Tavistock College Surf Academy beach clean up at Tregantle Beach on Sat 6 Feb 10

Just a reminder that the  Tavistock College Surf Academy is hosting a (hopefully) large scale beach clean up on Tregantle beach (Whitsands Bay) on Saturday 6th Feb.  The event should be a fun day at the beach and will be incredibly worth while in terms of the vastly improved condition it will be left in.  If you are not doing anything that day it would be amazing to see some of you there.  There is going to be press there as well so it should give the college a nice bit of publicity if we have lots of people there.  Dan Kinsman and I are collecting a minibus full of students from college and then meeting everybody else on Tregantle beach at 11:20ish for a safety briefing.  It’s not nasty horrible food rubbish or anything like that, it’s all just marine debris which is almost all washed up plastic.  The beach is dog friendly too.  If your keen, bring warm clothes and some gardening gloves.  Hope you can make it. 

Pete Keegan 07866 886954

‘Mend & Make New’ courses for Spring 2010

6 February – Revamp your wardrobe

Introduction to the art of revamping new from old. Bring some items from your wardrobe and learn to ‘revamp’ them into accessories and simple garments.

20 February – Basic alterations

Introduction into dressmaking basics including repair, replacing zips and altering your own ill-fitting clothes.

5 March – Recycle your clothes into a bag

Create a durable and wearable bag from your old clothes and fabric.

Places are limited so early booking at the Duchy Square Centre is advised.

All courses are run by Lucie Ponsford who trained as a costume designer in London and worked at the English National Opera before moving down to Devon.

Growth isn’t possible…

Four years on from nef’s Growth isn’t Working, this new report goes one step further and tests that thesis in detail in the context of climate change and energy. It argues that indefinite global economic growth is unsustainable. Just as the laws of thermodynamics constrain the maximum efficiency of a heat engine, economic growth is constrained by the finite nature of our planet’s natural resources (biocapacity).

Fairtrade Fortnight – 22 Feb to 7 Mar 2010

Fairtrade Fortnight is fast approaching and Westden has been involved in events before. If you would like to be involved in any activities in Tavistock this year then please get in contact with Max.

There is a meeting on Monday 25 January 2010 at 10.30am to discuss opportunities.

Climate Change update talk at the Wharf, Tavistock

Unicef appeal for Haiti

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale has struck Haiti causing an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Children have been killed and injured — many are in desperate need of clean water, shelter and medical help. Early reports indicate a large number of casualties and widespread damage.

We’ve sent emergency teams from around the region to help and UNICEF aid is getting through, providing clean water, preventing disease and saving lives. However more supplies are urgently needed.

The situation for Haiti was already difficult before the earthquake hit the island. Haiti is the one of the poorest countries in the world and is struggling to recover from years of violence, insecurity and massive natural disasters. More than half of the country’s 9.6 million inhabitants are under 21 years of age.

All children have rights — these are most at risk of being denied in emergencies. UNICEF is working to ensure that the rights of children affected in Haiti are not forgotten.

A gift of £40 could provide 4 families with basic water kits, protecting more children’s right to be healthy.

Please donate to UNICEF’s Haiti Earthquake Children’s Appeal today.

UNICEF has been working in Haiti since 1949. We rely entirely on voluntary contributions and receive no funding from the United Nations budget.

Your donation will go to the Haiti Earthquake Children’s Appeal to support children affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti.

If the funds raised exceed UNICEF’s funding requirements for this emergency‚ the money will go to UNICEF’s Children’s Emergency Fund.

Waste – John Locke writing in 1690

“But if they perished, in his possession, without their due use; if the fruit rotted, or the venison putrified, before he could spend it, he offended against the common law of nature, and was liable to be punished…if either the grass of his enclosure rotted on the ground, or the fruit of his planting perished without gathering, and laying up, this part of the earth, notwithstanding his enclosure, was still to be looked on as waste, and might be the possession of any other…He was only to look, that he used them before they spoiled, else he took more than his share, and robbed others. And indeed it was a foolish thing, as well as dishonest, to hoard up more than he could make use of. If he gave away a part to any body else, so that it perished not uselessly in his possession, these he also made use of. And if he also bartered away plums, that would have rotted in a week, for nuts that would last good for his eating a whole year, he did no injury; he wasted not the common stock; destroyed no part of the portion of goods that belonged to others, so long as nothing perished uselessly in his hands…the exceeding of the bounds of his just property not lying in the largeness of his possession, but the perishing of any thing uselessly in it.

John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1690), v.37-38, 46″

Stuart T (2009) Waste, Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, Penguin Books, London (p.xiv)

Teatime Talks and Literary Delights at the Wharf

Green Events for all your calendar updates

Westden often use this free and easy way of updating our calendar with local events of a green and sustainable nature.

It is also free to put events on the website so click on the picture to find out more…

Free entry to the Eden Project for volunteers

Eden are offering FREE entry weekends for charity volunteers, member of the armed services are more. For more info, click on the picture above or click Read More…

Global Warming Time Bomb

A cut down version of James Hansen’s recent book Global Warming Time Bomb is available from Columbia University.

CLICK HERE for the 18 page summary.

The Earth Charter Initiative

“The Earth Charter Initiative” is an extraordinarily diverse, global network of people, organizations, and institutions that participate in promoting and implementing the values and principles of the Earth Charter.

The Initiative is a broad-based, voluntary, civil society effort. Participants include leading international institutions, national governments and their agencies, university associations, non-government organizations and community-based groups, city governments, faith groups, schools and businesses – as well as thousands of individuals.

For the Charter, click ‘Read more’… or you can visit the site by clicking on the logo above.

13 million people sign up to Avaaz petition – why don’t you?

The Copenhagen climate summit ended up in failure: an unambitious, non-binding accord that leaders themselves admit won’t come close to tackling climate change.

Their failure is a disappointment — and their failure is a challenge. We must work harder, demand more and never resile from our fight for our children and our planet.

That fight continues now. In just 6 weeks time leaders of each country will lock in their nation’s emissions reduction targets under this week’s agreement.

We must show leaders that their inaction is unacceptable.

Join over 14 million people from around the world in the largest ever climate petition. Our campaign will continue to build until we get a Real Deal – we won’t accept a sham. Sign the petition by clicking on the Avaaz Logo above.

For more info on Avaaz….

Watch ‘The Age of Stupid’ on BBC iPlayer now

 

The Age of Stupid is a 2008 film by Director Franny Armstrong (McLibel, Drowned Out) and first-time producer Lizzie Gillett. It is a co-production between Franny’s company Spanner Films and Executive Producer John Battsek’s (One Day In September) company Passion Pictures.

Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

The production was notable for its innovative way crowd-funding financing model, as well as the Indie Screenings distribution system which allows anyone anywhere to screen the film. The full story of the production of the film is told in the 50-minute Making Of documentary which is free to watch online and also available on the double-pack DVD.

The film was released in 2009 and became one of the most talked-about films of the year. It also spawned the hugely-successful 10:10 campaign.

Watch the entire film on BBC iPlayer until 21 December 2009.

West Devon Connect Outreach Surgeries in Jan 2010

West Devon Connect take council services out to rural communities across West Devon.

They currently visit Hatherleigh, Chagford, Exbourne, Bere Alston, Lifton, Belstone and Spreyton.

They also work in partnership with other agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, South West Pound, Devon County Council, the Police and Fire services South West Water and Devon Care and Repair.

Each month they have ‘Themed’ activities and in January 2010 they will be working with Devon County Council to promote the Children and Family Information Services.

This is a good opportunity for people to find out what is on offer to them.

If you would like more information about the sessions or West Devon Connect in general please contact services@westdevon.gov.uk, Telephone 01822 813600, or write to West Devon Borough Council, Kilworty Park, Tavistock, PL19 0BZ or visit the website www.westdevon.gov.uk

 

Act on Copenhagen updates…

Click on the banner above for updates from the Copenhagen conference.

Odyssey Orchard at Tavistock College

Westden are excited to see the Odyssey Orchard go in at Tavistock College. The college report said…

“”Tavistock College students plant heritage orchard to safeguard trees for the future Tavistock College students are helping to save local fruit tree varieties from extinction by planting apple trees in the school grounds.

Drake’s Trail is almost complete

According to the Tavistock Times Gazette, the plans to build The Gem Bridge across the River Walkham at Grenofen has been given consent by Dartmoor National Park. This means that the 26 kms trail which is part of the National Cycle Network and links Tavistock to Plymouth is complete bar one kilometre stretch. Great news for all trail lovers, especially cyclists.

See the FULL STORY.

For more info on the Drake’s Trail, click on the banner above.

Mosaic go for a World Record for tree planting..

Young people from the Youth Open Space International Club teamed up with the Dartmoor National Park Authority, and groups throughout the UK, to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the ‘Greatest number of trees planted in a single hour’ during National Tree Week. The 10 young people planted the target of 75 trees in an hour in Smiths Wood on the edge of Dartmoor.

Click on the banner for more information on Mosaic and Dartmoor National Park.

Tavi Times article on Outdoor Taskforce