Take Root

Coming up this week

amyrhall — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:12:03 +0000

Events coming up in Cardiff this week. As always, let me know if there’s anything you think should be added.

Monday 20 February

Work Day at The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. 10am-4pm. Help look after the building, by either doing DIY work or cleaning.

South Wales Anarchists meeting. The Gatekeeper, Westgate Street. 7.30pm.

Alone in the Wilderness film screening. Gwdihw, 6 Guildford Crescent. 8pm. “The amazing story of a man’s craftmanship, self-sufficiency and of the great outdoors.” More information in the Gwdihw website.

Tuesday 21 February

People’s Kitchen. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. 6.30pm. Vegan meal, free or for donations which go towards a different cause every week.

Wednesday 22 February

Cardiff ABC. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. Write letters and learn about political prisoners.

Thursday 23 February

At The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street:

Open Day. 12-4pm.

Film Night. 7pm

Refugee Rhythms. CF10, Cardiff University Students’ Union. 7.30pm. Music from Three Pairs of Shoes, Alex Sedgemend and his didgeridoo, Under The Driftwood Tree, Cardiff Reggae Society DJs. Raising money and awareness for refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK. Food from around the world. For more information go to the Facebook event.

Saturday 25 February

Critical Mass. Meet at the National Museum, Cathays Park. 1pm. Riding around town and finishing off at Punk Bikes for drinks.

Seed Swap. Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton. 10am – 12pm.

Sunday 26 February

Renewable Energy and Self-Sufficiency Workshop. The Red and Black Umbrella. 12pm. Learn how to get energy from the sun, wind, rain, compost and other renewable sources.

Cwtch Community Centre

amyrhall — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:48:29 +0000

Update: The Cwtch occupiers lost their eviction challenge. Full news story on the BBC website.

On Sunday I took a trip to Swansea to visit the Cwtch Community Centre which opened in Swansea January 30. They have been served an eviction notice and will be in court this morning.

The centre is in the Dolphin Hotel in Swansea city centre and has been squatted by a group wanting to set up a community space. They describe the centre as a “social, multicultural and artistic community centre in Swansea, with the express mandate of serving the community.”

While at the Cwtch we enjoyed a cup of coffee and browsed the library and free shop before watching the start of an open mic night. The atmosphere was very welcoming with a huge variety of people taking advantage of a free place to relax in the city centre. One of the main things I liked about it was that it was ‘doors open’ and accessible to people who may just be curious and want to come in and ask questions without being intimidated.

The community centre is open daily, with events and workshops being advertised everywhere and it is alcohol free.

Interview with one of the group from visionOntv:

Coming up this week

amyrhall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:18:39 +0000

Coming up this week in Cardiff. Remember, get in contact if there’s anything you think needs to be added.

Monday 13 February

Work day at The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. 10am-4pm. Help look after the building, by either doing DIY work or cleaning.

Tuesday 14 February

People’s Kitchen. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. Free vegan meal or donations towards a different cause each week.

Wednesday 15 February

Cardiff ABC Prisoner Support. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. 2pm. Write letters and learn about political prisoners.

Thursday 16 February

At The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street:
Open day. 12-4pm
Film night. 7pm.

Saturday 18 February

Don’t attack Iran: Stop the War Before It Starts. Protest. Assemble at Nye Bevan Statue, Queen Street. 2pm. Find out more on the Facebook event page.Renewable Energy and Self-Sufficiency Workshop. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street. 12pm. Learn how to get energy from the sun, wind, rain, compost and other renewable sources.

Sunday 19 February

Seed Swap Sunday. The Red and Black Umbrella. 11am. Bring vegetable or flower seeds to swap, learn about renewable energies, plus info stalls about Adamsdown Community Garden and more.

Thanks to Fluffymuppet for the photo

Coming up this week

amyrhall — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:46:53 +0000

Busy, busy week this week. Lots of stuff going on from film nights, green socials, conferences and protests. Including climate change, border politics, practical sustainability and anti-fascism. As always, get in contact with anything you think should be added.

Monday 6 February

Work day at The Red and Black Umbrella. 10am-4pm. Help with looking after the building from DIY to cleaning.

Come Veg With Me. The Embassy Cafe, Cathays Terrace. 5.30-8.30pm. Hosted by Cardiff Uni Vegetarian and Vegan Society as part of the People & Planet Go Green Week.

South Wales Anarchists meeting. 8pm. The Gatekeeper, Westgate Street.

Tuesday 7 February

People’s Kitchen at The Red and Black Umbrella. 6.30pm. Free vegan meal, donations to a different cause each week.

Tar Sands film and talk. IT Room, Third floor of Cardiff Uni SU. 7-9pm. “The Tar Sands in Alberta are the size of England and Wales are not only producing huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the extraction of oil, but also pumping toxic chemicals into the water supply causing health problems and social problems to the indigenous communities around the areas.” Part of the People & Planet Go Green Week.

Wednesday 8 February

Defend the Occupy Cardiff Protesters. 9am. Cardiff Magistrates Court, Fitzalan Place. Rally in support of two of the six Occupy Cardiff arrested when the original camp was removed on November 11 2011. More information on the Facebook event page.

Stitch and Bitch. The Kitchen, Cardiff Uni SU. 7-9pm. “Come along and have a bit of knit and bit of a natter about ethical and environmental issues around the world.” Part of the People & Planet Go Green Week.

CF Hub. 7pm. Owain Glyndwr, St John’s Street. Sustainability meet up. This month’s theme is mapping projects.

Thursday 9 February

At The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street:

Open Day. 12-4pm

No Borders Film Night. 7-9pm. “Short films and discussion about real lives, migration and border politics.”

Debate: “Being Green is pointless when other countries are not”. 7pm-9pm. Cardiff Uni Humanities building cafe. Email carys.parry@hotmail.co.uk to confirm your attendance. Part of the People & Planet Go Green Week.

Friday 10 February

End of Go Green Week Party. 7pm. The Embassy Cafe, Cathays Terrace. Part of the People & Planet Go Green Week.

Saturday 11 February

Unite Against Facism Wales conference. 10.30am-4.30pm. Transport House, Cathedral Road. Conference themes: May elections, Keeping the Fascists out, Defending Multiculturalism, Rejecting Islamaphobia, Education: The Prevent Agenda. Speakers include: Peter Hain MP, Andy Richards (President, Wales TUC), Zita Holbourne (Black Activists Rising Against Cuts), Luke Young (President, NUS Wales). £5 (£3 unwaged/student). Contact unitewales@live.co.uk to register. More information on the Facebook event page.

Sunday 12 February

Renewable Energy Workshop. The Red and Black Umbrella. 12noon. Learn about practical solutions to living off grid.

Cardiff Castle Two backed by AMs and MPs

amyrhall — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:26:04 +0000

Two Occupy Cardiff activists, due in court next week, have been backed by AMs and MPs including Plaid Cymru leadership candidate Leanne Wood.

The two were among six people arrested when the original camp, outside Cardiff Castle was removed.

A number of AMs and MPs have backed the campaign to have the charges against the two protestors, dubbed the Cardiff Castle Two dropped. The group signed a letter, along with trade unionists and campaigners, which appeared in the South Wales Echo on Wednesday and said: “As trade unionists, elected representatives, lawyers and campaigners, we feel that the November 11 police action constitutes an attack upon the right to peacefully protest. Furthermore, the subsequent CPS decision to prosecute, far from serving any public interest, endangers free expression and risks a chilling effect on democracy.”

Read the letter, and a news report on Wales Online

Cardiff Green Maps

amyrhall — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:25:52 +0000

At last Thursday’s Cardiff Transition Show and Tell, Sam Holt outlined one of the group’s most recent projects – Cardiff’s Green Map System.

The group aim to make an interactive map of the city, including green projects, community spaces, shops and other similar locations. The map will be produced using the Open Green Map interactive tool which is developed in New York. Transition Llandrindod and Sustainable Swansea already use the tool. Maps can be searched or narrowed down by interest and so far the Cardiff list is over 240 and still growing.

Cardiff Transition are also planning a map of potential growing spaces in the city. Michele Fitzsimmons is leading the project which will include anything from disused verges to potential space for roof gardens and vertical growing. The group are hoping it will be a good way of people getting together to grow on land in their neighbourhoods once they find they weren’t the only ones thinking it was going to waste.

Anyone with anything to add to the Green Maps can email sam[at] transition [dot] org [dot] uk with suggestions. Also they are looking for more people to join the mapping team and input data.

The Transition movement is a global network aiming build community resilience in the face of peak oil. With a focus on sustainability, groups have formed in many villages, towns and cities where people are working together on a variety of projects around building community, tackling economic hardships and climate change.

Thanks to Green Map System for the logo.

Cohousing Cymru

amyrhall — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:34:37 +0000

At Cardiff Transition‘s Show and Tell event last Thursday, one presentation outlined one group of Cardiff residents’ plan to create a more cooperative community within Cardiff. Louise and Sarah from Cohousing Cymru spoke about their aim to create a more codependent neighbourhood.

Cohousingcombines individual space for families or individuals with more communal space than in a regular development for things like communal eating and sharing play space and child care.

Cohousing encourages communal areas like this community in Denmark

Louise said there were about 10 people so far looking to create a cohousing community in Cardiff, with more interested. They all feel cohousing would bring support and friendship.

They aim to have 15-35 self contained units with a communal kitchen, meeting room, space for food growing, a car pool and the opportunity live in a more sustainable way through bulk buying, renewable energy and cooking together. They also want to run the project using consensus decision making.

At the moment Cohousing Cymru are working with a housing association who is interested in partnering with the project so they can offer rented accommodation so that it is open to more of a variety of people. Louise said that they were hoping this would mean that more younger people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to buy into it would then be interested. They are hoping that one third to a half of the units will be rented.

There are ten other established cohousing communities in the UK including the Threshold Centre in Dorset and Canon Frome Court in Wiltshire.

Cohousing Cymru are encouraging anyone interested in the project to get in contact and are hoping to have it up and running in two to five years time, probably somewhere in the ‘southern arc’ of Cardiff. Everyone who will be living there will work together, with the housing association, to design the development.

Transition is a global movement to try and build community resilience in the face of peak oil. With a focus on sustainability, groups have formed in many villages, towns and cities where people are working together on a variety of projects around sustainability issues.

Thanks to seir+seir for the photo.

Coming up this week

amyrhall — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:59:56 +0000

Events coming up in Cardiff this week. Any more you think should be on there? Get in touch.

Monday 30 January

Work day at The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street, Splott. 10am-4pm. Help look after the building with DIY work or cleaning.

Unemployed Daytime Disco #10. 2-8pm. The Rockin’ Chair, Lower Cathedral Road, Riverside. Bands, DJs, spoken word, dancing etc. Including Alan McGee, Jaqueline Janine Jones, Susie Wild, Efa Supertramp, Little Eris “Last winter government figures announced 15,000 people in Cardiff chasing just 1700 jobs – that’s about 9 jobseekers for every job! Looking for non-existent jobs can be very boring! So come & dance away those recession blues!” Free entry.

Tuesday 31 January

People’s Kitchen at The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street, Splott. 6.30pm. Vegan meal, free or for donations which go towards a different cause every week.

Wednesday 1 February

Cardiff ABC Prisoner Support. The Red and Black Umbrella, Clifton Street, Splott. 2pm. Write letters and learn about political prisoners.

Thursday 2 February

At The Red and Black Umbrella:

Open Day 12-4pm. Go along for a cup of tea, browse the library and meet new people

No Borders Film night. 7pm

Saturday 4 February

Cardiff Taffs meet. 12-3pm. The Embassy Café, Cathays Community Centre, Cathays Terrace. Sell or buy using Cardiff’s community currency, or just socialise over a cup of tea.

Sunday 5 February

Renewable Energy and Self-Sufficiency Workshop at The Red and Black Umbrella. 12pm. Learn how to get energy from the sun, wind, rain, compost and other renewable sources.

Cardiff Food Charter

amyrhall — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:39:18 +0000

Last Thursday Cardiff Transition had a Show and Tell event to showcase some of the more recent projects that have come out of the movement. Steve Garrett, founder of Riverside Community Market Association, led the presentation about the Cardiff Food Charter.

One definition of a food charter can be found at the website Beyond Factory Farming “A food charter is a statement of values and principles to guide a community’s food policy…When a food charter is adopted by the local municipal council it becomes a public document to guide decision-making.”

The aim of the Cardiff Food Charter is that the council and other major institutions in the city will publicly commit to healthy, sustainable and local food. Steve and the team are looking at others in cities like Detroit, Toronto, and closer to home, Bristol and Plymouth, for inspiration. He said that one thing that has made these so successful is that local councils and large institutions like universities have been on board.

Plymouth, in Devon, has had a food charter for nearly a year. They now have Plymouth Food Awards given to people and businesses promoting healthy and sustainable food. Signatories to the charter include Plymouth City Council, the University of Plymouth and the Soil Association.

Steve said he has also been inspired by Incredible Edible Todmorden the local food project in West Yorkshire, the town that aims to be self sufficient in fruit and veg in less than ten years time.

Steve said he thought the major institutions in the city were ‘slow’ and risk averse. He said that although Cardiff University had some of the top thinkers in the world when it came to sustainability, as well as a sustainability policy of its own, there was an “incredible disconnect between lip service and what actually happens.”

Cardiff University has repeatedly performed badly in the People & Planet green league of UK universities. In 2011 they received a ‘fail’ and were ranked 130th for their environmental management and performance.

He said that Wales has all the right policies in place, but at the same time has a ‘healthy stadium’ with unhealthy food sold inside and outside. He also criticised council owned venues around the city for the unhealthy, burger and chips style food he said was available.

He said Cardiff Council could follow the lead of Caerphilly Council who he says have greatly increased the amount of local food they use and said that this is proof that if you want something bad enough you can solve problems in the way.

Steve had a lot of praise for the grassroots projects in the city but said that if we’re always dependent on activists and volunteers it’s hard to make sustainable food economically viable. He said the food charter and the people involved could act as the gap between activists, and the big institutions.

The food charter is currently in draft form and will be being worked on until April 3 where it will be launched as part of the Cardiff: A Sustainable Food city conference at the Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue. Take Root will be updating on this as it gets closer to the date.

The Transition movement aims to build community resilience in the face of peak oil. With a focus on sustainability, groups have formed in many villages, towns and cities where people are working together on a variety of projects around tackling economic hardships, climate change and sustainability issue, as well as bringing communities together.

Thanks to Imainjohnson7 for the photo

Shop In Penarth: a local loyalty card

amyrhall — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:19:52 +0000

Last Thursday Cardiff Transition had a Show and Tell event to showcase some of the more recent projects that have come out of the movement.

One of these is the Gwyrddio Penarth Greening (GPG) Shop In Penarth scheme. Anthony Slaughter and Patricia Griffiths explained why they think the loyalty scheme has brought unity to independent traders to the town.

A card costs £1 to buy and card holders are then entitled to discounts in various independent businesses. These are listed on the website. It is designed to try and keep the shopping areas in Penarth vibrant and support the local economy.

Anthony explained that they didn’t feel a community currency, such as the Cardiff Taff would have been the right way to go for Penarth as, although the media like them, the public and shopkeepers aren’t always as enthusiastic, especially if the scheme is set up and gets going too quickly. He said the GPG philosophy was: “start slowly, see if something works and then build on it.”

Patricia said businesses like the scheme as it offers them extra publicity. GPG also do a monthly Green Awards that people can nominate retailers for. The winner gets an article and photo in the local paper which she said is worth over £1,000 in advertising to the shop but also gives publicity to GPG.

The scheme includes a variety of shops, including ones offering similar products or services. But Patricia said that this has helped boost loyalty to the town, as opposed to any specific shop but that the shopkeepers have found that the competition has not harmed their sales, in fact some feel it has helped.

Anthony said that Shop In Penarth has also helped engage people in green issues that wouldn’t have normally come to GPG meetings and brought in some new members. They both agreed that the scheme had helped build community feeling in the town. Over 2,000 loyalty cards have been sold and that number is going up all the time.

Ideas for the future of Shop In Penarth include a local shop delivery system by bike and a phone top up system.

The Transition Network is a global movement to build community resilience in the face of peak oil. With a focus on sustainability, groups have formed in many villages, towns and cities where people are working together on a variety of projects to tackle economic hardships, climate change and sustainability issues.