“The Spring Greens Interviews 2011” - An Introduction by Richie Cotterill

1. “The Spring Greens Interviews 2011” - An Introduction by Richie Cotterill Richard Fishbourne’s Radio style Podcast (for Community First) viscerally evokes the atmosphere, the sight, smell and feel of this glorious Green Fete. With the breathless wonder of a faux wildlife documentary, cheeky chatty interviews are interspersed with delightful insights. Hear organizer Richie Cotterill of Kington KLEEN try to explain away the Abacus manual turn-stile and the flexible plastecine site-plan; Student Celia Kibblewhite describes the amazing mud-stove cooker, and how she helped set-up the Kington Allotments; Kate Gathercole describes her work with the New Leaf’s carbon reduction projects, h.Energy week and the new Ecohere Parish Sustainability Action Plan projects; Bellinda Scadding talks about the therapeutic value of Forest Schooling and real organic September Dairy Ice Cream! Madeline Powell shows Richard how to weave a sit mat on a peg-loom using un-teased raw fleece; Tina and Gordon Davison demonstrate the finer points of “Poop-La”, the side-show shame-game for crap trajectory; Bob Rowberry’s fabulous Roadside Recycling stall passing on his brazing (or was that brazen?!) skills to future generations of tin-can artists making ingenious animated wind-ornaments and Trish MacCurrach’s says “Bin the Barbecue” with her triple-dipped enamel Outdoor Cooking gear (tripods and pans) which she imports from a small family factory in Hungary. The Herefordshire in Transition Alliance this year invited the public to get involved at the Spring Greens Fair with innovative solutions for sustainable transport, food security, permaculture, eco self-education, renewable energies, re-use crafts, personal politics, economics and etc. We got creative with themed discussion forums and activities throughout the day, improvised music jams, forest schooling mud fun and outdoor cooking. Hosted by innovative organic farmers Jeff and Carey Glyn-Jones at New House Farm, Almeley, their inspirational CountrySOLE development is an off-grid house with Solar PV and water, wind-turbine, water conservation, fish pool, compost toilets and inspirational circular vegetable garden. Since 2008, the Annual Spring Greens Fair has been growing the connections between people involved in the Transition Towns of Hereford, Ledbury, Ross, Hay and Leominster, Environment Groups in Arrow Vale, Teign and Golden Valley, Kington, Colwall Greener and others. Initially billed as “Preaching to the Converted” we have been Over 4 years Spring Greens has grown into what Share Energy’s Jon Halle now proudly calls, “Herefordshire’s Premiere Green Event”. Spring Greens has now grown big enough to move on from our kind hosts (before it out-grows its welcome!) and in 2012 we are moving to Staunton on Arrow where we will be hosted by Edward and Emma Bulmer’s family at Court of Noke. Here is the base for SEED homes and their natural Pots of Paint. A small planning Collective is working towards next year’s event taking responsibility for co-coordinating more themed presentations, stalls, discussion forums, displays, activities and music. If you think you could get involved in planning next year’s event, or if you might like to bring a stall /activity please email: springgreens@live.co.uk or call/txt Richie Cotterill on 07777 661252