Welcome.

Ealing Transition is being formed now by ordinary members of the community concerned with adapting to the imminent challenges of peak oil and climate change. Join us (or contact us by email at steering@ealingtransition.org.uk or by using this form).

Forthcoming Events and Initiatives

12th February 10.30am: Orchard Planting - Heathfields Nature Reserve, Acton

Do you live in Acton? We have been working with the Mill Hill Residents' Association, Ealing Council Rangers, Acton High School and the London Orchard Project to establish a small orchard of mostly heritage fruits (apples, plums, pears etc). Join us to plant a tree on at 10.30am on Sunday 12th February at the Heathfields Nature Reserve next to Acton High School. This is on Gunnersbury Lane, between Acton Town Tube and the Uxbridge Road. Tools, trees etc will be provided - no experience required! We are also looking for local people to help us with watering for the next couple of summers. It would very helpful if you could e-mail Grant (grantvenner@yahoo.co.uk) in advance so we have a rough idea of the numbers attending.

Sunday 4th March, 7.30pm: Film Showing: The Power of Community

Back by popular demand and as relevant as ever, this is a re-showing of a film we first aired in 2009. At that time, there were just a few people on our database - now we have over 1200! We hope those who have not had a chance to see this inspiring film will join us.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half - and food by 80 percent - people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the sense of community and the sheer creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis - the massive reduction of fossil fuels - is an example of options and hope.

As usual the film will be shown at St Mary's Church, St Mary's Road Ealing W5 5RH. Entry is free but we will ask for donations after the film to help us to cover costs.

Your Chance to Get Involved!

Thanks to all who attended our showing of Permaculture, the Growing Edge. After the film we harnessed your collective genius to explore ways forward for Ealing Transition. As a result, we are looking for people to run, or help run a series of projects. No experience is necessary - just enthusiasm, energy and a desire to do something practical and positive. This is also a great opportunity to meet some interesting new people and develop a real sense of community. Members of the steering group will of course be on hand to help.

Do you have a skill you would like to pass on? Could you help organise our next reskilling day?

We have had a lot of fantastic feedback about our reskilling day last October, at which people learned new (or old) skills, from making bread and keeping bees to saving energy and mending clothes. We are looking for people to build on the learnings from the last event, and people with new skills they would like to pass on.

Is there an empty flower bed or piece of unloved, rough ground near you? Is there a public place you know of which could be made beautiful with a few vegetables - a train station, or a bus stop? Could your street compost its own garden waste? We want to reinvent the ‘Queen of the Suburbs' with a growing space on every street.

This project builds on the successes of our community garden group, which has regenerated an allotment plot and is now running the whole site. The same group will shortly plant its second community orchard, and is at the heart of the regeneration of the kitchen garden in Walpole Park. We have loads of gardeners, and we can help you make contact with landowners and rangers.

Are you a storyteller, a journalist, blogger or film-maker? Could you get Ealing Transition into the headlines? We need a team to start magnifying the effect of our work, making our website work harder, using social media to its greatest potential, making presentations to groups around the borough etc.

Could you run a Transition group? Do you have like-minded people near you who want to do something positive, practical, and creative? We have helped groups get started in Brentford and Chiswick; a group is forming in Southall, and there are parties interested in Greenford. Maybe you could run a Transition group on your street, or use it as a way of bringing together a block of flats - the more local your group is, the better. We have three years' worth of knowledge and resources in place now, and can help you make a start. If we can do it, so can you!

What can local businesses do to manage the transition to a more sustainable future? We'd like to set up a basic local business package, with local inter-business co-operation, better energy usage and perhaps a local loyalty scheme. If you run a local business and want to explore these ideas further, contact us.

Have you made energy improvements to your house - insulation, draughtproofing etc? Ealing is full of leaky, draughty buildings and we want to create a knowledge bank so people can understand how they can make their houses more energy efficient. We are looking for people to write up their energy saving experiences and build a directory of local suppliers on our website.