Every now and again I read something that reminds me of why it is really important that local action needs to be undertaken to reduce our carbon use and reverse globalization.
Andrew Simms in an article called Nine meals from anarchy reminded me of a few inconvenient truths:
The International Energy Agency, an official adviser to most of the world's major economic powers, wrote in 2008 that there would be a narrowing of oil production spare capacity to minimum levels by 2013.
The UK lost it's energy independence in 2004 as North Sea oil production peaked in 1999.
Britain is less than 60% self-sufficient in food but imports, 90% of it's fruit and 70% of it's animal feed.
Using a typical calander, in 2008 the Earth overshot its global biocapacity on the 23rd of September. It was the world's earliest ever ecological debt day.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Larbert 2024: what can we achieve?
Extract from a future Falkirk Herald
Transition Town Larbert celebrated 10 years of success and local innovation at a special gala night in the Plough Hotel on Saturday evening. It was a feast night in the true spirit of transition with all the dishes prepared from local ingredients and washed down with the first batch of Falkirk’s very own pear cider!
The evening was an opportunity to look back over the past 10 years with pride at some real challenges over-come and pride in some of the ground work that has been laid for a sustainable future.
The transition group was set up initially to stimulate the local production of food during the recession years of 2009 to 2013. At that time most people were still unconvinced that oil shortages were imminent and those who took part at the beginning were just really keen to grow food locally and do their bit for the environment by reducing food miles.
It all started with the walled gardens at Larbert’s new hospital being made available as community allotments. Within a short time the Health Board was offering more land within the hospital estate for growing food and had even devised a (literally!) ground breaking scheme with local farmers to grow all the root and leaf vegetables it needed for its own patient catering service.
The 2014 return to high oil prices led to unexpected consequences for communities everywhere, people got together in ways not seen since the 1940’s to share transport to work and help neighbours left jobless by the global slump. It was this new community spirit coupled with the local transition movement that helped bring us to where we are today.
The Cooperative movement has flourished and has helped local people sell locally grown food and preserves much more easily. As car use has declined and repair of existing machinery has become much more economic, several local garages and dealerships have been utilised as repair shops not only for the new electric vehicles but for many types of household goods as well.
Perhaps the greatest success story has been the restoration of the lade from Larbert to just north of Carron Phoenix where small hydro-schemes now generate enough electricity to power the factory. Coupled with the new tidal barrage being build near Carronshore, Falkirk is quickly becoming a district for flair and innovation.
Now that governments have started to grasp the reality of a finite world and the need to be as self-sufficient as possible in everything, not just food, plans are underway to re-establish rail links to Alloa and Denny, establish workshops locally to build and maintain the growing number of solar panels and mini-wind generators, developing the fishing industries in the Forth now that pollution levels have reduced and salmon have returned in numbers to the river Carron. The tide is turning for our truly sustainable community!
Transition Town Larbert celebrated 10 years of success and local innovation at a special gala night in the Plough Hotel on Saturday evening. It was a feast night in the true spirit of transition with all the dishes prepared from local ingredients and washed down with the first batch of Falkirk’s very own pear cider!
The evening was an opportunity to look back over the past 10 years with pride at some real challenges over-come and pride in some of the ground work that has been laid for a sustainable future.
The transition group was set up initially to stimulate the local production of food during the recession years of 2009 to 2013. At that time most people were still unconvinced that oil shortages were imminent and those who took part at the beginning were just really keen to grow food locally and do their bit for the environment by reducing food miles.
It all started with the walled gardens at Larbert’s new hospital being made available as community allotments. Within a short time the Health Board was offering more land within the hospital estate for growing food and had even devised a (literally!) ground breaking scheme with local farmers to grow all the root and leaf vegetables it needed for its own patient catering service.
The 2014 return to high oil prices led to unexpected consequences for communities everywhere, people got together in ways not seen since the 1940’s to share transport to work and help neighbours left jobless by the global slump. It was this new community spirit coupled with the local transition movement that helped bring us to where we are today.
The Cooperative movement has flourished and has helped local people sell locally grown food and preserves much more easily. As car use has declined and repair of existing machinery has become much more economic, several local garages and dealerships have been utilised as repair shops not only for the new electric vehicles but for many types of household goods as well.
Perhaps the greatest success story has been the restoration of the lade from Larbert to just north of Carron Phoenix where small hydro-schemes now generate enough electricity to power the factory. Coupled with the new tidal barrage being build near Carronshore, Falkirk is quickly becoming a district for flair and innovation.
Now that governments have started to grasp the reality of a finite world and the need to be as self-sufficient as possible in everything, not just food, plans are underway to re-establish rail links to Alloa and Denny, establish workshops locally to build and maintain the growing number of solar panels and mini-wind generators, developing the fishing industries in the Forth now that pollution levels have reduced and salmon have returned in numbers to the river Carron. The tide is turning for our truly sustainable community!
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