Welcome to PEDAL’s Autumn Calendar! 

There are fun local events coming up, and we’re also in the middle of two large funding bids! 

Dates for the diary:

Car Free Day — September 21st 2008

Leave the car at home and stay in Porty for the day!

This year PEDAL’s car free event is happening in conjunction with POD’s Village Fair in Rosefield Park.
Join the dressed up bike parade at 12.30 at the Prom end of Kings Road (under tens please bring an adult!). Head up for the music, market, the fabulous six-seater Cosybike and more (from 1pm) at Rosefield Avenue and (from 2pm) at the Village Fair in Rosefield Park. Programme and poster.

Friday 19th Sept 2-4pm Decorate Your Bike Workshop — Towerbank Primary School Ashpitch. £2 a child

Next PEDAL meeting

7 – 9pm, 10th of September at 12 West Brighton Place. Call 657 2555 for more details.

Community Orchard events:

Moving ahead with creating our first community orchard. Probable dates:

• 28th September — design afternoon;
• 16th November — planting party;
• January — Wassailing the trees

Phone 657 2555 to check dates and places

Funding Bids:

Urban Community Buyout

Our plans are moving ahead for buying and running a community owned social space to help the process of regenerating the local economy. We have secured £10,000 to do a feasibility study for this, so let us know what you think Porty needs! Email: info [at] pedal-porty [dot] org.uk, phone or come to the Focus Groups or Open Space. Probable dates:

1. 1st Focus group - Sept 25th?
2. Open Space to generate more ideas — 27th Sept or 4th October?
3. 2nd Focus Group – to focus in on the ideas – maybe October 9th?

Check dates with Tom (tommyblack [at] hotmail [dot] co.uk).

Climate Challenge Fund plans

The three highest sources of greenhouse gasses in Scotland come from: 1) buildings, 2) transport and 3) food production (especially meat) and transport, so our proposed schemes will focus on those areas.  We will use part 1 of the grant to find out what people in Portobello think of these ideas, changing them if necessary.

The Suggested Programme of Action:

1. Domestic Energy:
   • Broad carbon reduction: widespread insulation programme — getting the message out
   • Deep carbon reduction: high spec. insulation pilot — helping to move technology forward
2. Local Transport:
   • The Portobello Car Pool (may be part of City Car Club): providing cheap rate, bookable, electric cars;
   • The Local Bike Pools: a fleet of electric bikes, locally maintained, with several stations
   • The Portobello Local Office: providing comfortable, flexible, local working spaces.
3. Local Food:
   • Portobello Patchwork Farm group: The produce will feed into the Portobello Community Supported Agriculture scheme providing locally grown, organic fruit and vegetables on a weekly basis.

Page last updated: Wednesday, August 27, 2008