4BsHive: First Study Visit - October in Bristol

In late October 17 participants from Germany, Hungary and Romania came to Knowle West for four days of activities around green mapping. An intense, enjoyable and productive time was had by all. Both this and the Partner's meeting in Berlin in September were filmed by Bjela Proßowsky from the Berlin team. As soon as they are available we'll post the videos up here. For more on the project: 4BsHive.

Outside Knowle West Media Centre

Taken by Jan Catterall - one of our Bristol participants.

Monica, Alin and Doris from Bistrita, Romania on the first day. (Jan Catterall)

Nandia (Bristol) interviewing Orsy and Judit (Budapest) with Pit (Berlin) monitoring sound for a professional (!) level recording. Orsy and Judit were giving their impressions of the area compared with Budapest. (Carsten; Berliner)

Sylvia, Nardia and Becca (Bristol) on Saturday's visit to the Climate Countdown event at the Harbourside. (Jan Catterall)

Feeding the goats at Lawrence Weston Community Farm on the way to see the bee hives and honey collecting operation. (Jan Catterall)

Becca, Jan, Judit, Suszan, Judit, Sylvia, Gergo and Gabriella visiting the 100 DAYS exhibition at Arnolfini. In the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen Arnolfini staged an exhibition of work around issues of climate change, social justice and the relationship between art and activism. (Steve Parry)

4BsHive Partner meeting - September in Berlin

The four Partners met to discuss and agree project outputs and methodologies. Partners include: Steve and Ivor (GreenBristol; Bristol, UK); Pit and Bjela (Quesper Verein Video; Berlin, Germany); Gergo Horvath (Assn. of Conscious Consumers; Budapest, Hungary) and Ciprian Samoila (Associata Ascendenta; Bistrita, Romania). It was still very warm; 32 Centigrade that day!

From left: our host Pit van de Loo (Berlin), Steve Parry (Bristol), Szonja Andrasev (Budapest) & Ivor McGillivray (Bristol)

Lunch at the Neukoln Tenant Initiative for older people

One of the last cold war watch towers is now a museum

Local allottments

A women's forge making decorative ironwork and horseshoes

Cycling is the norm in the Berlin lifestyle

Two green campaign groups oppose each other over an outside activities space needed for a school

A fun welcome for children!

Pit (Berlin), Corina (Bistrita), Steve & Ivor (Bristol) & Szonja (Budapest)

A floating swimming pool - one of these would be uber popular in Bristol docks...



The German election was approaching...

Tempelhof airport closed a year ago - the authorities were afraid of drug dealers using the space so closed it with no plans or vision for the future

Frogs at the entrance to the infants school

Lively music culture in Berlin - I hope to sample it next time

Superb brickwork on a warehouse from DDR days - now a fun and busy flea market





GPS hire-bikes have been here for 10 years - Bristol is just about to get them...

Shop for cultural diversity in Neukoln near Pit's place

Wesserstrasse - in Berlin apartment buildings are the norm for accommodation - this one's been refurbished

4BsHive start-up seminar

In Berlin...

European collaborative green mapping - update

We recently heard from the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme regarding our application for a Partnership project with Berlin, Budapest and Bistrita (Transylvania, Romania). To our delight the news is all four partners have been approved! The project's aim is to facilitate collaborative green mapping within and between the four partners. We will use the Open Green Map system which interactively charts natural, cultural and green living sites.

This is a transnational project between four river cities: Bristol (UK), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary) and Bistrita (Romania). The project will set in motion a collaborative, green map-making process within and between these four European partners. This will involve the creation of online and possibly paper maps charting local resources for more sustainable living. These thematic maps will use the internationally standardized Green Map System (GMS) of icons.

Participants will have the opportunity to gain new ICT skills and learn more about sustainability issues locally and internationally. They will exchange experiences and learn about other European communities on Study Visits. This will be achieved through a participatory process that is creative, enjoyable and enhances confidence. The process may include storytelling, photography and film-making through group and public events.

Outputs and Products will include a Study Visit to each Partner, a shared website, four local green maps, documentary film (online/DVD) and a European Green Mapping Guide. Target Groups will include those from disadvantaged and under-represented sectors including older people and those without basic qualifications.

We will be welcoming participants from all three partner cities to an event in Bristol this October. We will be working with Knowle West Media Centre as our local partner in this project.

Preparatory Visit in Bistrita, Transylvania

GreenBristol goes to Romania from Steve Parry on Vimeo.

Grundtvig Preparatory Visit

Steve visited Bistrita, in the Transylvania (!) region of Romania for a conference with our European green mapping colleagues to discuss a transnational collaboration:

L to R: Ciprian Samoila (Bistrita), Steve Parry (Bristol), Bjela Prossowsky (Berlin), Corina Ernst (Associatia Ascendent, Bistrita), Alexandru (Bistrita), Gergo Horvath (Budapest), Pit van de Loo (Berlin), Alina (Associatia Ascendent, Bistrita).

Outside Hotel Castle Dracula

The heating under Romanian train seats is extreme...

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

An inspiring video:

www.greenbristol.blogspot.com
www.greenbristol.org.uk

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