Birmingham Friends of The Earth newsletter - Oct-Nov 2010

One Person’s Challenge...

Over 2010 we have been following the environmental challenges of Lizz Roe, a local Quaker and Faith and Climate Change steering group member. Here we have some excerpts from her blog demonstrating some of the monthly challenges she has set herself. It shows what any normal person can do with a bit of motivation! We hope you enjoy it and keep coming back for more of her highs and lows. The full blog posts can be found at www.FaithAndClimateChange.Org. Over to Lizz……

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3 - Campaigns Digest 5

- Warehouse News

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- Guest Article - St. Georges Community Hub

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- Appeal for Volunteers

10 - Grumpy Greenie - Manners Please!

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- The Plight of Paraguay

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- One Person’s Challenge (cont.)

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- Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth

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In The Media - Transport

19 - The Plight of Paraguay 20 - Volunteer In The Spotlight 21

- Diary

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- Membership Form

23 - Contacts

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Campaigns Digest The dedication and hard work of our campaigners is really paying off in all our busy action groups and in the success of all the amazing events we’re putting on.

cuts do not mean that sustainable transport suffers. Bus services have suffered enough and we must ensure they don’t become even more expensive with worse coverage of the city.

We also continue to work on the 20’s Plenty Campaign to ensure safer streets for all and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

It now looks like the runway extension is going to be built at Birmingham International Airport, which is hugely disappointing for anyone concerned with protecting the environment and local residents who want to ensure the Council don’t use taxpayers’ money to fund environmentally-damaging private companies. If you wish to help campaign against it, please get in touch.

Transport In Town Without My Car Day has been the focus of a lot of our efforts over the summer to see if we can really get the issue of sustainable transport up the agenda. Panna and all the other volunteers have done great work in reaching out to the biggest employers in the city to try to get them on board. All the details of how they did will be published in a league table after the 22nd September.

We are now starting to put some effort into ensuring that coalition

Energy and Climate Change The group are engaged with responding, on an ongoing basis, to the Council’s ideas on how to cut Birmingham’s carbon footprint by 60%. A meeting was arranged with the Deputy Leader of the Council for 30th September where we could put our ideas and a report back from that will be available shortly.

A party to celebrate 10:10:10 as the global day of action on cutting CO2 has also been arranged (see article for details) to promote the idea of behaviour change being fun and positive, too, as many perceptions are about how hard it is.

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Campaigns Digest Local Shops and Food The group has been making some great links with local food producers and other organisations involved with food in Birmingham. This has resulted in a really great event to celebrate growing food locally and sustainably in Kings Heath (Edible Birmingham) on 2nd October – apologies if this doesn’t arrive in time to alert you for that, but we’ll put a report in the next newsletter.

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legislation passed, that will make a huge difference to the impact farming has on the environment.

Waste – Swap Shop and Crafting The Moseley Swap Shop continues to provide a free service to happy punters and we are seeing more and more people copying the idea, which is good (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). There was a break from crafting over the summer while people were away, but there’s still plenty of rubbish to be made into wonderful things, so please come along on the 3rd Monday of the month.

Faith and Climate Change This project is now entering a new stage of development: an exciting new initiative called EARTH (Environment and Religions

Also, of great importance is the work we’re doing lobbying MPs to ensure they turn up and vote for the private member’s bill (the Sustainable Livestock Bill) on 12th November. You may have had an email from us asking for help with this already but, if you can help us by getting your MP to promise their attendance to get this historic

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Bus services have suffered enough and we must ensure they don’t become even more expensive with worse coverage of the city

Transformation Hub) has been proposed to develop and take forward the innovate work that the Faith and Climate Change Group has produced. We look forward to telling you all about it in future newsletters.

Coming up we have 2 events: 3rd November, 1.30-3pm - What a Waste! (part of Islamic Awareness Week) Venue TBC Sunday 28th November, 2pm5pm – Playing with Justice (part of Interfaith Week); Venue TBC – see our website for details.

Warehouse News Walking the Talk Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s building ‘The Warehouse’ is typical of much of Birmingham’s housing stock. The majority of it is Victorian, but it has a few 1950’s and 90’s add-ons. This makes it ripe to become a demonstration building, showing how we can lower our dependency on fossil fuels.

To do this, we will be starting a few substantial refurbishment projects: Centralising our heating system and stopping our reliance on fossil fuels by purchasing a biomass boiler that will be fuelled by the waste from British tree surgeons;

Education Project can give more support and guidance to people that want to live more sustainable lifestyles.

We will also be making substantial improvements to the accessibility of the building by putating in an accessible loo and an access ramp to get from the meeting room to the reception, kitchen and toilet areas.

This is just the start though. Next year we hope to see even bigger and better projects to make the building more sustainable. Watch this space.....

Installing solid wall insulation in the reception area, adding more natural lighting and laying a natural rubber floor - this will increase our energy efficiency whilst providing a more pleasant reception where the Birmingham Environmental

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The shops and companies here have all come together because they are dedicated to working towards a healthier, more organic city.

So if you want to help make Birmingham a cleaner, greener place to live, or you just want to eat some good vegetarian food, then come to The Warehouse and see what’s going on.

SPROCKET Cycles

Sales, service, repairs, accessories. Bikes also built to your own specifications.

Established over 15 years ago in the Friends of the Earth Building in Birmingham The Warehouse Café has a reputation as a quality provider of vegetarian and vegan food in Birmingham.

“Real people serving real food with local, organic and fair trade leading the way” Guardian Unlimited.

To see the delicious menu go to www.thewarehousecafe.com For bookings and enquires Telephone 0121 633 0261 Email info@thewarehousecafe.com

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Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm 0121 633 0730

• 100% vegetarian and vegan • A Large selection of organic and fairtrade products, most supplied and delivered by a workers co-operative • Vegan owners - no meat or dairy products sold Open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm

Where in the city is this organic kitchen garden situated? The BT tower in the background might give you a clue. It’s part of St. George’s Community Hub, a project I’ve been forming links with as part of my job as Outreach Officer. Between the Jewellery Quarter and the A4540 New John Street West is the Newtown estate where it’s situated: four big brown tower blocks you see off the North – South ring road.

Housed in a former school, St. George’s mission is: ‘to advance urban regeneration and community development by the provision of education and training in a spiritual context’. While Church of England propelled, the charitable project reaches out to those of all faiths

and none. Projects and tenants in the building are from various voluntary, education and church groups but the main focus is on youth work with three projects

The recipes cooked reflect the participants’ national and cultural background, so everyone will get to sample everyone else’s culinary styles.

of particular interest from an environmental perspective: 1) The intergenerational project runs on Thursday evenings when young people work with a parent or guardian to take turns in cooking and eating a meal prepared from ingredients grown organically from seed in the project’s kitchen garden. The recipes cooked reflect the participants’ national and cultural background, so everyone will get to sample everyone else’s culinary styles.

2) Monday nights are a straightforward horticultural

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session, predominantly outside tending the garden, unless it’s extreme weather.

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in horticulture and organic farming prior to working in Birmingham.

3) B-United is another project bringing together young people from different postcode areas and backgrounds and is predominantly focused on engaging people at the fringes of gang culture. This amalgamates several different youth organisations.

The estate and project featured on Channel 4’s programme Tower of Commons in which Tim Laughton MP, junior minister for children and families, spent eight days living with residents. He’s since returned to the estate, which has also been visited by Ed Milliband and is held up as an example of good practice.

Working with youngsters aged 10 – 16, the team comprises around ten full and part time workers as well as sessional staff, who support CEO Bob Tyler. His background was

Newtown is one of several Ladywood constituencies to have just won an In Bloom award, and you can see from the photo the effort made by local residents

working together with statutory and third sector agencies. Gardening in the widest sense of the word is a great way to bring together people from all sorts of backgrounds and turn ‘tough estates’ like this one into amenable neighbourhoods, where people from all sorts of backgrounds can live and flourish together.

Further information: StGeorgesCentre.org.uk Channel4.com/programmes/towerblock-of-commons/articles/timloughton-interview

Gardening in the widest sense of the word is a great way to bring together people from all sorts of backgrounds

Tom Pointon

Appeal for Volunteers We are looking for people to take on the role of Communication Officer for each of our action groups: Transport, Local Shops & Food and Energy & Climate Change.

This will enable each group to communicate what they are doing, what action needs to be taken to support campaigns and news of upcoming events more successfully both internally and externally. It will also involve ensuring press releases are written to engage media interest with our campaigns events.

The time commitment would allow someone to easily fit the role around a full-time job, but you should be prepared to attend 1 or 2 meetings a month (Monday

evenings), write articles for our bi-monthly newsletter, website and blog and possibly help with material for the show which we are planning to put out on Rhubarb Radio.

If you feel you have the skills to do this or have the enthusiasm to learn them given appropriate training (which is available), please contact Campaigns@ BirminghamFoE.org.uk

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Manners please!

It’s been a while since I was grumpy on these pages but, having tortured myself around 26 miles to raise money for BFoE in the Canal Canter on Saturday, I thought it was time for a little moan again.

People do Birmingham down all the time, but they really shouldn’t and this walk was a fine illustration of the places we have to go walking.

The first half of it was an absolute pleasure with a real variety of different places and a heart full of optimism, although the second half was much harder to appreciate as the legs began to give way and the novelty of canal tow-paths began to fade. There was plenty of moaning done then by me and my walking partner I assure you!

All along the walk there were loads of sloes and other berries, crab apples and other edible things that would be of interest to those who like eating for free and I can’t help

What annoyed me most on the walk, though, was cyclists zooming along with no manners to say excuse me or thank you...

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thinking we should make a lot more of the fact that food can be grown in the city. Stingy people like me should certainly be getting out there and using what’s there, while generous people could go out and do a bit more guerilla gardening and plant more fruity treats.

Welcome

relief in the pub garden at half way

What annoyed me most on the walk, though, was cyclists zooming along with no manners to say excuse me or thank you when you needed to get out of the way, and I heard a lot of other walkers moaning about these rude people too. As a cyclist myself, I always thank people for getting out of the way on a shared space with pedestrians. It doesn’t take much so, come on cyclists, please do the same if you want people to think kindly of you and be considerate.

Tow-paths are one of the only car-free places we have to explore Birmingham cycling and walking and they are lovely places, so let’s not spoil people’s enjoyment of them or we might just end up in the drink!

The Grumpy Greenie

FoE Conference: Pablo and the Plight of Paraguay.

Pablo clicked up a map of Paraguay and its forest cover circa 1980, and next the present cover. A collective gasp, followed by stunned looks of disbelief and mutual recognition of the incomprehensible change in the land.

Watching a country’s forest almost completely disappear over 25 years is an astonishing disgrace.

Astonishing inefficiency - converting the land to mostly international exports (soy and other non-staple crops); and disgraceful - the immoral behaviour at every level by those who have created, sold, planted the crops and poisoned the land.

Pablo Valenzuala is Director of Communications for Friends of the Earth Paraguay (Sobrevivencia).

He showed very effectively (even through a translator) the plight of the Atlantic Forest and others, and of the indigenous people who relied on the land for their livelihood and basic survival.

Survival is the literal translation of Sobrevivencia and, after hearing the talk, you could see the reason for the group’s name. They are fighting: for the survival of indigenous people and communities; for what is left of the forest; against the threat of poisoning from herbicides and pesticides imported into the country by the likes of Cargill and Monsanto; and for the wider rights of us all to own our (non-GM) seed.

“Our seed” may sound as unusual to you as to me but it is central to our existence. We are both most probably sat within five miles of a Tesco, where variety of produce sold is already being prescribed.

The corporations operating in Paraguay are intent on total market domination of what is grown, and there is more profit in soy exports than a diverse eco-system supporting the climate and crops of those few million Paraguayans.

What’s there not to love about it?!

Sadly, we unwittingly demand this each time we opt for cheap meat - largely produced using soy feed, which largely comes from South America. You can change this by adapting your eating habits, but also by lobbying your MP to support the Sustainable Livestock Bill at its second reading in the House of Commons on 12th November 2010.

With good support it will change the way we rear and feed our livestock, and reduce demand for cheap soy and the destruction of further forest. Get your MP MOOVING on it!

Matthew Keys

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One Person’s Challenge...

Introduction Monthly Challenges A few years ago I was part of a group where each month we set ourselves a challenge and would try and change our habits over the next 30 days or so. We’d then meet again, review progress, have a good laugh and set ourselves a new challenge (whilst sometimes keeping the old challenge going too!). Some of the group made big changes to their lives over that year and some just some little ones. It did really help knowing that others were up for it too!

Friends of the Earth I had an interesting conversation with someone from FOE which prompted me to remember the oomph I’d felt when doing this and other similar challenges, so that’s what I propose to do this year – each month I’ll take on a suggested environmental challenge and then let you know how I get on!

For Starters – Who I am…

Here’s some starter info just so noone asks the impossible (or illegal).

I live in Birmingham, I don’t have a car, I’m a veggie/vegan, I work full time, I don’t have a mobile phone or the internet at home, I once gave up spending for a year (I paid my bills and public transport fares), I gave up flying for 9 years and then succumbed to a free trip to the US, I don’t smoke, I like knitting, I have a bicycle and trailer, I live in a very small flat on my own, I visit my

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elderly dad who lives near Watford three times a month, I sometimes travel for work, I’m a Quaker, I like films, and I like books. I also like a good challenge!

I once lived for 6 months on food from supermarket/coffee shop dumpsters and as well as following the very careful, even scrupulous, etiquette - don’t ever leave a mess January (Challenge – Sort out the flat/lifestyle) ‘...As soon as I got back I planed the front door and then all the internal doors which stick - for the first time ever I have doors that close throughout the flat! How successful do I feel?! Next I made a hot water bottle and snuggled into a duvet. Whilst doing this I sorted through my fabric bag - I felt sure that I’d have something suitable for a curtain. And yes I did - a lovely large bit of a sort of sea green corduroy. I also found part of an old sheet and, even better, some curtain tape! Sorted. For the other

large window I found some more sheeting. I’ll have to keep an eye out for some blankets to use for lining between the current curtains and the sheeting. It won’t matter what colour or condition because it won’t be visible...’

February (Challenge – Buy Nothing) ‘...I once lived for 6 months on food from supermarket/coffee shop dumpsters and as well as following the very careful, even scrupulous, etiquette - don’t ever leave a mess, if there are others at the same dumpster don’t snaffle everything - I was well fed and saved a fair amount of stuff from going to landfill.

Maybe it is just that it reminds me of the period in my life which was really very stressful. Maybe it’s a reminder that money just is one of the topics that people shy away from.

If you’re having an eew moment, think about it - all it involved was opening a bag and removing some unopened and often in-date food tins, packets, bakery goods, bottles and sometimes still frozen boxes of stuff. The only difference was that it was a larger bag and it was black (a bin bag in other words) and it came from a dumpster rather than the shelves. Oh, and it was free. I was never ill and as I don’t eat meat that wasn’t an issue. The people I met doing dumpster diving were an interesting mixture too.... ‘ April (Challenge – Live on £1 per day) ‘...So, why does it seem harder - is it cumulative? It’s month 4, is that what it is? Maybe it is just that it reminds me of the period in my life which was really very stressful. Maybe it’s a reminder that money just is one of the topics that people shy away from. Thousands of people are in debt in the UK, and that doesn’t include mortgages and car repayments. Numerous people have strategies for how to get to grips with this - Alvin Hall on the TV is one of the best known people in the UK. In the US Joe Dominguez and Vicki Ruben’s project, also called ‘Your Money or Your Life’ like Alvin’s, has helped thousands of people get debt free.

I’ve had months when I’ve emptied the piggy bank too. This is crazy.

What is it with £££? What helps not spend?’

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One Person’s Challenge...

June (Challenge – Do something free at least twice a week) ‘...I went to the free exhibition at the British Library in London which is all about maps, and to the V&A to visit the quilt exhibition (with a ticket from a friend of mine – thank you). Maps and quilts - free museums and exhibitions - they’re just the best. Have you seen the Saxon gold in the Birmingham museum? It’s pretty amazing. As well as these two joys I’ve been at a committee meeting one evening this week, been to a party one evening, and spent time on the

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allotment every other evening. I also managed to spend an extra day at my dads being ill! I know when I’m ill because even the thought of reading a book or sitting in the garden is too tiring and I’m not able to even hold a book up or make a cup of tea.’

July (Challenge - Do something constructive in the local community each week, something nationally oriented each week, something positive politically each week, and tithe my time and money!) ‘...I’ve been thinking about this - I care about a lot of things homelessness, kids getting access to outdoors education, good nutrition and people knowing how to cook, disability integration, support for isolated older people, climate change, non violent conflict transformation, advocacy for those without power, poverty wherever it is, slavery, I could go on. Where do I start? I could split the £200 into lots of different bits or could do it in 4 dollops of £50. This is silly - I never thought that giving money away was that hard!’

We hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek into Lizz’s very interesting, funny and thoughtprovoking blog. To see the full posts and future posts, please visit FaithAndClimateChange.Org It may just give you that bit of inspiration you need!

Sean Howitt

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Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth We went to the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which took place in Tiquipaya, Cochabamba, Bolivia from 19th to the 22nd April.

After registering and gaining participant passes at Tiquipaya Municipal Coliseum, we headed to the University where the working groups were set up amongst various stalls advertising sustainable products and also giving out leaflets and information about the conference and organisations in relation to it.

Our immediate first impressions were that of an organised and exciting atmosphere where people had gathered together from all over the world to join hands and talk about climate change, and the ways that we can deal with it together.

On the first day representatives from countries around the world were introduced at the inauguration of the conference in a morning of traditional music and dance. Flags were waved and banners were held up to commemorate the start of the conference: hopes were high with the anticipation of the conference.

One had the feeling that everyone was very proud of Evo Morales for calling together this conference as an answer to the failures of Copenhagen.

The working groups were a fantastic idea to enable participants to engage in various debates and issues ranging from climate

migrants to technology transfer to agriculture and food sovereignty.

It was incredibly interesting and moving to hear from people directly affected by climate change, who are suffering from it and don’t need to see any scientific evidence because their livelihoods are so entwined with the earth they know when it is being harmed through ill treatment.

Everyone was so passionate about the issue and really seemed to relish this opportunity to have their voices heard.

It was incredibly interesting and moving to hear from people directly affected by climate change A particularly interesting talk was held by ‘NoBorders’ whereby we spoke of climate migrants and the problems being faced by countries such as Bangladesh where the number of climate refugees is rising rapidly due to rising sea levels.

Another discussion we participated in included environmental law and the downside to private land use: without regulations, land is not always used sustainably and therefore climate change is much

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harder to control. There was so much information and so many great speakers, including Naomi Klein. The whole conference was fantastically organised and one almost forgot it was being held in the poorest country in South America. It was a real testament to what can be achieved when people believe so strongly in a common cause.

Bringing many people together from all over the world re-affirmed a people’s conference: a shared vision from our ancestors, from traditional knowledge, from practises of our indigenous peoples, and from

Capriles Stadium, Cochabamba.

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science directed at the stability and well being of the earth. We believe that this coming together and the representation of different ideas, attitudes and practises brought a great sense of common purpose and the feeling of a worldwide community working alongside one another, towards the common goal of building a people’s world movement for Mother Earth, or ‘Pachamama‘ as it is lovingly known in South America, to prevent the problems of climate change. Being part of this was incredibly special and we were very lucky to be a part of it! The attitudes the indigenous people displayed to life and the

world we live in were completely different to anything we had experienced in the western world.

Near the end of the conference working groups presented their ideas and arguments in a working paper, where participants at the conference were able to comment on their work.

This was a way to present the results of everyone’s hard work and show what they had achieved, with an ability to receive useful feedback. All of the working groups’ conclusions have been drawn up into papers, and recently the main conclusions of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth have been incorporated in the document of United Nations on Climate Change, which is a fantastic success for the conference.

(More information can be found at http://is.gd/fvLrL)

Conference

at

Tiquipaya University.

The closing ceremony was all that we expected and more! It was held at the Felix Capriles Stadium of Cochabamba, and was seen as a cultural act on behalf of life and the earth. There were indigenous cultural expressions of music and dance from various regions of

Bolivia, lots of traditional dress and the worldwide representatives on stage as well as Evo Morales. The atmosphere was ecstatic as the sun set above the stadium and the bright lights came on. One couldn’t help but hope that after such a fantastic week Western governments might actually start to sit up and take notice of this fantastic achievement in Bolivia and also take an opportunity to listen to the voices of the people.

Further Information: http://is.gd/ fvLE1 Anna Martin & Emma Grindulis

One couldn’t help but hope that after such a fantastic week Western governments might actually start to sit up and take notice of this fantastic achievement in Bolivia and also take an opportunity to listen to the voices of the people.

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In The Media – Transport Stories August/ September This year’s In Town Without My Car Day attracted a big story from an unusual source for environmental campaigns, as Aston Villa came out strongly in support of the initiative: “Marc Albrighton motors down the wing like a finely-tuned RollsRoyce but Villa’s star midfielder is encouraging supporters to find alternative means of transport.

The lively wideman is supporting tomorrow’s Birmingham Friends of the Earth ‘In Town Without My Car’ day. We need all of our fans to consider how they travel to matches, to see if there is anything they can do to help us with our transport objectives and to improve our sustainability. Villa staff will be supporting ‘In Town Without My Car’ day more fully on Friday, as part of our regular transport day activities.

Staff who choose a sustainable means of transport on the day (walk, cycle, public transport, car share) will be entered into a raffle to win a prize.

Panna Amliwala, who helped coordinate the event for Birmingham Friends of the Earth, said: “It is fantastic to have Aston Villa support ‘In Town Without My Car Day’.

Choosing sustainable travel is an important hot button topic and we encourage more organisations to help employees and customers with the options they have, as Aston Villa have done. The staff incentive is a great idea and we hope the supporters can do their bit not only

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on this day but throughout the season.”

Other less positive news is that the runway extension looks to be going ahead and has been much trumpeted in the Birmingham Post’s

Editorial: “Good news is at a premium as the West Midlands faces fallout from the gravest economic crisis in recent times, but confirmation that Birmingham International Airport’s runway extension will finally go ahead is certainly reason to celebrate.”

It’s a shame that they ignore the statistics which show that airports actually suck money out of regional economies rather than benefiting them!

Confusion also seems to be reigning over the plans for High Speed Rail,

with an alternative route being proposed to placate certain villagers, but still no answers to the burning questions over whether this is a sensible use of resources – we are sure it isn’t and here’s what convenor of the Stop HS2 national campaign group, Joe Rukin, said: “Tinkering with the route is no use at all, if you move it, some will win and some will lose. We have

always believed since the first time we looked into the plans for HS2 that there is no business case, no environmental case and no money to pay for it. We will fight the whole idea all the way.”

It seems that for every positive transport story there are always a couple of bad ones!

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Volunteer Spotlight Joe Peacock interviews Richard Sagar

to speak to people.

I believe climate change is not just the most important environmental issue, but the most important issue that we face How long have you been involved with BFoE? For almost two years.

How did you first find out about BFoE and what made you decide to get involved Not long after I graduated I attended Birmingham Volunteer Centre (BVSC) looking to get involved in an environmental NGO. As a result of this I attended my first meeting the following Monday and have continued to be active ever since.

What do you do at BFoE? I’m one of the current joint Campaigns Co-ordinators. Having previously been Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Group, I help decide on the organisational strategy of the group – looking at how many campaigns we run, when we hold meetings and what type of events we put on. I do agendas for meetings, but also I like going out and doing stalls where I actually get

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What do you think is the most important environmental issue and why?

I believe climate change is not just the most important environmental issue, but the most important issue that we face. This is for the most part due to the multi-faceted nature of the political challenges that result from it.

What’s your best green tip/ advice?

Corny obvious answer: Become an active member of BFoE by attending Monday meetings and looking to get involved in campaigns.

Less obvious answer: Write to and meet with your political representatives to ensure they have the political will to deal with the challenging environmental issues we confront.

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Campaign Meetings Monday Night Meetings – 7:30pm at the Birmingham FoE Warehouse, Allison St 4th October – General 11th October - Electoral Reform – Discussion group 13th October - Strategy meeting (6.15pm start) 18th October - Crafting and transport 25th October - Energy and Climate change and Food and local shops 1st November - General Meeting 8th November - Transport 15th November - Food and local shops 22nd November - Speaker meeting- Feed in tariffs 29th November - Energy and climate change

Other Events 2nd October - Edible Birmingham - afternoon event with workshops on local food 10th October - 10:10:10 party at The Warehouse 23rd October - Moseley Swap Shop 1st - 7th November - Islamic Awareness Week 27th November - Buy Nothing Day and the Moseley Swap Shop See Northfield Eco Centre for their many workshops www. northfieldecocentre.org/

Farmers’ Markets

Birmingham University: 4th Wednesday of the month 9am-2pm Harborne: 2nd Saturday of the month 9am-2pm Kings Heath: 1st Saturday of the month 9am-3:30pm Kings Norton: 2nd Saturday of the month 9am-2pm Moseley: 4th Saturday of the month 9am-3pm New Street: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month 10am-4pm Solihull: 1st Friday of the month 9am-5pm Sutton Coldfield: 2nd Friday of the month 9am-3pm Jewellery Quarter: 3rd Saturday of the month 10am-3pm

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Contact us:

- Education

Chair: Benjamin Mabbett Campaigns Co-ordinators: Roxanne Green & Richard Sagar Campaigns Support Worker: Joe Peacock Electronic Design & Communication Officer: Antonio Roberts General Manager: Phil Burrows Treasurer: Margaret Lynch Aviation: Joe Peacock Climate Change & Energy: Melanie Brookes Multi-faith and Climate Change Project: Rianne ten Veen & Maud Grainger Craft, Recycling and Swap Shop: Beth Fisher Local Shops & Food: Nigel Baker Planning: John Hall Transport: Martin Stride Newsletter Editors: Katy Barry Zoe Wright Website Editor: Phil Burrows Talks: Joe Peacock and others

- Empowering others to take action

All enquiries and callers welcome.

Friends of the Earth (Birmingham) The Warehouse 54-57 Allison Street Birmingham B5 5TH Tel: (0121) 632 6909 Fax: (0121) 643 3122 E-mail: info@birminghamfoe.org.uk Web: www.birminghamfoe.org.uk

Friends of the Earth is: - The largest international network of environmental groups in the world, represented in 72 countries.

- One of the UK’s leading enviromental pressure groups.

- A unique network of campaigning local groups, working in more than 200 communities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

- Over 90% of its funds come from its supporters.

Birmingham FoE: Campaigns at a local level to effect environmental change (in ways which feed into national and international policy) through: - Direct action - Lobbying

- Participation and representation through public fora

Find us on page 74 of the B’ham A-Z, grid ref: 4A

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Birmingham Friends of the Earth