Birmingham Friends of The Earth newsletter - Spring 2016

Newsletter APRIL 2016

Campaigners Rally Support for Fossil Fuel Divestment As predicted, the plans and promises made at the Paris climate talks in December seriously lacked the ambition needed to ensure that real progress is made. In short, we still have a lot of climate campaigning to do.

Continued on Page 6

Contents 3 - Campaigns’ digest 4 - After Paris – An Eco-Sutton Event 6 - DWMPF action day 8 - Brum Pound spring 2016 9 - Waste Isn’t Rubbish Petition Hand in 10- Spring at Digeth Community Garden 12 - Regional Gathering 13 - In the Media 15 - Guest Article 16 - Warehouse News 17 - Women 19 - Volunteer Spotlight 20 - An inspiring away day 22 - Diary 23 - Contact us

Campaigns’ digest Spring is finally here and so is the latest edition of our newsletter. There has been a lot going on the past few months.

Julien Pritchard, our campaigns support worker, left to start a new job. We are all sad to see him leave and wish him the best of luck. Everyone at Birmingham Friends of the Earh would like to say a massive thank you to Julien for all the support he has given us over the past few years.

I have now taken over the role and am enjoying every second!

There has been a lot going on, on the campaigning side, too!

Economics Those working on the Birmingham Pound have been extremely busy with campaign planning and research. Read Corline’s article to find out what’s been going on. To hear the latest news from Brum Pound, sign up to their newsletter: https://www.facebook.com/ BrumPound/ Energy and Climate Change Tim Thorpe attended an event run

by Eco Sutton on the 4th February.

The event was an opportunity for residents to discuss what can be done locally following the Paris climate talks. Read all about it in Tim’s article.

On 13th February, we teamed up

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with campaigners from across the region for Divest West Midland Pension Fund’s day of action.

Campaigners were dressed in orange jackets and held brightly coloured umbrellas with divest messages on. The day went well and over 100 people signed the petition.

Take a look at Molly’s article to find out more.

Nature After the success of our Halloween Harvest festival back in October, plans are underway for a summer event in Digbeth Community Garden. Watch this space for more

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Campaigns’ digest details!

Have a read of Adam’s article to find out what’s already growing in Digbeth Community Garden and the work that’s been going on. The new brick stage looks great!

Waste On the 12th January, campaigners handed in the Waste Isn’t Rubbish petition in kitchen caddies to Councillor Lisa Trickett. The campaign has gained amazing support from residents and neighbourhood groups from across the city with over 1300 people signing the petition. Check out Joy’s article for all the details of the petition hand-in.

The campaign doesn’t end with

(Continued from page 3) the petition hand-in. At the time of writing, the Future Waste Strategy consultation is on hold but as soon as it re-opens, Birmingham Friends of the Earth will be taking action!

Joy Aston has been busy spreading the word about our waste campaign.

Joy enjoyed giving talks to the Kings Norton Women’s Institute and to Yardley Widows Group. There was a great discussion about Birmingham’s waste and the environment in general and there was strong support for the introduction of a food waste collection.

We are always looking for people to get involved with our campaigns so if you fancy getting involved then please get in touch. Our contact details are on page 23.

by local residents who had come to have a discussion about what could be done locally, and to hear Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, give an overview of the Paris climate talks.

He described how Article 4 of the Agreement recognised that developing countries should not shoulder a disproportionate amount of the burden and should not have their development restrained by the agreement. He also mentioned the $100 billion pledged to support developing countries climate mitigation and adaptation projects.

Mitchell began by outlining the key components of the Agreement, including the new target of 1.5° warming compared to pre-industrial levels, outlined in Article 2 of the

Finally, he reflected on the increased willingness by a number of national governments to engage and make commitments in comparison to the previous climate talks, notably

‘After Paris’ – Eco Sutton Event On Thursday 4th February, I made my way to a great community event organised by EcoSutton in Sutton Coldfield.

The group was established as part of the Transition Towns movement and seeks to focus attention on local environmental issues to make Sutton more sustainable. The event entitled ‘After Paris’ was held at St Peter’s Church and well attended

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Agreement. He described the emphasis on reaching peak emissions as soon as possible to make the overall warming target achievable.

China, and commended Francois Hollande, the French president, for his role in holding the talks together and diplomatically ensuring all parties stayed engaged with the process. The floor was then opened up for questions to Mr Mitchell.

During the Q&A, Mitchell stressed repeatedly his preference for using incentives rather than regulation to work towards meeting the new targets. Unfortunately, he then defended much of the governments systematic removal of environmental incentives: cuts to solar subsidies, abandonment of the decade long commitment for all new homes to be ‘Zero Carbon’ by 2016, and watering down of incentives for greener cars.

The solar subsidy cut was defended on the grounds that it was higher

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‘After Paris’ (Continued from page 5) than was necessary to have the desired incentive effect. A fair point but one which, a resident pointed out, could have been remedied without such a shock by using a gradual stepped reduction as the fledgling industry becomes more competitive.

I took the opportunity to ask Mr Mitchell whether the West Midlands Pension Fund should follow the example of the Church of England and unburden itself from its poorly performing fossil fuel investments.

But his answer was fairly evasive, pointing out that the pension fund’s priority was first to its pension holders before quickly moving discussion on. Rob Pocock, a well known local councillor, was also in

attendance and presented a more progressive point of view, being the first to support the idea of a fracking-free zone in Sutton and explaining the council’s plan to restrict very highly polluting vehicles from areas of central Birmingham.

After a tea break, and a piece of particularly good lemon drizzle cake, we split off into groups and discussed some questions which the organisers had suggested.

All in all, I thought the level of discussion was fantastic, it was great to meet so many interested residents and to see Andrew Mitchell and Rob Pocock willing to listen to and engage with local people on these issues.

Tim Thorpe

DWMPF day of action With no legal structure in place to force leaders to stand by their pledge to limit global temperature rise to under 1.5 degrees, we must keep pushing the UK government to transform their energy policies and to seriously rethink the nation’s commercial relationship with the fossil fuel industry.

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Fossil Free is a global movement that exemplifies the kind of action and people power needed to make this push. The campaign is targeting investment holdings in the fossil fuel industry, asking local authorities, universities, medical associations, and other public funds to divest.

Taking billions of pounds worth of investments out of the fossil fuel

industry and reinvesting the money into renewable energy is one surefire way to make some progress.

multinational fossil fuel companies including over £58 million in Shell and £43 million in BP.

Divest WMPF is a local Fossil Free campaign, calling on the West Midlands Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuel industries and reinvest in a way which supports climate justice and the possibility of a fossil free future. This means freezing all new investments in fossil fuels and divesting those that already exist. On Saturday 13th of February, environmental campaigners from across the conurbation came together for this year’s first DWMPF day of action.

These investments are totally irresponsible both economically and environmentally. Fossil fuel companies are highly overvalued due to the assumption that all of their reserves will be burnt.

However, it is public knowledge that 80% of current fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change that will exceed the 1.5 degree pledge made in Paris.

Dressed in orange high visibility jackets and brandishing umbrellas covered with divestment messages, the group were a splash of much needed colour on a grey afternoon in Victoria Square. The aim of the day was to gather petition signatures and share information about the significance of fossil fuel divestment as a local issue in Birmingham.

Research by 350.org, Platform, Friends of the Earth and others, shows that: ● The WMPF is investing over £145 per resident in fossil fuels. ● Money is invested into

This overvaluation means that there is a multi-trillion dollar ‘carbon bubble’ that is ready to burst.

Playing on this, campaigners taking part in the action blew giant bubbles across the square and let passing shoppers have a go themselves. This was a great conversation starter and campaigners were delighted by the amount of interest that was shown.

Campaigners who took part in the action included members from Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the Green Party and Climate Action Network West Midlands. It was a fantastic rally of support for the campaign, with over 100 petition signatures collected over the course of the day.

Molly Luke

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Brum Pound spring 2016 Having recently moved to the UK, I still catch myself saying things like “Would you like a Euro with that?” to shopkeepers.

They usually give me a strange look, until I realise my mistake and repeat myself, swapping ‘Euro’ for a more appropriate ‘Pound’. Having to deal with a different currency really made me more aware of my spending.

Different money to make you think on how you spend, and where you spend: this is one of the goals the Birmingham Pound is setting. The Brum Pound steering group, of which Birmingham FoE is a partner, is attempting to set up a local currency in order to increase, incentivise, and encourage local spending between individuals and businesses. Instead of paying with a regular Sterling pound, paying with a Birmingham Pound would ensure that your money stays in the city, helping local businesses - and people.

One of the positive effects of the Birmingham Pound will be the creation of more local resource

Waste Isn’t Rubbish, Petition hand-in

loops, reducing transport miles. This will result in a smaller environmental footprint for the city. A local currency could also allow this money circulation to reach those who need it, by supporting the diversity, health and networking of local businesses.

It is these local businesses that diversify and give colour to the city; by linking a local economy to local communities, the Birmingham Pound will increase social capital, local distinctiveness and identity across the city. It is a new way to engage with your local community and to support them.

Local currencies are already in use in Bristol, Brixton, Exeter and Totnes. The Brum Pound steering group is using their experience to make this endeavour a success. I for one hope the Birmingham Pound gets smaller bills than the Sterling…

These massive bills don’t fit in my European wallet!

Want to know more, or want to help us out? https://brumpound. wordpress.com/ Corline Hazenoot

On Tuesday 12th February, campaigners handed in the Waste Isn’t Rubbish petition in kitchen caddies to Lisa Trickett, Council Cabinet Member for Sustainability, outside the Birmingham City Council House in Victoria Square.

As well as over 1300 members of the public signing the petition, the campaign has gained support from community groups from across the city, including several Neighbourhood Forums, Birmingham LGBT Centre, and Chinese Community Centre.

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We were joined for the hand in by members of Eco-Sutton and Banners Gate Neighbourhood Forum. Lisa Trickett then presented the petition to the afternoon’s full council meeting.

The hand-in comes as Birmingham City Council is looking at its waste strategy with the end of the Council incinerator contract with Veolia in 2019.

The Waste Isn’t Rubbish campaign is calling on Birmingham City Council to implement a greener waste system for the city that makes best use of its resources locally. This

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Waste Isn’t Rubbish (Continued from page 7) includes; ● Making it easier for people to recycle food waste by providing a food waste collection as well as more support for home and community composting. ● Making it easier for people to recycle more types of waste from home. ● Using local companies to process the waste.

Our Waste Campaigner Libby Harris, said:“We’ve had fantastic support from people and communities from across the city. Together we’re demanding the waste system we

need, that makes best use of the resources in all our waste, instead of letting them go up in smoke in an outdated incinerator. With the Council contract with Veolia up in 2019, now is the perfect time for the Council to rethink its waste strategy.”

up some jelly ear fungus!

Birmingham City Council will consult on its new waste strategy this year, while we will continue pushing for a zero waste Birmingham and the decommissioning of the Tyseley incinerator. We can only hope now that the Council is ready to make the right decision.

The raised beds include three varieties of strawberries, five varieties of mint, sage, rosemary, oregano, curry plant, alexanders, thyme, winter savory, perpetual spinach, cardoon, fennel, pineapple sage, red valerian, greater burdock, parcel, feverfew, tansy and Jerusalem artichoke. We also have four fruit trees and a kiwi plant

Joy Aston

After last year’s frog success, we are hoping to see a lot more tadpoles this year. There should be plenty for them to eat by now, as the pond provides some great habitat for all sorts of bugs amongst the reeds, water mint and oxygen weed.

that are ready to burst into life this spring. After a year to establish themselves, all these perennials should be ready to come out of dormancy very soon.

The Digbeth community garden is open every 3rd Saturday of the month, but anyone with time, plants, materials, ideas or inspiration to donate can contact us at: digbethcommunitygarden@ gmail.com @DigbethGarden on twitter Digbeth Community Garden on facebook Adam McCusker

Spring in Digbeth Community Garden It’s Spring again! Although with early daffodils blooming everywhere, you could be forgiven for thinking that spring had already arrived back in January. We’ll be kicking off our garden activities on Friday 1st April, with the Real Junk Food Project at Digbeth First Friday.

We hope to host this event every month throughout the summer.

Recent work in the garden has included making a new brick stage area, thinning out some of the

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birch trees in the wildlife area, and organising composting systems.

A crop or two of purple sprouting broccoli and an elephant garlic have already started growing, and we also managed to get some peas planted.

Some mallow has appeared in the wildflower bed, and it shouldn’t be too long before the bluebells and buddleia come into bloom once again. The wood sorrel and corncockle are also ready to grow, and on the last workday, a foraging chef popped into the garden to pick

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Thoughts on Regional Gathering I’m quite new to Birmingham FOE and on 20th February I attended the West Midlands regional gathering. I felt the day was a success and I was made to feel very welcome. I enjoyed learning about the achievements made by campaigns in other West Midlands areas, gathering a more informed insight of the challenges that the West Midlands FOE faces on the whole.

There was a wide range of activities available, including talks, group work, workshops and a very tasty vegetarian lunch! For the first time, the regional gathering invited not just Friends of the Earth groups, but allies working on similar

issues across the region, including representatives from Burton TCV, Divest WMPF and CANWM. The afternoon explored ways that climate campaigning can develop across the region and how to support each other more effectively.

There was also the opportunity to pose for photos in silly hats and we did a solidarity action for the Heathrow 13. It was highly useful to hear the opinions and experiences of the wider FOE network, whilst sharing ideas for future campaigns with like-minded individuals. I look forward to supporting future FOE campaigns and sharing our message with a wider range of communities.

Anne Marie Allen

In the Media It has been a slightly quieter time on the media side of things lately, but we have still managed to make an appearance.

Firstly, our Waste Isn’t Rubbish petition hand-in on the 12th January received a lot of media attention. It was in the Birmingham post, the Sutton Observer and the Birmingham mail online to name a few. They included a photo of the handover of the petition in kitchen caddies, and in the Birmingham Mail online there was also a quote from Councillor Lisa Trickett, who shares our goal for a zero waste city.

This was followed a week later by my interview on Brum Radio.

I talked about the petition handin and the amazing support the campaign has received. When asked

by Dave the presenter what the future held for the waste campaign, I told him that at the moment it looked unclear as we don’t know what the council will put in the strategy, but what is clear is that we will continue to campaign for a greener, sustainable waste system!

Next up on 27th January, Julien Pritchard made his last media appearance in his role as campaigns support worker for Birmingham Friends of the Earth. He was invited on to Free Radio to respond to the air quality manifesto released by Global Action Plan. He talked about how the ideas were good ones but went on to say that we needed

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action now to stop the problem happening in the first place rather than merely treating the symptoms.

The conversation moved on to talking about measures that could be taken to tackle poor air quality such as more investment in active transport.

On the 2nd March, the topic was back on to waste. Joy, one of our waste campaigners, made her radio debut with an interview with Adrian Goldberg on BBC WM. The theme of the interview was whether non-Birmingham residents should be charged to use Birmingham household recycling centres. Joy made the case for not putting up barriers to recycling, instead Local Authorities should be working together to encourage recycling.

With plenty of campaigning planned for 2016, we hope to be back in the media again very soon!

Libby Harris

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Guest Article – Second Pedals

Support

Birmingham Friends of the Earth We are the only organisation in Birmingham that campaigns on Air Quality, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Energy, Transport, Planning, Waste and Recycling.

You can help us to do this in a number of ways: 1) By taking part in our campaigns; 2) By joining us as a supporter; 3) Both.

Whichever route you decide, you are helping to change your environment for the better and making sure that those who pollute, monopolise or despoil locally, nationally, or internationally are held accountable.

What your gift could provide: £10 To help campaign for cleaner air and a more sustainable transport system.

£10 To help push for more and better recycling in Birmingham. £10 To help create a community garden in the heart of Digbeth

birminghamfoe

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Second Pedals is a new community bicycle regeneration project based in Castle Vale, Birmingham. We registered as a CIC, Community Interest Company, on 4th December 2015. We thought of the idea during last year’s summer.

We had a child’s bike on our hands that was not being used and put it up for sale. A 7-year-old girl came to purchase it with her father.

Unfortunately, it was too small for her and left her upset without a bike. As keen peddlers ourselves, we felt that this little girl should also be able to enjoy a bicycle, so we set about looking for one for her and we managed to find one she could use. From that point on, we have been taking in unwanted, unused bikes and servicing them back to life to then find them new homes at affordable prices, where they can be enjoyed once again.

At Second Pedals, we believe that peddling is a great way to relax, break away from daily stress, and enjoy some fresh air. As a female led organisation, we both love leisurely going through a park, taking in the fresh air and enjoying some sunshine. Having both lived in Germany where using a bicycle is very natural and part of everyday life, we have been strongly influenced by their culture.

Not only does peddling boost our mental wellbeing, it also allows us to stay active while going about our daily routines like going to the shop, visiting friends or family or even going to work. Using a bicycle not only improves the peddlers’ physical and mental state, it also enables us to help make our communities greener.

Our volunteers also appreciate bicycles and all the benefits that come with peddling and we enjoy working with them closely. We hope that we can encourage more peddling by providing affordable bicycles and inspire more girls to confidently push those pedals through our various activities.

Happy Peddling.

The Second Pedals Girls

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Warehouse News This summer marks three years since The Warehouse Café’s current directors reopened the doors to the city’s original vegetarian eatery, and now we’ll be able to celebrate by popping a bottle of vegan champagne!

Our application for an alcohol license was a success and we’re very proud to be introducing a new drinks menu over the next few weeks.

It was important to us when making these plans to stick to an entirely vegan range of alcoholic drinks, while keeping suppliers as local as possible to minimise environmental impact. Real ale and craft beer

drinking Brummies should be pleased to hear that our beers will be supplied by local brewers Two Towers. As for our wines, independent merchants Underwood Wines are based in nearby Stratfordupon-Avon, and we think you’ll love their vegan range (we certainly do)!

In case you’re wondering what makes a beer or wine vegan, here’s a technical rundown. Whilst the main ingredients of beer consist of hops, barley malt, yeast and water, and wine is of course only grapes, it is in fact during the filtering process of these products where the nonvegan part usually comes in. For beer this part of the process is

usually only reserved for cask ales, where brewers use finings to clear away excess yeast suspended in the beer. Finings are also used in the production of wine in the same way. Animal-derived products used as fining agents include gelatin and egg albumen, but the most commonly used fining is isinglass, a form of collagen obtained from fish bladders. Finings don’t remain in the finished product, but by choosing wines that use finings that are not

We’re so excited to be starting a new chapter in our continuous quest to show Birmingham and beyond just how varied and interesting the vegetarian lifestyle can be. Join us for a vegan-friendly glass soon!

Megan Henebury

Women Women’s empowerment is critical to environmental sustainability, right? This is the question posed by Friends of the Earth as part of the Big Ideas research project, now emphatically answered YES by the book Why Women Will Save the Planet. It’s a collection of articles and interviews from some of the leading women in the environmental and feminist movements, ranging from those on the frontline of climate destruction in the Global South to those attempting to make corporate boards a little more gender balanced. It’s

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animal-derived, such as Irish moss, we minimise animal exploitation and adhere to the core principles of veganism.

bringing together these different perspectives that I think is the most powerful function of this book. Together, they create a compelling case for gender equality and environmentalism being inextricably linked.

At times, it does read more like the set text from a gender & environment undergraduate course than the rallying call described on the blurb and hinted at by the provocative title. It’s not fiery women’s lib rhetoric – it’s indepth analysis of particular topics, sometimes dry and hard-going, but ultimately much harder to dispute.

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Women (Continued from page 17) I wasn’t impressed by every contribution; I can’t see the chapters on fashion and business leadership inspiring the next wave of feminist revolution, for example.

As for Fiona Reynolds’s piece Sustainability is About People, she appears to have accidentally filed the introduction for her own autobiography instead of anything remotely related to women’s empowerment.

Before the book was published, my biggest fear was that it would

be filled with a load of hippie essentialist nonsense about Mother Earth, which does nothing to further the cause of either gender equality or saving the planet. I was relieved that the vast majority of work was talking about the social situation of women and how that relates to climate change. The economic and political structures that oppress women are precisely the same structures that are enabling and exacerbating climate change, through exploitation, greed and inequality.

And why is climate change the greatest threat of our time? Because it exacerbates every form of oppression that currently exists in the world. This book is a rallying call to environmental groups, who need to not just campaign for gender equality but to ensure that their own organisations actually embody these anti-oppressive values. We need to be organising in a way that transforms the structural inequalities of history into a movement of environmental feminists that is going to save the planet.

Roxanne Green

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Volunteer spotlight - Molly Luke How long have you been involved with BfoE? I began volunteering as Campaigns and Communications Assistant in October 2015.

How did you first find out about BfoE and what made you decide to get involved?

I had been to the Warehouse Cafe and found out about BfoE from the literature in reception. I was looking for a comms role in a local NGO when I saw the vacancy at BfoE. I was already passionate about ethical and environmentally responsible living, so didn’t hestitate to put myself forward.

What do you do at BfoE? Every week is different! I write blog posts and news articles, promote BfoE campaigns, write press releases, help with action days, make props, email councillors, create pages for the website...the list really is endless.

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

Climate change is a very real and current global crisis that is already having devastating consequences.

The scale and urgency of the issue is what makes it so important to

me,and absolutely everyone has the power to help no matter how small their contribution.

What’s your best green tip/ advice?

Before I moved to Birmingham I lived in the countryside where driving a car was essential. Living in Brum, and in most cities, comes with the luxury of good public transport. Ditch the car or taxi and hop on the bus, or even ditch the bus and cycle if you can!

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An inspiring away day On Saturday 19th March a group of BFOE campaigners descended on the Waseley Hills Country Park. The task of the day was to leave with a clearer idea of what the year ahead for BFOE would look like. It was too cold to be outdoors but we were inspired from the view from the meeting room. The morning consisted of brainstorming how we could increase our membership and diversity, the link between waste and air pollution, how we could engage the public with the Brum Pound and how we could work with other groups on climate change and fracking.

After lunch and grabbing some tea and biscuits we went back to campaign planning. First up we firmed up the Divest WMPF campaign objectives. Then moved onto looking at what was in store for

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notice of annual general meeting

our nature campaign. With so many ideas floating round it was hard to make a decision. This provided a good debate and I can’t wait to see how the campaign ideas develop over the coming months.

Friends of the Earth (Birmingham) Limited

We ended by creating a timeline and I am looking forward to the exciting things we have planned for 2016.

I’m sure there will be something that everyone will enjoy. Keep an eye out for details about the EU speaker event and a Sharing Cities book tour coming up in May and nature events in July and October.

Make sure you don’t miss a thing by regularly checking our website, Facebook and Twitter.

Agenda

If you fancy getting involved with any of our campaigns or events then please get in touch or attend one of our Monday night meetings.

7.00pm, Monday 13th June 2016 The Warehouse, 54-57 Allison Street, Birmingham, B5 5TH 1. Apologies for Absence 2. Minutes 2015 AGM 3. Matters Arising 4. Annual Report and Accounts: -

Warehouse Report;

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Campaigns Report;

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Finance Report.

7. Any other business (A bring and share buffet will be served from 6.30pm and the meeting should conclude by 9.00pm) Birmingham Friends of the Earth Limited.

A Community Benefit Society.

Registered under the Co-operative & Community Benefit Societies Act 2010.

Registered Number: 22063R. Registered Office: 54-57 Allison Street, Birmingham B5 5TH.

5. Exemption from full audit and appointment of independent examiner 6. Election of Management Committee

Libby Harris

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Diary

Contacts

Campaign Meetings - Mondays 7.30pm

Farmers’ Markets

11th April: Action Meeting Divestment

Birmingham University: 4th Wednesday of the month 9am-2pm

18th April: Action Meeting Membership

Harborne: 2nd Saturday of the month 9am-2pm

25th April: Action Meeting (TBC) 2nd May: No Meeting - Bank Holiday 9th May: General Meeting 16th May: Action Meeting (TBC)

Kings Heath: 1st Saturday of the month 9am-3:30pm Moseley: 4th Saturday of the month 9am-3pm

23rd May: Action Meeting (TBC)

New Street: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month 10am-4pm

30th May: No Meeting - Bank Holiday

Solihull: 1st Friday of the month 9am-5pm

6th June: General Meeting

Sutton Coldfield: 2nd Friday of the month 9am-3pm

13th June: Birmingham Friends of the Earth AGM - The Warehouse 20th June: Action Meeting (TBC) 27th June: Action Meeting (TBC) 4th July: General Meeting

Other Events 30th April - 4th May: Reclaim the Power Camp 2016 - Merthyr Tydfil 12th May: Sharing Cities Book Tour - Impact Hub 19th May: Friends of the Earth EU Speaker event - BMI

Jewellery Quarter: 3rd Saturday of the month 10am-3pm

Contact us: Friends of the Earth (Birmingham) The Warehouse 54-57 Allison Street Birmingham B5 5TH

Campaigns Co-ordinator: Roxanne Green & Shaz Rahman Campaigns Support Worker: Libby Harris General Manager: Philip Burrows

Tel: (0121) 632 6909 Fax: (0121) 643 3122

Treasurer: Margaret Lynch

E-mail: info@birminghamfoe.org.uk

Climate Change & Energy: Molly Luke & Tim Thorpe

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:

Economics: Adam McCusker & Corline Hazenoot Nature Christina Nijjar Planning: Benjamin Mabbett Waste & Recycling: John Newson Newsletter Editors: Faustine Ladeiro Zoe Wright Margarita Galkina Website Editor: Philip Burrows Talks: Libby Harris and others All enquiries and callers welcome.

- Lobbying - Education - Empowering others to take action - Participation and representation through public fora

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