Events 2008 (free unless otherwise stated)

Heart & Hand: Tues 18th November 7.00-9.30 pm £3 / £2, Friends Meeting House, St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW.

Extraordinary times pose extraordinary challenges and opportunities. 

An experiential participatory workshop responding to our tendencies to turn away from the overwhelming problems of our world, supporting us in reconnecting with our hearts and inspiring us to take action. Time to take personal power for the planet!

Organised by Transition Oxford and Oxfordshire ClimateXchange
Please register in advance, email jo@climatex.org / tel 275 856

Food and Climate Change – talk by Chris Goodall: 7pm, Thursday 20 th November , Balliol College, free

Slow Food Student and Transition Oxford Food Roots have invited Chris Goodall to talk at Balliol College about the effect of food on climate change. He is an award winning author and newspaper columnist. He also publishes www.carboncommentary.com . This should be a very informative evening and hopefully a stimulating debate.

Please see http://oxford-university.slowfood-student.org.uk for further details.

Transition Pathways for Oxford: 6.30 – 8.30pm, Tuesday 25 th November , The Old Music Hall, 106-108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE, £3 (concessions - £2) on the door, to cover room hire etc.

Would you like to be involved in designing Oxford's transition to become resilient to climate change, peak oil and other challenges?  Through 2009 Transition Oxford will work with groups in our community to develop the first draft of Oxford's pathways plan   –  setting out a vision and strategy for life in Oxford beyond fossil fuels. 

At this gathering we plan to discuss the structure for involving everyone in the work, invite people to contribute in whatever ways they wish, and agree on how to take Transition Oxford forward.

Climate Change and Peak Oil and Economic Meltdown: The Reality Show, 7.30pm, Tuesday 9 th December , Friends Meeting House, St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW. £4

Small Pond Theatre will ask you to share your experiences, hopes, dreams, fears and challenges of climate change and peak oil, and then perform them on the stage before your very eyes.

Co-direct your own show or just sit back and relax, while professional actors bring to life your real life dramas and eco-fantasies.

Jeer at George Bush in the dock, cry at yourself in the Tesco queue, or thrill to the spectacle of your fantasies coming true. Whatever the audience brings to the event, that is what you will see performed.

Further info : jonnyhoskins@yahoo.co.uk .

Transition Village Eynsham

A message from Rosalind Kent:

"I am a resident of Eynsham and much concerned about the effects of Global Warming and Peak Oil. I am much encouraged by finding a Transition Town so close to Eynsham. I have read The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins and I think that he has a very interesting and hopeful idea. I am therefore looking to form a core group of Eynsham residents with a view to starting Transition Village Eynsham ."

If you are interested, or you know anyone in Eynsham who is interested, ask them to email transitionoxford@gmail.com and we will forward messages to Rosalind.

The Food Programme

For those interested in the food aspects of Transition Towns, BBC Radio 4 recently broadcast two relevant programmes exploring the issues around a sustainable food policy.  They are available to listen to on BBC iPlayer for the next few weeks.  The first one was broadcast on Sunday 19 October and is entitled 'The Fife Diet'.  The second was broadcast a week later and at the time of writing is the 'latest edition'.  See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme.shtml

There's lots else going on in Oxford, here's how to find out about it:

Subscribe to a fortnightly (ish) newsletter with climate change news and events in Oxfordshire by sending a blank email to: climatex-subscribe@climatex.org (Oxfordshire ClimateXchange)

Receive announcements about climate change events and training send a blank e-mail to: oxford-events-subscribe@coinet.org.uk (COIN)

View a list of local climate change events: www.oxfordismyworld.org (Oxford Is My World)

Past Events

Community Tree Planting

Our first event, a Community Tree Planting on Saturday 8 March was a huge success. Around 50 people of all ages showed up to help, and the weather held off until right at the end. It was a very sociable and productive affair. We planted a Hazel coppice of 650 hazels, plus a further 100 mixed gean (wild cherry) and crab apple.

It was a true joint effort, a partnership between Transition Oxford, Forest of Oxford, and Oxford City Council Parks Dept. Funding was provided by Green Accountancy, Blackwell Publishing and Oxford City Council. Volunteers attended from Oxford Quakers, the Sunnymead Environment Group, Friends of Cutteslowe Park and Cutteslowe Primary School. We had beautiful banners made by Kealan and Stig and direction-signs made by local kids, as well as locally brewed tea!

If you want to go visit the baby trees, they are in Cutteslowe, N Oxford, on Oxford City Parks Dept land North of the Ring Road, on (or just outside) the SE corner of Cutteslowe Park.

Thanks to all who helped! It was truly a fun event.

Rob Hopkins Talk: “Planning for Life After Oil - The Transition Concept”

The Transition Towns concept has been growing in popularity around the U.K. since Rob Hopkins unleashed “Transition Town Totnes”, in Totnes, Devon in Sept 2006. Read a report about the first ever Transition Oxford event when around 200 people came to hear Rob Hopkins speak about the Transition Concept.

Wolfson Film Society & Transition Oxford: The Wednesday Documentaries.

For info on Transition Films please see the Resources page

Reconnecting with the land and the origins of our local food, North Aston Organic farm, Saturday 28th June, 10am-4pm

For details about this event see the Food Roots page or email food@transitionoxford.org.uk.

Measuring your Carbon Footprint: Sunday 13th July, 2.30 - 5.30, Friends Meeting House, St Giles, Oxford

For details on this event see the Alternative Skills page, or email skills@transitionoxford.org.uk

Transition and Spirituality: Sunday 20th July, 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles.

Please e-mail laurie@livingwitness.org.uk if you would like to be involved in this group in the future.

Sneak Preview Screening of 'The Age of Stupid': July 22nd, 7pm, Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street.

Followed by Q&A with director Franny Armstrong and Layefa Malin (Nigerian star of the film). Further info: mim@coinet.org.uk

Peak oil, oil price expectations and climate change: Wed 1st Oct 7.30 pm, Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles, Oxford.

A talk exploring peak oil and climate change with Dr Bassam Fattouh (Oxford Institute for Energy Studies), and Dr Christian Jardine (Environmental Change Institute). Further info www.climatex.org .

Chris Johnstone – The Psychology of Inspired Action: Tues 14th October 7.00-9.30pm £4 / £3, Oxford Castle Key Learning Centre, Oxford Castle

Dr Chris Johnstone introduces psychological tools and insights that can make a difference for anyone wanting to take the next step on the climate journey. See www.climatex.org for further info.