Transition in Action, Totnes 2030, an Energy Descent Action Plan

2011

The more skilled gardeners at the local allotments offer training sessions for local people and school children to learn about growing food and herbs for health and wellbeing.
School groups set up visits to local farms to learn about growing food and other farm practices. Popular visits include Velwell Biodynamic Orchard where the students can help pick the autumn fruit, Beenleigh Meadow where they can try their hand at building with cob, Landmatters where they learn about community living and growing and the Transition Tales Wild Garden where they can get involved in forest gardening, cooking together, and storytelling.
Primary schoolchildren write to local natural builders and request a demonstration on building with straw bales. 3 schools build a straw bale outdoor shelter with a sod roof for bicycles. Diptford Primary School uses their shelter for an outdoor theatre production at the end of summer term.
Sharpham Trust hosts a month long tree planting marathon for all schools in Totnes and District to link together in planting a community woodland, orchard and hedgerow. The schools are to raise money for the trees; one will be planted by every pupil.
KEVICC and the Steiner school hook up and inaugurate an annual transition storytelling and music festival, which is broadcast live on the web.

Totnes Townswomen’s Guild and Dartington and Diptford WI attend an open evening at Schumacher College. They are very interested in the talk about local food and are invited back for a supper which they help cook.
All 13 primary schools in Totnes and District join the Schools in Transition (SIT) Network and participate in creating a Schools Transition Day, which is to become an annual event. Gaia is a popular theme for students.
KEVICCS school garden expands and students pick salad leaves and potatoes for the school lunch across the summer term. The pumpkin competition is won by Angie Hartwell in yr 8 with a whopping 25kg specimen, which is later sculpted and goes on show at the library for Halloween.
Mobilising your Street is a popular training course for people trying to get their neighbours together for shared activities. TTT organise the sessions and participants share ideas about building local actions. Buying solar panels in bulk and having street parties are still the most popular themes.

Retrofit your house and business premises courses are regularly oversubscribed at the Mansion House.
The Department of Education is to fund a new Schools’ Sustainability Officer post in all counties, to assist schools to implement the new sustainability thinking. Devon Learning and Development Partnership issues new school policies on sustainable development in schools, reducing energy, green procurement and school travel.
The new Government initiates a smaller classroom model and agrees to invest funding for all schools to gain (pro rata) two additional part-time teachers per 100 students to enable the process to commence.
DCC invests in cycling training for all schools. 5 new officers are to provide week-long training in schools for both pupils and staff. Bowing to popular demand the scheme is extended to include parents and teachers too.