Welcome

Transition Town Andover is a community initiative to reduce the town's dependency on fossil fuels. The aim is to raise awareness of climate change and peak oil, and to help build community resilience using the resourcefulness of local people. Hundreds of towns in the UK and around the world are signing up the Transition Town movement and Andover is one of them.

A short movie that asks the basic question: Should we bother? Beyond the Brink

Food beds at Vigo Park
The three borders at Vigo Park have been made available for planting and are now planted up with perennial fruit and vegetable plants like Raspberries, Strawberries, Gooseberries, Herbs, Chard, Apples and many other plants. Further planting as well as the labeling of the plants will take place on Wednesday 25th April 2012 early at 1.30pm with school children from the surrounding schools taking part. This project is organised in cooperation with a local artist, local schools, Andover Girls Brigade and TVBC.  Also the placing of mosaic stepping stones within the food beds is planed. To read more click here.

Andover Trees United
A total of 17 schools, that's all Andover schools but 2, got involved in starting a new and exiting long term project, creating Andover's own woodland. With the help of School Support Gardeners nursery beds were built and over 1100 Trees planted by school children. The aim is to plant out those trees in early winter of this year to start the woodland.  If you like to support this project please support the mission statement and to find out more and how you could get involved click here.

Topaz Drive and Andover's fruit trees
The Community Sky Orchard at Topaz Drive is now one year old. To celebrate its first birthday the trees will be given name labels made by the schools involved on the 28th March at 11am. Also a Mosaic- name sign is in the process of being created and made, again involving the schools and local residence. This will be installed in the summer. Following the success of the Community Sky Orchard at Topaz Drive we are asking you to identify an area for the second community orchard where fruit trees can be planted either early or in the autumn of next year. To get more information click here.

Fruit Mapping and Local Food Guide
These two projects are ongoing and need your input. To find out more and to view the local food guide click here.

Easy but Effective- A Buzz for the Bees

They may be tiny but bees are essential to a healthy environment and economy. But bees are under threat and without them so is our food and economy. In recent years Bee numbers are dramaticely declining. Sadly three bumblebee species are already extinct. Many factors are causing bees' decline – changes in land use, habitat loss, disease, pesticides, farming practices, pollution, invasive non- native plants and animal species and climate change.

But why should you care? Because Bees are essential to our food supply, economy and quality of life:
• Bees pollinate 75% of our most vital crops and favourit foods.
Without bees and other insects we'd also have 20% less vitamin C, 41% less vitamin A and 9% less calcium.
• Without bees it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate our crops.
That's more than it costs farmers to produce all the milk consumed in the UK every year.
• They're essential to our gardens, parks and countryside.
Bees and other insects help pollinate over 75% of our plants, which in turn are vital to our insects, birds and animals.

And you can help to make a difference! How?
By Planting
Time to start planting. The key is to choose flowers with pollen that bees can get at easily – single-flower varieties for example. Choose a range of plants that will provide a succession of flowers from early spring to early winter. And if you don’t have a garden, go for a window box or hanging basket.
- Flowering herbs like marjoram, chives, sage and thyme.
- Low growers like crocus, bluebell, snowdrop and nasturtium.
- Bushy plants like hyssop, hebe, rosemary and lavender.
- Trees like hawthorn, hazel, holly and willow.
- Easy edibles like strawberries, tomatoes and beans.
- Ornamentals like achillea, allium, angelica,echinacea, foxglove and verbena.
- A meadow area is a beautiful option and really low maintenance – and you can create a miniature meadow in a container if space is limited. Meadow seed mixes are available in garden centers.

Create Bee Homes
Some species tunnel into the ground, sandy banks or crumbling mortar. Others use hollow stems or holes in wood. You could provide a bundle of hollow plant stems or a luxurious bee hotel, packed with dry logs, untreated timber and soft, crumbly mortar. The other thing bees need is water – so make sure there’s a source nearby like a bird bath or pond, especially on hot days.

Buy Local
Support beekeepers by choosing honey produced near you. You also could buy other products like honey beer, beeswax candles and sweet-smelling honey soups and balms.

Spread the Word
Tell you friends and family what you do and encourage them to have a go themself.

Friends of the Earth just started a new campaign to help our British Bees so if you like to find out more about what you can do just visit their web side.


The latest "Easy but Effective":
Why eat locally?
Why eat organically?
How to save water?
How to save energy?
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
How to make Christmas greener?
How to change to a green energy supplier?
How to make compost?
How to reduce Food Waste and save Money?
Easy ways to save Energy and Money
Recycling thin film plastic is a new recycling option
In your kitchen you can...
A Happy Greener Easter
A Buzz for the Bees

Worth having a look at!

Calendar for Low Impact Living
This page will give you an overview of environmental courses in the South- West. From Bread Making to keeping chickens to woodland management- the wide range of topics and locations makes it accessible to everyone.
http://www.lowimpact.org/venues_south_west.html

Cut your carbon emission by 10%
Everybody can make a difference. It is up to you and me as well. It is not too late. Find out how you can cut your emissions by 10% by going to www.1010uk.org  Also sign up to put pressure on the government to do their bit. 
 
Love Food HateWaste- Campaign
This campaign has the aim to reduce the overall amount of Food Waste produced in the UK. On its web page you will find information and a lot of practical advice on how you can reduce your amount of food waste and save money at the same time. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

Waterwise
This web site is great if you are looking for water efficiency facts and handy tips on how to reduce the amount of water you waste. http://www.waterwise.org.uk/

Recycle Now
Here you find information on why and how to recycle as well as easy tips on how to start recycling today. You can also find information on how the things you recycle get processed.
http://www.recyclenow.com/
 
What to do with your push bike?
Ever thought that just cycling isn't enough? Here's a link to give you an idea what practical use it can have peddling away.
http://service.gmx.net/de/cgi/derefer?TYPE=3&DEST=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eta.co.uk%2F2010%2F07%2F06%2Ffossil-fuel-electricity-not-patch-bicycle-power%3Futm_source%3Dthe%2Bapple%2B9%2F7%2F10%26amp%3Butm_medium%3Dthe%2Bapple%2B9%2F7%2F10%26amp%3Butm_content%3Dcycle%2Bpatch%26amp%3Butm_campaign%3Dthe%2B9%2F7%2F10