Building Wellbeing Together

We believe that a person’s wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of the community in which they live and work, while the wellbeing of their community depends on the wellbeing of society as a whole, and the long-term health of the natural world on which we all depend.” 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that one person can do very little to shape the future. Nigel and Margaret Woodward refused to accept that perspective. After retiring to Totnes, United Kingdom, they began donating to a variety of environmental organizations. But this wasn’t enough – they wanted to take a more hands-on approach. After much thought and consultation, the couple decided to establish the Network of Wellbeing.

The Network of Wellbeing (NOW) is founded on a belief that individual wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of the community, the society as a whole, and the natural world. Evolving organically, the organization has grown to 5 part-time staff working on a variety of projects. Mirella Ferraz, the Totnes Project Coordinator, outlined the scope of Network of Wellbeing’s (NOW) activities.

Wellbeing in Totnes 
The Network of Wellbeing’s initial activities were centred on its home town of Totnes.

Totnes Wellbeing Fund: In setting up NOW, organizers had asked community members what they needed and how the community could be improved. They learned that people had ideas and wanted to set up projects but needed some initial capital to help get the projects off the ground. As a result, NOW established the Totnes Wellbeing Fund, which offers small seed grants (under $1,000) to individuals and organizations in Totnes and the neighbouring areas to help them turn their ideas for boosting wellbeing into reality. Projects that have been funded in the past include a pond in the Follaton Forest Garden, Dartington Restore (repair café and workshops), and Wild and Curious (foraging walks and workshops).

Monthly Potlucks: NOW also noticed that there were limited opportunities for families with young kids, newcomers, and single people to meet other members of the community. They decided to organize a monthly community potluck and the idea took off in a big way. The first potluck attracted almost 40 people and the attendance quickly grew to 70-100. Bigger events with decorations and entertainment were held at Christmas and to celebrate the International Day of Happiness in March. After 5 years of monthly potlucks organized by NOW, a group of local people has taken on this responsibility so that the potlucks are “run by the community for the community.”

You Can’t Buy Wellbeing 
Gross Domestic Product measures goods produced and services sold, but it doesn’t measure personal or community wellbeing. NOW has chosen to counter the dominant consumer culture by focusing on sharing, recognizing that there are many ways in which we can find fulfilment and meet our needs without money changing hands.

ShareShed: ShareShed, a library of things, was established in Totnes 1½ years ago. They now have 340 members who can borrow over 300 donated items. Share Shed opens its doors for several hours 3 times a week. The 5 most popular items are carpet cleaner, lawn mower, pressure washer, hedge trimmer, and projector.

Storage is a problem with items temporarily housed in NOW’s offices. The High Street location is a good one, but 2 flights of stairs limit visibility and accessibility. In addition to looking for more permanent storage space, the organization has applied for funding to buy a truck that could transport the 50 most popular items around the community. This would eliminate the need for a car in order to make use of the sharing library.

ShareFest: Totnes is an active community offering a great variety of activities and organizations. A large part of the community is ecologically minded, but others feel alienated by this approach, resulting in a subtle community division. Network of Wellbeing was discussing ways of bringing the community together and integrating it without attempting to convert when they heard about ShareFests.

ShareFests are “participatory events designed to connect the local sharing economy” and “celebrate ways we can share, make, swap and repair rather than always needing to buy new things.” Over 50 ShareFests have now been held in communities around the world, and Shareable offers a how-to guide and toolkit to help organize an event.

NOW wrote to community organizations inviting them to participate in the Totnes ShareFest in November 2018 as part of MAKE SMTHNG Week and got a great response. Over 800 people attended the day-long event and there were activities for everyone of all ages, ranging from an ugly Christmas sweater swap, crafts, and storytelling to tool sharpening and appliance and textile repairs. 

Building a Wellbeing Network 
NOW believes that wellbeing encompasses society as a whole and the natural world, and their activities extend well beyond the boundaries of Totnes.

Urban Wellbeing: Totnes is a small town and NOW was eager to see what could be done to promote wellbeing in a large city. A recent workshop in Leeds brought different organizations together to discuss compassion and wellbeing. It’s a trial project and they hope it will lead to a community festival of wellbeing.

Building Wellbeing Together: A national conference in 2017 brought together close to 100 people to discuss ways of building wellbeing together. The conference was designed to share the organization’s vision of holistic wellbeing and to encourage dialogue among professionals in the field. A second conference is planning for September 2019.

Webinars and Online Resources: NOW shares its knowledge and resources with as wide a population as possible. Online videos explore themes such as beyond GDP, putting welllbeing at the heart of government, and businesses’ role in promoting wellbeing.

The Network also runs regular free webinars with topics ranging from the role of happiness in social change to the nurturing power of soil, wellbeing and wildness, and growing your own happiness through gardening.

You can follow and participate in the Network of Wellbeing’s ideas and activities through their blog, by signing up for a monthly email update, or on social media.

See Also 
Transition Town Totnes

Transition Town Totnes

“Strengthening the local economy, reducing environmental impact & building resilience"

Totnes is a small town in the southwest of England that has become known world-wide as the birthplace of the Transition movement. The Transition Network is a grassroots “movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world.” Community groups crowdsource solutions to local problems and support each other’s efforts. The movement is now active in over 50 countries around the world.

Transition Town Totnes (TTT) continues to play an active role in its community and its small staff serve as an administrative hub for a wide variety of independent local projects. TTT’s goal is “to strengthen the local economy, reduce our environmental impact, and build our resilience for a future with less cheap energy and a changing climate.”

Projects 
A great number of TTT's activities revolve around food. Totnes was one of the first to establish an Incredible Edible project planting vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers in public and unused spaces around the town. They also planted fruit and nut trees, inviting community members to become tree guardians and care for the trees. Totnes 10 strives to connect local shoppers with local food through a local food map, farmers’ stories, and a food festival. Grown in Totnes produced locally grown grains and pulses. The project is now being run by a group of organizations with a mill selling flour from locally grown grain to a bakery and the general public.

The Open Eco Homes Weekend is an opportunity to visit homes that are reducing their environmental impact and utilizing renewable energy. Owners, and often builders and suppliers, are on hand to discuss how they undertook their project, the challenges they encountered, and their solutions. Running in parallel to the Open Eco Homes Weekend is the Eco and Community Homes Fair where the public can meet “suppliers of eco-friendly goods and services, home energy installers, eco-builders, architects and others, learn about how to make your home more energy efficient and eco-friendly, and find out about community led housing solutions.”

After many years and much hard work, Transition Homes will be constructing 27 eco homes. Seventy percent of the homes will be affordable rental and shared ownership for local people.

The TTT Film Festival is a biannual event showcasing “films from around the world providing hope, inspiration and imaginative solutions to the challenges of our time.” Films shown in 2018 included The Worm is Turning: Ecological Farming: The Real Revolution, Human Flow (about human migration), and Albatross (about ocean plastic pollution). There is also a monthly film club.

The Local Entrepreneur Forum began in 2012/13 and has been very successful. Would-be entrepreneurs present their projects and local people are invited to invest in them. Support comes in many, many forms: providing land, marketing expertise, a promise to buy the product. A local volunteer says, “It’s a fantastic feeling of people coming together and helping and supporting each other.”

The Skillshare project encourages individuals to share their knowledge and skills with others. Past projects have included a rammed earth project, willow weaving, and making lanterns.

Celebrations and Challenges 
Part of Transition Town Totnes’ strength lies in inviting people to work on issues they are passionate about, rather than trying to channel volunteers into established projects. A local volunteer explains, “As I understand it, the aim of TTT was not to do things for people but to bring them together, to encourage, enable and support people to get involved in things about which they were passionate, and that has been its success.” Some of the projects go on to become autonomous, while others remain under the TTT umbrella. A small part-time staff provides some support, but it is limited due to the large number of projects.

Volunteers receive emotional support from Inner Transition, which looks at the inner changes that are needed to support the external. They offer mentoring as well as a weekly meditation group and share ways to maintain hope and work on healing the divisions within community.

For More Info: 
Essential Guide to Transition
Transition Town Bro Gwaun: Reducing Carbon Emissions and Building Community

EcoSask News, November 29, 2016

Upcoming Events
Environmental Justice & Sustainability, Dec. 2 (Saskatoon & online)
Dr. Randolph Haluza De-Lay, delegate to the climate negotiations in Marrakech, will be speaking on environmental justice and sustainability from 3-4 pm, Dec. 2, as part of SERI’s Talking Sustainability series. The presentation will also be available online.

Permaculture Christmas Party, Dec. 3 (Prince Albert)
The Prince Albert Parkland Permaculture guild is hosting a Potluck Christmas Party on Dec. 3.

River Access Study, Dec. 5 (Saskatoon)
The City of Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority are conducting a study to identify river access requirements. The primary focus will be on facilities for launching and mooring motorized and non-motorized watercraft; however, it will address all forms of river access. There will be a public open house from 3:30-8 pm, Dec. 5. You can also complete an online survey.

Tracking Migratory Birds, Dec. 8 (Saskatoon)
Ann McKellar, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, will talk about the tools, from simple bands to GPS tags, that researchers use to track migratory birds in order to learn more about where they go and what threats they might face along the way. The Saskatoon Nature Society meetings are held monthly at 7:30 pm in Room 106, Biology Building, University of Saskatchewan.

The Eagle Huntress, Dec. 8-11 (Regina)
The Regina Public Library is showing the film The Eagle Huntress from Dec. 8-11. The film follows a 13-year-old girl as she trains to be an eagle hunter in Mongolia.

Grasslands Project, Dec. 8 (Moose Jaw)
Moose Jaw Public Library will be showing the Grasslands Project, a series of short documentary films about life on the southern prairies, at 2:30 pm, Dec. 8.

Saskatoon Young Naturalists
Jan. 7 – Snowshoeing
Jan. 21 – Tracks and Scats
Feb. 4 – Chickadee Pishing
Mar. 18 – Great Horned Owl Ecology
Space is limited; register early to avoid disappointment.

Christmas Bird Counts
Saskatoon & Area 
Dec. 14 - Harris
Dec. 16 – Radisson-Borden
Dec. 17 – Clark’s Crossing
Dec. 18 – Qu’Appelle Valley Dam
Dec. 19 – Gardiner Dam Dec. 22 - Floral
Dec. 26 – Saskatoon Dec. 27 – Biggar
Jan. 2 – Pike Lake
Contact the Saskatoon Nature Society for full details and updated information.
Regina 
Dec. 16 – Grasslands National Park
Dec. 18 – Craven 
Dec. 26 – Regina
Christmas Bird Counts for Kids
Dec. 29 – Saskatoon
Jan. 7 – Regina

A full list of upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

2017 Bird Calendar
Nick Saunders’ 2017 Bird Calendar is now available for purchase.

In the News
We need to buy less and appreciate more - how to stop shopping mindlessly

Transition "is about communities stepping up to address the big challenges they face by starting local. . . . . In practice, they are reclaiming the economy, sparking entrepreneurship, reimagining work, reskilling themselves and weaving webs of connection and support."

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