Two water events: Stroud 15th and 16th

Two water events that might be of interest to local folk on 15th and 16th September - the Ruscombe Brook Action Group AGM and the Communiversity Water Workshop - details of both enclosed below.

Photo: Ruscombe Brook

RBAG AGM

The Ruscombe Brook Action Group AGM on 15th Sept 7.30 at Randwick Village Hall - we are keeping it low key this year compared to previous events and it will be very informal. Here is our draft agenda:

1. Brief review of work of RBAG - what has been achieved - including the setting up of the new water forum
2. Brief Water 21 student presentation - we are hoping this will be available re one of the Stroud Valleys projects
3. A new Aussie 'Land & Water Microbial' Film
4. Treasurers report.
5. Appointment of officers (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer).
6. Brief discussion re priorities for the year ahead
- Phase I works: Acre Place
- Phase II/III schemes
7. Thanks and close 9.30

COMMUNIVERSITY EVENT

‘Everything they don’t want us to know about Water’ -Floods, health threats, pollution and rising costs.

Workshop on positive community solutions for caring for water –whether water supply, caring for streams, waste water and more

Stroud Communiversity at The Exchange, Brick Row, up from Lansdown, on way up to Church Street Car Park, Stroud. Date: Wednesday 16th September, 7pm for tea, for 7.30pm to 10pm. I had been due to speak at this event about RBAG but the District Council have added an extra Scrutiny meeting in on this night so I will have to be there probably for most of the evening...anyhow here's more from the publicity:

The floods on Slad Road, Stroud and in Gloucestershire in Summer 2007 brought home the importance of water. This is a workshop featuring what they don’t want us to know about water-whether it is the threat of floods, to public health, from the current sewage system, pollution and rising costs. However, this Workshop will also focus on positive community solutions for caring for water, whether supply, caring for streams, waste water, how we treat and use in our homes and much more.

We face peak water, yet many people in the world lack healthy access to good water. Water resources are under pressure in Britain. Some 25 million people live in areas where there is less available water per person than Spain or Morocco, and with global warming things could get worse. The average Briton now uses 148 liters (260 pints) every day. Climate change is expected to reduce the amount of water available in our rivers by up to 80% by 2050 in the summer, yet we face population increases. The transport, heating and treatment of water accounts for over 6% of the UK's carbon footprint. Using less water means we take less from the environment and cut the energy needed to treat it.

So this is an evening to think about our most fundamental resource and hear from a range of experts, councilors and waters activists. We will ask, “ How does the profit-driven economy affect how our water supplies are delivered and how our waste water is treated? How does this affect our health? Could we localize water supplies? How might a sustainable water system protect us against flooding and reduce the energy used by the water industry? How can local action groups make a difference in caring for water more equitably and sustainably?”

Purpose: To empower and inform people to take more community control of their water and tasks such as public health, water resource management, water for energy, wastewater, flooding, drought and amenity

Aims:
To inform people about the water crisis
To hear and see what people are doing
To offer an action toolkit for caring for water

Contact Odilia Jarman to book so we can better plan the evening:
vitalsqueeze(at)gmail.com and 01453 766598