If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to grow your own vegetables this year and you’re looking for some help and guidance, then check out EcoLocal’s food training programme of one day workshops.  The next one is ‘Kitchen Gardening’ on Sunday 5th February where you can learn all the basics about growing your own fruit and veg .  Future workshops will also cover container gardening, fruit growing, composting and beekeeping.  See our calendar for when and where.  Bookings and more information can be found  at: www.localfoodnetwork.org.uk  or contact EcoLocal on 020 8770 6611, food@ecolocal.org.uk
And if you want to get in some practice, why not volunteer at Sutton Community Farm?  The 7.5 acre farm near Wallington is a new social enterprise, growing ultra-fresh, local, chemical-free veggies for the local community and providing a shared space to cultivate skills. They have weekly activity days open to everyone every Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm.  Contact Anna 020 8404 7085 anna.francis@bioregional.com.

Food Inc. is an enlightening expose of the corporate mechanisation of the food industry.  The film will be shown at BedZED Pavilion, 24A Sandmartin Way, Wallington SM6 7DF and is free of charge (donations welcome).  Refreshments and home made cakes will be available.  This event is organised by Sutton in Transition, part of the global transition network dedicated to building local solutions to climate change and peak oil.  The Sutton group meets on the 13th of every month.  Contact George for more information.

Do you have a leaky house?  Are you losing valuable warm air?  The winter may have been mild so far but now is the time to seal up those draughty doors and windows.  Come and find out how at a free Draughtproofing Workshop at BedZED on Wednesday 11th January (6.30-9.00pm).  Draughtproofing is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to save energy and you could cut your energy bills by up to 20%.  There will also be a chance to see the Carbon Calculator Model House and try out the Energy Bike in the new One Planet Experience exhibition.  Refreshments will be provided.  To reserve a place contact Stephen: stephen.edwards@bioregional.com, tel. 020 8404 4896.

It’s Christmas Party season, so look out for these two upcoming Christmas events:
Tuesday 13 December , 7.30-11.00pm – EcoLocal are having their Christmas Party at The Hope, 48 West Street, Carshalton, SM5 2PR.
Thursday 15th December, 6.00-8.00pm – Hackbridge Green Business Network are having a Christmas networking event at BioRegional, BedZED Centre, 24 Helios Road, Wallington SM6 7BZ.  Meet local businesses and enterprises and enjoy the mince pies and wine.  There’s also a chance to see the One Planet Experience exhibition.
Have a festive and safe Christmas!!

Saving Energy has never been so much fun!  Local residents played a series of games including mini-golf and badminton at BedZED last Wednesday.   The games were used to highlight key energy facts and tips to inspire and build confidence about cutting energy bills at home and influencing family and friends to reduce their carbon footprints.  Participants learned seven easy steps to save energy whilst competing in a series of lively activities.  They also went on a guided tour of the new multi-media One Planet Experience exhibition which features the energy bike, one of the many interactive exhibits to inspire visitors to save energy and reduce waste.  The event was organised by BioRegional and The U. 
The workshop was the first of a series of events BioRegional will be running in association with One Planet Experience over the next 12 months.  Look out for the next event in January on Draughtproofing your home.

Hackbridge & Beddington Corner Neighbourhood Planning Group held a visioning day on Saturday 19 November at All Saints Church. Around 35 people came along to build a framework for their very own Neighbourhood Plan. Fortunately the sun was shining for the morning session when everyone split into 5 groups, each going on a different walk around the area, taking photos to highlight key issues and trying to imagine how the area could be better. For instance, how to reduce the traffice and make Hackbridge pedestrian-friendly?
After a delicious shared lunch everyone was invited to join themed discussion groups to address the different issues raised in the morning. Themes included Transport, Utilities, Environment and Local Economy.  After many productive conversations throughout the afternoon the most important points that came up were:

•    Develop an easy-access energy programme;
•    Sign up to a business sustainability charter;
•    Build a district heating network under local control;
•    Create a better pedestrian experience;
•    Co-ordinate public transport services;
•    Reduce cars and car use;
•    Encourage the move from cars to walking and cycling;
•    Improve green spaces and playspaces;
•    Support community-friendly shops and cafés;
•    Strengthen corridors for wildlife and people;
•    Make/manage open spaces to be safer and more accessible;
•    Champion wildlife gardening;
•    Make better connections between estates and heritage;
•    Stimulate new local businesses;
•    Buy and source locally;

The next task is to develop this as a draft Neighbourhood Plan and build support for it across Hackbridge.  See Hackbridge.net for more information or contact Helena, hellsbar@hotmail.com.

A workshop for Hackbridge residents takes place on Saturday 19th November at All Saints Church, New Road, CR4 4JB. As part of Hackbridge testing out the new planning powers that the government has given to local communities, residents will meet at 9.30am with walks, discussions, visioning sessions and a "bring and share" lunch.  The aim is to determine a vision statement and the next steps in preparing Hackbridge's very own community-led neighbourhood plan. The workshop will continue until 4pm and people are invited to come along when they can and stay as long as they like. For more information visit http:hackbridge.net.

Now that our global economy apprears to be in meltdown perhaps its time to get a fresh view and perspective on things.  Transition Town Sutton are hosting a discussion this Sunday to look at how money works and what are the alternatives.  Does Sutton need its own currency, as they have done in Brixton (pictured), Lewes and Totnes?  Should we support credit unions instead of the banks?  And what about Local Exchange Trading Systems? Helen Mason, from Croydon, Merton & Sutton Credit Union Limited will give a talk  and there will be discussion, actions, home baked cakes and friendly chat.  

Sunday 13th November 3-6pm at the All Saints Community Centre, New Road, Hackbridge CR4 4JN. This is a free event (optional donations towards costs).

At last month’s Sustainable Housing awards held in London, BioRegional and partners’ (Sutton Housing Partnership, Sutton Council, Lakehouse and Parity Projects) won  ‘sustainable smaller housing retrofit project of the year’ for their Retrofit for the Future project in Sutton.

Joanna Marshall Cook (bottom left of picture), Energy Project Manager at BioRegional said: “We are thrilled to have won this award. Getting retrofit right is really important for combating climate change, making our energy bills manageable and our homes more comfortable. In this project we are going a step further than most retrofits to also deal with the vital issue of behavior change – a measure that should be included in all retrofit initiatives”.

This project involves the retrofit of three social houses on the St Helier estate.  House 1 is the control so had no renovation work carried out. House 2 incorporates a decent homes upgrade (boiler and loft insulation). House 3 is a full One Planet makeover, a deep energy retrofit using low impact building materials. All households are taking part in the behaviour change programme so ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ measures can be compared and those that achieve the best sustainability outcomes per pound spent can be identified.

The project is part of a national programme from the government’s Technology Strategy Board which is funding 87 low‐carbon social housing projects around the country. 

You can find out more about the project on the Projects menu (Retrofitting page) as well as the blog site http://retrofit.oneplanetsutton.org.

As part of the One Planet Food project, environmental charity EcoLocal will be offering a Tree Pruning Workshop at Carshalton Community Allotment this Sunday 6 November from 10.30am to 3.00pm. Learn the art of remedial pruning and how you can get the most out of those old fruit trees in your garden.  Cost £20. To book contact food@ecolocal.org.uk, 020 8770 6611