Welcome to Swap and Share, another step towards a sustainable future.

Many people already use Freecycle, via the internet, on a regular basis to pass on their unwanted items to others nearby, and to get things that they need. Now, for those who don’t have access to the internet, or have not heard of Freecycle, we are running a Swap and Share event in Honiton, so that everyone has access to quality goods at no cost.

How does it work?

Simply bring any unwanted goods to Mackarness Hall next to St Paul’s church on the High Street on Saturday 25^th February, pay £1 entrance fee, (towards the hire of the hall) and leave them with us, to be shared among anyone who comes along on the day. Even those who don’t have any goods to donate can choose items for themselves: as long as it’s kept out of landfill, it’s a win-win situation!

Thank you for your time

Look forward to seeing you there!

BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH TO PERFORM AT DEVON’S ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter, EX1 1BU

Sunday 27 November 2011

10am-4.30pm

FREE ENTRY

Benjamin Zephaniah, the nation’s favourite performance poet, will be the special guest at this year’s South West Christmas Without Cruelty Festival on November 27. Benjamin will be reading poems (at around midday), signing books and chatting with visitors.

The pioneering, eco-friendly Festival offers visitors the chance to buy Christmas cards and innovative, cruelty-free gifts in the sure knowledge that they are supporting good causes and creative local companies. Products will range from fairtrade clothes and jewellery to cosmetics and skin care products, handmade chocolates, games for children, pottery and oils made in Palestine and sold to provide poverty relief for the local population, wildlife photographs, and Devon grown olive trees.

Everything on sale will be free from animal products.

Charitable organisations taking part include Survival International, CND and the Palestine Solidarity Group, Devon Wildlife Trust, Sea Shepherd, the League Against Cruel Sports and the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection – emphasizing the core message of non-violence to people, animals and the environment. The South West Green Party will also be there.

According to Mark Gold, who is organising the Festival for Animal Aid,

‘We’re particularly thrilled that Benjamin Zephaniah has kindly agreed to join us this year and add another great attraction to our popular festival. We’ve really built the event up over the last four years and it’s been wonderful to see increasing numbers of visitors seeking to buy imaginative and unique presents for their family and friends.

It’s part of the ethos of the Festival to keep admission free, so that people can spend everything they can afford at the stalls. At the same time, we want them to feel they’ve had a special and fun day out, so we also have a fabulous restaurant and great live music – as well as Benjamin’s guest appearance, of course.’ Photo from www.benjaminzephaniah.com

For further details of the South West Christmas Without Cruelty Festival contact Mark Gold on 01395 579353 (07796 581915) or email mark.54.gold@googlemail.com

The first Honiton Transition Town meeting takes place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 28th September at Montgomery’s on the High Street (next to Ganesha Health Food Shop). We will have representatives from other local transition towns and hopefully a bunch of interested, enthusiastic local people.

We will be discussing the possibility of starting our own transition group and the way forward. I will be chairing the meeting and representing the town council, who agreed to support such an initiative earlier this year. Please add a comment below if you are able to attend, so we have an idea of how many people are coming and most importantly please pass on a link to this page to anyone who you thing might be interested. Montgomery’s is very kindly giving us this meeting space free of charge, so it would be nice if everyone bought a drink or two in order to support this local business which is kindly supporting us!

A Transition Initiative (which could be a town, village, university or island etc) is a community-led response to the pressures of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and increasingly, economic contraction. For more info on the transition network, see www.transitionnetwork.org

The Issues and Options Consultation Report is being published on 28 April 2011, with the consultation period extending to 21 July 2011. The Consultation Report, together with supporting documents, will be available from 28 April on the County Council’s online consultation facility, which allows responses to be submitted easily online.

NEW mayor David Rickard has come under fire from church leaders after axing prayers at council meetings in Bridport. Coun Rickard, 66, has insisted upon a short time of quiet contemplation at the full meetings of Bridport Town Council instead of the Lord’s Prayer. Read the full story here.

Here’s another report on it - Mr Rickard said he was surprised by the reaction. ”After all, it’s not a religious service, it is a council meeting,” he said. “I personally find it anachronistic when the majority of people no longer go to church.

Ok, maybe it isn’t all Barbie’s fault. Mattel, the company behind the malevolent mannequin, is the one responsible and this new global investigation has uncovered the links between Mattel and our old friends, the notorious Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). Which is why activists dressed as Ken have scaled Mattel’s headquarters in Los Angeles, while back in the UK Greenpeace has helped spread the word about Ken’s announcement with a guerrilla advertising campaign launched in Piccadilly Circus and with adverts on bus stops and tube lines.

By analysing the fibres in Barbie packaging and digging into the commercial links between various companies, Greenpeace has been able to link the carbon-rich forests and peatlands of Indonesia with the packaging of toys on sale in shops around the world. The trail leads directly from Mattel to APP and its suppliers in a chain of destruction that spans the globe.

And it’s not just Mattel; catch up with how Greenpeace has exposed Hasbro, Disney and Lego for also using paper fibre from Indonesia’s rainforests here.

]]> http://www.sharonpavey.org/stop-mattel-destroying-rainforests-for-toy-packaging/feed/ 0 http://www.sharonpavey.org/dru-yoga-in-honiton/ http://www.sharonpavey.org/dru-yoga-in-honiton/#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 09:49:13 +0000 sharon http://www.sharonpavey.org/?p=1377 Dru yoga is a graceful and potent form of yoga, based on flowing movements, directed breathing and visualisation. With its foundation set firmly in ancient yogic tradition, Dru works on body, mind and spirit – improving strength and flexibility, creating core stability, building a heightened feeling of positivity and deeply relaxing and rejuvenating your whole being. Designed to be practised by people of all abilities, all fitness levels and all age groups, Dru is a style of yoga that can be quickly dipped into or learnt in more depth over a lifetime.

The classes usually follow a pattern of fun ‘activations’ to warm up, a flowing sequence to release tension in the joints, a couple of postures with ‘body preparations’ (warming up specific muscles) and modifications where necessary, and a lovely long deep relaxation at the end. Recent comments from new students were, ‘I slept all night for the first time in 5 years’ and ‘The day after the class my back was saying ‘Thank you’ to me all day’.

The Honiton classes, 6pm-7.30pm and 7.45pm-9.15pm, are held in the lovely, warm, clean and carpeted room at Honiton Methodist Church on Thursday evenings but due to an existing booking it is only available three weeks out of four . Normally the classes run for the first three Thursdays in a month, but this can vary so its best to check dates with me if you intend to try out the classes. The drop in rate from April is £7.00 per class but if you pay in advance for three or more classes you pay £5.50 per class. April dates – 7th, 14th and 21st. All enquiries welcome.

imogengroves@gmail.com

07530060067

01404 812348

“Dru yoga makes me feel amazing and I want to share it with others!”

Imogen Groves (member of the Professional Register of Dru Yoga Teachers)

Bookings are now open for the Little Green Gathering, organised by Hampshire Green Parties members and held at the Sustainability Centre on the South Downs near Petersfield on 15-17 July.  Great for chilling out, green politics, music and arts and crafts – plus a wonderful setting with sustainable camping and all veggie food.  This far, confirmed attendees include: Seize the Day, a waggon load of Green Councillors; an MP, MEP, the Lord Major of Oxford and Professor Fiddlesticks – What’s not to like?

There are more than sixty activities in several places around the wooded site.  We have singing and drawing workshops, camp-fires, wildlife “safaris” and lessons on herbalism and Target-to-Win; a theatre group, artists, a harpist and poets in residence; performance music, theatre, art and poetry; games and teas for kids; banner-making in a yurt (come away with your new local party banner); debates on NVDA, carbon-counting, the “Left” and Trident; a real-nappy fashion show … and a man who is going to tell us how to design eco-domes.
Numbers are limited so book now.  See http://southeast.greenparty.org.uk/region/southeast/little-green-gathering.html for more details and a downloadable booking form or contact Tim Dawes at tim@nineveh.co.uk or 02392 470592

Save Energy, Save Money, Live Better

Thursday March 24th 2011 at 7.30 p.m. The King’s School

Sustainable Ottery have organised a talk to coincide with ‘Climate Week’, on Thursday 24th March at 7.30 in The King’s School which will look at why it is imperative to become more energy-efficient from both an environmental and an economic stand-point. We are pleased to announce that taking part will be Derrick Ryall, who is the Head of Climate Change at the Met. Office who will talk about climate change, its causes, the most up-to-date predictions and the implications for us in the future. Also speaking will be energy advisors with help and tips on how we can reduce our energy consumption in the home and also transport i.e. reduce your fuel bills as well as your carbon footprint. We hope to have lots of information on hand to help you keep your bills down, what grants are available to help you make your home more energy-efficient, local car-sharing and lift-sharing scheme, renewable energy etc. If you bring along an idea of your annual gas and electricity usage (kW/h), then we may be able to calculate your carbon footprint on the night (wi-fi permitting!)

With larger-than-ever energy bills dropping through your letter box and petrol costing a day’s wage to fill-up the car, you can’t afford to miss this. For more details or if you require help with transport to the meeting, then please ring Jill Dixon on 01404 811067 orinfo@sustainableottery.org.uk

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