AGM on Thursday 25th March at 7.30pm in the Friends Meeting House.
Capel Goes Green warmly invites you to join them for their Annual General Meeting and viewing of In Transition.
They shall conduct the usual business (review of the past year, election of officers) briskly and then enjoy the screening of a film In Transition which tells the story of the rapidly growing movement across the world, in both towns and villages, to develop resilience in local communities and to cut back on energy use. The film is particularly dramatic is showing our profligate use of oil.
The film will be followed by refreshments and discussion of the film.
They shall then develop a programme of events for the coming year. So far there have been ideas for a vegetarian lunch, a visit to the Mole Valley recyling depot, a Green Gazebo at the Horticultural Show in August (instead of a separate Green Fair in September). You may have some splendid suggestions to add to these.
Meanwhile the Temple Lane Allotments Society is meeting regularly as a separate body, putting in applications for grants, completing planning permission documents and getting estimates for fencing, car parking hard-standing, and a multi-purpose shed with lockable storage, social area and even a composting or camping toilet!
February 13, 2010 16:37 by
dereksThis is my second Transition Ashtead report, this time on the Home Energy group. We have just applied for funding from Surrey County Council’s new climate change fund to carry out a programme of activities designed to reduce carbon emissions from Ashtead’s houses. The following description of our plan is copied straight from our fund application.
1. We aim to carry out a programme of planned activities over one year to promote the importance of reducing domestic energy consumption and carbon emissions to Ashtead residents. The plan is to have three events – the first in early April to initiate interest (speaker + some home energy efficiency equipment demonstrations), the second in June as a main event to have speakers and workshop/exhibitions on relevant locally available technology. The third is to have a speaker and equipment display on home renewable energy options.
2. We aim to set up a library of locally available energy efficiency equipment – some to show and some to loan e.g. draught meters, LED and low energy light bulbs, power meters so people can see and try them out.
3. Get a small number of people trained in (a) draught proofing methodologies so they can train others to create a pool of people who can do this and (b) advising people on the grants available for domestic carbon reduction work and if necessary helping people complete the grant application forms. We plan to carry this out as part of the Ashtead churches Act10n initiative in 8-12 July, and so the main beneficiaries should be needy and vulnerable people.
4. Research local suppliers of energy efficiency and renewable energy suppliers and identify those with real expertise and good reputations and create a preferred supplier list or get them added to the approved trade lists such as Checkatrade
If anyone is interested in learning more about any of these activities you can ring me on 01372-378914 or email info@ transitionashtead.org.uk
Derek Smith
February 13, 2010 15:58 by
dereksThis is the first of two reports on what Transition Ashtead is up to. We have started two action groups, one on Home Energy and one on Food. The food group is really an umbrella group for sub-groups on different aspects of the subject, and we have called our first sub-group ‘Grow Your Own’. As the name implies its aim is to encourage people in Ashtead to grow more food. This group has met three times and will soon be launching ‘Ashtead Garden Share’. This will link (a) people who have a garden but cannot manage it themselves with (b) people who want to grow fruit and vegetables but haven’t the space. When we find a match we will help them draw up a garden share agreement which will answer questions like:
- on what times and days will the gardener have access to the garden?
- what part of the garden constitutes the garden share plot?
- who decides what is grown and where?
- how will produce grown on the plot be shared?
We’re planning to start publicising the scheme in week beginning 22 February, but we’ve already had offers of gardens without really trying. There are plenty of big gardens in Ashtead!
Once the garden share is up and running we will look seriously at having a Community Garden, but whether this happens will depend on finding the right site and finding enough people who want to participate. Finally we’re planning a public event in May or June on the theme of turning Ashtead green.
If anyone is interested in learning more about any of these activities you can ring me on 01372-378914 or email foodgroup@ transitionashtead.org.uk
Derek Smith
On the morning of 
Saturday 16th the Green Mole Forum was present at Bookham Vision's Volunteers fair.
It was an event to enable the many people who ticked the box in the village plan survey indicating they were interested in volunteering to meet groups they might be able to help.
More than 100 people who filled in the survey also indicated they would be interested in joining a Transition Towns initiative for Bookham - Transition Bookham - an initiative which the Green Mole Forum is helping to support. Not sure what the Transition Town initiative is about? Then click here. The Green Mole Forum has already helped Transition Dorking and Transition Ashtead get going. With your help we can start Transition Bookham and make it a success.
What you can do if you are interested in taking part:
And we will let you know. For more articles on Transition initiatives click here.
We also had a great response to our Energy Monitor scheme. What's this? Simply: we can lend you whole-house energy monitors to help you easily identify where you can save money by not accidentally leaving energy-sapping appliances turned on.
December 31, 2009 16:43 by
anneb
It's much more fun trying to reduce your carbon footprint in company with others and having some sort of target to aim for. So to help encourage Mole Valley residents to cut their carbon we are inviting Mole Valley residents and their Councillors to take part in a 2010 footprint challenge, to see who can achieve the lowest carbon footprint - a resident or a councillor!
The contest is based on your individual household energy use, car use and airmiles during 2010 and your footprint is very easily calculated using www.thecarbonaccount.com. The Green Mole Forum will present a small award to the winner. If you saw the article in the local press about the green granny with a zero footprint - don't think its not worth you entering as the green granny won't be so green in 2010 - she's flying to California to visit her son!
If you want to take part in this challenge contact us here or telephone 01372 456421.
Firstly, RIGHT NOW!, sign the UN Climate Petition, which will be handed to delegates at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, and secondly go and watch the movie 'The Age of Stupid', if you haven't done so already!
Having seen the film at Croydon's Eco Veggie Fayre, I'm now on a mission to get EVERYONE to see it! It just makes so much sense! If you haven't seen it and can't find it 'locally' (low 'movie miles' please!), email me richardm@greenmoleforum.org with the subject line 'The Age of Stupid'... once I've got enough interest I'll try to arrange a screening in Leatherhead or Dorking.
This Sunday (1st November), World Vegan Day, The Fairfield Halls in Croydon will be hosting an Eco Veggie Fayre from 11am till 6pm. Admission is only £3 for adults and £1 for kids and OAPs.
For more information, visit the website.
Compost Works will be giving away FREE jumbo bags, to make your own leaf mould, this Saturday (October 31st) in St Martin's Walk, Dorking and next Saturday (November 7th) in Leatherhead High Street.
No work is involved, you just fill the bags with leaves, leave them for 18 months or so and the result is a friable, low-nutrient compost. This is ideal as a mulch, to make seed compost or to incorporate in soil to improve the texture.
For more information on this, or composting in general, and to find other places where you can get the bags, check out their recently updated website.
October 21, 2009 15:51 by
dereksGreen Mole Forum has decided to form a group to look at the possibilities for installing anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in Mole Valley.
AD is a well established process for handing sewage, farm wastes, food wastes or combinations of these feedstocks to produce biogas and a solid residue that is a valuable soil fertiliser. AD keeps organic waste out of landfill, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. AD plants vary from the very large (one AD plant handles all Stockholm’s sewage and food wastes for example) to plants the size of a large table. There are still not many AD plants in the UK, despite government support for them. The introduction of feed-in tariffs will give a big boost to all renewable energy technologies in the UK including AD.
A small AD plant is already being seriously considered in Headley to run on a mixture of horse manure and sewage. Local famers recognise the benefits of having an AD plant on farm land. Our new group intends to build on this existing local support, gather information, seek advice from experts, and come up with the most promising AD projects. If you would like to be part of this group or find out more, please send us an email using the ‘Contact us’ button on the website, or give me a ring on 01372-378914.
Derek Smith