2012
Individuals
- The Devon interschool Design a Board Game challenge is won by KEVICC for their game of Energy Challenges. Year 11 spokesperson Anthony Knewell said the game had been “inspired by all that talk of transition when he was younger.” Adding that he “plans to go into the games business as this can really show people what is happening out there.” KEVICC is awarded a pedal powered LED light system for the student theatre.
- Spindletop Farm at Cornworthy invites local schools to a hedge day. Pupils learn about hedgerows and coppicing, forage for some edible foods and try their hand at planting a hedge and some dry stonewalling.
- All schools in Totnes and District have a space they use as an outdoor classroom. Some have created a tree house, others a small theatre structure for the students to decorate and use as part of their studies. Bird tables, bat boxes and small animal watching hides are popular with many students who are animal enthusiasts. Most schools have a small garden some with vegetables, some with herbs and trees.
- Interest grows in relaxation and self help for self-awareness and personal development. Local organisers note a steady rise in people of all ages and backgrounds signing up for yoga classes as people are generally working fewer hours.
- Following on from Sharpham’s very popular School Tree-athon the previous year, The Duke of Somerset initiates a similar event at Berry Pomeroy. Parents at the schools are delighted when they are offered locally grown saplings for the children to plant. Later the school parties make a trip to Sharpham to see how their other trees are growing. Nigel Flaws, age 10, observes rather dryly that trees grow much faster than his dog.
Community
- Totnes Art & Design Foundation course at KEVICC expands to include a full 3 year degree course. An energy awareness component will look at low energy impact medium and materials.
- Education for Powerdown training commences at village halls in Diptford, Rattery, Stoke Gabriel and South Brent. Registering for one course is 85-year-old Arnold Brewer who wants to learn to spin wool.
- South Brent Primary School in conjunction with Sustainable South Brent wins the Chop Energy Challenge. The school has planted a crop of carbon absorbing plants on the turf roof of its straw bale bike shelter. The entire shelter has been built from local recycled wood and straw and turf brought on site by pony and cart.
- Members of TTT’s Cycle group offer local schools cycling training to encourage use of the new cycle ways. Students and parents are invited to join up for outings along local greenways.
- TTT offers training on Energy Descent Planning; helping other groups and sectors to work with assumptions, visualisation and back-casting techniques. A number of community and development planners sign-up.
- University of the 3rd Age courses on Climate Change and Peak Oil come on stream.
- Dartington Abundant Life Community opens to its first residents. All rooms are zero carbon heating and the new residents are very interest in their new concept living. Within a month they have organised a bookshelf of literature about transition they can share; some have old wartime resilience books to add to this collection.
Policy Makers & Service Providers
- In line with many Local Authorities including Devon CC, SHDC has taken the decision to support transition initiatives and has funded Transition Training, access to resources, as well as offering some core funding. TTT will provide some training to key LA officers and Councillors.
- Totnes Library opens at its new enlarged premises and starts junior reading and adult creative writers groups.
- Totnes Town Council invites groups of year 10 students from KEVICCS to an in-house session on running a local town council. The students are invited to create an agenda and discuss how to spend a budget on local facilities. Enjoying the first session, Town Mayor Tom Whitty says he “learnt a lot too as the students had been full of good ideas”; though he says “growing vegetables in the church yard might not be very popular with the Rector”.
- South Devon College offers a new range of natural building courses including ‘Construction in Transition’ courses for trainee builders and ‘Renewable Energy Systems design & installation for plumbers and electricians’. The course includes a series of one-hour sessions for personal development related to transition.
- The SATS for under 14s are finally abolished after the majority of schools return empty test papers in protest.
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