TTH AGM – Sunday 25 November 2018
White Rock Hotel
Attended: approx. 30 people, including Core Team
Introduction
Andrea welcomes everyone and explains the structure of organization
Also talks about Healthy Cultures event that he and Sarah attended.
Community Garden
Alison and Chris talk about the garden including events held there and in Warrior Sq (Big Lunch)
Chris explains water problem and funding received from Quakers for water butts
Refill Scheme
Karen presented Refill, within the context of increasing use of SUP plastic bottles, many not being recycled. Refill continues growing in Hastings, with more stations being added all the time
Energy Group – ESC
Richard and Kate updated on recent activities:
meeting in Essen, Germany of community groups from across Europe, shows there is great potential
1066 Local Energy Campaign: old campus of East Sussex College is now a project in which everyone can invest, to install 1066 solar panels. Run by Brighton Energy Coop. Potential for ESC to take back the project if enough local shareholders
Model eco-home
Pier project stalled given the change in ownership
‘Dog poo’ lamp
Opportunity for new volunteers joining
bring new ideas for new projects
FIT ending in April 2019, so still opportunity to install panels on private roofs, or churches, mosques …
SOS
Update from Sarah. Inspired by Sustainable St Albans
Micro-festival, culminated in day-event at the Stade
Outlook is to repeat the festival and make it a regular event, with increased involvement of school and other community organisations
Q&A
Alison asked about Germany
Richard: people invest and don’t ask for a return. People in social housing get no benefit from solar roofs . This is about to change with new legislation – we need to lobby to make sure?
Give and take boxes in Essen, Berlin and Amsterdam
Swap shop aimed at refugees, wanting to find a use for the space to make it financially sustainable
Sherry thanks core group for all their hard work
Sarah thanks all the other volunteers who have been a great help
Q: if one was inspired to become more involved how would we do so, what would we come along to?
Alison: explains our meetings are now private but perhaps we should hold some public ones again
Chris: More film and talk nights, also looking for people who are up for offering time and effort
Karen: Green Drinks is a social event to come along to and introduce yourself and offer help
Andrea explains voting
TEA BREAK
Voting
Andrea announces the re-standing of Sarah as Co Chair, Alison and Andrea as Co Secretarys and Chris as Treasurer.
Sarah nominated Sherry Clarke as Co Chair, firsted by Sarah and Seconded by Julia
Talks
Julia Hilton
Julia talks about her Climate Emergency letter which she has drafted representing Hastings Green Party and the people of Hastings to address the threat posed by the recent IPCC report. Julia reads the letter out
Julia asks if anyone knows of
At council meetings any member of the public can ask a question and Julia is encouraging people to email questions.
Encouraging a town wide movement to step up and tackle this issue locally
Sheila – Bee Keepers Association
Explains how people can learn how to keep bees and to get in touch
People can help in other ways if they don’t want to keep bees, planting stuff in your garden to help bees pollinate , and food
Number of websites that have info on which plants to have in your garden
Weve got about 150 members and always welcoming more
Bees for development – help bee keepers in developing country in good practice at keeping bees abd help woth marketing to make it financially viable anf help the environment
Bees get a lot from trees as well as flowers
Q: do you do workshops?
S: Not really but we do courses. Few of us, all volunteers. Training courses every spring. Mantell Farm in Catsfield do course on all sorts
A tray of water with pebbles in (so they don’t drown) will help bees immensely when they’re pollinating
If you let your Ivy flower you’ll have bees all over it
Try and extend your flowering period
Honey bees are the only bees that ‘cluster’ rather than hibernate as a colony
The queens hibernate and some solitary bees
I’ve got leaflets if anyone wants to join
Colin Darbyshire – Surfers Against Sewage
Beach clean representative and
Joined SAS in 2014 because I use the water a lot as a Kite Surfer. Always picking stuff up
My daughter picked up a syringe and put it in her mouth when she was small – made me think about what I could do
Beach cleans regular feature in spring and autmn
93 people at the last one
Community leader since feb – talking with local businesses
9 businesses signed up to get on the road to being Plastic Free
working with community groups including Flag
also with the council and Forshore Trust
Working woth Fishermam now – a lot of rubbish there in old nets etc
Small supervised group doing fishing beach clean
Worked on a small area no bigger than this room and picked up a large mount of rubbish – fly tipping
Plastic Free Schools – phasing out SUPS and educating the next generation on cleaning up our mess
Working with clean up groups in country parks
Looking at acquiring funds from Head Office and FLAG for some signs along seafront
Plastic Free Schools:
Join the Resistance
On the Ground Action
Challenge the Government
Challenging Industry
You are the Resistance
Businesses awarded with recognition for phasing out SUPS with an award and sticker
Hoping to use old fishing nets for projcts by engaging with companies/orgs that make surf/skateboards out of old plastic
Visit Plastic Free Hastings on FB or email me at HYPERLINK “mailto:plasticfreehastings@gmail.com” plasticfreehastings@gmail.com
Q: what about safety of food – platic packaging is protecting food
This is a challenge but it would be about working with businesses to try and source more sustainable packaging
There are problems with that too – many plant-based packaging for example is only biodegradeable in an industrial composter
Sassie Yasamee – Eve Apple Press
Use excess apples to make apple juice so if anyone knows of any apples
Rachel Holtom
We want to roll out community lunches in the daytime – last week was a success. Every 3 months. Share food and share ideas
Lee
Doing a PhD in Energy Justice
Sharing Energy
Looking at how to help the energy transition
Want to move the question of energy generation from a concept to a practical step
Mischa
Daphne Lambert of Green Dining coming in Feb – 30 places at £12.50pp
She knows a great deal about the benefit of a food item on the body but also where it comes from and how exploitative
Chris – Finance
Our account fluctuates from between £1-2K
£1200 funding we received from Tesco’s Bags of Help is set aside for the community Mosaic at the station
