“For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly rebuild resilience to mitigate the effects of fossil fuel depletion - Peak Oil -  and drastically reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of Climate Change?”

Colchester is in transition. People across the town are helping to build an exciting and sustainable future for us all: developing community gardens; growing more food; sharing gardens; generating renewable energy; establishing bee-hives; reducing car usage and so on. While people are working hard on their own projects they don’t always get the chance to come together and meet with others. Transition Town Colchester (TTC) is an opportunity to bring people together under one “umbrella” grouping to help them discover areas of common ground, share ideas and stimulate other projects. For example, building a database of Colchester-based organizations that contribute to 'transition' and the securing of resilience and sustainability.

What I/my organization hopes to achieve next:

What I/we need to make that happen:

Would you find a web-source of contacts and summary objectives helpful/useful?

You can contact me/us on:

Website, if applicable:

There are many interrelated strands to such challenges, touching on basic things like food and water, energy and health, as well as transport and land use.

This thread is about the economy.

By looking at current and future challenges linked to the economy and other areas, and by exploring potential solutions to these problems, we aim to build up a set of ‘Transition Narratives’ with which to mobilize and debate the future of Colchester. How, for example, would such ‘Transition Narratives’ compare and contrast with other narratives, such as the ‘Business-as-Usual Narratives’?

In this thread I invite people to comment on all aspects of Colchester’s economy. How is the economy usually understood? How should ‘the economy’ be understood? What are the key economic challenges? What are the prospects for meeting these challenges? What should our vision be of a future economy?

Here are some questions that interest me, to which people can add further questions and comments.

What sort of economy does Colchester have? Who defines this and how is this defined?

Who defines the nature of the economic challenges facing Colchester?

What are usually identified as the key economic challenges facing Colchester?

What are usually identified as the key responses to such challenges?

What is the level of public involvement in defining and characterizing these economic challenges and responses?

What are the alternatives?  What sort of economy do we need and want? In other words: What are other possible definitions and characterizations of Colchester’s economy, its challenges, and responses to such challenges?

What sort of economy is best suited to mitigating and responding to the shocks of peak oil, climate change, and economic instability? For example:  With what mix and nature of public, private, and third sector involvement could we sustain and enhance standards of public service delivery in the face of such challenges? 

TRANSITION TOPIC: WATER

Background

• The Environment Agency recognises the risk ahead of severe water shortages and the need to reduce usage. See  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/106050.aspx?month=3&year=2009&coverage=National&sector=Water

• Colchester’s water is mainly supplied by two companies: Anglian Water (AW) and Veolia, formerly Tendring Hundred Water Services Ltd. The majority of the Borough is served by AW, with the remaining easternmost areas covering Dedham and Wivenhoe supplied by Veolia. There are also over 50 premises supplied with water from private supplies such as wells or aquifer bores. 

• According to AW its region is one of the driest in the country, it has a long coastline and is low-lying, making it particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Things are happening to meet the challenge

• AW  has published a report outlining its strategy for the next 25 years to ensure that it continues to deliver a reliable supply of safe, clean water and effective wastewater. See  Strategic Direction Statement  
• Our part of the country boasts one of the highest levels of domestic water meter usage; and there are active campaigns to encourage reduced water usage and to increase the number of domestic water butts, for example .

But ……….Peak Oil?

It is unclear whether the measures being planned by the water companies take account of peak oil. How much of their infrastructure is dependent on oil, for instance. One of the products we take for granted that is under threat from peak oil is plastic, but how many miles of plastic piping will the water companies need over the next few years to help implement their resilience planning?  We might think ourselves “water conscious” in our domestic usage but how many water butts, garden hoses, watering cans, gutters, drainpipes and drains are made of plastic these days? There is already a chronic shortage of water for allotments in Colchester. If more allotments were to be created where will the water to serve them come from, and how will it be stored?

Possible ways forward – how things could be

·         We see extensive rainwater capture across the town, in many cases utilizing  gravity and aquaducts to help deliver water to where we need it, as our Roman forbears did.

·         We see a big increase in the number of ponds/small reservoirs/water tanks in and around the town,  that have been carefully sited and protected to address public safety concerns about open water. The shortage of butyl linings has meant we’ve brought back the ancient skill of making a claylined pond.

·         We see wells sunk in allotments for community use, bringing back the ancient skill of well-digging

Little know fact: Surface Water Drainage Discount. Surface water is rainwater that falls onto the roof of properties and other impermeable areas such as concrete and asphalt driveways. In most cases this water drains into public sewers and the cost of removing it is included in our sewerage charges. However, if we can demonstrate that none of this water drains into the public sewerage system, either directly or indirectly, we could reduce the sewerage standing charge on our bills by £35 per year.

Connections

·         If we had more ponds it could lead to fish farming that would help make Colchester more food sustainable, as well as restoring another lost skill. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3353540/Carp---sustainable-food-you-can-keep-in-the-pond.html and http://www.aquavisiononline.com/