May 2016 Newsletter

A round up of news and views

Permaculture meets Marlborough-in-Bloom - The Permaculture Group has been invited to participate in this year's Marlborough-in-Bloom. We have just planted bee-friendly edibles in two planters outside the RSPCA shop and one opposite Pino's Restaurant. We intend to demonstrate how to integrate flowers and vegetables in a small space to attract bees. Find out more here...

Bee-friendly gardens - how bee-friendly is your garden? Honey bees are declining due to the lack of wild flower meadows and pesticide-free forage on our farm land, while bumblebees and solitary bees are discouraged by tidy gardens, full of bedding plants and manicured lawns. Are you prepared to let a few weeds grow and create some wild spaces in your garden? We are planning to create a map of bee-friendly gardens between Marlbrough and Pewsey in order to provide safe forage for all types of bees. Find out more here... Did you know that you can take part in Friends of the Earth's 'Great British bee-count' from the 19th May to 30th June? Go to www.foe.co.uk/page/bee-cause to get your Bee-Saver Kit. 

Can business learn from natural systems? - Milly is investigating ways of applying permaculture principles to business practices. Could 'integration' and working with 'edges' apply? Milly recently gave a talk on her experiences so far, to the Farringdon Business Breakfast Club.  Read her short report, here... 

The picture on the left shows some of this year's permaculture course participants exploring the web of life and how biodiversity can collapse when one small element or species is removed from the ecosystem.

Improving access to Bedwyn station - the Transport Group has been invited to meet with Great Western Railway's Development Manager on 9th June to discuss ways of improving access to the rail network for vulnerable groups.

Marlborough's Neighbourhood Plan - Two members of TM have volunteered their time to attend Neighbourhood Planning meetings, alongside Town Councillors and other members of the community. This process provides a statutory right for local people to influence development and growth in their area. Within parameters, they are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided. This process is a long one involving plenty of consultation but, once a plan is published, it becomes part of the planning system for helping to determine planning applications. So far we have been able to ensure that energy efficient homes, air quality and lack of public transport are addressed by the plan.

The first of several public consultations that will take place during this process will be held in the Town Hall on Saturday, 18th June – 9.30am -  4.30pm. Look out for TM's display on air quality.

Carbon pricing - Is it an effective tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Judy Hindley and Brian Utton argue that a fee on carbon will provide the economic incentive for investors to quickly bring new green technologies to scale. You can read their recent, excellent Guardian article 'What Sir David King gets wrong about carbon pricing' here... 

Thanks

The Transition Marlborough team