Haringey Sustainability Month - June 2011

Haringey Sustainability Month is now over half way through, with some fantastic events having come and gone. Here's the remaining events and activities in the programme. In particular there's our very own Summer Gathering to which all are welcome:

Sustainable Haringey Summer Gathering
Sun 26th June, 1pm-5pm:
Reducing Waste and Increasing Recycling
All welcome to come and join in this discussion as part of building up Haringey's borough-wide green groups, projects and networks.
@ Railway Fields Nature Reserve, Green Lanes, N4 - opposite Harringay Green Lanes station.www.sustainableharingey.org.uk


PROGRAMME OF EVENTS REMAINING

Wed/Thurs/Sun each week, 11am-4pm: Living Under One Sun Community Allotment: Volunteers Wanted - Come and help grow fruits and veg, Share and gain skills and knowledge, Meet neighbours, share ideas and get some exercise, Find practical ways to do good by our planet, Celebrate harvest festivals and food from around the world. @ East Hale Allotment, Mill Mead Road, N17 Buses: 41, 123, 230, W4. Contact: Lyn 07722051414 Leyla 07414545640 www.livingunderonesun.co.uk

Wed/Thurs each week, 10am-1pm: Visit the community tree & plant nursery - Green Routes, Finsbury Park, N4. To the right of the Manor House entrance as you enter the park. Come and help with whatever needs doing, find out about the project over a cuppa and meet others. More info:http://transitionfinsburypark.org.uk/nurseryblog

Sat 18th to Sun 26th June: UK Bike Week - everyone encouraged to get on yer bike more throughout this week!

Tue 21st June, 8pm: 'Avoiding Heffalump Traps' - presentation and discussion about world population growth. Part of Highgate School’s Environment Week - open to all. @ Dyne House, Highgate School, Southwood Lane, Highgate Village, N6 www.HighgateClimateActionNetwork.org.uk

Sat 25th June, 12noon: Demonstration to defend Haringey's public services and oppose cuts. Assemble Wood Green Civic Centre. March to Tottenham Town Hall. Or join in as the march passes Turnpike Lane and Seven Sisters tube stations. Bring banners and things to make a big noise as it passes key community facilities and services under threat. Organised by Haringey Alliance for Public Services (supported by Sustainable Haringey)www.hapsnews.net

Sat 25th June, 2-6pm: Solar power and home insulation - stand at the Methodist Church Garden Party The 39 solar panels which Muswell Hill Sustainability Group have installed will be on public display for the first time + information on solar energy and home insulation. On the lawns behind the building known as North Bank, 28 Pages Lane N10 1PP. Organised by Muswell Hill Sustainability Group http://mhsgroup.org/

Sat 25th June: Launch of 'The Bus', a living memorial to Nigerian writer and campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa Ken Saro-Wiwa was murdered in Nigeria for calling for environmental protection for communities being exploited and destroyed by oil exploitation by multinational corporations. There were international protests in response: 'The Bus' is by artist Sokari Douglas Camp. @ Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Rd, N15. Exact details to be announced. www.platformlondon.org + www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk

Sun 26th June, 1-5pm: Reducing Waste and Increasing Recycling - the Sustainable Haringey Summer Gathering All welcome to come and join in this discussion as part of building up Haringey's borough-wide green network. @ Railway Fields, Green Lanes, N4 - opposite Harringay Green Lanes station.www.sustainableharingey.org.uk

Wed 29th June, 7-9pm: Road to Redemption: talk on the history of ale-brewing in Haringey. @ Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Lane, N17

Thurs 30th June, 7pm Film: 'Inside Job' – the banking crisis exposed! Rips apart any idea that the banking crisis that started in 2008 was a mistake by stupid bankers. It exposes the greed, corruption and political involvement that resulted in the biggest financial collapse of our times with devastating consequences for millions. The savage cuts in public spending are realities we all face, while those who caused the crisis not only go unpunished but made obscene wealth out of it. [Entry £3 / £2] @ Haringey Independent Cinema, West Green Learning Centre, West Green Road N15 3RB. www.haringey.org.uk/hic

North London Bike Power Workshop

A great collaboration between Transition Crouch End, Green Lens Studio and Magnificent Revolution led to the North London Bike Power Workshop being held on Saturday 11^th June, part of Haringey Sustainability Month . The event was well attended with fourteen people engaged in learning all about generating electricity through pedal power. There was an interesting assortment of reasons for attending and possible end uses for applying this knowledge. These included a teacher and a university lecturer wanting to involve their students in experiments with pedal power; desires to use this technology to enable an off-grid lifestyle or to power a theatre production, and as an awareness raising tool for demonstrating the considerable effort needed to produce energy.

The workshop begun with an explanation of the physics involved in electrical energy to explain what is required in order to achieve successful power generation. We then split into three groups to start putting theory into practice. There were three practical exercises demonstrating different end uses of the generated power and each group had the opportunity to try out each example. The three methods being:

· Generating power to charge a battery

· Generating DC electricity to directly power appliances

· Passing generated current through an inverter to produce AC power

The workshop also provided useful information on designing the generation system to be appropriate to what you want from it. It also considered the problems with batteries, the pros and cons of DC and AC power, as well as giving essential safety advice.

The day was packed with activity and knowledge sharing but was much enjoyed by all. Much praise goes to Adam and Simon from Magnificent Revolution for putting together and delivering such a fun and accessible workshop. Thanks also to Yev of Green Lens Studio for providing such a delightful venue and of course Gillian of Transition Crouch End for organising and promoting the event. 

If there is anyone out there interested in attending a future Bike Power Workshop please get in touch via transitioncrouchend@gmail.com and as soon as sufficient numbers show an interest, we shall arrange another workshop.

Try out an electric bike with Muswell Hill Sustainability Group - Tue 14th June

Muswell Hill Sustainability Group invite you to an evening of sustainable transport
Tue 14th June, any time between 6.30 and 9.00pm
CUFOS, top of The Avenue (behind Alexandra Palace), Muswell Hill N10 2QE (www.cufos.org.uk)


The MHSG Low Carbon Buying Group is now launching the electric bikes disount with Spencer Ivy - see here for info. The bikes will be available to trial around Alexandra Park at this event. You can also bring your bike along for a free Dr.Bike MOT and find out about safe cycling, car clubs, electric vehicles and charging points.

Please RSVP if you would like to attend or are interested in the electric bikes offer.Kate Allardyce
En10ergy and Muswell Hill Low Carbon Zone
07798 835738

Real Farm Festival, Church Farm, Ardeley 17-19 June 2011

Real farming, what’s the big idea?

If everyone in Britain is going to enjoy safe, healthy, natural food, often referred to as Real
Food, we need a national Real Farming movement. ‘We all farm every time we eat’ says Tim Waygood, farmer and entrepreneur. We Britons need to take responsibility for our food and how it is farmed.

We need to abandon factory farming and the GM industrial agriculture advocated by British and American governments, corporates and banks, and invest in healthy, ecologically sound ways of farming that produce the food that people want to eat at an affordable price.

On Saturday 18th June, Real Farm Festival invites people to take part in a series of conversations on the science, philosophy and practicalities of farming for real food. We welcome speakers from the Soil Association, Organic Research Centre, Campaign for Real Farming, Self Knowledge Global Responsibility, Pesticide Action Network, FARM:shop, Agrarian Renaissance, and Ecological Land Co-operative.

The IAASTD, United Nations and HRH Prince of Wales have all this year advocated “agroecology” as a practical way of feeding the world’s growing population, but British government scientists refuse to acknowledge that it can be done.

British people need to get clued up on farming if they are to hold the government to account, to demand research is directed towards ecological farming and to implement change at the grassroots level regardless of political will.

Questions we’ll be putting to the presenters at the Real Farm Festival include: How bad is GM? What are the alternatives? What is polyculture? What will it take for Britain to become ecologically farmed?

Real farming needs a new focus for agricultural science, new appropriate technology and potentially different economic structures to ensure farms nourish people and planet, before profit. People are invited to come down to Real Farm Festival and contribute to the big ideas.

Church Farm is a mixed, high welfare 175-acre farm run predominantly by young people (80% female) who care about the future of real food. Get a taste of how ecological farming is possible, have a go at farming, take part in various workshops (such as the Biodynamic Stirring Party, Wild Cultures - art of fermentation, Peg Looming) enjoy and take part in lots of live music, performance and games, eat great food fresh off the farm, and really get stuck in to some big ideas.

All tickets and info are on the website, www.realfarmfestival.com

Strawberry time

A local resident grazing on Priory Common N8, where we're going to plant a low maintenance orchard on a plain grassy patch. Let's fill haringey with edible and useful plants. Come to www.EdibleLandscapesLondon.org.uk to learn how.