Sat, 31 Mar 2007
GM Potatoes Meeting Hedon 5th April
GM Potatoes Public Meeting
Hedon, Thursday 5th April 2007
Campaign group Hedon Against GM announces a Public Meeting to consider the application by BASF to plant GM blight resistant potatoes in the Hedon area.
The will be held at the Haven Arms on Sheriff Highway, Hedon, on Thursday 5th April.
The meeting will start at 6pm and press and Council members are very welcome. This will be immediately prior to Hedon Town Council at 7pm.
Speaking will be Clare Oxborrow, GM specialist, from Friends of the Earth (UK) and Pete Riley from GM Freeze.
We will be confirming more guests shortly.

More information contact -
Lee-Ann Williams, coordinator, Hedon Against GM, 07890 019388
Martin Deane, Sec., Hull & E.Riding Green Party, 07812 838701
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Wed, 21 Mar 2007
GM Spuds Campaign
The Campaign has started!
Our website is now fully functional at www.hedonagainstgm.org.uk. Please sign our online petition or download your own to collect signatures and send it back to us.
Yorkshire Post and Holderness Gazette are running pieces tomorrow about our campaign.
We have a stand / table at next week's market in Hedon (Wednesday 9am) and with the publicity this would be a great time to have some help to collect signatures.
There is now a paper petition in Hedon Post Office and more to follow.
Please can you send details out to anyone who may be interested.

Regards Lee-Ann / Hull Friends of the Earth
Hedon Against GM Campaign
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Wed, 21 Mar 2007
Saltend Incinerator Liaison Panel. Proposed membership selection and terms of reference.

An agenda will be prepared for each meeting and agreed with the Chairperson in advance of the meeting. All points to be raised at a meeting should be submitted in writing to the Chairperson 14 days before the meeting (at the discretion of the Chairperson), to allow time for all parties to prepare although at the discretion of the Chairperson other topics will be allowed under Any Other Business.

I am probably going to be offered a place on the Saltend Incinerator Liaison Panel. Are any of you interested in becoming panel members?
I will appreciate your advice.
Do YOU feel that this panel will be toothless ? (I do).
Do you feel there is any point in joining it, (work from the inside)?
I think it is just a front.

Barry Robinson
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Mon, 19 Mar 2007
Save the rainforest
Here’s a cunning method of protecting the world’s rainforests from plunder: help to buy them and put them in trust. An entire acre of dense greenery, heavily populated by creepy crawlies and bursting with howling monkeys and screeching parrots, costs only £25. For £2500, you get to name your 100 acres You're saving the world!

(Delivery through Rainforest Concern) 3074 - Acre of rainforest £25.00
For more information please click here
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Wed, 14 Mar 2007
GM spuds for Hedon/Preston
Press Release

CALLS FOR GM SPUD TRIALS TO BE SCRAPPED AFTER DUTCH COURT RULING

Friends of the Earth and GM Freeze are today calling on the Government to suspend plans for experimental trials of GM potatoes in the UK. The call comes after a Dutch court ordered permits for trials in the Netherlands to be destroyed because the risks to the environment had not been properly assessed.

The UK trials of BASF’s blight resistant potatoes are due to take place from this spring at two locations for a period of five years. One site is a research centre in Cambridge, the other is proposed for Hedon/Preston, East Riding of Yorkshire [1].

A Dutch court last week found that the Government had illegally permitted the experimental trials in the Netherlands of the same BASF blight resistant potatoes and ordered the permits to be destroyed [2]. The judge found that the insufficient evidence had been put forward to show that the potatoes had been properly tested in a controlled environment (like a greenhouse) before being released in the open, and that the Dutch Ministry had been unable to conduct the required environmental risk assessment because BASF had failed to provide specific information regarding the location of the trial sites. Friends of the Earth has discovered that in the UK, BASF has also not provided the Government with the exact site locations, and can wait until a week before planting before doing so.

Friends of the Earth and GM Freeze have written to David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling on him to suspend the UK trials to allow his department to investigate the implications of the Dutch court decision and commission updated advice from its advisory committee, ACRE.

Friends of the Earth’s GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:
“These new environmental concerns should prompt the Government to rethink plans to allow BASF to grow its GM potatoes in the UK. The trials are unnecessary and unwanted. Blight resistant potatoes are already available through conventional breeding and there is simply no market for GM spuds in the UK. “

GM Freeze Director, Pete Riley, said:
“Mr Miliband must prevent GM potatoes being grown in Britain while he considers the Dutch court ruling that the BASF GM potatoes have not been sufficiently tested. There is clearly an urgent need to review the scientific evidence. These trials should not proceed as planned”. In a further development, it has been reported that BASF has abandoned its plans to trial GM potatoes in Ireland [4]. It had delayed starting the trial after strong public opposition and tough conditions imposed by the Irish Government last year. The UK Government has imposed much weaker restrictions, making it cheaper and easier for BASF to trial their crops here.

Contact:
Clare Oxborrow: 020 7566 1716 / 07712 843211
Pete Riley: 07903341065

Notes
[1] Following the withdrawal from the trials of the farmer in Derbyshire, BASF have found a new location in Hedon/Preston, East Riding of Yorkshire. The Government is currently conducting a public consultation over the change in location, but it is highly likely to grant approval. Click here for more information
[2] Click here for more information
Court decision (Dutch):
Click here for more information
[3] Click here for more information
Click here for more information
[4] Click here for more information
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Tue, 13 Mar 2007
Rainforest protection

our Protect an Acre scheme is not actually enabling people to buy or sponsor specific areas of rainforest. Our Protect an Acre scheme is a method of collecting donations which can be used to support the general work of the Rainforest Foundation as it works on many levels - locally, nationally and internationally - to protect rainforests from destruction, by demarcating indigenous and/or traditional forest-dwellers’ land.

Our experience working in the world’s rainforests since 1989 has confirmed that advocating a people-based, rights-based approach to forest management, which recognises indigenous peoples’ right to ownership of their land, guarantees the survival of the forest and its ecosystem for future generations

The process of protecting rainforest as indigenous land is a hugely complicated process which can take many, many years of advocacy, campaigning and supporting communities and local organisations ‘on the ground’. National government, international agencies like the World Bank, national and foreign companies, national forest laws and indigenous peoples rights all have to be taken into consideration (and in the case of forest laws, possibly changed). In countries where indigenous forest peoples rights are not even properly recognised, such as many in Central Africa countries, the process takes even longer. In reality it is hard to predict when the land will actually become protected, but where we are successful, usually fairly large chunks of land are protected all at once, after a long hard struggle, rather than one acre by one acre.

As it is fairly impossible to know exactly when a specific area which the Rainforest Foundation is campaigning on will become legally protected, so, it is very difficult to relate individual people’s donations to each acre which becomes protected. However peoples’ support (through the Protect an Acre scheme or through other donations) during the period of time while the Rainforest Foundation is working on a particular campaign for indigenous rainforest land all helps to keep that project running and thereby in the long run, each person’s donation contributes to protecting those acres of rainforest.

I hope that helps to clarify things in your mind. Please do take a look at our website for more information about our work in each country: www.rainforestfoundationuk.org
Kind regards

Erica Marsullo
Individual Giving Fundraiser
The Rainforest Foundation UK
Imperial Works, 2nd Floor
Perren Street
London NW5 3ED
Tel: 020 7485 0193
Fax: 020 7485 0315
www.rainforestfoundationuk.org

The Rainforest Foundation works directly with forest communities at a grassroots level. As forest peoples depend on the rainforest for their livelihoods, they are often the best at protecting it. We take a rights-based approach with the aim of enabling forest peoples to protect and manage their land and way of life.

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION
Just £3 a month can make a world of difference to someone else. Please do one amazing thing today, and support our work.

Direct Debits are a hassle free way for you to support our work on a regular basis. To set up a Direct Debit, visit
www.rainforestfoundationuk.org
You can cancel or change your Direct Debit at any time.
The Rainforest Foundation is a charitable organisation, No. 801436
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Thu, 8 Mar 2007
Green Action
Dear Green activists!
COMING UP:
TMRW - Friday 9th March: 7.30, 84 Ella St
Anti Packaging Planning

Sat 10th March or Sat 17th March??: BigTV Questionnaire
12 noon Qn. Vic Sq. Novel idea: Let's ask the people what they think!

Breaking: Leaflets - York is offering to do produce full-colour great-priced leaflets for local candidates.
We did this for the general election and it worked well.
Im going to move on this as time is short.
Any more candidates - come out of the woodwork now!!!
Every good green wish,

Martin Deane
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Fri, 2 Mar 2007
Opposing Trident
Dear Friends,
Hull is a Nuclear Free Local Authority (NFLA).
Hull petitioned the Government to debate Trident last December.

• The NFLA calls unanimously for the abolition of all UK nuclear weapons!
  
• the redirection of funds to public services and adapting to climate change!
  
• government to agree an early date to withdraw the Trident fleet from active service!
  
• a campaign against Trident!
  
• a world summit on WMD and non-proliferation!
  

Councillors Fareham, Webster, Percy, Allen, Toon, Hale, Minns, Wadforth, Lavery, Bird and D. Woods also spoke on this matter.
Motion carried.

Cheers,
Martin Deane
Hull Peace Network
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Fri, 2 Mar 2007
WASTE_NEWS
INTERNAL
MEPS VOTE ON WASTE
On 13th February the European Parliament backed our key demands in their first reading vote the revision of the Waste Framework Directive. In the run up to the vote we joined environmental NGOs from across Europe to lobby MEPs in Strasbourg, with a 40 metre banner outside the Parliament demanding that MEPs 'Stop the waste: vote recycling not incineration' (see Click here).
We also sent Valentines cards with the same message to all MEPs.
The Parliament voted that EU countries should stabilise their waste production at 2008 levels by 2012, and recycle 50% of municipal waste and 70% of industrial, construction and demolition waste by 2020. MEPs also rejected a proposal to re-brand so-called 'efficient' incinerators which would have led to an increase in incineration, and they backed the insertion of the five-step waste hierarchy, prevention>reuse>recycling>other recovery>incineration. At the end of June EU Member States will reach a political agreement on the new law, and there will then be a second reading in Parliament, with another vote at the end of 2007 or early 2008.
For more info, please see our press releases:
Click here
Click here

FOOD WASTE ACTION GUIDE:
Collection and composting of food waste can make a real contribution to the fight against climate change and removing food from the waste stream will also help reduce the pressure for new incinerators. If your group would like to lobby your council to offer food waste collections to households, please see the new action guide at:
Click here

EMAIL RUTH KELLY ON NEWHAVEN DECISION
Planners in East Sussex have given a provisional go-ahead to an incinerator proposal for Newhaven. The county council said Veolia Environmental Services would be allowed to build the North Quay plant, providing that the government does not demand a say in the project. Ruth Kelly, First Secretary of State, can 'call-in' the application in the 21 days after the decision to proceed was taken on 21st February. If you would like to email Ruth Kelly on this matter, her email address is PSRuthKelly@communities.gsi.gov.uk. Please contact me to be sent a briefing from Lewes Friends of the Earth suggesting some points you could make.
More info can be found here: Click here

CAMPAIGNER JOB VACANCY - MATERNITY COVER
Anna Watson, Campaigner in Friends of the Earth's Waste and Resource Use team, will be on maternity leave from mid-April, and we are now recruiting someone who will replace her for the 12 months she is away. The job is 4 days/week, based in London (or possibly Leeds). For more details, see: Click here The closing date is Tuesday 6th March.

ANTI-INCINERATION NETWORK AGM
The first AGM of the UK Network of Anti-Incineration Groups will be on Sat 24th March at NCVO, near Kings Cross Station in north London. There are places for 50 delegates to attend and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to attend. The deadline for registration is 14th March.

PUBLICITY MATERIALS AVAILABLE
New publicity materials are available for Friends of the Earth groups to raise their profile in their communities, via recruitment leaflets and posters, posters to advertise meetings and events, and cloth materials to help you get noticed and look like part of a team.
Check out the materials on the Community website:
http://community.foe.co.uk/publicity, and order what your group needs. If you have any problems with the site, or the order form, please contact the Activist Information Officer on 020 7566 1677 or localgroups@foe.co.uk.

EXTERNAL
TETRAPAK RECYCLING SERVICE LAUNCHED
Collection company Recresco has struck a deal with Tetra Pak to offer nationwide recycling services for cartons, to be collected commingled with plastic bottles using bring banks. Cartons will then be sent to Tetra Pak itself to organise the reprocessing of the material. The company is sending cartons to Europe for reprocessing, and is also running trials with UK paper mills. For more info see Click here

RETAILERS PLEDGE TO TACKLE PLASTIC BAGS
UK retailers have agreed to reduce the overall environmental impact of their carrier bags by 25% by the end of 2008. Retailers will be reducing the environmental impact of bags by encouraging customers to reduce significantly the number of carrier bags they use, reducing the impact of each carrier bag by using less material or incorporating recycled content and enabling the recycling of more carrier bags where appropriate.
Please see:
Click here

SOMERSET RECYCLING SEMINAR AND SITE VISIT A free two day seminar and site visit covering recycling and waste management in Somerset is being held on the 15th & 16th March. More info and an online booking form are available at:
http://www.swce.gov.uk/events.htm
Best wishes,

Becky Slater
Campaign Assistant
Waste and Resource Use
beckys@foe.co.uk
020 7566 4079
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Fri, 2 Mar 2007
Hull FoE AGM
I think we should apply exactly the same policy to Diana Johnson as we do to everyone else,ie. Anyone is welcome to attend any of our meetings ; if they want to put something on the agenda they notify us in time to put it on, otherwise they raise it under any other business if there is time. If they go on too long the Chairperson can tell them to stop. If anything goes to a vote they can vote [as we don’t normally restrict voting to existing members]. [Is she a member, by the way?]
I think it’s a compliment to our new style newsletter that several people including her have responded by showing an interest in us.

Hilary
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Thu, 1 Mar 2007
Hull FoE AGM
Our AGM is really for electing officers and discussing accounts etc. so not sure what Diana would get out of this. Does she have a specific "Green "issue she wants to raise at a meeting? If so, it would be better if she came to a general meeting [Pierre Luigi, Princes Ave, First Tuesday in every month 7:30]. Please note we are a non party political organisation and we are happy to work with politicians on specific issues e.g. incineration, GM crop trials, Sustainable communities Bill etc
We are very careful not to affiliate with any political party and I'm sure you will understand that HullFOE wants to be assured that it won’t be used for any party political propaganda.
Regards

Sue Jolliffe
Coordinator Hull FOE
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Thu, 1 Mar 2007
Hull FoE AGM
Carole & I wonder why DJ would want to come to a meeting.
AGM anyway is just for electing officers and organisational stuff.
Any ordinary meeting (and there is one after the AGM) is open to anyone.
On the other hand, FoE is apolitical and we would not want to be used in somebody's electoral propaganda.
OK, we have been linked with Graham Stuart (Con), but we were all campaigning against the incinerator. Has DJ been lending her voice to any green campaigns? Or is she looking for greenwash?
Call me cynical if you like (but don't call me late for lunch).

Stephen Noreiko
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Thu, 1 Mar 2007
RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANTS RUN OUT IN 75 MINUTES
GREENS CHALLENGE GOVERNMENT TO REMEDY "GRANT GRABBINGFARCE" AS RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANTS RUN OUT IN 75 MINUTES
NEWS: Green Party in England & Wales
GREENS CHALLENGE GOVERNMENT TO REMEDY "GRANT GRABBING FARCE" AS RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANTS RUN OUT IN 75 MINUTES
UNDER PROMOTED AND OVER SUBSCRIBED: LOW CARBON BUILDING SCHEME INUNDATED AGAIN
Stream One of the Low Carbon buildings programme has again, as Greens warned, run out of funds on the first day of the month, the fourth successive month that grants have run out early and the second time grants have run out on the first day of the month. (1)

The scheme was designed to boost the installation of renewable energy technologies on houses across the UK through grants of up to 50% for solar photovoltaic panels, a flat £400 for solar thermal, which produces hot water, and 30% for wind turbines, hydro-electric installations or air-source heat pumps.

Green Party Principal Speaker Siân Berry said:
"Labour's tiny grants system for household renewable energy has descended into a grant grabbing farce, but the government is refusing to put their money where there mouth is and put an end to the chaos.
"We call on the government to put an extra £2 million into the LCBP today, to cover this month's shortfall, and then use the forthcoming budget to put adequate funds into the grants programme.
"They can talk about climate change as much as they want, but here we have real people trying to take real action to curb our emissions, and the government is failing them."

"The Green Party challenges Labour to sort out the chaos caused to individuals and suppliers - to provide money right now so the grants don't keep running out.
"The Green Party would supplement the current fund of £80 million in the three year LCBP with at least a further £300 million over 5 years.
"Longer term, Greens would provide about £1 billion a year in loans for renewable energy, rather than Labour's £30 million a year in grants.

"The Greens in Germany got this right - that's why they've cornered the market in solar power, installing over half the world's photovoltaic panels, while Britain lags behind. We're failing consumers and business alike."

Notes for Editors:
(1) Since the monthly cap was brought in, the monthly pot has run out on 20th December, January 12th and then after just 12 hours on 1st of February.
Further information is on the LCBP visit http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home/

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme is the government's scheme to provide capital grants to help people install home energy generation. Phase 1 of the scheme was designed to boost the installation of solar panels, wind turbines and a range of other renewable energy technologies on houses and public/community buildings, and is run by the Energy Savings Trust.

£80 million was committed to the programme in total, but initially just £6.5 million to the householder (phase 1) part of the scheme. Even £80 million is just a tiny fraction of the £1bn a year that will be raised from the increase in air passenger duty that kicked in on February 1.

The total fund available to the household stream is now £12.7 million up from £6.5 million (over 3 years.) Much of this has already been used up - eg the 3.5 million originally allocated for fiscal year 05-06 was gone by the start of November 06.

The scheme has come under massive criticism from the industry and from individuals attempting to take up grants as:
- Monthly caps are not helpful
- There is an inability to register your application, and individuals need to apply again in the next month. This makes it difficult to take up if the applicant misses the boat the first month you apply. In practice they have to apply online, as postal applications can take 15 working days.
- Average spend on nuclear research in Britain is £230million per year for the last 25 years, and since 1974, the UK government has spent £6.8bn in research and development funding for nuclear fission, compared to £540million for renewables

Green Party Press Office
020 7561 0282
http://www.greenparty.org.uk
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Wed, 28 Feb 2007
Hull anti-nuclear protest Saturday
***IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Hull peace activists sending 6 to Faslane, arrests expected
In a rerun of Remembrance Day last November, six campaigners from Hull will travel this Saturday to join protesters from across Yorkshire to demonstrate against the Trident nuclear weapons system at Faslane, west of Glasgow.

Two of those to make the 300 mile trip, John Beardmore, Hull Quakers, and Martin Deane, Hull Green Party, have already spent a night in Glasgow police cells. "It was no holiday camp," says Martin Deane, "but we did it because Britain possesses nuclear weapons and now wants to buy a whole new generation of them - instead of getting rid of them which we promised in 1968!" .

John Beardmore comments: "How can we in this country be so hypocritical as to pass judgement on the likes of North Korea, Iran, etc? Here we are threatening to re-arm with the world's worst weapons. Small wonder other countries want nuclear capability!"
Next month, Parliament will debate the £25 billion renewal of Trident favoured by Tony Blair.

Departure - Friends Meeting House, Percy Street. 9am, Saturday 3rd March.
Yorkshire Quakers - organised this 2 day event at Faslane as part of the year long www.faslane365.org protests.
Over 500 have been arrested to date.

More details -
John Beardmore, Hull Quakers
327574

Martin Deane, Green Party
07812 838701
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Tue, 27 Feb 2007
Anti-incineration network AGM - March 24th
Dear All,
We would like to invite you to the first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK Network of Anti-Incineration Groups on Sat 24th March in London. We will be holding the AGM at NCVO - which is near Kings Cross Station in north London. I know many of you expressed interest in attending the Summit where we first decided to set up a network, but where unable to attend.

The aim of the Network is to support and encourage those groups and individuals who oppose waste incineration or the production of refuse derived fuel.

This email provides you with more information about the AGM, how to register to attend it, how to nominate yourself to stand on the steering group for the network and what additional information we will be sending out to attendees at a later date. If you cannot attend but would still like the information for the AGM please let us know.

1) The AGM and network meeting
Timings - the AGM will kick off at 10.30 for refreshments, due to start at 11.00. The AGM of the network is due to take place in the morning session with the afternoon session devoted to skill-sharing and networking plus hearing about the EU work on waste. The day will finish by 5.00pm. All refreshments will be provided and there will be no cost to attend the day but we are unlikely to be able to cover travel costs for people attending.

Morning session
10.30 - Coffee/tea and networking
11.00 * Short presentation from current members of the steering group on setting up the network
* Chance for all attendees present to vote for the name of the network - choices will be provided to aid thought
* Short presentations by people putting themselves forward to be on the Steering Group.
* Election of Steering Group
* Adoption of the Constitution

LUNCH AND NETWORKING
Afternoon Session
* Presentation on EU process and campaign so far
* Key note speaker - (to be confirmed)
* Short presentation on information briefings project
* Skill-sharing speed dating to include a chance to share skills and learn more about the following (tbc)
Planning issues
Targeting the Environment Agency
New Thermal technologies
Cement kilns
Health impact arguments
MBT technologies
Kitchen waste collections
How local authorities can meet LATS without burning

5.00 Close

A more detailed agenda will be sent out to you once you register to attend. Please register your attendance by emailing Becky Slater becky.slater@foe.co.uk by March 14th so we can confirm numbers with the venue. At the time of registering please let Becky know if you have any specific requirements such as vegan or gluten free food so we can organise this for you.

2) Nominations for the Steering Group At the AGM we need to elect the steering group whose job it is to run the network between AGMs. Therefore we need to seek self nominations for the steering group. We do really hope that people will come forward to be on the steering group - which is vital for the running of the network. If you are interested in this please read further.

Who are the Steering Group? The Steering Group will be responsible for policy and administrative decisions of the Network during each twelve month period following the AGM, including the sourcing of funding. Members of the steering group will need to attend steering group meetings which are likely to be at least 5 times a year (maybe more in the first year of the network.)

The Steering Group needs to have a minimum of five elected members but the Network may elect as many members as it sees fit.

The officer positions of the Network shall be held by the elected members of the Steering Group. The Steering Group members will determine who holds the officer positions and the minimum officers shall be a Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer.

The Chair will be responsible for the running and organisation of the AGM and any Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).

The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining a list of the registered membership of the Network, and for recording and issuing the minutes of the AGM or any EGM.

The Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the Network and will present an account of the Network's finances to the AGM.

Other elected members of the Steering Group may hold positions and responsibilities as determined at the AGM.

If you are interested in putting yourself forward to be on the Steering Group please feel free to speak to any of the current members of the group - details at the end of this email. Also you need to do the following things:
1) Check that you can attend the AGM as all nominees need to be present at the first AGM.
2) Check that your group is likely to become a member of the network as only individuals from groups which are members can be on the steering group. (There will be a chance for groups to join the network after the AGM.)
3) Send Anna (anna.watson@foe.co.uk) half a side of A4 on why you want to stand for the steering group and what experience you can bring. Please do this by March 14th so these can be sent to the attendees of the AGM for information the week before.
4) Be prepared to do a very short (max 5 mins) presentation at the AGM on why you are standing.

In the week prior to the AGM we will send out a map and venue details, copy of the Constitution and nominations from the people standing for the Steering Committee.

This email has gone to people that attended the Summit in Oct but we are also inviting other members of the local campaigning waste network. But do feel free to pass this information on to others - as we may not have everyone's email details.
Thank you and look forward to seeing you on March 24th

Support Friends of the Earth
https://www.foe.co.uk/?email_staff
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Fri, 23 Feb 2007
Troops, William and Naomi

Dear Friends,
Troops Out DEMO, Saturday - I reckon we have filled the minibus for tomorrow. Well done. Wonder if it gets coverage this time...!
William Rodriguez and 9/11 - thanks to so many for packing Friends Meeting House, Hull. My article goes up shortly, keep an eye on www.thisisull.com And Noam Chomsky signs the petition (#6432) to release 9/11 documents. The night was a great swansong for the old place: the Quakers move in May to new premises on Bean Street, Anlaby Road.
Recommend - Naomi Klein writes today on American torture (particularly Jose Padilla) - plus discussion - Click here

Have a great weekend!
Martin Deane, Hull
www.sokuto21.karoo.net

Recent interviews -
Viking FM - did an interview today on the promised 1,000 troop withdrawal from Iraq compared to today's promise of 1,000 more for Afghanistan! Made the point these are normal troop rotations but that the government regularly spins it. Covered -

• "Troops Out" message: number one desire of Iraqi people (polls); we're NOT substantially helping; we are substantially FAILING, viz blowing up the Basra police station on Christmas Day!!! Indeed Bush has vested interest in keeping Iraq failing. About 655,000 dead Iraqis and rising. Probability of Iran being heavily bombed in coming months. Hull will be represented at tomorrow's demo. the closeness of Britain to America's stance, commitment to "War on Terror"
• as excuse to grab remaining oil resources
• make fortunes out of "war-and-reconstruction" cycle, price of oil etc.
• Trident debate in March where Blair wants to completely renew the "deterrent", ie start a new arms race
• Son of Star Wars, likely use of British bases for basing missiles and complicity of intel bases such as Fylingdales and Menwith Hill, also kick-starting a whole new arms race.

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Thu, 22 Feb 2007
War on Iran
Dear Friends,
Local: Wonder if Lissett wind farm will be passed today?
Meanwhile Hull GASP (Gets-Another-Shopping-Precinct) is planning a huge retail block west of Princes Quay all the way down to the Staples site, called, unsurprisngly, Quaywest (web). I suggest the green response should be to resist this: we have empty lots on Whitefriargate and Princes Quay. St Stephens will open eventually. It will be over-provision. Let's think creatively about using the space well for people - not to get people into debt.

UK: We have a full bus for Saturday's "No Trident" and "Troops Out" demo. And Sat 3rd March we have a number going from Hull to protest (with arrests!) at Faslane.

World: However, it is highly likely America will attack Iran within the next month. I've sent a short letter, below, to my MP. Feel free. Iran has the world's third largest oil reserves and is second largest for gas.

And a reply to my question to Hilary Benn follows below.
Regards,
Martin Deane www.sokuto12.karoo.net/iran.htm
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Mon, 19 Feb 2007
Legal impasse
Dear all,
I have now had a chance to discuss this in some detail with Phil.
Initially he thought our strongest point was in relation to the reference to renewable energy policy ME8.
In relation to the points on climate change he felt that even if there might have been a less than wholly informative picture placed before the councillors, this would never be enough to persuade the court to exercise its discretion to make the council take the decision again.
When I then had another look at policy ME8 I realised it actually lists burning rubbish as a form of renewable energy!
Obviously this is mad, but it makes it impossible to then argue that councillors were misled into thinking the incinerator was compliant with ME8 when it wasn’t, since the policy really is as bad as the decision.
Overall, in this context, we felt that sending a letter would serve no real purpose, since without an effective ground of challenge they will have no need to respond to it or engage with us.
I am very sorry to disappoint you, and hope that your momentum keeps the spotlight on the council and helps ensure that our fears about the incinerator undermining recycling are not allowed to come to pass.
All the best

Phil McLeish
Support Friends of the Earth
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Fri, 16 Feb 2007
9/11 - Nuclear - Tesco ...
Dear Friends,
The 2 stories on William Rodriguez' visit - which was fantastic last night!
14 Feb - Click here
16 Feb - Click here

Good News !!! - Greenpeace wins legal nuclear challenge - http://greenpeace.org.uk/
Objection to Tesco application follows for the top of Newland Avenue, and send to Ms Downs in Planning: dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk

Regards,
Martin Deane New Tesco store for Newland Avenue-
Click here
As the site was previously a retail development, there was no planning application to object to...
However, a planning application for the erection of illuminated signs can be objected to.
If people email, the deadline for comments is 28th Feb. Quote the application reference ( 07/00097/ADV ). Details of applications can be found at -
Click here. 07/00097/ADV
councillor.ross@hullcc.gov.uk
councillor.collinson@hullcc.gov.uk
councillor.butterworth@hullcc.gov.uk
dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk

Dear Ms Downs
Planning application 07/00097/ADV by Tesco Stores Ltd

I am writing to object to the above application for permission to install illuminated signs and advertising at 245 Newland Avenue, the site of a new Tesco Express Store. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to object to the opening of a Tesco store per se but am not able to because there is no change of use to the site involved.

I believe that illuminated signs proclaiming the presence of a Tesco store will be another step in the seemingly inexorable process of making Newland Avenue look like every other street in the country. The signs and advertising will help Tesco Stores Ltd to attract custom away from the vibrant mix of independent, locally owned stores that currently characterise Newland Avenue and make it such an attractive shopping destination, especially for those of us who do not wish to be part of the increasing corporatisation of public space. Local stores keep the money spent on Newland Avenue circulating in the local economy and support local employment. Most of the money spent at a Tesco Express, on the other hand, will leach away from the Avenue, from Hull, even from Yorkshire and instead find its way into the pay packets and bonuses of executive staff at Tesco's corporate headquarters, and into the pockets of Tesco's shareholders. The only local employment the new store will support will be largely low pay, unskilled work, and even that will come at the cost of other jobs as local retailers feel the strain of being unable to compete with Tesco's massive economies of scale and are forced to lay off staff or even close altogether.

Tesco claim that they care about being part of the local community where they site their stores. Well, of course they claim that; they're hardly going to claim the opposite, are they? And Tesco Stores care so much about this area that on the documents accompanying this application, they've spelt the street name Newlands [sic] Avenue. When a company can't even spell the address they're going to occupy correctly, it hardly bodes well for their commitment to the area.

Another new Tesco Express store in the area, in addition to the Express stores on Spring Bank, Anlaby Road and Beverley Road, the proposed new Express store on Bricknell Ave (in connection with which I would like to make a further objection to planning application 07/00108/ADV, for the same reasons), the supermarket on Beverley High Road, and the massive new store in the St Stephens Development, is hardly necessary, but is of a piece with Tesco's obvious aim to monopolise the grocery retail sector in Britain. While the opening of a new Tesco on Newland Avenue is seemingly a done deal, the least that can be done is to deny them the opportunity to advertise their latest acquisition. I urge the council to deny the application.

Yours,
Name and Address
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Fri, 16 Feb 2007
Nuclear missiles?
Dear Friends,
We plan to have an Anti-Trident letter writing stall Saturday 12 noon, Qn Victoria Square.
As below, Greenpeace has the same idea! With een more sparkly materials.
Come and support.

FEB 24 DEMO I reckon I have a couple of seats left on the minibus. First come first served. 471467
Departs - YPI, George St, 7.30am. Back late.

Cheers,
Martin Deane www.sokuto12.karoo.net

Subject: Nuclear missiles?
Hi folks, we have now got the materials for the anti nuclear weapons campaign so I was thinking we could make a start on it 2moro (Saturday) Its in the form of a petition that we will later present to our MPs asking them ro vote against replacing Trident.
Lets meet in Victoria Square Hull at 12 noon.
For those of you who are new I'll be the one in a green tabard with a pasting table

Louise x
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Tue, 13 Feb 2007
Road pricing

Dear Friends of the Earth
I'm emailing you about the road pricing controversy that's in the news. There is a great deal of coverage of the million-signature petition against road pricing.
The impression given is that the motorists lobby is an overwhelmingly powerful and vocal political force. I believe that the green lobby could be equally influential, but needs to make its voice heard more clearly in order to have a greater influence on political decision making. I also think that road pricing is an important step to reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and to making the roads safer for cyclists
I'd be very grateful if you could forward this link the the pro-road pricing petition to your members, or others who you think might be interested, or highlight the link on your website http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/TRACK-CARS/
Let's see if we can show that there are a million people in this country that care about the effect that traffic congestion has on our environment. I'd hate to be shouted down by the motorists lobby again
Thanks a lot

Alice Brockington
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Tue, 13 Feb 2007
Saltend Incinerator
I have thought quite carefully about this matter and read the report in some detail to look for any slips or errors. As you are probably aware, on any application for Judicial Review the High Court will be very reluctant to avoid scrutinising in any detail the merits of the original decision. In general, the court will mostly be concerned to check that the decision-maker was appraised of the relevant issues, asked the right questions and was not distracted by irrelevancies. How these matters were weighted, or what conclusions were reached will not usually be a concern of the court unless the decision is patently irrational.

Unfortunately – despite many initially promising lines of attack on the decision, and encouraged by the excellent and wide ranging critiques that were submitted – I have to say that I cannot confidently see any real grounds for challenging this decision. There is some weakness in the way they have considered climate change and I attach a draft letter on this point which we could perhaps throw at them and see what comes back, but I don’t really think that it is a strong enough argument on its own to mount a case.

Though I have not been able to find it online, I suspect that the real problem began when the second BPEO recommendation was adopted in Jan 2005 committing the council to one big incinerator. Unfortunately that is too long ago now to challenge.

Phil has been in court yesterday and today and I have not been able to talk this through with him yet - he may have further thoughts or ideas, and will want to carefully check through anything before it is sent out.
These are the main issues I have considered: 1. Capacity / Effect on Alternatives
There appear to be two issues:
a) Some definite excess capacity in the early years, which potentially runs against government guidance in the Waste Strategy 2000 at para 2.2.3 which states:

Energy from waste plant should be appropriately-sized and care must be taken to ensure that contracts are sensitively designed to avoid ‘crowding out’ recycling.

b) Potential excess capacity throughout the life of incinerator. There is a misfit between the timescale for relevant local and national policies and the lifespan of this project. The waste local plan sets targets through until 2012 and the national waste strategy sets targets through until 2015; both very early dates in the operation of the incinerator. Little consideration has been given to longer term trends likely to affect levels of waste over the life of the incinerator. Issues for instance such as new packaging guidelines, the new biowaste directive and DEFRA’s proposed new 50% recycling target – all of which may reduce yet further the projected growth in waste. There are also suggestions that the calorific content of waste may decline as recycling or reuse increases. None of these long term trends are referred to in the officer’s report.

However,
In relation to a) ; the officer is clearly aware of and has given consideration to the overcapacity issue: between paras 8.10.26-31 he refers to the relevant policy material, and at 9.3.1-9.3.13 he applies it to the application. He has deliberated on and reached a conclusion about this matter, even if it is not one with which we would agree.

In relation to b) : Need over 25 years
WRG’s case is predicated on the assumption that waste continues to grow beyond this 2012, (probably at a rate of 1.5 % which appears to be derived from the national waste strategy (para 8.10.21) and/or the average of the last 6 years growth). The only way to counter this would be to construct a really rock solid argument that waste really is not likely to grow at a rate of 1.5 % - that definite legislative events and/or social trends and/or technical processes make this objectively unlikely - then we might be able to argue that regard should have been had to these matters in taking this decision. This would apply in similar terms to an argument that the calorific content of waste will decline. There would need to be really strong evidence for these trends / processes – not just our hopes or wishes. I am not confident that we could provide such evidence, and therefore any projection of lower or no-growth or even reduction in growth would be at least as speculative as the council’s proposal.
(Obviously in this context of uncertainty about future need, a phased build of several smaller incinerators would have been a much better option, but it is too late to challenge that decision now).

2.Alternative sources of waste – industrial commercial
a) The officer suggests that any overcapacity could be addressed by using other industrial-commercial waste instead:
However, if growth rates are lower, then the EfW plant would still be compliant with the BPEO strategy, since there is another source of local waste that could be used to meet the capacity shortfall. This is Commercial and Industrial waste from within Hull and the East Riding. Currently there are approximately 36,000 tpa of this waste that is currently landfilled by WRG but is suitable for incineration with energy recovery. This type of waste is still considered to be Municipal Solid Waste.
Unfortunately I cannot see a problem with the officer relying on this possibility as a ground for approval given that:
a) This proposal was - albeit not so explicitly- already contained in the original planning application:
b) Nor can I see - contrary to what was suggested in one of Malcom Lynn’s letters - any reason why such a use of the incinerator (provided the waste is non-hazardous waste) should require a fresh EIA to be conducted.

There is, though, no explanation in the report of where the figure of 36k tpa comes from. This waste would need to be non-hazardous waste, since the planning application is expressly and solely for non-hazardous waste. I suggest we write to the local authority and ask for further information to check these figures.

3. Conditions
The local authority appear to have countered the objection that the new incinerator may result in additional waste being shipped in from outside the area by imposing a condition requiring only waste from the Hull and East Riding area to be used in the incinerator. This is cited as being necessary: to ensure the facility serves the waste disposal needs of Hull and the East Riding, to comply with the proximity principle and to comply with policy ME9 of the Local Plan and policies W25 and W26 of the Joint Waste Local Plan.
It has been suggested that such a condition ‘could have no standing in law and may not be enforceable’.
In order to be enforceable a condition needs to fulfil some planning purpose; to fairly and reasonably relate to the permitted development and to not be manifestly unreasonable.
Having looked at these three tests it seems to me that the condition in question would pass them all and be allowable on this basis.
I will try and confer with Phil over the next day or two and let you know if we have any more thoughts,
All the best

Phil Support Friends of the Earth
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Mon, 12 Feb 2007
Events this week
Dear Friends,
1. Tuesday, Stop the War meets as usual, Friends Meeting House, 8pm.
All welcome. 24th Feb Demo tickets, £15 and £10. FIVE left. Tel-471467.
2. Wednesday, Green Party election meeting, 20 Clifton St, 7.30pm.
We plan to stand a few people. Can you come? Would you like some input? Do you support?
3. Thursday, William Rodriguez on 9/11, 7 for 7.30pm
Friends Meeting House, Percy St, Hull.
A surprising (for them) national Daily Mail article on 9/11 follows.
And timely congratulations to the Dixie Chicks. :)

Cheers,
Martin Deane www.sokuto12.karoo.net/hull.htm
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Mon, 5 Feb 2007
Organic Gardening and Composting Technique courses
News Release
Contact: Adam Fowler
Telephone; (01482) 324223.
Email: info@hullenvironmentforum.org.uk

Places still available for Organic Gardening and Composting Technique courses
There are still a few places left on the afternoon session of the Organic Gardening Techniques to be held at 1pm (2x hours) on Wednesday 7 February 2007. Please note that the morning session is now fully booked! Places are also available for the afternoon, but not morning session of Composting Techniques to be held at 1pm, Wednesday 14 February 2007.

Both events are free but you need to book in advance. First come, first served. Disabled Access.
Telephone (01482) 324223 or email: info@hullenvironmentforum.org.uk. Organised by The City of Hull & Humber Environment Forum (CHEF) and Hull City Council they will be held at Hull Business Centre, Queens Gardens, Guildhall Road, Hull. These events are led by Andrew Wilson, Horticultural Manger, Hull City Council and are open to anyone.

Recycle your old mobile telephone for cash!
www.moneyforoldmobiles.co.uk.
Donate now for a chance to win Return Tickets to London by Hull Trains

The City of Hull & Humber Environment Forum
29 Anlaby Road
HULL
HU1 2PG (01482) 324223 Mobile: 07985917923
Charity number 1075172. Company number 3623588.
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Thu, 1 Feb 2007
Coal, badges and booze
Dear Friends,
Events fast approach!
Please support tonight's meeting if you can.
I can't remember the last time Hull had any event connected with Colombia!!!

The Human Cost of Mining
TONIGHT, 7.30, Friends Meeting House, Percy St, Hull
Jose Julio Perez on Colombia's struggle with British mining companies.
In the miners' strike of the 1980's, Thatcher used cheap Colombian import to subvert coal workers and to break the NUM. Even today Drax power stations burn Colombian material for our power... but at what price...?

Stop War Stall for Troops Out Demo
Can you help?? SATURDAY 3rd Feb, 12 noon, Qn. Vic. Square
for leafleting, ticket sales, T-shirts, new anti-Trident badges (only 50p!!!)
(DEMO Feb 24, £15 /£10 tickets from 07812 838701)

"A Do At The Zoo"
Sat 10th Feb, 7.30, Zoo Cafe, Newland Av, Hull
All Proceeds going to “Anarchist against the Wall” . Suggested donation £3. Bring own booze.
‘Anarchist against the wall’ is a group that works with Palestinian people in a joint non-violent struggle against the occupation.

Best regards,
Martin Deane
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Tue, 30 Jan 2007
Greens back PCS strike action as Government attempt tocut 100, 000 jobs
FYI,
Martin Deane,
Hull Greens

Early morning picket, Hull
12 noon - rally, Queen Victoria Square, Hull
07812 838701
Greens back PCS strike action as Government attempt to cut 100, 000 jobs

NEWS: Green Party in England & Wales
Nearly two thirds of PCS voters - 61.3 per cent - have backed a national civil service-wide strike on January 31st. The move comes as the government continue to fail to give assurances on job security, drive down pay and pursue a dogmatic policy of outsourcing and privatisation. (1)

Derek Wall, Green Party Principal Speaker, said "The people going on strike do so to defend the services we all take for granted. They aren't high flying mandarins or faceless bureaucrats, but hard working ordinary people.

"Massive job cuts, low pay, privatisation, office closures, worsening working conditions and plummeting morale mean that the PCS will go on a one-day strike tomorrow - and they have the Green Party's support.'

The selected day is the deadline for self assessment tax returns. It will be followed up by a two week overtime ban. The strike will impact on more than 200 government departments.

Derek Wall also highlighted misdirected government spending on the Iraq war and replacement of Trident, and emphasised the need for civil service managers to take seriously the concerns of its membership.

"If government want to avoid ongoing industrial action, then the PCS has a right to assurances over jobs, services and privatisation. The government that brought us the minimum wage is now called to account to make real progress in tackling PCS concerns over pay inequalities and low pay in the civil service and other bodies.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "This overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action illustrates the depth of anger amongst the government's own workforce... Patience has worn thin with services suffering as a result of job cuts, billions being spent on private sector consultants and some of the lowest paid facing a pay cut in real terms."
ENDS

Notes for Editors:
http://www.pcs.org.uk/(1)

Green Party Press Office
020 7561 0282
www.greenparty.org.uk
Published and promoted by Jim Killock for the Green Party, both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ.

GreenMail mailing list subscribed with:
martin@hullpeace.fsnet.co.uk https://lists.greenparty.org.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/greenmail
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Sun, 28 Jan 2007
Marine issues and National FOE 5 Year Plan
Hello everyone,
You will recall that in the January newsletter I mentioned that national FOE is currently opening discussion on its next 5 Year Plan, and that you can comment on this. This ability to comment is open to both Local Group members and Affiliate members.
Of particular interest to MARINET is the proposal by national FOE that Biodiversity becomes, along with Climate Change, one of two main central themes for the organisation's work in the next 5 Year Plan. Biodiversity means the seas - at least in our book ! You might therefore feel it helpful to reinforce this point.
If you want to comment you can download the form from http://community.foe.co.uk/fiveyearplan or make your submission electronically from this website address.
National FOE are asking for comments to be submitted by 31st January. If you want to comment, please make this a task for the coming week.
Regards,

Stephen
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Sun, 28 Jan 2007
Coming Events
Dear Friends,
February is aready promising to be busy with news of William Rodriguez 9/11 talk on the 15th.
But in case you thought January was over here is a last flurry for that rare breed - those that give a damn...

"Visit Palestine" - MONDAY 29th Jan, Friends Meeting House, Hull, 7.30.
What drives a young, well-educated, Westerner to volunteer as a 'peace activist' in the Middle East? Caiomhe Butterly is one of a growing number who choose to risk their own safety to intervene in the bloody confict between Israel and Palestine. This film allows us an insight into a brave, honest, determined yet self-critical woman who takes direct action to the limit. Producer, writer and director Katie Barlow has created a remarkable portrait of a remarkable individual. - UK 2005 Dir Kate Barlow - 78 mins

PCS - One Day National Strike - Wednesday
- The PCS is Britain's 6th largest union with 325,000 members, from civil servants to coastguards to tax offices, from museum staff to job centres. All supporters please gather for 12 noon in Queen Victoria Square, Hull, for a march and rally, Weds 31st Jan.

The Human Cost of Mining
- Thursday 1st Feb, Friends Meeting House, Hull, 7.30. Why should poor communities pay the price for our addiction to fossil fuel? Why should the environment?
Jose Julio Perez will speak on Tabaco, Colombia, the story of how his community has been destroyed by a UK-based mining concern. Villages and communities are destroyed by oil and mining concerns in the country where Britain remains the No. 1 foreign business investor.

Faslane Blockade - a chance early March to protest against Blair's latest arms race and commitment to replace Trident prior to the Parliament debate. Led by Leeds Quakers, people will go up Saturday 3rd March for a blockade on Sunday and Monday. Anyone choosing to get arrested on Sunday will almost certainly be released Monday lunchtime. Briefing and training provided. Details - 07812 838701

May this find you well. May 2007 go from strength to strength. May Iran remain at peace.

Martin Deane www.sokuto12.karoo.net
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Thu, 25 Jan 2007
Incinerator Review
Just to let you know-I've spoken to Anna Watson and she thinks it may help the FOE legal team if they read our original objection.This contains examples of where the application goes against The Local Waste Plan,BPEO etc. I will forward a copy to them. If anyone thinks they can contribute more on these lines please let me know

Sue Jolliffe
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Wed, 24 Jan 2007
Belvedere Incinerator
Don't know if any of you remember but the Belvedere Incinerator recently received planning permission after many years of wrangling.
I've just been talking to a guy called Garrett Reynolds from Leeds FOE and apparently it is now the subject of a judicial review. Maybe someone feels like finding out some more information from the people fighting the Belvedere incinerator as the process could be relevant to Hull?Don't know any details - but I guess Anna Watson would have them

Sue Jolliffe
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Wed, 24 Jan 2007
Hull MPs Iraq vote
Hull Green Party calls MPs to account on Iraq
Martin Deane, Secretary of Hull and East Riding Green Party, calls Hull MPs to account, to recognise their mistakes over Iraq and to vote today for Britain to withdraw troops and consider what we have done.

"655,000 Iraqi dead is what we call them to account for. 3060 American dead ; 130 British dead. Their blood is blood for oil, driven by the ruthless agenda of the warrior oil men in charge of the White House. And our MPs have their blood on their hands."

"Iraq has been a tragedy from the start and British involvement has been atrocious - all the way back to 1991," says Mr Deane. "The Green Party with the peace movement here and internationally, decried this war from the start. Now Britain wants the troops out and to return home immediately. But Tony Blair doesn't. We want a public inquiry into Iraq and an analysis of the untruths and so-called mistakes that have led us there. But Tony Blair does not."

Asked specifically about Hull MPs, he had this to say: "John Prescott and Alan Johnson - as members of the Cabinet - are as committed to Tony Blair as Tony Blair is to George W Bush. Iraq is a disaster that they voted British soldiers into. Diana Johnson, my MP, claims she would have voted against war in 2003. But can we believe this? Last October, she voted against a public inquiry into Iraq. Now she wants our soldiers to stay until the Iraqi goverment say so. But that means nothing. That's like saying leave it to George Bush."

"Remember, in 2007, we are the City of William Wilberforce. But Hull's MPs today will vote for the continued enslavement of a whole country. Hull's MP's will vote for Iraq's economy enslaved to Washington, its security dependent on George Bush's decisions, its banks and businesses enslaved to the international market, its children's futures enslaved to years of insecurity, poor health, despair and death."

Today, MPs will hold a debate in Parliament on Iraq and it is expected a high number will attend. A vote last Oct 31st on whether to hold a public inquiry into the war on Iraq was won by Government by only 25 votes.

The debate in Westminster takes place today from 5-7pm.

Martin Deane, 01482 471467 or 07812 838701
Sec, Hull and E.R Green Party
Sec, Hull Stop the War
Martin Deane, stood for Hull North constituency against Diana Johnson in 2003
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Tue, 23 Jan 2007
Re: URGENT: East Riding wind farm decisions
agree with the principle Hilary. In North Lincs for example (nationally)decided to support the Keadby one but not Tween Bridge which is close to an SSI and nightjar habitat.

I think there is a danger of getting fixated on windfarms There are other issues around climate change and other forms of renewable energy to promote too. Having said that wind is the most advanced form of renewable energy that we have and I think we should think very carefully before going as far as to object to an applocation. I think there has to be support in pronciple unless there are good planning/ environmental reasons to the contrary.

Steve Whittemore
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Tue, 23 Jan 2007
Re: Landfill Tax Community Fund
The following is my personal opinion, not that of Hull FOE:
The government introduces a tax to persuade people not to send waste to landfill [after, if I remember rightly, some pressure fron env. orgs including FOE]. The gov. decides to return some/all[?] of this tax to ‘the community’ in the form of grants. Why? To make the tax more palatable? Anyway, if they didn’t do this what would they do with the income? Marginal improvements to health or education? A bomb or two? I’ll settle for improvements to village halls and skateboard parks [the commonest recipients of Landfill Tax Community Fund], I think.
However, I did learn something interesting: One category of scheme which used to be eligible for grants from this fund was community recycling schemes. They are no longer eligible. I didn’t ask why, as I didn’t get the impression that the speaker would know. I don’t think they got many applicants under that category, but still, you’d think if the overall aim is to decrease waste sent to landfill they would particularly want to encourage such projects wouldn’t you?

Hilary
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Tue, 23 Jan 2007
Re: URGENT: East Riding wind farm decisions
Dear All
Unfortunately this meeting is before our next Hull FOE meeting.
What people do as individuals is of course up to them, but I think Hull FOE as a group should not automatically support every wind farm without knowing something about the individual site and proposal. I believe that this is also Friends of The Earth [England]’s view. I have skim read the officers’ reports on these applications on line; unfortunately you don’t get site plans or photos.
My conclusions are: 1. The Barmby on the Marsh application is small, has attracted little opposition and is mainly a local facility for Yorks Water’s own use.
2. The application at Lissett is 12 turbines in ag land near a quarry. Some local Parish Councils have objected. So have the Ramblers Assoc but they have a policy of objecting to all large scale windfarms [See how easy it is to dismiss the views of people who always react the same way?] There are some objections to the effect on Flamborough Head [although its 15km away], and from tourism interests. RSBP don’t object. Officers think on balance it is acceptable.
3.This one at Routh is opposed by most Parish Councils [but Leven supports it; anything to do with the grants that the windfarm firm are offering to communities for village halls etc?]. English Heritage, Conservation officers and others oppose on the grounds that the 12 turbines will be taller than Beverley Minster when seen from the Westwood. Opinions on views are of course very subjective, but the view towards Beverley from the Westwood is regarded as one of the best in the county.
My feeling would be to support No.1, Oppose No3 and want to see more info on No 2. But what do others think? Beverley FOE any views?

Hilary
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Tue, 23 Jan 2007
URGENT: East Riding wind farm decisions
Dear friends,
Please spread the word (especially to East Riding windies): East Riding Council will meet next week to determine three applications:
Yorkshire Water site, near Barmby-on-the-Marsh (2 turbines). Recommendation to Approve
Lissett Airfield, near Driffeld (12 turbines, Novera Energy). Recommendation to Approve
Routh (12 turbines, Ridge Wind). Recommendation to Refuse on the basis of its impact on Beverly Minster and Beverly Conservation area.
When? Tuesday 30th January at 1pm
Where? County Hall, Beverley

What we need:

1. Large turnout at County Hall on Tuesday with as many pro-wind t-shirts as possible!
2. Lobbying between now and next Monday evening (by East Riding residents) of as many planning commitee members as possible, preferably by phone, alternatively by email. (Contact details attached.)

Okay - Routh might have a chance on appeal but there's no way ERYC are gonna go against officers and approve it next week. The 2 turbines for Yorkshire Water have virtually no opposition: just 1 letter of objection from public (!). So, although we can lobby for/support all three, it might be very wise to target Lissett. We have a very good chance of making a difference here - I expect the vote to be quite tight. We probably need a couple of Tory votes to be safe: Abraham, Pollard and Bayram would be good ones to target, I think.

Also, the presentations (by applicants, supporters, objectors) will be made on Monday 29th and are open to public. It would be good to get some supporters along to applaud in the right places and create a favourable impression. (I'll confirm times by separate mail.)

If you want to see the officers' report it's at: http://www.eastriding.gov.uk/council/planningcommittee.html
Cheers,

Richard Claxton
Tel: 07759 869159
Email: richard.claxton@gmail.com

When the earth has been ravaged and the animals are dying
A tribe of people from all races, creeds and colours
Will put their faith in deeds, not words, to make the land green again
They will be called 'The warrriors of the rainbow'
North American native prophecy

Get active with Greenpeace:
www.greenpeaceactive.co.uk Support wind energy in East Yorkshire:
www.era4wind.info
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Wed, 17 Jan 2007
Incinerator Speech
I shall be speaking against the incinerator which I consider an industrial monster on an already polluting industrial site. Adding to this pollution is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back in relation to the health and well-being of this city.

I will divide my comments into two categories, dealing first with PPS 10 and then PPS 1.

Planning Policy Statement 10 requires planning authorities to deal with Waste without endangering human health and the environment. Paragraph 30 says “planning operates in the public interest to ensure that the location of proposed development is acceptable and health can be material to such decisions. So let’s look at some of the health concerns. Imagine this huge incinerator at Saltend. If it was working, its emissions might look clean, but they are not, as often they are in the form of microscopic particles which nobody can see. I’ll say more about these particles in a minute, but for now let me say that the same toxic chemicals that were in the substances that went into the incinerator are still there in another form. Burning even at temperature of 850 degrees C. can’t get rid of them and they will emerge from the chimney of the incinerator. Incineration does not dispose of rubbish. It changes it into air pollution and contaminated ash. Let’s look at this air pollution. Some 250 substances are emitted and obviously I can’t name them all right now. But here’s a sample: arsenic, dioxins, mercury, manganese, antimony, cadmium, hydrogen fluoride, Nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, ammonia, nickel, and let’s not forget dust. (which has to be taken into consideration according ng to Annex E of PPS 10). How dangerous are these? Well: arsenic, dioxins, cadmium and nickel are Class I carcinogens – and every single one of the others has some effect on human health – manganese, for example, has neurological effects and damages the kidneys. The emissions of these substances can be counted in tons. And they are indestructible – they remain in the environment indefinitely. . Dioxins are the most toxic chemicals known to science. There is no safe level . Back in 2001 the Lancet reported that dioxins even in small doses can cause cancer and disfigurement. They are already in the air. Do we want to add to that? More than half of Britain ’s babies get an unsafe dose of cancer-causing dioxins. Do we want to add to this statistic?

I’ve just listed some of the ingredients of an incinerator’s exhaust gases. They are toxic, but in such high heat new compounds are formed and these new compounds have an unknown potential for toxicity. We can try to imagine these gases in this way: a large incinerator puts out 3000 wheelie bins of exhaust gases from its chimneys every second. They pollute the local area but are also carried by the wind to neighbouring cities and towns. None of us are safe, as we breathe contaminated air, absorb these toxic substances through the skin… And, as they land on grass and crops, eat contaminated food. I might add that these emissions are acidic and so contribute to acid rain. The wind already carries to the UK acid rain from the highly polluting factories of the old Eastern Europe . Do we want more?

Now. Let’s stop and agree that there are tough standards both EU and UK for controlling emissions, and this is done through filters and scrubbers, etc. But the EA has admitted that these standards are based on what is technically feasible, rather than what is safe for human health. No technology can remove all the pollutants. And what about the disposal of the toxic substances that are caught in these filters and scrubbers?

Filters can keep out large particles, but can do little to prevent the release of those microscopic particles I spoke of earlier. The heavy metals released by burning, for example, by burning plastics, are released in the form of these microscopic particles that can penetrate into lungs where they enter the blood stream and are deposited in organs and tissues throughout the body. They are bio-accumulative -- they build up in body tissues over time. They can cause cancers, hormone disruptions, respiratory problems and can cause genetic damage that is heritable, i.e. can be passed down through the generations.

Incinerators often malfunction and every incinerator currently in existence in the UK has had its share. Nearest to us, the Sheffield incinerator broke pollution levels 150 times over two years. As Communities Against Toxics says; “It cannot be argued by even the strongest advocate of incineration that there will not be number of malfunctions over a plants’ operational life.”

Let’s look at something else in PPS 10 which specifies that planning for residual waste will assume that its volume will reduce over time. Yet the tonnage of waste that this incinerator needs is over 200,000 tons per annum, and this is more than what was mooted in the previous attempt to foist an incinerator on us. PPS 10 requires planning authorities to follow the Waste Hierarchy which at its apex calls for Reduction, then Reuse, then Recycling and Composting. and energy recovery(although Energy from Waste is a euphemism) is to be used only if none of the first three offers an appropriate solution Which they all do. Let’s look at recycling, for example. Edmonton in Canada (not the London Edmonton; they have an incinerator with a record of toxic pollution) recycles 80% of its waste annually. Our own targets are pathetically small. The incinerator proposal violates the Waste Hierarchy.

I’ll move now to PPs 1 - which is about sustainable development. I’m sure everyone by now is familiar with the meaning of sustainable development which is, according to the document, “the core principle underpinning planning.” and means a better quality of life for everyone now and for future generations. It specifically says that adverse impacts on the environment should be avoidered. There are plenty of impacts of the environment in the incinerator proposal. An incinerator produces greenhouse gases – CO2 a major contributor to Climate Change But its not just the emissions from the incinerator but also the emissions from the lorries that transport the waste to the incinerator. We can estimate (based on current statistics from East Sussex and a similar size incinerator) that at least 250 bin lorries daily will be needed to transport waste. What does this mean for air quality? And the incinerator will use some 500 million liters of mains water daily – and this in a world with ever-decreasing water supplies. Also, in terms of sustainable development and climate change – burning waste instead of reducing, reusing or recycling means that new goods have to be continually created to meet consumer demand. This means more use of fossil fuel and more damage to the environment

PPS 10 also insists on: sustainable development which will ensure a healthy society and says in the Annex that where there is scientific uncertainly the precautionary principle should apply. It should surely apply here and the incinerator proposal refused.

It only remains to take a brief look at the Officers report and I hope the committee realizes that some of is conclusions are not evidence-based. It says the proposal has been assessed in terms of need, alternative sites and alternative methods. The alternative methods and need are not properly assessed. Also what about the Appropriate Assessment for wildlife and habitat …the decision should not proceed without this. The Executive Summary says “following discussion with Natural England and the RSPB the scheme is considered acceptable. Well, Natural England initially objected to the development not in discussion but in writing and even now has 6 conditions which must be met. I hope committee members have seen this letter. I remind the audience that the site abuts the Humber Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest.

I’ll conclude with my own executive summary. Everything I have said and all my sources, statistics etc. can be made available to the committee) should suggest that approving the incinerator proposal means violating the key principles of both PPs 10 and PPS 1. It also means abrogating ones responsibilities to ones fellow human beings.

Dr. H.P. Livas
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Wed, 17 Jan 2007
NORTHERN NETWORK NEWS
Hello everyone, and Happy New Year. Welcome to the first edition of Northern Network News for 2007. We’re starting the New Year with several regional meetings to discuss FOE’s plans for 2008-15. The meeting on 13th Jan in Leeds took place and was attended members of just over half of the groups in Yorkshire and Humberside. It was really good for everyone to get together, and Neil and Jess are now looking forward to the NE and NW meetings to be held on 20th Jan. If you intend going and haven’t already done so, please contact Jess or Neil as soon as possible! Don’t miss your opportunity to have your say !!

One rather mundane bit of information for you; we, in the Leeds and other regional offices, have just been “migrated” to some new computer software. All FOE staff and volunteer addresses have changed and are now all in the format firstname.surname@foe.co.uk. I hope I haven’t lost anything in the process, but if I have missed out anything that you have sent me this month, apologies!

Thanks to everyone who has sent in news for this edition. Please keep letting us have your ideas, contributions and, especially, any news of what your group’s been up to. Please send them to me (nicki.smith@foe.co.uk) or to Neil (neil.kingsnorth@foe.co.uk).
Here’s to a successful campaigning year! - Nicki

**CONTENTS**

**ACTION STATIONS **
* Influence the Regional Spatial Strategy - The Examination in Public into Regional Spatial Strategy resumed on 9 January for 3 weeks. These will include debates on the ‘sub-regional’ chapters of Draft RSS. Many of us could soon find ourselves living with [or indeed, in] the controversial, but seemingly government-favoured concept of City Regions. Frank would be interested in your thoughts on this, whether based on principle or practicalities. The Manchester City Region (and South Cheshire) will be discussed on 16-17 January, as Matter 7; Liverpool City Region (Matter 8) will be debated on 17-18th; the proposed Central Lancashire City Region (Matter 9) on 24th; Cumbria and North Lancs. (Matter 10) on 25th.

Let Frank have your comments as soon as possible if you have thoughts about your part of the region, after reading the relevant part of the Draft Strategy. The Draft Strategy and various parties’ comments, can be viewed atwww.northwesteip.co.uk . The final version of RSS will provide the principles and outlines for development that all our local authorities must follow in their Local Development Frameworks.

* Take Action on Proposed Planning System Changes - The Treasury is carrying out a series of reviews, including the Barker review on land-use planning. They have made recommendations for major changes to the planning system. This often means cutting local people out of the picture. If the recommendations from these reviews are implemented, it could mean speeding up major projects by removing public involvement in inquiries, increased domination of supermarkets in town centres at the expense of local shops, reducing your right to have a say in plans and increasing the threats to wildlife sites and green belt. The land use planning system is the most sophisticated form of environmental and social regulation that’s ever been introduced in the UK . We need to protect local people’s rights to be involved in local decision-making. Take action using the following link.Click here

*Funding Opportunity - Artists' Project Earth has announced that in spring 2007 they will begin to issue grants from the proceeds of their hit album, Rhythms del Mundo Cuba , to organisations working to prevent the causes of climate change, and to defend communities and ecosystems against the impacts of climate change. These broad topics may include projects that create awareness of the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change, create political and social awareness of the need for rapid change and preparation, lead to the adoption of low carbon technologies and lifestyles, prepare vulnerable communities and ecosystems for climate impacts or protect ecosystems at risk from climate change. Interested organisations are invited to submit a short summary of the objectives and full budgets of any projects that are seeking funding for, including information on any other sources of funding for your projects. This should be no more than two pages long, do not send full project proposals yet. Organisations may also include brief information (no more than one page) about their organisation, and their previous achievements in this field. Do not send additional information on your organisation, although you may point to a website for further information. Applications from individuals cannot be accepted unless they are working in close partnership with a recognised and accountable organisation. All applications should be sent to info@apeuk.org The summaries will be reviewed on February 24th 2007, after which full funding proposals will be requested from selected projects. First funding should be released in spring 2007. Thereafter the full funding criteria and proposals will be posted on the APE website www.apeuk.org with regular releases of funding. There will be plenty of opportunities for organisations that fail or miss the preselection process to apply again for funding. Matt Sellwood (COIN) matt@COINet.org.uk,www.COINet.org.uk

* Have a look at the new FOE “job examples tool” - New unsustainable developments continue to get chosen over greener options. Frequently, developments like roads, supermarkets and airports are justified on the grounds that they will create numerous new jobs. But these job creation claims - made by companies, local authorities and government - can often be exaggerated to help pave the way for their approval. So how can you expose false job creation claims, counter the myth that protecting the environment costs jobs, and promote the job creation potential of green developments? Well, we've tried to help you by putting together some arguments and examples about job creation into a job examples tool. http://community.foe.co.uk/jobs This may be useful either in supporting your campaigns on local developments or by helping you input into consultations such as the regional economic strategy consultation.

* Become a Community Champion for Sustainability - Community Champions attend a FREE 2-day course and then use the training to advise a number of their local community groups on sustainability by producing a simple action plan to reduce the group's impact on the environment - which, on average, shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. The Community Champions will get full travel, child/dependant care, and subsistence expenses for the 2-day course, as well as for the time when they are discussing sustainability/producing plans with their chosen groups. Each Community Champion will receive an organic polo shirt and a ‘jute’ bag full of environmentally friendly goodies and information. Once they have produced an action plan with at least one group they will also get to go on an ETN course (see www.btcv.org/etn), or equivalent, for free! Anyone over 18 can be a Community Champion. They can be independent or a member of a community group see www2.btcv.org.uk/display/everyactioncounts

* Job Opportunity ( Newcastle ) Environmental communicator and promoter, part time, Jan '07- Mar ‘08 at Newcastle Climate Dome: Changing Attitudes to Climate Change. 'Climate Dome' is a major public education project on climate change, which launches in late January '07 in Newcastle upon Tyne . Part-time staff are being recruited who are enthusiastic, have experience in communicating to the public, and are interested in environmental issues. You will be responsible for engaging the public in shopping centres, city centres, festivals and fairs, and encouraging them to interact with the exhibits and displays in the Dome. You may also manage volunteers, performers and other exhibitors. The post will be based in Newcastle , but will involve considerable travel through the North East, weekend working and occasional irregular hours. The Climate Dome is an inflatable temporary structure which will act as a 'theatre platform' to engage people, on their own ground, who are either not yet aware, or not convinced, of climate change as a 'here and now' threat. The dome explains climate change through fun and enjoyable interactive exhibits, exhibition displays and animations. It is accompanied by a film, developed with the BBC, website and online game. It will exhibit across the North East for 15 months, in places with high footfall, both urban and rural audiences, including, shopping centres city centres, sports, music events, schools, colleges and fairs. The Climate Dome has been developed as a flagship project of DEFRA's Tomorrow's Climate, Today's Challenge programme, and is generously supported by Scottish Power. Exhibits and displays have been developed with the expertise of the Centre for Life. Invaluable support is also being provided by Newcastle City Council, the Environment Agency and the Energy Saving Trust. This is an excellent, challenging and exciting opportunity to work at the cutting edge in an extremely topical and important issue. Appropriate applicants will be required to undertake a CRB check. Contact Charles Henderson 07740 946955 charlie@carbonneutralnewcastle.com, to apply and send CV. See www.climatedome.org www.carbonneutralnewcastle.com for more information

**UPCOMING EVENTS**
*North-West Regional Get-Together – 20th Jan 2007 at 11.00am at St. Wilfrid’s Church, 1 Winckley Square, off Chapel St, Preston. A chance for members of local groups to get together, share skills and experiences and get updates on the key campaigns. Again, there's also a chance to feed in to the Friends of the Earth Strategic Plan 2008-2013. Contact Neil (neil.kingsnorth@foe.co.uk)

* North-East Regional Get-Together - 20th Jan 2007 11.00 am at the Quaker Meeting House Jesmond, Newcastle - This is a get-together for the local groups in the North East region. This is a chance to get to meet other activists in the area and share ideas and experiences. Talks, workshops and discussions are planned and there's a chance this time around to feed in to the future campaigns of national Friends of the Earth. Part of the day is for local group members to discuss and contribute to one or more of the big themes arising from the initial phase of work on creating the Strategic Plan 2008-2013. Participants will be provided with preparation guidance in advance. Contact: jess.dolan@foe.co.uk)

* ESRC-funded seminar series starting on 6th February 2007 (11am-5pm) at The Foresight Centre, University of Liverpool entitled “Local economic development in the face of dangerous climate change and resource constraints.” The first (of 6) seminars will examine what dangerous climate change and peak oil means for local economic development strategies. Critiquing growth-orientated perspectives of local economic development, the seminar series will examine which conventional growth options might be problematic in terms of a forthcoming ecological crisis, and what an alternative programme would look like. The seminar series will investigate what it means to be radical in terms of economic strategy? Is it possible to define a radical local economic strategy? Does being radical need a radical movement, and what sorts of movements exist? It will examine experiences of radical local action, local initiatives, coalitions, social movements and previous forms of radical local economic action interacted with processes of large scale economic change in order to draw appropriate lessons from them. Do the lessons of the past still hold? How might we avoid past mistakes? Attendance is free. More details of the seminar series can be found here

*Climate Conference “living in a new climate” - Saturday 17th March 2007, Friends Meeting House, School Lane , Liverpool . A MARGJIN conference exploring the impacts our lifestyles have on Climate Change and what we can do about it. Merseyside and Region Global Justice Issues Network (MARGJIN) is a coalition of national and local charities, campaigning groups and individuals concerned with issues of justice across the globe, acting together to make a difference. Contact livvol@christian-aid.org or 01925 241 222

* World Development Movement Speaker Tour – 27th February, Kendal - Ricardo Navarro, award-winning environmentalist from El Salvador, and ex-international chair of FOE will be taking part in public meetings hosted by WDM groups across the UK.. This meeting is at the Malt Room, Brewery arts centre, Highgate, Kendal , LA9 4HE at 7.30pm. Come along to find out more and take action with WDM to end climate injustice. Info from Katharine Talbot 020 7820 4900 or WDM Speaker Tour

* World Development Movement Speaker Tour – 28th February, Sheffield - Ricardo Navarro, award-winning environmentalist from El Salvador , will be taking part in public meetings hosted by WDM groups across the UK . This meeting is in Lecture theatre 4, Arts Tower , University of Sheffield at 7.30pm. Come along to find out more and take action with WDM to end climate injustice. Info from Katharine Talbot 020 7820 4900 or WDM Speaker Tour

*Northern Gathering 2007 – The second annual residential Northern Gathering will be held on the weekend of 28th April 2007 in York . This is the second annual 2-day residential event for Northern Friends of the Earth local group members. Further details to follow in the New Year.

**NETWORK NEWS**
**MARINET, the Friends of the Earth group focussing on marine issues would like to direct group members in the North to the latest edition of their newsletter. MARINET campaigns on marine and coastal issues, and seeks to try to help those who are interested in these issues. A full portrait of our work is available on their website www.marinet.org.uk. This year they will be running a national campaign to try to secure the establishment of Marine Reserves on a comprehensive basis throughout UK seas. You can also find out more by contacting Stephen Eades, Marinet coordinator at stephen.marinet@btinternet.com. Membership of MARINET is free of charge, and Stephen would be happy to answer any queries.

** HULL group, after a magnificent campaign, unfortunately lost their fight against the incinerator when Hull City Council's planning committee voted seven to five in favour of the scheme at Saltend, put forward by developer Waste Recycling Group (WRG). The decision means the £30m facility, which will burn an estimated 240,000 tons of household waste each year, will open in 2010, subject to an operational licence from the Environment Agency. Local campaigners promise that the fight will continue.

Local group members met to talk about Regional Waste issues with Anna Watson, waste campaigner, at the Y&H Regional get-together on 13th Jan.

** SCUNTHORPE group are currently drafting a Climate Change Action Plan for North Lincolnshire County Council in order to fulfil the requirements of the Nottingham Declaration.

** ALNWICK group have been doing some great work on the Food campaign, managing to get over 250 letters signed on the Governments GM Coexistence strategy and also setting up a great organic food delivery scheme around Alnwick.

** BEVERLEY group are working hard campaigning against Tescos and are also intending to set up a stall at the Saturday market to promote FOE and the work that the group is doing and to sell local, organic and fair-trade goods.

** HARROGATE group were represented at the Y&H local groups get-together on Saturday and it is great that this group is resuming an active role regionally. Jess is looking forward to meeting more of the group in early February.

** TELL US what your group is up to – we love hearing about it, and we can share it with others in the next Northern Network News

* SHARE what you’re doing with other groups through the local groups’ activity table, at http://community.foe.co.uk/local_groups/activities/ It’s really simple and just takes a few minutes to add an entry online! The password is activ8.

**UPDATES FROM US**

**News from Neil**
Hello everyone, by the time you read this I will have been at the Yorkshire and Humber regional get-together and will be looking forward to seeing the rest of you at the North-West get-together this Saturday. That has taken up a bit of my time of late but probably the most time has, pleasingly, been spent working directly with some of you. I've been working with existing groups on profile-raising, help with campaigns or general support and information as well as running a training session on media work and I've also been working to set up new groups (the latest two being Warrington and Chester with others in Yorkshire and the North-West in the pipeline). I'm looking forward to another year's great campaigning alongside you all and having our big get-together at the Northern Gathering in a couple of months. Neil

** News from Jess**
Happy new year everyone! If you are anything like me then New Year will already seem a very long time ago, and again if you are like me then your New Year’s resolutions will have already bitten the dust. But never mind! Just when you thought you there was no way to redeem yourself, along comes the opportunity to get involved with Friends of the Earth's next 5 Year Strategic Plan! What more could you ask for?!

Joking aside, I hope that as many of you as possible from the North East are able to make it along to the Regional Networking day and 5-Year Plan consultation session on Saturday 20th January at the Quaker Meeting House, Jesmond, Newcastle. The day runs from 11 until 5 followed by a bit of a social at a nearby pub afterwards.

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Day last week went well, and it was great to see all of those who attended. Do let me know (jess.dolan@foe.co.uk) if you have any feedback on the day itself, and remember to make sure that your views are heard on everything to do with the Strategic Plan process and document and where you feel Friends of the Earth should be heading in the next 5 years and beyond. You can do this by going to http://community.foe.co.uk/strategic_plan/ and clicking where it says "give us your opinions".

Aside from all the action around the Strategic Plan, I was also able to go to South Shields last week, to take part in a conference on a "Greener South Tyneside", with both Environment Minister David Milliband and our very own Tony Juniper as guest speakers. This conference was inspired and encouraged by local group member Bryan Atkinson lobbying David Milliband as part of the Big Ask campaign, and asking him to take steps to develop his constituency, South Tyneside, as a Zero Carbon constituency. No bad thing for an environment minister to be doing. It was great to see such a high turn out of delegates from all areas including business and the public sector, and very interesting to hear David Milliband speak, especially in the light of Tony Blair's recent comments on flying and the impact of individual behaviours.

Just to let you all know, I am in London a fair bit over the next couple of weeks so please do call my mobile if you can't get through on my landline - that's 0792 1039 204.

All the best everyone. Jess

** News from Frank**
The New Year has seen FOE NW represented again at the resumed Examination in Public of Regional Spatial Strategy. We've now covered Transport and Waste matters, as well as what's called Environment (our point is that that's integral to everything, but there you go...) and Landscape.

It's hard to read how the Panel are weighing up the points put by private sector, local authority and voluntary/green NGO contributors. Except that the session on Airports was very depressing for us, as no dissent was allowed from the 2003 Government White Paper that encouraged Manchester and Liverpool Airports to expand to three times their passenger numbers, and unprecedented growth for Blackpool and Carlisle too

Coming up are Energy and 'City Regions'/Sub-Regions. One more week in Wigan , and the final week (23-26 Jan) at the Lake District National Park HQ at Oxenholme. I'll be at most, though not all, of the remaining days. A key challenge is that all the sub-regional sessions, in the draft RSS document, are considered almost entirely from an economic perspective.

Taking a break from all that, I look forward to seeing a good few NW group members at our regional get-together at Preston this Saturday (20 January)! Frank

** FINALLY** …How green is your ( North West ) MP?
A report by Mark Ellingam in the Independent (15/11/06) looked at the actions MPs were taking in their personal lives.
The report preamble:
“When Rough Guides published its new book on climate change, the series editor, Mark Ellingham, sent a copy to every Member of Parliament. He also asked them to declare what steps (if any) they had taken in their own lives, or in their constituencies, to help make a difference to global warming. Out of 646 MPs, 318 replied…”

The 318 responses included 28 MPs with constituencies in NW England. FOE NW office volunteer Clare Gillott, extracted them and the entries are sorted alphabetically by surname of MP. Whether or not your MP responded, this may be useful for any dialogue you may have with him/her!

Hazel Blears: Salford , Labour - We each need to act. The energy we as individuals consume makes up almost half (44 per cent) of total emissions.

Graham Brady: Altrincham and Sale West, Conservative - I take this issue very seriously and my personal commitments include recycling, walking to work every day and taking the stairs instead of using the lift. In my constituency, I have been a strong supporter of a campaign to source foods locally.

David Chaytor: Bury North, Labour - I have switched my vehicle to one that runs on biodiesel; have re-insulated my home and intend to install a micro wind turbine and photovoltaic panel. I’ve managed to plant over three thousand trees.

Rosie Cooper: West Lancashire , Labour - I write a regular column for one of my local newspapers and have included the issue of climate change on several occasions. Making small changes to our daily lives all contributes to reducing our impact on the environment.

Claire Curtis-Thomas: Crosby , Labour - I supported plans to introduce wind turbines in a number of locations around Merseyside. Personally, I do a lot of walking and cycling as well as being a keen user of public transport.

Maria Eagle: Liverpool Garston, Labour - I do not leave electrical items on standby, I switch off lights when they are not needed and I only put the required amount of water into the kettle.

Nigel Evans: Ribble Valley, Conservative - I am careful about leaving items on standby, restrict my driving as much as possible, have switched lightbulbs to more energy efficient options and try to eat locally sourced food.

Tim Farron: Westmorland and Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat - We’ve scaled down to one car and the plan for next year is to go on holiday by boat and road, not by air travel.

Frank Field: Birkenhead , Labour - I have been working to establish Cool Earth. The aim is to form a mass movement of individuals worldwide who pay rent in a capitalised form so that rainforest countries have a new form of investment which makes illegal logging uneconomic. For further details please see www.coolearth.org

Paul Goggins: Wythenshawe and Sale East, Labour - There is much more we could do to make our own homes and public buildings more energy efficient.

Andrew Gwynne: Denton & Reddish, Labour - I recycle and use public transport as much as possible, and encourage my constituents to do the same.

Mark Hunter: Cheadle, Liberal Democrat - I will continue to vote in favour of more radical legislation to tackle climate change as well as policies that switch the focus of taxation on to polluters.

Dr Brian Iddon: Bolton South East, Labour - I am replacing lightbulbs with energy efficient ones. We are trying not to leave electrical equipment on standby, and continue to improve our home insulation.

Michael Jack: Fylde, Conservative - I am leading an initiative in Fylde to make it the most energy efficient in the country, and have so far secured £40,000 to make this happen. I will be offering my own home for energy-efficiency analysis, and would welcome support and input to this project.

Ruth Kelly: Bolton West, Labour - I am bringing in someone to carry out an energy audit in my Bolton home. They will make recommendations to me on the actions I can take and what the gains will be in terms of saving energy as well as money.

John Leech: Manchester , Withington, Liberal Democrat - I have signed the 20 per cent pledge and carried out most of the actions we are expected to do. I’m also changing my car to a vastly more fuel efficient diesel.

Tom Levitt: High Peak, Labour - I have signed up to the Energy Savings Trust’s ten steps to tackling climate change – apart from the measures I had taken already, of course!

Michael Meacher: Oldham West & Royton, Labour - It is the greatest overarching issue facing the whole planet. By leading the world in putting into effect the fundamental changes that need to be made to counter climate change, as a message to all other countries.

Andrew Miller: Ellesmere Port & Neston, Labour - My wife and I have planted nearly 1,000 trees on land we own. I drive an LPG-powered car and have substantially cut the number of car journeys I do in favour of trains. I am currently investigating both solar and wind solutions at home.

Stephen O’Brien: Eddisbury, Conservative - As a family we have already taken steps to reduce our carbon emissions. As we have not yet measured what we were using two years ago, we think a target would be a gesture, not a commitment. Most importantly, we are changing our behaviour regarding energy use.

George Osborne: Tatton, Conservative - I try to do as much as I can. I cycle to work regularly. I also offset the carbon emissions of flights I take with trees planted in a sustainable forest.

Greg Pope: Hyndburn, Labour - We can all make a difference by becoming more conscious about the effects of our own actions and taking steps to reduce and offset our own carbon footprint.

John Pugh: Southport , Liberal Democrat - I am enjoying coming to terms with the raft of lifestyle adjustments I need to make. But to the extent that I am able to see it not as some hair shirt, holier-than-thou exercise in self denial, I am able to welcome it as simply a way of leading a better life. I genuinely believe that if we see meeting the environmental challenge as a form of spiritual renewal and development, we will arrive at sustainable changes that cannot be brought about simply by fear and an urge for self-preservation.

Paul Rowen: Rochdale , Liberal Democrat - I have switched my car from a 2.5 litre petrol engine to a diesel engine and I have just fitted a condenser boiler in my house. I am also looking at what other energy saving things I can do.

Christine Russell: City of Chester , Labour - Chester is one of the first cities in the world to offer its citizens a personal conduit to counter climate change. The carbon reduction system works like a personal trainer to encourage Chester citizens to cut their carbon emissions.

Ian Stewart: Eccles, Labour - I have promoted grants to improve home energy efficiency, have sent out a questionnaire on climate change and advised constituents how they can make a difference. On a personal level, I am doing my level best not to leave electrical appliances on standby!

Andrew Stunnell: Hazel Grove, Liberal Democrat - An extra 100mm insulation in the loft this summer and a state-of-the-art condensing boiler installed in place of the old banger we had.

Ann Winterton: Congleton, Conservative - I’ve planted two copses of native British trees and will probably plant more in the future. As I grew up at a time when people did not waste as much as they do these days, I have always recycled.

**FoEedback**
Is there anything that’s working really well, or not so well? Anything you agree with or disagree with that you'd like FOE to know about? How did the last day of action go for you? What do you think of the website, magazines or flyers? Let us know anything that you think could usefully be fed back up in to the organisation and we'll do it. Just email neil.kingsnorth@foe.co.uk or phone 0113 3899952.

Brought to you by the northern regional team:
Nicki Smith, capacity-building volunteer nicki.smith@foe.co.uk)
Neil Kingsnorth, NW and Y&H ND (neil.kingsnorth@foe.co.uk, 0113 389 9952)
Jess Dolan, NE and Y&H ND (jess.dolan@foe.co.uk, 0113 389 9964)
Frank Kennedy, NW RCC (frank.kennedy@foe.co.uk, 0151 707 4328)
Carole Zagrovic, NE RCC (carole.zagrovic@foe.co.uk, 01642 459 171)
Sarah Hards, capacity-building volunteer (sara.hards@foe.co.uk)
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Thu, 11 Jan 2007
Help the Environment and Also Buy Goats for African Farmers
We're still running our inkjet cartridge recycling scheme to help Third World countries by raising funds to buy goats for African farmers. For every 50 cartridges recycled, we can provide an African farmer with a goat which makes a great deal of difference to him and his families lives. To help the project and the environment please recycle your ink cartridges, unfortunately we cannot recycle Epson cartridges.

For more information, click onto
http://www.thisisrecycling.co.uk

Contact the Beehive team on 0870 2403508 for pre-paid envelopes to send in your cartridges and stand a chance of winning a free printer, digital camera or 5 free inkjet cartridges.
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Mon, 8 Jan 2007
Vote Green. Join Green.
Dear Friends,
Since I joined the Green Party in 2005 the membership has slumped to a new all time low! (36 to 27 across Hulll & E.R) "Unfortunate coincidence" I hear you all cry.
Me, Im not so sure.
So to bolster my fragile male ego, as well as -

• attempt to rectify today's defeat over the Incinerator (which I hear is very similar to what happened in Sheffield a few years back, in terms of mass opposition from the public which is then effectively side lined by the Councillors),
• and to have a real voice over climate change,
• and fight against globalisation (especially the rule of capital, profit and the multinationals) and for localisation,
• for effective car-beating public transport, as they have in many other cities,
• for greater support for renewable energy sources,
• to give a real boost to the progress Hull has made recycling (2005:11%; 2007:21%) and many other policies such as outlined here:

Martin
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