Projects currently in development
- Local sourcing and repairs directory
- Coordination of Apple Day 11am – 4pm Sat 12th Oct 2013
- Draughtbusting workshops & draughtbusting service for local residents
- Food buying group (wholefoods at wholesale prices)
- Low cost low impact living (in partnership with Hornbeam)
- Public film shows – we have recently screened “Power of Community” (Sep 2012), “In Transition 2.0” (Oct 2012), “A Farm for the Future” (Nov 2012 )
- Happy in Walthamstow (using ‘bestow’ theme of E17 Art Trail)
Ideas waiting for a champion to progress them …
- Establishing/supporting community garden schemes
- Garden share – linking people with unused gardens, with those who want to grow food
- Local currency
I still haven’t been to one of the meetings, so forgive my armchair comments here. I would like to suggest a transport focus. With London being so central London focused (commuting) we tend to forget about local trips. Looking at Walthamstow I can’t help but feeling it has two great advantages when it comes to transport: 1. you can get everything locally or within a 2 or 3 mile radius and 2. it is a huge shopping hub.
I would therefore suggest a project that enables and advises people on how to shop on foot or by bicycle. This is currently actively discouraged (despite politicians telling you otherwise) thanks to a street and planning system that is almost exclusively designed around the motor vehicle.
However I think we can enable more people to choose walking and cycling even for carrying shopping or other goods and we do not have to wait for local authorities or government to make provision for it. My project would include advice sessions, guided rides and, funds permitting, equipment (e.g. trailer) hire.
I hope to make it to a meeting soon.
I love the garden share project! One day soon I will come to a meeting and start to think about how I could champion this. No promices on timescales though because I can’t come this next Monday. (not being too lazy though, I am helping with Happy in Walthamstow)