Power station Q&A

 

Successful SCREENING of the amazing POWER STATION film. 

Programme of Events

- Doors opened at 3:30 PM. A large and tasty selection of cruelty-free sandwiches, bakes, and cakes was available in the Wee Hall for everyone to enjoy. 

- Hot refreshments were provided to all guests upon arrival. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain, some attendees arrived wet, so they were very pleased to receive a hot drink and have a place to hang their wet coats. 

- 4:15 PM: A welcome speech was given by Norman Phillips from Friends of the Earth (FOE), who sponsored the screening and the superb buffet. 

- 4:30 PM: The film "Power Station" began. It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in attendance, culminating in a large round of applause at the end. 

- 6:00 PM: Break

- 6:15 PM: The Q&A session with Dan, the Director, went very well, we were pleased with our new conferencing equipment, Dan shared his thoughts in his daily blog after the event.

I've just finished doing a Q&A with Friends of the Earth in Polmont, Scotland - very near Grangemouth, a huge oil refinery. There were probably just around twenty people gathered in a community hall, and I was up on the screen. At the end, they gathered around my image and took a photo together. One man said "welcome to Scotland" which cemented the feeling of the surreal.

 

He said that Nigel Farage had been up in the town just yesterday, and that there were racist rallies. When one of the organisers asked me "what gives you hope, where do you get it from?" I remembered asking the same of Rob Hopkins a few months back when he appeared in front of me on a zoom screen, reading from his new book.

 

He said that there are so many bad actors, and that in many ways they have the upper hand in this fight. But really all the want from us is a white flag. He said : "I will not give them the gift of my despondency." 

 

I think if you're ever tempted to give up, then think really what that means?

You're turning your back on the next generation's hope.

You're turning your back on the belief that we can solve these huge problems.

Where will your energy and purpose come from if you do this?

 

Our cinema / impact tour continues tomorrow, as we're going in to meet with Labour & Coop MPs and - if we're lucky energy minister Ed Miliband to show a shorter version of the film and find out if they want to get behind our vision for turning every street and civic building into a Power Station. Our goal is to get funding to do 5 more Power Station streets across the UK.

6.45 Update on Polmont Community Hubs Energy Transition from Kenny

This inspirational film begins at the end of the lockdown, which was only five years ago. Ask yourselves, where were you then? I was about to embark on a solo, round-the-world cycling adventure—no girlfriend, no commitments, just seeking to escape the consistent arguments about our various global environmental crises. I was finding myself in a sick of the fight time for the flight time of life (I was gifting them my despondency), But Thanks!! To the wonderful people at Friends of the Earth, who didn't argue with me, my global flight-free (I had signed a pledge to go flight-free for the climate)escape from the fight flight, my cycle away from the shetland gas plant got as far down NCN1, to COP26 in Glasgow, where I was recruited as a spokesperson for the transition movement.

I vividly remember discussing, way back then, Dan and Hillary's power station movement, which serves as a great example of a just transition in the energy industry. Ironically, I stand here now as the chairman of this energy transition community hub, hosting this film with Friends of the Earth.

This community hub, managed by Claire and myself, would have been closed for over a year now, which would have been a significant injustice done by energy firms had we not embarked on a journey similar to that of Dan and Hillary. Their incredible journey mirrors that of Kenny and Claire. The reason we managed to save the hub is that we have been working tirelessly on transitioning its energy. And retrofitting towards net-zero targets

We are the smart meters transforming PCH into a power station. Due to energy poverty and energy corruption, councils up and down the country can no longer afford to cover energy costs or manage the transitions for their assets. Communities will have to take matters into their own hands or risk losing their assets.

This is what we are achieving together right now: Kenny has transitioned over the past five years, from being a solo free-minded individual transitioning his own life to becoming the change we need to see in this world. Then, transitioning into a couple seeking to be a welcome part of a community was made possible by transitioning the community hub from council ownership to community ownership, and this serves as a great example of what can be accomplished when good people come together. 

Good things happen when we unite. The Hub and its land represent a grassroots pioneering initiative. That is growing into something beautiful. We wish to share our knowledge so that it can be replicated in communities throughout the country. The Scottish Government is working tirelessly to enable communities to replicate what we have done and continue to do here at the hub.

What we have begun will develop significantly over the next five years; this organisation will be entirely different from what it is today. Hopefully, Kenny and Claire can get their life back, knowing that we will always have a Welcoming, safe, secure, and inclusive community Hub here in Polmont.

7pm Food and Discussion

Claire had been in talks with our local chip shop about ordering from their wonderful vegan selection. They have a completely vegan fryer every Tuesday, which we enjoy and support. The community-minded owner of the chip shop initially offered us a great deal on an order for between 30 to 50 Eventbrite sign-ups; we ended up with 32 people signed up. 

After the film, we took orders from everyone who wanted a meal and phoned them in. When Claire went to collect the box from the chip shop, she found that the large box of sausage suppers had "Merry Christmas to Polmont Community Hub, love from the Land and Sea" written in big red marker on it. This was a truly amazing free gift from people looking out for each other. 

We cannot thank the chip shop enough for this incredible gesture. Claire also announced that the hub had purchased a very large bag of sunflower seeds to replicate the Sun and Solar Festival that Dan and Hilary had organised for their street and community.

Engaging discussions took place with Ian Scott, the most well-known local historian of the Falkirk area, along with Kenny and a journalist from Platform Energy. They focused on the history of energy and power transitions, which may be featured in Ian's weekly write-up for the Falkirk Herald.

8pm Close

Pack down all equipment / tables and chairs etc