George McNamara is the Chair of Mole Valley LETS and is also active in starting a Transition group in Epsom.  The group has organised two meetings so far on 9 and 25 June.  George has provided the following information.

Transition Epsom is just starting with a small group of 4 people. If you would like to get involved, please let me know on 01372 749803 or george@whatever-will.be
We are having Epsom Transition Drinks on Tuesday 9th June at the Symonds Well pub, South Street, from 9pm to 10.30 (we will have more in future, but no dates fixed yet)
We are having a meeting at the Epsom Common Club on Thursday 25th June - 7.30pm for 8, please. At the end of this, we hope to have established a strong "initiating group" of people who will move us through the first stages of the Transition blueprint.
We have a social network site at http://transitionepsom.ning.com/ and a tiny website at http://www. transitionepsom.org.uk
(Transition Ewell may split off from this at some future date, but for the time being it is all one)

Transition Ashtead is now getting into its stride.  We've had two meetings and have decided that between us we've got enough people and commitment to have a real go at making Ashtead a Transition Initiative.  Our group has therefore applied to formally become the Transition Ashtead Initiating Group and we have appointed a Chair (Barry Smale), Secretary (Derek Smith) and Treasurer (Tony Cooper).  We have agreed a set of aims and principles, and should soon have a constitution, bank account and logo sorted out.  Once these boring but important tasks have been done, we will set about the real job of spreading awareness and organising events in Ashtead.  If you are interested in learning more, please ring me on 01372-378914 or email us using the 'Contact' button on the Green Mole Forum home page.

Derek Smith

This article describes my immediate family’s experience of using three different food waste disposal products.

Green Cone

Starting with me, I’m just into my third year with a green cone.  I bought this cheaply when MVDC was subsidising them.  It is a quite large inverted plastic cone which you part bury in the garden.  The buried part has holes in the sides to allow worms to enter from the surrounding soil. The supplier says it deals with all food waste, cooked and uncooked, even bones.  I’ve never put bones in, but it certainly deals with all our other food waste (two adults).  In the right conditions it should work all the year round and only need emptying every few years.  Mine seems to stop in the winter and I have emptied it each spring, putting the contents in the bottom of my compost heap when it must provide several hundred additional worms to the heap.  In summer it gets fruit flies but they are easily killed.

More information is at http://www.greencone.com/

Worm Works Wormery

My daughter bought a Worm Works Wormery last autumn.  She kept in her garage for the winter but it was slow getting going.  However in the past month it has really got going and she reckons the number of worms has tripled since she has had it.  It takes fruit, veg, cooked and uncooked, shredded paper but not meat and dairy products.  It is made from compartments which stack together.  Her daughter loves it as you can easily take it apart and see how the worms are doing in each layer.  Excess liquid drains and is collected at the bottom.  It is clean and she is really pleased with it.

More information is at http://www.bucketofworms.co.uk/wormery.html

Wigglywigglers

Wigglywigglers make a range of wormeries.  My younger son has a basic one which has just one compartment with a tap at the bottom to drain off liquid.  He keeps it outside and the worms survived the cold winter just gone.  He has had it for 15 months and it has taken most of his food waste (two adults) but it will need emptying soon.  He has yet to discover what the product is like, but it ought to be high quality compost.  Emptying will be rather messy, but it has done its job and I imagine was quite cheap.

More information is at http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/

Derek Smith

If anyone is thinking of going to the Hay Festival this year, the following events look really good for anyone interested in the future of the planet.  You can book tickets via this web page:
http://www.hayfestival.com/wales/booking-info.aspx?skinid=2&currencysetting=GBP&localesetting=en-GB&resetfilters=true

I have copied the following information from the current nef newsletter.

The Hay Festival in Wales has always been more than just another literature festival. It has provided a space for re-imagining our world, renewing our sense of wonder and reminding us that, if we choose to, we really can change our lives for the better. In 2009, when hope seems in short supply, nef (the new economics foundation) will be hosting a series of events at the Festival: Surviving the Crash, supported by the Ecology Building Society. We'll be exploring how, if we play it right, the opportunities created by financial and environmental crisis might just help us win back our lives and our planet.

Transition Now - 26 May, 1pm - The Sony Screen - £5
Frontline news from the UK's fastest growing social experiment - the Transition Town Movement.  With movement founder Rob Hopkins and broadcaster and chair of London Food Rosie Boycott. Chaired by Andrew Simms.

City of Darkness - 27 May, 6.45pm - The Dream Stage - £5
Do a handful of financial institutions control the fate of our planet's climate?  With economist John Kay, HSBC climate advisor Nick Robins and art activist James Marriott. Chaired by Andrew Simms.

The Cuban Surprise - 28 May, 5.30pm - The Guardian Stage - £5.  How lessons from a small isolated island could save the lives of millions in a warming world.
With author Dr Julia Wright and Cuban Economic Counsellor, Carlos Alfaro. Chaired by Andrew Simms.

A Green New Deal - 30 May, 4pm - The Dream Stage - £5
Can the environment save the economy?  With Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP, Welsh Environment Minister Jane Davidson and Spanish MEP Joan Herrera. Chaired by Andrew Simms.

An Environmental War Economy - 30 May, 11.30am - The Lorax - £5
What can Britain's experience of World War II teach us about conservation and thriving during times of adversity?  With garden guru Monty Don, author Andrew Simms, documentary maker Revel Guest and broadcaster Jenny Murray. Chaired by Stewart Wallis.

Today’s papers contain three articles that summarise in very clear terms the dire state we’re in with climate change.  There have been very brief mentions on the Radio 4 News as well, but as usual they were dropped pretty quickly and so easily missed.  None of this is really news – it’s just bringing together what has been clear for a long time – but I know from the talks I have done that most people are completely unaware of this sort of message.
Take your pick from:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5895518.ece
www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/lord-stern-on-global-warming-its-even-worse-than-i-thought-1643957.html
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/13/stern-attacks-politicians-climate-change

To save you time I have copied below the Times article.  It’s the shortest and the only one with any optimism in it.

Nicholas Stern: politicians have no idea of the impact of climate change
         Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter / March 12, 2009
Politicians have yet to grasp how devastating climate change will be to human society over the next century, Professor Lord Nicholas Stern has said.  Wars, famine, floods and hurricanes will wreak havoc unless greenhouse gas emissions are controlled, he said at a climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.  He told scientists who had gathered to share their latest findings on global warming that not only is the threat underplayed by politicians but that they don't even understand the extent of the problem.
"Do the politicians understand just how difficult it could be, just how devastating four, five, six degrees centigrade would be? I think, not yet," he said.  Lord Stern, an economist now at the London School of Economics, was the lead author of the highly influential Stern Report which in 2006 alerted the world to the financial costs of climate change when he was an adviser to the Treasury.
Rather than think of the potential damage caused by a two or three degree rise in temperatures they should, the conference was told, assume they will go up by four or more degrees without dramatic international measures.  Speaking in Copenhagen he told scientists it was beholden on them to tell politicians and the public "very clearly and strongly" how severe the risks are.  Only by ramming home the message in every country around the globe will world leaders appreciate the urgency of the problem when they meet in December in Copenhagen in an attempt to work out an international deal to dramatically cut emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, which most scientists agree are warming the planet.  "We have to tell people, you have to tell people very clearly and strongly just how difficult four, five, six, seven degrees Centigrade are because we face very severe risks of going there," he said.
Among the consequences of a four or five degree rise over the next 100 years are forecast to be deserts spreading across much of Southern Europe, collapses in crop yields, rivers drying AND PERHAPS BILLIONS OF PEOPLE BEING FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES.  "What would be the implication of that?" he asked. "Extended social, extended conflict, social disruption, war essentially, over much of the world for many decades. This is the kind of implication that follows from temperature increases of that magnitude."
Despite the bleak forecasts he remained optimistic that a deal will be reached in December to stem and reverse emissions.  "We can get there. I'm more optimistic than I was two years ago. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy. We all know it's going to be tough but we can get there," he maintained.  Despite their failure to fully appreciate the difficulties posed by global warming he was confident politicians are beginning to head "in the right direction".
He admitted the Stern Review itself, which warned the financial cost of climate change could reach 20 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by the en[d] of the century, was an underestimate of the problem.  "I think that the damages were underestimated by the Stern Review and the costs of inaction were even bigger than we argued then," said Lord Stern, noting that the scientific understanding of greenhouse gas emission rates and the Earth's ability to absorb had advanced.  "The kinds of temperatures that could now arise from these greenhouse gases, some of them have higher probabilities than we might have thought."  He estimated that the costs to society of climate change are now likely to be as much as 50 per cent higher than his 2006 calculation.

I have started this blog as a place for us to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed drilling for oil and gas at Coldharbour.  Below are the contents of the emails on the subject to date between GMF members.  I have copied them all to this blog to enable any visitor to the GMF site to join in.  I have edited the emails slightly for readability.
I suggest that this blog is not the place to discuss the impact of drilling on the local area.  The following website is the place to do that: http://www.thevirtualvillage.com.  The virtual village web site contains this statement: “All you need to know is 30 HGVs per day via Knoll Road”.  To my mind that illustrates the parochial mindset of many objectors.  Let’s use this blog to develop better arguments and think of more than just the immediate impact on local people.  This is definitely NOT all you need to know!
Derek Smith
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As some of you may already know, plans are afoot for an oil well on Leith Hill. Bizarre as it may sound, a company has lodged a Planning Application to carry out some exploratory drillings. As you can imagine, a number of local residents and users of the area have got a bit upset by this, and have set up a campaign website here
 http://www.thevirtualvillage.com/oilwell.cfm,
 with details of the plans and how to object to the application. Not that we're trying to form your political opinions for you, in fact you may think it sounds like a super idea, in which case we'd recommend setting up a pro-oil well website before the protestors put a stop to it. If on the other hand, the idea of having this as a back drop to your Sunday morning ride doesn't sound great, then you may want to visit the website above and raise your objections.
Cheers, The Head For The Hills Team
Head For The Hills
43 West Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BU
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Isn't this a tricky one? Should Transition Dorking support this since it might reduce dependence on non-local resources?
Matt
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Please ask your contacts to visit TheVirtualVillage.com to support the objectors to the oil and gas exploration application.
Paul
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Matt is right this is difficult – I would argue that:
Transition Dorking exists to provide a framework for people to undertake projects to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, minimise our impact on the environment and create local resilience. I do not think Transition Dorking can have a position on an issue like this. We are a self selected, not a representative, group; we have no idea what the views of our mailing list supporters might be much less the wider local population. Individual members of Transition Dorking can no doubt express their views as individuals.
My view as an individual is I have to say deeply ambivalent. I find it hard to see the moral justification for objecting to something like this while continuing to use oil based products, which may well have originated in other parts of the world where many local environments, and communities, have been devastated. This is in order to provide us with a comfortable lifestyle in our own unspoilt environment.
Andy
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I sent my email to GMF members, not to Transition Dorking and all I said was:
 “I'm sure you'll be interested in this bit of news and may well want to throw your oar in.  I will do a blog on it.”
The ‘you’ here are the various GMF members initially and then any GMF website visitor if they read the blog.  It seemed to me that our blog pages could provide a good forum to help people sort out the best response on this.  In fact, now I’ve had a look at TheVirtualVillage.com, I’m more convinced of this.  This web site already has lots of content, 100% from angry locals from what I can make out.  I noticed one ‘we don’t want to burn oil or gas because of climate change’ comment, but all the rest is NIMBY stuff.
My gut reaction is that I want UK to reduce its ghg emissions as fast as it realistically can – to zero in 20 years – and start now.  The rest of the world then follows suit and global oil and gas demand falls dramatically.  On this rosy scenario, we don’t need to discover any more new oil and gas fields.  We live on the existing ones until we don’t need them any more.  So we certainly don’t need to run the spoil some nice countryside for the possibility of a small new oil or gas find.
That’s what I’d like to happen but we have to live in the world as it is, not as we want it to be.  In reality the UK is likely to be importing oil and gas for a long time, and probably throughout the life of the Coldharbour field.  If it turns out to be a gas field, this will likely power a local electricity generator and feed into the grid.  Dorking could maybe set up a company to sell this to the grid and thus benefit the whole community.  Sounds quite good?  If it’s an oil field, it will be too small for a pipeline and so the oil will probably have to be sent by road tankers to the nearest refinery – Esso Fawley I imagine.  That does not look so attractive.   I imagine it’s more efficient overall for the oil to be imported in a small corner of a supertanker.
If this had arisen a year down the line with Transition Dorking well established, people would be expecting Transition Dorking to have view I think.  At first sight it looks illogical if TD on the one hand has a (local) energy descent plan, and on the other supports an increase in local energy supply. But there is no conflict really between Dorking reducing its energy demand and increasing its supply.
We could air these sorts of arguments on the GMF website, as they will get completely drowned out on TheVirtualVillage.com I suspect.
Derek
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Very interesting issue this.  I thought Andy's response was very helpful and Derek spells out the dilemma in more detail.  I was afraid most of the reaction locally would be of the NIMBY variety and it sounds like this is the case.  Like Derek I would like to see us cutting our dependence on oil and gas - or at least all the dependence which generates greenhouse gases which I suspect is nearly all the uses we currently make of it and like Andy I think we should accept that if we use oil or gas products we should not complain if their production impinges on our local amenities.  It would seem best to me to advocate checking the existence of the oil or gas and then registering it and saving it up for future use for essential needs locally, when technology has been found to use it without having to transport it miles for refining or whatever.  It could be a life saving local resource for the future inhabitants of the area.  We are currently profligate in our use of these resources and to ruin a beautiful landscape in order to get a bit more to waste seems wrong.
Anne
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I have also been asked if we would take position on this issue and help with the campaign so I think we definitely need to blog about it.
I share the ambivalence, first I was outraged at the destruction of yet another part of beautiful Surrey but the people of Surrey use a lot of the planet's resources... so it would be good to gently point that fact out and it might be an opportunity to invite people from the virtual village.com to join the CRAG.
Esther
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To Anne
You say “It would seem best to me to advocate checking the existence of the oil or gas and then registering it and saving it up for future use”.  Just to clarify, the present proposal is for a exploratory drilling only – ie checking for the existence of oil or gas and nothing more.  If they find it’s commercially exploitable, they will then have to apply separately for a licence to operate as a production field.  TheVirtualVillage.com blog says that the likelihood of it being exploitable is about 1 in 10.
Derek

‘Ask your MP to support a strong 2020 climate target’

With the above slogan Friends of the Earth are asking people to press their MP to support a target of 42% in UK greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.  They say:
“The Committee on Climate Change (CCC), set up to advise the government, has produced two options for a 2020 target:
Interim target: 34% by 2020 - to be used before a global deal is agreed
Intended target: 42% by 2020 - to be adopted following a global deal on climate change
But really there is no choice. 
We must choose the intended target because it is what the science demands - at least 40% by 2020 says the Tyndall Centre."

You can read more on this here: http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/climate_act_18161.html?ic_number=236662&m_sourcecode=CLONLINE&product=CLIMATEONLINE

Our MP in Mole Valley Sir Paul Beresford has told me that he is very concerned about climate change but will not make it one of his areas of interest.  He also never signs Early Day Motions which is what FoE wants MPs to do as part of this campaign.  He's unlikely to change unless he realises that many of his constituents are very concerned and want him to do more, and so I encourage you to write or meet him at one of his surgeries in Dorking or Leatherhead.  Ring 01306-883312 to make an appointment.

It's important to appreciate though that the target numbers quoted are influenced by the political question - what can we realistically expect the government to do?  They do not answer the question - what reductions are needed to avoid dangerous climate change (generally assumed to occur if the global average temperature rises more than 2 deg C) ?.  The Tyndall Centre says that to have a reasonable chance of achieving this, we need annual reductions of 9% per year, maintained year after year.

Derek Smith

The following is copied from the Greenpeace website at this address: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/

"We've bought a piece of land slap bang in the middle of the proposed third runway site at Heathrow. We’re not going to let the runway get built and we need your help. The government plans to go ahead with airport expansion across the country even though this means we'll have no hope of meeting our climate emission targets. Tackling climate change means stopping airport expansion and we need you to join the plot.  We've bought the land with Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and prospective Tory parliamentary candidate Zac Goldsmith. Sign up now to get your own piece of the plot. It's not a financial thing, but you will be included as an owner on the legal deed of trust."

You can sign up via the Greenpeace website and become a 'beneficial owner' of the land.  It is hoped that having thousands of such owners will help stop the runway being built.

I have copied below from an email sent out by Sarah Clayton who is our local AirportWatch Coordinator.  This is a first chance to protest against a third runway.  I expect there will be many more.

Flash Mob at T5 on Saturday

In protest against the decision, on Saturday 17th January at midday (on the dot!) hundreds of people are expected to converge on Heathrow Terminal 5 (Departures concourse) to stage a colourful Flash Mob where the campaigners will all reveal red t-shirts emblazoned with the words Stop Airport Expansion.   If you don't have a printed T shirt, any red shirt or red garment will do!    Just don't reveal the red till 12 noon precisely.     More details at:   www.t5flashmob.com  
 
Do attend if you can, and tell any friends, relations, neighbours and colleagues who might also be interested.
 
Best wishes 
Sarah Clayton

The following description of scrapstores comes from the website http://www.wastebook.org/scrapsto.htm.  It looks a really good practical way to reduce landfill waste and help schools and playgroups at the same time.  Does anyone fancy seeing if we can start one on Mole Valley?  Please contact us via the Contacts link on our home page and we will put you in touch with others who are interested.

Derek Smith

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Substantial quantities of clean commercial waste, at present consigned to landfill, can be given a second useful life. Until recently, few distribution arrangements existed.  This is changing with the development of a network of community scrapstores able to collect, store and distribute many kinds of reusable materials.  Some also collect recyclable waste or unwanted goods with residual value.  For many businesses, this can provide free disposal of a proportion of waste, at the same time offering benefits to the community, and so being a more responsible option than disposal to landfill or incineration, together with opportunities for good publicity.

Scrapstores collect from commerce and industry, sort and provide craft materials for those organising creative activities.  Playgroups, schools, other educational bodies; care homes; theatre groups; craft centres; individual artists - all have the capacity to use an enormous variety of packaging or production oddments such as wood, plastic and fabric offcuts; paper, film and card.  Scrapstores are now also regularly exchanging large amounts of materials between themselves, to meet local needs and put to use any excess materials.  This is a result of the network growing and becoming stronger.  Most schemes are operated by volunteers, sometimes with help from local councils, businesses or community trusts.  Many now have small shops selling art and craft materials, and often run workshops on creative use of scrap materials.  Over 90 different schemes now operate in Britain, with scope for many more - ideally one in every district or major town.