff to facilitate sharing of ideas etc. (Victoria School was mentioned especially)
organising visits to organic farms. Develop projects with Ashlyns/Collegiate.
Harness local groups BBOWT, Spring Meadow Farm, National Trust(Ashridge).
Consider the spiritual foundation of the work.
Herts grid. sustainability week.
Connection with Ashridge Management College
Developing links with members of the wider community. Sharing stories.
Wild space for children to explore: hedgerows; and their possible re-introduction.

The group proposed a series of visible quick wins to get momentum and drive. The event generated lots of ideas for making transport more sustainable.

We discussed the possibility of opening up a centre for all sorts of Transition Town activites. These would include:
Sale of local food and produce to encourage local growers and producers
Supply of information on local suppliers, transport, renewables, grants for energy saving etc etc
A cafe and place for sharing ideas
An administrative centre for the TTB group
An educational centre for workshops on all aspects of local sustainability, energy saving, climate change, peak oil etc
The first step is to find and finance a place!

The jazz band - Second Time Round    email: smoothtrio@jazzman.org    tel: 01442 872550

Stalls
Chelsfield Solar    email: hello@ChelsfieldSolar.co.uk    tel: 01442 275822
Country Markets    email: bvanp@care4free.net    tel: 01494 758750
Dacorum Energy Savers
Eco-Logic Books    email: info@eco-logicbooks.com    tel: 01225 484472
Groundworks
Mashpac Vegetable Box Scheme    email: james@mashpac.co.uk    tel: 01923 269 181
Olivers Garden
Real Nappies
Renewable Energy Systems
Small Solar    email: info@smallsolar.co.uk    tel: 01727 838128
Sunnyside Allotments
Sunnyside Church renewable energy project    email: office@sunnysidechurch.org.uk    tel: 01442875025 /01494783442
Tring and Berkhamsted Cycle Group

Contributors
Cooks Delight organic food shop
The Creche Company
Berkhamsted Rotary
Berkhamsted Town Council

Danny and Zoe with the excellent jazz trio Second Time Around at the start of the event.

Second Time Around setting the atmosphere.

Mick and Lesley Crewes manning the Eco-Logic Book stall.

Produce and other goodies from Oliver's Garden.

Country Market, home made, home grown, hand crafted

Chelsfield Solar and the new renewable energy project at Sunnyside Church

Delicious refreshments from the Ritchie family, and biscuits from Cooks Delight

Grow your own at Sunnyside Allotments

Information on real nappies

Danny starts the main event with Sophy waiting to speak



Sophy Banks, with Totnes Pound, talking about the need for transition...

... and the importance of oil

Now we each have to think of an idea for a more sustainable Berkhamsted and write it on a card.

So each card on the boards has someones idea ...

... and they are grouped together under subject headings

Tessa gives instructions on the Open Space session

and we form into action groups to decide on the next steps to take. This is the food group.

And the Transport Group

The convenor from each group gives us a quick summary



Transition Town Berkhamsted is launched with the cutting of the Great Unleashing cake!

... it was a long but exciting day...