The Common Treasury talks lockdown on Hastings Isolation Station.

Claire Doran talks to Rob Hopkins and Maff Potts

The Common Treasury of Adaptable Ideas is running weekly community conversations on Isolation Station Hastings.

Imagining Life Beyond Lockdown are online conversations that include people from many of the projects featured at Common Treasury past events such as Rob Hopkins from the Transition Town Network.

Catch up on the previous conversations on Hastings Isolation Station.

Visit the Common Treasury website to find out more.

SOS festival programme is LIVE!

The printed programme is hot off the press! Look out for it around town over the coming weeks or download a PDF version here. SoS_Programme_digital Download

With more than 60 events and activities across 9 days the festival spans Hastings and Rother, from Winchelsea in the East to Bexhill in the west.

With each event taking a different approach to promoting a sustainable future the programme has something for all ages and many activities are free to attend.

Highlights include the Car Free Day street party (Sunday 22nd September, 12pm until 6pm) as Hastings marks the international event for the first time, turning the seafront road into community space for socialising, alfresco dining, entertainment and play.

The festival culminates in The Big Green Fair at the Stade (Sunday 29th September, 11:00am – 6:00pm) bringing together a wide range of local stallholders in an ethical marketplace, a programme of talks on sustainability issues, craft and culinary workshops, great food, entertainment and info stands for various local environmental campaigns.

Deadline for entry in SOS printed programme August 5th. It’s free!

There is now limited time left to add your project, event, action, offer to our sustainable festival programme for free! Register today at www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk/register-your-event

Check out events so far at www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk/events
SOS 2019 takes place Sept 21-29 across Hastings/St Leonards/Rother.
#Hastings #bexhill #stleonards #sustainability #community #actlocal #thinkglobal #climatecrisis #transition #transitiontown #2019 #SOS #festival

Register an event for free for Sustainability on Sea 2019

www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk/register-your-event/

The time has come for businesses and local groups to get involved with our eco-friendly festival: Sustainability on Sea.The festival will take place between Saturday 21st-Sunday 29th September 2019, culminating in an all-day Big Green Fair with stall holders, information stands, talks, activities for children and entertainment.

The theme this year will be “What we can do” showcasing the meaningful things we can all do to live more sustainably.

Last year we had a whole mix of events from speaker events, beach cleans, walks, bike rides, work- shops and family fun days.

It’s a chance for individuals to share their interests and get others involved, for businesses to organise events to bring new customers through the door and for green organisations to showcase what they do.

We welcome all ideas! Here’s some more inspiration:

  • A day of learning about climate change at a youth group or school.
  • Planting a community space.
  • Walks and cycle rides.
  • Litter picks and tackling plastic waste.
  • A day of sustainable food at your café.
  • Plant based food cookery lessons.
  • Launching a campaign.
  • Eco fashion show.

What people thought of last year’s Sustainability on Sea Festival:

“Well organised lots of information” “Great! Lots of useful info, goodies and optimism”  “All  stalls very interesting – not too texty or selling”  “Loads for kids, very interested in electricity and bikes” “Really useful – good to see a very diverse range of groups” “Absolutely excellent! Lovely to see the level of optimism” “10/10 would come again”

We’ve had an extremely positive response to our call out already. Local people are very aware of the issues around climate change and are keen to get involved in the festival.

Read the FAQs for more info.

To get involved please email: info@sustainabilityonsea.org.uk or call Kate on 07840 485344. Or simply sign up today:

www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk/register-your-event/

Deadline for inclusion: 20th July 2019

Call out for participation in Sustainability on Sea Festival 2019

The Sustainability on Sea (SOS) festival acts as a showcase for local projects inspiring local residents, young and old, to learn, explore and try the latest in all things environmentally friendly, whilst also having fun.

After a successful pilot of SOS Festival in September 2018, Transition Town Hastings, along with other local partners, have started planning for this year.

The festival will take place between Saturday 21st–Sunday 29th September 2019, tying in nicely with World Car Free Day (Sep 22) and culminating with an all-day Big Green Fair on the 29th. The Green Fair will have stall holders, information stands, talks, activities for children and entertainment.

The theme this year will be What we can do, encouraging everyone to live more sustainably, in small or big ways.

We invite you to take part in one or all of the following ways:

  • Volunteer your time to help the festival team plan and run the festival.
  • Take part as an organisation, school, community group, church group, local project or business. Plan an activity that we can add to our programme.
  • Add an event or activity to the programme that you know is already happening.
  • Sign up as a stallholder, information stand or activity for the Big Green Fair.
  • Let us know of any burning ideas that you would like to try out as part of the festival.

How to get in touch

info@sustainabilityonsea.org.uk

SOS is a Transition Town Hastings project in partnership with Hastings Furniture Service, Energise Sussex Coast and the Bexhill and Hastings United Nations Association.

Visit the website to see last year’s programme and to find out more.www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk

Hastings first community energy investment offer!

Energise Sussex Coast (ESC) have announced the launch of the 1066 community energy offer.

You are invited to join them for the launch event on 13 December 2018, 5:30–7:30pm at East Sussex College, Station Plaza.

This is the first community energy investment offer in Hastings. ESC, in partnership with Brighton Energy Coop, are raising £180,000 through community shares to fund 250 kilowatts of solar panels (roughly 1066 panels as it happens) on East Sussex College. The college will save roughly £4250 per year on its energy bills.

Living in a solar town was something I dreamed of when co-founding Energise Sussex Coast in 2012. And here, hopefully, is the beginning of it.
Richard Watson, ESC director

The offer is open to anyone but they are especially keen to invite as many local residents, local businesses and community organisations as possible to invest in the future of the college and Hastings.

With the transformation of the energy market underway ESC hope that excess power generated during weekends and holiday periods can be sold to local residents in the Ore Valley at affordable prices.

By investing in 1066 community energy you are supporting the transition to low carbon energy and a fairer energy future and will receive a reasonable return on your investment.

Celebrating sustainable practices at The Big Green Fair

Transition Town Hastings will be exhibiting at the Big Green Fair this Sunday.

We have been working on a new festival launched this month called Sustainability on Sea bringing together local groups and initiatives working to make Hastings and St Leonards a more sustainable place to live. They are tackling important issues like single use plastic, a need for affordable housing and cheaper energy bills, healthy eating habits and growing our own food and using cleaner forms of transport.

The festival closes with The Big Green Fair, an all day event at the Stade in Hastings Old Town which takes place this Sunday, 30 Sept between 11-4. Entry is free.

Expect a variety of stall holders selling eco wares as well as information stalls and activities for families from Source BMX, Bike Lab Hastings, Co-wheels car sharing scheme, Refill Hastings, Plastic Free Hastings, Hastings Furniture Service, Hastings Fermentory, Hastings and Rother Beekeepers Association. Energise Sussex Coast, the organisers of the fair, will have information about how to save energy and money on your energy bills.

Bring along your bicycle to get a free bike check from Bike Lab Hastings. Kids can try out BMX bikes from Source BMX, play solar powered retro arcade games, make pompoms with plastic bags, plant seeds and have a go on bikes that generate electricity. There will be information about ways to make electricity from sunlight, wind, flowing water as well as some unusual ways such as used on Mars, electrostatically, from bent crystals and from lemons (yes, lemons!). The East Hill Sunshine Band and comedian Helen Keen will provide entertainment alongside a solar powered cinema.

Drop by for the programme of talks and demos on composting, plastic recycling, sustainable housing, Alexander Technique, Transition Town movement and permaculture in the garden.

Something for everyone young and old!

Visit the website for more details: http://www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk

Launch of Hastings Refill

Project aims to save people money and reduce plastic pollution

Saturday 22 September, 10am – 4pm, St Mary in the Castle, Hastings: Hastings Green Party and Transition Town Hastings [2] will be launching a new water bottle refill scheme for Hasting next Saturday (22 September) at the Ocean Symposium [3] at St Mary in the Castle.

Over fifty local businesses in Hastings have already signed up to the scheme.

Julia Hilton of Hastings Green party said: ‘The Hastings Refill scheme [4] is part of a nationwide initiative to reduce plastic pollution and save people money by encouraging them to carry and refill a water bottle rather than constantly buying plastic water bottles [5]. Wherever you see one of the blue ‘Free Tap Water Available Here’ stickers on display, you’ll know you’re welcome to ask for a free refill. Or you can download the app from https://www.refill.org.uk, which makes it quick, easy and free to find out where to refill on the go.’

Sarah Macbeth of Transition Town Hastings added: ‘We’ve all heard of the phrase; reduce, reuse, recycle. Often recycle is where the focus lies. But with this scheme, we’re going straight to the heart of the matter: reduce! According to recent research British households are failing to recycle as many as 16m plastic bottles every day – nearly half the total used [6]. By refilling bottles we can help reduce this waste while also taking away the need for recycling, itself a complicated process when it comes to plastics.’

Any café, restaurant or business with easy access to water can sign up to be part of the scheme, either using the online app at https://www.refill.org.uk or by emailing refillhastings@gmail.com.

NOTES

[1] https://hastings.greenparty.org.uk
[2] https://www.transitiontownhastings.org.uk
[3] The Ocean Symposium will run from 10am – 4.00 pm at St Mary’s in the Castle on Saturday 22 September. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ocean-symposium-2018-and-marine-exhibition-tickets-46801977976
[4] https://www.refill.org.uk/refill-scheme/refill-hastings

[5] https://www.refill.org.uk
[6] ‘British households fail to recycle a ‘staggering’ 16m plastic bottles a day’, Guardian, 15 October 2016,https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/15/british-households-fail-to-recycle-a-staggering-16m-plastic-bottles-a-day

Sustainability on Sea festival this September!

Transition Town Hastings and Energise Sussex Coast are jointly coordinating a new festival all about sustainable practices in the local area.

Join us on Sept 21-30 for some inspiring events including nature walks, talks, demos, debates and tips on reducing plastic, a DIY solar workshop and more. We are also proud to promote events by local groups such as Sussex Wildlife Trust, Surfers Against Sewage, OVESCO, Hastings Furniture Service and Pier to Eternity.

The aim is to promote a sustainable future encouraging positive behaviour change and supporting and promoting those who are playing their role towards this goal.

The festival finale event is a Big Green Fair on the Stade Open Space, Stade hall and Classroom on the Coast. The day will include talks, demos, art workshops, food workshops, bike checks, music, local information stalls and eco products for sale. Not to be missed!

See www.sustainabilityonsea.org.uk for more details.

Refill scheme in Hastings

Along with Surfs Against Sewage we’re establishing a Refill scheme in the Hastings area. We’re asking venues, cafes, bars, restaurants etc if they will agree to refill water bottles for free in an aim to reduce the amount of single use plastic being used.

The Refill Scheme is taking the country by storm! Refill recently won Gold at the Global Good Awards for ‘Best Environmental Behaviour Change’. There are now over 1600 Refill stations across the country and that number is set to rise steeply as London joins the movement with the support of Thames Water and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Refill now have a new promotional video which had 150,000 views on Facebook in its first few days.

Refill Hastings now has 23 stations signed up and we will continue to sign up more. We are now receiving support from a newly appointed regional coordinator who is helping us with the formalities and a promotional plan.

We’ve just set up a Refill Hastings Facebook Page  so do give us a like!
Don’t forget to download the Refill App to find all refill stations or to add one yourself! If you want to sign a venue up to the scheme do let us know and we’ll give you a sticker for the window and the necessary info.