In 2012, Pennine Community Power raised the £58,000 it needed to erect a community owned 10kW wind turbine in Blackshaw Head, stating as their number one objective to “build a sustainable community, environmentally, socially and economically”, writes Joe Mobbs, co-organiser of the upcoming Alternatiba Festival.
Wind turbines gain efficiency with size so by clubbing together local people made a wise investment.
On Sunday, May 3, Alternatiba Todmorden will showcase Pennine Community Power and other local, community led projects tackling climate change or otherwise taking care of our planet.
Incredible Edible Todmorden will open the festival in the Town Hall with a conference on community led, urban growing as a response to local and global challenges. In the Town Hall you will be spoilt for choice: Paulo Marini will talk about open farm technologies, Geoff Tansey will talk about our desire to eat “what we want, when we want, from wherever we want”,
Dan Graham will talk about stockfree growing, Laura Blake will talk about the impacts of food on our health and the environment and with all this talk about food and the environment there will also be a local, sustainable, low-carbon cafe in the Town Hall from noon until 3pm. From the afternoon and into night there will be music and poetry in venues around Todmorden, there will be stalls on the market all day, a street party on Water Street. On Pollination Street, StrawWorks will demonstrate strawbale building and Incredible Edible will do a seed and plant swap.
Any surplus arising from donations collected at Alternatiba Todmorden will go to cyclone-ravaged Vanuatu.