Initiating Group meeting minutes – Mon 16th May 2011

[George Latham]

Initiating Group meeting minutes – Mon 16th May 2011

 

Attending: Careen Hertzog, Elaine Henderson, Nadezhda Rojas, Chris Wells, John Smith, George Latham, Michael Stuart.

• Firstly with thanks to David Young, who is going to step down from the Initiating Group for the moment in order to concentrate on the BeeKeeping Group and the 5-ways community allotment.
• John is considering setting up a vegetable box scheme in the Carlton Vale area. He has a number of contacts with Covent Garden and through work at Whole Foods that he will use to research the plan.  The idea will be to involve those who use the scheme in helping to run it – a ‘people’s veg box scheme’. John is going to contact Marjory Fraser re her contacts at William Dunbar/ William Saville House from the allotment project, and Miko Adam-Kando who previously expressed an interest in such a scheme.
• Chris and John are going to start up a Communications and PR Group. They will be looking for more volunteers to help form a group that will aim to develop PR opportunities (contacts with local newspapers etc), Promoting events, getting newsletters out and so on.
• Harvest Supper.  The brilliant CutAShine have agreed to return for this year’s Harvest Supper on Sat 15^th Oct.  Careen will lead on organising this event.  We would like to do this as a joint event together with Friends of Salusbury.  Salusbury Primary School have agreed to let us have the school hall again, but we haven’t yet agreed costs.
• Harvest Festival on Sun 9^th (weekend before the Harvest Supper). 10-2pm – same time as Farmer’s Market. George will lead on organising the daytime Harvest Festival.  Need to contact farmer’s market to discuss, and hope to involve the groups – ie food, buildings and energy, bees etc.
• Careen has been working with students at QPCS to make an ‘energy bike’ that we will be able to use at events.  There will be two bike stands – one which drives a blender for making smoothies, the other which drives a mobile phone charger.  This will be a great piece of equipment to have available to use on TT stalls at fairs etc.  It won’t be ready in time for the London Green Fair, but should be soon afterwards. It is quite expensive.  TT Kensal to Kilburn likely to contribute £200, Cycletastic the same, with the majority of the cost being covered by the school, but hopefully later recovered through sponsorship. The design is by http://electricpedals.com/
• Careen has been exploring doing a screening of a documentary director’s cut of Plastiki (http://www.theplastiki.com/) the boat made from 12000 plastic bottles that sailed the Pacific.  We hope to do a screening in the autumn with talks from members of the crew.  George to talk to the Lexi.
• Nadezhda’s falafel workshop with Spice Caravan was very popular. There is enthusiasm for doing more cooking workshops, with one on Thai food suggested.  The issue is the cost of the school kitchen. We are going to try to negotiate a better cost, so that the workshops can be very cheap or free, or perhaps use the smaller kitchen in the caretaker’s lodge, or look for another venue.
• We are aiming to have an AGM during July. The idea is to have a showing of The Economics of Happiness at the Lexi, followed by the formal part of the AGM and a more informal World Café to involve members in helping to build a long term vision what for Transition Kensal to Kilburn is trying to achieve. The Lexi have suggested a couple of dates, George needs to follow up and confirm and to speak to Green Sundays to arrange.
• We should consider showing films at the Tabernacle (especially during summer!).  Also think about doing an outdoor screening with BEST resident’s association in Postbox square, Hazlemere Road.
• Careen has a stall at the Kensal Flea Market on 25^th June.  This seems to be a good regular event that we should have a presence at.
• The Queens Park Book Festival is on 11^th June.  We would like to organise a book swap at the event.  Idea to ask people to put a post-it note on books that they donate explaining what they liked or thought about the book. John will be leading on organising this.
• Chris and team collected 30 email addresses at the Willesden Green Fair of people who are interested in helping to start up Transition Willesden Green.  First meeting on 7^th June, Chris attending, Viv Stein organising.
• Kilburn Jubilee Line underground station community allotment starting up on 29^th May – Sanchia Holmes leading (event on the website)
• Chris is attending the Transition Network conference in Liverpool on 8-11 July.
• Michael is organising a meeting of Abundance Fruit Harvesters on 7^th June at 5-ways residents hall (moved from 14^th as food group meeting on 15^th, and buildings and energy on 16^th so would have been too much in one week).

Next meeting of Initiating Group 28^th June