Transition Stroud Newsletter Editor Josephine Murray (JM) talks to Jess Farr (JF), newly appointed CAN Support Worker for Stroud District.
See below for three resolutions for 2023!
JM: What prompted you to join the Stroud District CAN Network and what does your role involve?
JF: For many years I was heavily involved with Transition New Cross in London and gained so much personally from helping to build community events and projects in that area. The practical daily work of transitioning to a low carbon future is really empowering – it’s something we can all do and that’s why I love it. My role is to help both established and emerging Climate Action Networks across the Stroud district to thrive. The Forum provides networking opportunities and shared resources, a first point of contact for new projects and groups, as well as keeping up good two-way communications with Stroud’s local government.
JM: What would you like to achieve in the role?
JF: To bring more communities and projects across the district into contact with each other and grow the forum, especially in those regions where there aren’t many CANs right now. I’d also like to provide more shared resources for everyone, to help support where there might be knowledge, resource or time gaps within CANs.
JM: What other things do you do for work, and voluntarily, that are
related to sustainability and social justice?
JF: As well as Transition Towns, I also work with Climate Museum UK, which is a UK-wide collective of creatives who help people play, create, and talk about the Earth crisis. More locally, I am also involved with Stroud Woodcraft Folk, a youth movement charity that supports education for social change. They’re both great organisations, look them up if you haven’t heard of them already. Other than that, I tend to volunteer for practical things, so I really enjoy the occasional conservation volunteering day doing things like counting butterflies or hacking invasive species down.
JM: What do you do in your spare time?
JF: I love to paint, draw and print when I am able to, but honestly, as a working parent, spare time can be a bit of an abstract concept! I am part of a couple of radical reading groups, which I go to when I have the capacity.
JM: Whereabouts do you live and what do you like about that area?
JF: I have recently moved to central Stroud – it’s great to be at the heart of so many great social and environmental initiatives, and it’s so easy to meet like-minded people here. Before moving here, I lived off-grid on a boat for many years near Frampton on Severn, which is an utterly beautiful part of the district with some incredible native wildlife, including otters and wild cranes.
| Three resolutions for 2023 1. Buy less. 2. Share what you have. 3. Compost everything you can. |
Find out about more local Stroud Transitioneers
If you would like to share your sustainable living story, please contact Josephine on news@transitionstroud.org