Surrey Waste Partnership are reviewing their Plan for Waste Management in Surrey and want you to help shape it. Please take part in their public consultation between 17 May and 12 August 2010 and tell them your views.

Do mention the need to encourage waste reduction, in the first instance, and the requirement for plastic recycling collection, perhaps in place of the now removed bottle banks. This could be provided by Recresco, who currently just collect Tetra Paks.

Sue Williams, and her husband Richard, who run Bookham based Sue's Preserves are on the lookout for local produce to use in their homemade cakes, jams, relishes and chutneys.

If you're a local grower and fancy making some money, whilst helping to support a local producer, then why not contact them.

Meanwhile, if you fancy sampling some of their products, they are on sale locally or can be delivered within Mole Valley.

Bookham, Fetcham and District Garden Society are holding their Flower and Produce Show on Sunday 4th July, at the Old Barn Hall, Great Bookham, starting at 2.30pm. As well as plant stalls, there will be a raffle and refreshments. Email Derek Bean for more info, or 'phone him on 01372 458711.

It would appear that the Telegraph is playing down its own story on the part that mobile 'phone signals may play in the collapse of bee colonies. As mentioned in the Colony Collapse Disorder wiki, I linked to previously, as well as elsewhere on the Green Mole Forum (including our Look Local article), current possible causes include pesticides, Varroa mites, changing climate, new predators (such as the Asian hornet now in France) and interference from transmissions (studies have been inconclusive), or quite likely a combination of these factors. Thanks go to our resident permaculturist, and Transition Bookham Food Group champion, Esther, for pointing this out.

Researchers from Chandigarh’s Punjab University claim they have found the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder which is devastating bee populations. They have established that radiation from mobile telephones is a key factor in the phenomenon, and say that it’s probably interfering with the bee’s navigation senses.

Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition movement, is coming to speak on the 7th June at the Wilfred Noyce Centre in Godalming. More information is available on Transition Farnham's website.

On Wednesday 21st April 2010, Transition Bookham held a meeting as a follow up to the launch event in March. With an attendance of about 25 people, we all first introduced ourselves and gave brief(ish) reasons for why we'd come along. These were numerous, at different levels of awareness but, clearly, we all had a shared purpose.

We then reviewed the jottings that had been done, for possible groups, at the launch (food, recycling, make do and mend, conservation, energy, transport). This raised numerous questions and started lively discussions, and also highlighted areas of overlap.

Out of this brainstorming came the realisation that more awareness of existing resources was desperately needed - for example, what facilities exist for passing on unwanted items (Freecycle, Freegle, LETS, St Nicolas church, etc.), or recycling things that the council don't already take.

We are fortunate to have lots of existing groups and organisations in Bookham, and it was felt that collaborations could be initiated to pool resources and people. Don't forget you can subscribe to receive email updates from the Green Mole Forum.

Food featured highly, with one person mentioning that they had underused greenhouse capacity! Capel Goes Green, who very successfully raised funds by collecting unwanted apples and selling them back as juice, was mentioned. Esther is keen to hold an informal get-together, as now is the time to start any planting. She'd especially love to hear from anyone interested in garden sharing schemes.

It was agreed that a local swap day would be a good first event to involve the whole community and raise publicity (possibly Swap It September - paying homage to Swap It Surrey which closed on April 30th, or D³Day - Don't Dump Donate!) a day to allow people to give away/swap anything (at a venue, like the barn hall, and/or at the kerbside - a Bookham-wide garage sale). Large items requiring collection could be advertised on a noticeboard.

There was lots more to cover, but, as is always the way, we ran out of time. Thanks to everyone who came for being part of this exciting new venture. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th May, 7.30pm in St Nicolas Church Room (hall attached to the church, path behind the clock tower), when we will establish flexible working groups. Please consider being part of the steering group and find out more about Transition Towns.

As part of The co-operative's Plan BEE campaign, to help combat the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder and varroa mite infestation, the co-op are giving away packets of seeds for wild flowers that provide essential nutrition for bees. Don't forget to pick yours up from the Bookham branch whilst stocks last!

During April 2010 Mole Valley District Council will be removing all its bottle banks. According to waste and recycling manager, Steve Strickland, the move is in order to save money, and residents will need to use their green recycling bins. Unfortunately the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), in Randalls Road, Leatherhead, can't separate bottles by colour, so they're crushed and used in construction, rather than being recycled into new bottles.

Glass is 100% recyclable, can be endlessly recycled with no loss in quality and recycling two bottles saves enough energy to boil water for five cups of tea. For every tonne of recycled glass used, 1.2 tonnes of raw materials are preserved, which would otherwise have to be quarried from our landscape. On average, every family in the UK uses around 330 glass bottles and jars each year.

The one benefit from this move is that, with the space created, there's room for collecting items not currently taken in household green bins. Steve hopes that, in partnership with other organisations, additional recycling will be made available.

The freely downloadable book Sustainable Energy - without the hot air, by David JC MacKay, is a ‘straight-talking book about the numbers’ which seeks actions that really make a difference when it comes to sustainable energy. For more information, check out David’s website.