February 26th, 2010
A great article posted in The Independent recently debated the best way to make progress on environmental issues and it seems that times are changing. The 1970’s saw a surge in the success of the Environmental Protests and Rallies; however there is an argument that ever since these successes, the achievement of protests and mass demonstrations has been in steady decline.
Given last December’s COP 15 debacle, there has never been more proof that our glorious leaders are not listening to us; that they cannot be trusted to act in our best environmental interests when they keep getting distracted by pretty shinning things like money and popularity and that they are no longer taking much notice of physical protests.
There is of course always the lobbying aspect, where campaign groups converge in the paperwork, littering MP’s desks with letters of concern, petitions for action and cluttering up their hard drives with online petitions and e-mails threatening not to vote…
The 1990’s saw a raise in more dramatic feats to get heard, with handfuls of the more adventurers, steadfast protestors scaling huge buildings, tying themselves to things often in fancy dress or taking up residency in trees or on sites of environmental interest.
Although I am being flippant in my descriptions, all of the above represent large swaths of people, action groups and protesters who feel incredibly strongly and are desperately trying to make a difference.
It seems that in 2010, with the rapidly gaining prevalence of groups such as Transition Towns, Transition Heathrow and 10:10, a new form of action is being put in motion. Not surprisingly given the disillusionment of environmentalists following Copenhagen, this new style of making change happen operates on an individual, grassroots level, cutting out government and attempts to change legislation and instead focusing on the reality of modern day living and the price we will all have to pay for it.
The Transition Towns movement is a superb example of this; having lost all hope that local government will lead the way, and acknowledging the fact that fossil fuels are a limited resource, the movement prepares communities for a low carbon future, gradually yet effectively weaning towns off of fossil fuel dependency through a united and conscientious approach.
So are the days of protest marches well and truly over? Certainly not, any positive action will always have its place, however since we can’t trust the government to make the difficult decisions for us, we will simply have to start making changes to our own lives, doing what little we can to make a difference and leading by example – who knows one day they might just catch on.
Tags: Copenhagen, environmental decisions, government, progress, protests, Transition Towns | Posted in Airport Protests, Climate Change, Life Change, Local Councils, Protest Marches, Self sufficiency, education
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February 22nd, 2010
Ever feel ashamed of living in the UK? On the whole I feel highly privileged to live in this country, but just sometimes I’m forced to publically blush at the petty minded bureaucracy which plagues us. Case in point is a story I first came across on a US blog UK Barber Banned from Composting. It’s also been covered by The Telegraph. I had to read both articles twice because I simply couldn’t believe what I was reading.
It seems that a local barber, Jeff Stone from Blackburn in Lancashire, has been banned from taking hair clippings and salon newspapers home to compost: Why I hear you ask?
Is he stealing from the people whose head it once belonged?
They left it behind happily so apparently not.
Is human hair somehow toxic to our delicate eco-structure?
No, in fact quite the reverse, apparently all environmental agencies recognise human hair as fantastic, highly biodegradable compostable material, perfect for adding nitrogen to the soil.
Perhaps he’s taking home so much of it, it’s upsetting the neighbours?
Nope – only one small swing bin every two or three weeks.
Well then, obviously it’s because Blackburn and Darwen Councils have invested heavily in establishing domestic and retail recycling programs and by taking the hair home Mr. Stone is somehow confusing the system?
Absolutely not, documentation received by Mr. Stone confirms that the waste will be emptied at landfill sites at Whinney Hill, near Accrington, and Withnell just outside Blackburn.
Well then, what could possibly be the problem…? Surely it would have nothing to do with money? Surely no council would stoop so low as to force Mr. Stone to buy one hundred Council issued waste sacks, which he doesn’t need and which cost £100, in order to ‘comply’ with their guideline?
Apparently so.
Reassuring isn’t it that Councils have so little to do; that crime levels are so low, housing so abundant, local facilities so immaculate, that they have nothing better so spend our council tax on than paying people to search through our dustbins checking for people who might be ‘illegally’ trying to save the planet…
Tags: biodegradable hair clippings, Blackburn, compost, Lancashire, local barber, Local Council | Posted in Local Councils, News, Recycling, Self sufficiency
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January 6th, 2010
Dorset County Council have won their bid for government funding to help protect the Jurassic Coast from the ravages of climate change.
The main concerns for the area (15 sections of coastline between Devon and Dorset) are storm damage, erosion and rising sea levels. In fact, only last year a huge landslide destroyed 400 metres of the world heritage coastline near Lime Regis. Clearly, the councils realised it was time to act.
£376,500 is now available to Devon and Dorset in order for them to assist the most venerable communities in the area. However, the money will not, as you would imagine, be going to improve sea defences, but to help the inhabitants gain a better understanding and ability to adapt to the impact of inevitable coastal changes. Debates will be held at local level, contingency plans devised and there will be the introduction and development of training programmes for conservationists.
Is this a case of forearmed is forewarned? Although it’s a positive nod by the government, towards recognising the dangers facing an island nation from the ravages of global warming, perhaps more should be being done to slow erosion and raising sea levels in the first place.
Tags: Climate Change, Global Warming, government, Jurassic Coast, rising sea levels | Posted in Climate Change, Local Councils, education, environment, rising sea levels
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October 20th, 2009
Friends of the Earth have recently secured commitment from Harrogate Council to reduce their carbon emissions by 40% by 2020 and an 80% cut by 2050. This is undoubtedly a huge victory and in-line with FOE’s ‘Get Serious about CO2’ campaign.
The council’s plans are detailed in a 12 page ‘Climate Change Strategy’ document, which explains the lengths they are prepared to go to, to achieve their aim. Their proposals to reduce emissions include looking not only at the councils own use, but that of the community as a whole. Areas of concern are as follows; domestic/workplace energy consumption, use of fuel, public transport issues, sustainable procurement principles, energy conscious building development and environmental awareness education, to name but a few.
If Harrogate Council are prepared to adopt these strategies, shouldn’t other councils now follow suit?
Tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change Strategy, Friends of the Earth, Get Serious Abou CO2 Campaign, Harrogate Council | Posted in Climate Change, Life Change, Local Councils, carbon emissions
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October 10th, 2009
Following the posting on Greenmomentum on 26, July 2009 outlining the usage of speed cameras in the exclusive area of Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset, it now appears that Islington Council have jumped on the bandwagon.
Following complaints about the volume and speed of cyclists, the council in their wisdom have laid 14 speed bumps in the alleyway of a residential area in North London. The move came in fear, that one day a pedestrian would be injured by a careless cyclist.
As expected the cyclists are absolutely outraged and there is the added dimension of the implication these obstacles will have on the disabled, elderly and mothers with buggies and prams.
Who’s at Fault…?
A move has been made by Government advisors to make motorists legally responsible by default, should they be involved in an accident with a cyclists, even if the motorist is not a fault.
The idea stems from regulations in place in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. It seems a little extreme that a motorist should pay for an accident caused by the dangerous manoeuvre of a cyclist, however if a realistic compromise could be reached, as cyclist groups point out, it would encourage more people to get out of their cars and make more journeys by bike, on foot or by public transport.
On a lighter note…
A German brothel is offering cyclists a 5 euro discount, if they travel to the establishment by bike. The owner said, ‘it’s good for business, it’s good for the environment and it’s good for the girls!’
Tags: Cyclists, cyclists rights, Islington Council, leave the car at home, North London, pedestrians | Posted in Local Councils, News, Transport, environment
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August 19th, 2009
The Borough of Poole boasts many stretches of heathland, involving a size greater than 700 football pitches, which not only houses important wildlife, but brings great pleasure to the local community.
These sites provide green spaces which are the ‘green lungs’ of the town, contributing to improving people’s physical and mental health by providing places for informal recreation – walking, sitting, socialising and children’s play; breathing spaces to take time out from the stresses of modern life. Yet these beautiful areas have been subject to a recent spate of arson attacks.
A particularly bad fire in April damaged one-third of Talbot Heath in Poole. There were 20ft flames which the wind swept from one end of the heath to the other, destroying protected wildlife and wrecking the habitat of one of Britain’s rarest birds, the Dartford Warbler. It is believed that this land will not recover from this alleged arson attack for 10 – 15 years!
Because of the increasing number of these incidents desperate measures have had to be taken. These fires which happen with alarming regularity during the spring and summer months are at best started carelessly and at worst deliberately. The situation has got so bad that the Dorset Police are now offering a £250 reward to anyone who can provide them with any information on the perpetrators.
Tags: arson, Dartford Warbler, Dorset Police, green lung, Poole, Talbot Heath | Posted in Local Councils, Wildlife
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August 17th, 2009
The largest seahorse colony in the UK is under threat. Boats mooring and anchoring off Studland Bay, in Dorset are damaging the seagrass in which these beautiful creatures reside.
The RYA have come out in defence of the yacht owners, by stating that they are ‘normally very pro-environmental’.
None-the-less Natural England have organised for an area to be cordoned off with buoys to protect the threatened species.
This ‘anchor-free’ zone will be voluntary, but policed by wardens. The boat owners however, are concerned, that should they be caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time their boat details will be published on the internet. Natural England have denied that this is the case and explained that the wardens are only there to monitor the situation and they are confident that the cordon will be respected.
The Seahorse Trust has recently begun tagging seahorses in an effort to track and monitor their existence. Currently there are believed to be 40 in Studland Bay.
Last year, seahorses were registered as a protected species for the first time. Steve Trewhella of the Seahorse Trust, welcomed the study and said a ban on anchoring was just what was needed.
Tags: Dorset, Natural England, protected species, RYA, seahorse, seahorses, Studland Bay, The Seahorse Trust | Posted in Local Councils, Wildlife
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August 14th, 2009
British Film Director and green celebrity Guy Ritchie who resides in Ashcombe House, near Salisbury, has submitted plans to Wiltshire Council to make his 18th Century property ‘more self-sufficient’.
It is his intention to install greenhouses, vegetable plots and fruiteries at the £9 million estate, which was given to him following his divorce from Madonna.
The part-walled gardens leading from the back door to the staff building will be turned over to vegetables and given a row of greenhouses to produce vines, fruit, early vegetables and seedlings. The low-level soil heating will be provided by green energy, via the woodchip boiler situated within the staff block.
The application went onto to state that the ‘produce from the greenhouses will be used on the estate, all part of a very admirable effort to make the estate more self-sufficient and sustainable.
Meanwhile on the other side of life….
The growing popularity of allotments has meant that local Councils, Poole Council included are seeking ways of providing more allotments.
The Poole model provides a good example of the national allotment shortage. Currently there are eight allotment sites in the borough containing 409 plots. However, there are 715 people on the waiting list who could have to wait 18 years before being able to plant their own fruit and veg – or may never get one at all.
“Waiting lists in Poole are considerable and if the current turnover of plots is maintained some applicants may never be allocated a plot in their lifetime,” said a report that went before councillors.
It seems that a simple patch of land to grow your own fruit and veg is yet another shining example of the great divide in the UK today.
Tags: Allotments, Green celebrity, grow your own, Guy Ritchie, Local Council | Posted in Local Councils, Sustainability
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July 30th, 2009
The competition to find the most expensive local UK bus journey launched by Campaign for Better Transport concludes tomorrow.
For last minute entries visit the Campaign for Better Transport website, www.bettertransport.org.uk or email journey details (distance travelled or time taken or destinations served), and cost, along with your name and email address to campaigns@bettertransport.org.uk.
Campaign for Better Transport hopes to shame the Government into bringing down fares by investing more in buses. The person who submits the most expensive journey will win a £50 voucher.
Sarah Matthews, a campaigner in the group, said,
“More people would travel by bus if it were cheaper. Higher bus use would reduce traffic, making it easier for us to get around, and be better for the environment. Affordable buses are also a lifeline for many people, making it possible for them to get to work, the shops, the GP and other services.”
Tags: bus fares, Campaign for Better Transport, government support, public transport | Posted in Climate Change, Local Councils, News, Transport
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July 26th, 2009
There is public outrage in Poole, Dorset as cyclists feel they are being victimised.
Many residents cycle along the promenade at Sandbanks, not only because they care about the environment, want to stay fit and healthy, but purely for pleasure and now Bournemouth Council have seen fit to introduce the draconian, patronising and anti-environmental measure of using speed cameras!
In this day and age would it not be far more responsible for our councils to encourage this form of environmentally friendly commuting and find some sort of compromise rather that alienating the cyclists?
Tags: anti-environmental, Bournemouth, cycling, Cyclists, Sandbanks | Posted in Local Councils, Transport
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