Birmingham Friends of the Earth newsletter - Autumn 2014

Birmingham

friends of the earth

newsletter Autumn 2014

Birmingham’s most polluted streets Over the past few months, Birmingham Friends of the Earth have been researching into pollution levels across the city.

The research has proven to be particularly relevant following recent national news stories naming Birmingham as one of the cities projected not to meet EU targets until 2030, 20 years behind schedule. This coincided with the announcement that Birmingham City Council is one of several local authorities considering the introduction of Low Emission Zones in a bid to tackle the city's poor air quality by addressing the main contributor - emissions from road vehicles.

Continued on Page 10

contents 3 - campaigns’ digest 5 - in the media 8 - warehouse news 10 - Birmingham’s most polluted streets (continued from front page) 15 - garden party shows nature is everywhere 16 - warehouse news 2 - Phil’s day out in London 17 - the start of the road to Paris 18 - cathedral congregation 19 - bicycle - a film review 20 - reclaiming the power 21 - volunteer spotlight 22 - diary 23 - contacts

2

campaigns’ digest Welcome to the latest Campaigns Digest. We’ve had a really busy summer of stalls and activities, hopefully you’ll have seen us out and about at stalls and at events across the city. Or maybe you came to one of our events or a community meeting where we were speaking.

Whether you bumped into us or not, it’s been an active summer!

Energy & Climate Change The Fossil Free Campaign is still in the planning stages at the moment.

However, that hasn’t stopped us from taking part in other Climate related events. Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners went to the Reclaim the Power camp near Blackpool, see the article by Adam McCusker for more details on this, as well as attending People’s Climate Action in Birmingham on 21st September.

a Beach Party in the Community Garden back in August, in a bid to show how relevant marine issues are to all of us, see the article by Tom Garrood for more information about this. Although not strictly part of Birmingham Friends of the Earth, there is also the work on the Community Garden itself, which has now been opened to the public at a successful event at the end of July.

See Jake’s article on this for more details of how that went.

Nature Although we’ve been doing less nature campaigning recently, we still found the time to meet with Andrew Mitchell MP, getting him to reaffirm his commitment to the Bee Cause and support for as strong a National Pollinator Strategy as possible. As I write this, we have a bee-friendly planting day organised for the Digbeth Community Garden, which will have happened by the time we go to press. Hopefully you made it along!

Sticking with the Nature theme, but moving away from Bees, we held

Transport Over the past few months we have gained a great deal of support for Let’s Get Moving with lots of members of the public signing action cards at stalls and events across the city. We’ve also been continuing to engage different communities,

3

campaigns’ digest (continued from page 3) strategy, saying that they needed to first audit the incinerator then come up with a waste strategy and then decide the procurement plan, not the other way round as was indicated in the report. We were also disappointed by the continued reliance on the incinerator in the report.

Birmingham City Council’s Sustainability Scrutiny Committee are now looking at the issues around green waste, and we were invited to respond to their consultation on the issue. This we did with John Newson also invited to speak to the Scrutiny Committee. Hopefully, some of our ideas around community composting will be taken on board.

Julien Pritchard

giving presentations and workshops at faith and community groups such as neighbourhood forums, the Birmingham LGBT Centre and a service at Birmingham Cathedral.

See the article by Sean Coldicott for more details about how this latter visit went.

Waste Birmingham City Council finally published the Waste to Resources Scrutiny Report. While it contained some good ideas, we felt there were some serious problems.

We questioned the timeline for developing a new council waste

4

in the media It’s been a busy quarter in the media with campaigners featured on the radio, online and in print.

I had barely unpacked my bags from Basecamp (see last issue) when I was on BBC WM questioning spending on easing M42 congestion, arguing that money would better spent on more sustainable forms of transport.

In July I was interviewed by Adrian Goldberg about the news that Birmingham was one of three cities that would not meet EU limits on nitrogen dioxide until 2030. This gave me another opportunity to outline the problems of air pollution and call for greater investment in active transport.

Talk of solutions to air pollution, such as Low Emission Zones, meant I was interviewed twice on BBC WM within a week. We were quoted in the main article in the Birmingham Post on Low Emission Zones on 7th August, making the case for such revenues to be spent on active transport, prompting letters of support from BFoE sympathisers the following week. Our research into Birmingham’s most polluted roads was the most read article on the Birmingham Post website, as well as featuring on the Birmingham Mail website.

Councillor James Hutchings urging us not to forget the motorist, gave us an opportunity to get some letters to the Post on cycling investment. However not as much

as comments by Deirdre Alden, who stated that women who wanted to dress modestly wouldn’t cycle, and it was the preserve of young white men. Campaigners got several letters in the Post in response. Cath Palgrave and Shaz Rahman were also in a Birmigham Post feature on diverse cyclists.

It wasn’t just about cycling and air pollution. I was interviewed on BBC WM making the case for food waste collections. Our Waste Campaigner John Newson was quoted in the Post regarding the Council’s Waste & Recycling Scrutiny Inquiry, as well as writing a letter to the Mail about it. The opening of Digbeth Community Garden on 26th July was also reported in the Birmingham Mail with a quote from Jacob Williams as one of the garden volunteers.

Onwards to another busy few months in the media!

Julien Pritchard “Chance to make brass from muck Council told” Birmingham Post bit.ly/1uYyR02 “New Digbeth Garden is open to residents” Birmingham Mail bit.ly/1Dxeg70 “Birmingham’s most polluted roads uveiled” Birmingham Post bit.ly/1yqBjAk “Revealed: Birmingham’s worst air pollution hotspots” Birmingham Mail bit.ly/1uYGwvi “Birmingham’s cycling community hits back after council’s discriminatory claim” Birmingham Post bit.ly/1mQtIXc “Cyclists proving cycling not discriminatory” Birmingham Post bit.ly/1rmTr9m

5

Donations will be matched from 10am on the 14th October 2014 until the match fund runs out.

birminghamfoe

6

Donations will be matched from 10am on the 14th October 2014 until the match fund runs out, or 10am on the 31st January 2015 - whichever comes first.

Direct Debit donations must be set up during the campaign to qualify for match funding.

/birminghamfoe 7

warehouse news Saturday 26th July blossomed with the opening of Birmingham’s newest green space: the Digbeth Community Garden, a new oasis of green space at the heart of the city.

With everyone either unwinding under the shade of the gazebo, or relaxing in the dappled sunlight, Birmingham City Centre felt light-years away.

donated a wonderful fig tree to mark the event.

The garden opening coincided with the Warehouse Cafe’s Birthday Party to celebrate one year since its reopening. With delicious food and more live music upstairs, guests took their time to wander between both events, appreciating both the sunshine and shade.

Many had come to join in with the celebrations, while others expressed what a pleasant surprise it was to stumble upon the green space!

Everyone got into the festive spirit, with some brilliant face painting and live music. It was also an opportunity to get your hands dirty with practical demonstrations such as pebble mosaics and seed bomb making - an excellent way to promote wild flower growth in disused areas.

The Garden was formally opened by Nechells Councillor Yvonne Mosquito and Chair of Digbeth Residents Association John Gordon, who

8

Yvonne Mosquito, Councillor for Nechells said: “The garden is a lovely and unique little oasis of calm and

tranquillity within an urban area, accommodating nature as well as human occupation.

fantastic community garden can now be enjoyed by all in the local community.

“As the local councillor I would highly recommend it to anyone going into Digbeth who wants to chill out and think about life.”

It was great to see all the hard work that had gone into the garden come together at what was a fantastic day for us and the local community.

We’re looking forward to having lots more of these events in the garden in the future.

John Gordon, chair of Digbeth Residents Association, said: “We’re really pleased to have such an amazing green space in the heart of Digbeth, and are very happy to be working with Birmingham Friends of the Earth in making this a fantastic space for all the community.”

The garden, which is located behind Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s building, was originally a warehouse before being demolished in the 1980s. The group first turned it into a green space in the 1990s and, after months of Saturdays dedicated to the garden’s transformation, the

To make that future possible, there is still a lot of work to do. The Digbeth Community Garden group is starting to be formed to move the garden forward and there are multiple work days and events being planned. Everyone is welcome to join in, including if you have your own idea on how you would like to use the space. Please do contact us at digbethcommunitygarden@ gmail.com and use the same email if you would like to subscribe to our e-newsletter which will let you know the sites program and dates of workdays and events.

Jacob Williams

9

Birmingham’s most polluted streets It is no secret that traffic is the main cause of air pollution in the urban environment. Pollutants released from cars include,amongst others, Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide and Benzene.

Many of these chemicals are detrimental to health and as a result the concentrations allowed in the air are closely regulated.

Local Monitoring

The research by Birmingham Friends of the Earth involved a study of nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube data provided by Birmingham City Council. Diffusion tubes,(small plastic tubes containing a Nitrogen Dioxide absorbing chemical) are widely used across the UK to measure air pollution. Once sited, commonly high up on lampposts so out of reach of passers-by, they absorb Nitrogen Dioxide from the air for a given time period then sent for

10

(continued from front page)

laboratory analysis. You may be able to see them across the city if you keep your eyes open!

Birmingham City Council routinely monitors several locations across the city via diffusion tubes, which are replaced monthly. The results obtained over a year are averaged and can be compared to the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide concentrations in air. The information is then made publicly available in the council's annual reports and on the council-run website: West Midlands Air (www. wmair.org). For information on how you can interpret this data, feel free to contact the Birmingham Friends of the Earth office.

Council monitoring data reveals several locations across the city that are over EU limits for the gas: in 2013, 7 of the 10 roadside locations sampled showed yearly average concentrations above the legal limit of 40Âľg/m3. This is similar to 2012 where 5 of the 7 roadside locations for which data is available reported an exceedance.

Making Headlines Our research made local headlines with the Top 5 Most Polluted Locations in Birmingham being reported by the Birmingham Post (21 August 2014). There has been little change in the top 5 between 2012 and 2013, with areas of Broad Street, King Heath High Street and outside Birmingham Children's Hospital making the list for both years. The location taking the top

Birmingham’s Top 5 Most Polluted Locations for 2012 Rank

Location

2012 yearly average NO2 concentration (ug/m3)

1

Broad Street - outside the Brasshouse

52

2

Ring Road - outside the Childrens Hospital

50

3

Broad Street - outside O’Neill’s

49

4

High Street - King’s Heath

5

Shelly Drive - Under Spaghetti Junction

46-47 44

Birmingham’s Top 5 Most Polluted Locations for 2013 Rank

Location

2013 yearly average NO2 concentration (ug/m3)

1

Ring Road - outside the Childrens Hospital

52

2

Broad Street - outside the Brasshouse

48

3=

Broad Street - outside O’Neill’s

3=

High Street - King’s Heath

5

Tyburn Road

spot in both 2012 and 2013 reported nitrogen dioxide levels of 52µg/m3, a whole 30% above the legal limit.

Not all roads are being monitored for poor air quality, but data collected

by Birmingham Friends of the Earth shows that there is still much work to be done in reducing pollution.

Previous methods of tackling poor air quality haven’t proved effective with only marginal improvements observed. Long-term data from 2007 to 2013 shows that most of

47 40-47 45

the hot spot areas are still affected by dangerous levels of air pollution and the rate of decline year on year is slow. Measures such as Low Emission Zones are urgently needed to tackle this enduring problem.

However, in order to tackle this dire situation, as well as targeting the most polluting vehicles, there also needs to be significant investment in sustainable transport and removing polluting vehicles from roads.

11

become a supporter...

We are the only organisation in Birmingham that campaigns on Climate Change, Transport, Local Shops, 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 3.) Both Whichever route you decide, you are helping to change your environment for the better. Making sure that those who pollute, monopolise or despoil locally, nationally or internationally are accountable. There are four ways to join us...

I wish to become a Golden Supporter with payments by standing order of £10 per month or more.

I wish to become a Silver Supporter with payments by standing order of £5 per month I wish to become a Bronze Supporter with payments by standing order of £2 per month.

I wish to become an Annual Supporter, paying by standing order / cheque (Please delete as appropriate. Note that standing orders are cheaper for us to process).

Annual supporter fees are a minimum of: • • •

£16 waged £10 unwaged £20 (joint / family)

Please return with standing order or cheque to: Secretary, Friends of the Earth, 54-57 Allison Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5TH.

12

Contact Details Full name: ..........................................

Address: ............................................ .........................................................

Town:................... Postcode: ...............

Telephone: .........................................

E-mail: ..............................................

Standing Order Form Sort Code (if known): .........................

Your name/ Account name: .................

Your account number: ........................

Bank Name/Address: ......................... .......................................................

Please pay the sum of £ every month/year (delete as appropriate) starting on ____/____/_________ To: Friends of the Earth Birmingham Ltd., Account no: 50 72 58 30 Sort Code: 08-60-01 Unity Trust Bank, 9 Brindley Place, 4 Oozells square, Birmingham B1 2HE This replaces any previous standing order in favour of Friends of the Earth Birmingham.

Signature: ...................... Date: .........

Birmingham’s most polluted streets (continued from page 11) Map of Birmingham Streets and projected targets

Future Prospects Additionally, we have been able to provide a calculation of future levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution across the city. Using the Department for Food and Rural Affair's (Defra) detailed air quality model predictions - based upon the number of cars, vans and lorries using the roads in previous years - as well as the most up to date future forecasting information provided by Defra, we have been able to determine the year in which nitrogen dioxide concentrations are expected to reach safe levels. These future

predictions were then mapped to create an overview of predicted pollution levels on roads across the city centre and beyond.

Our research has revealed a number of streets which will not meet nitrogen dioxide targets until 2030, predicting residents of Birmingham will be subjected to dangerous pollution levels for up to 20 more years if urgent action is not taken.

Future Predictions – Nitrogen Dioxide The worst areas - highlighted in red on the map - include sections of the ring road, Tyburn road, A34 and

13

Birmingham’s most polluted streets A452 and are predicted to continue to experience dangerous levels of air pollution until 2030. There are also a number of roads reporting concentrations of nitrogen dioxide which are not predicted to decrease to safe levels until 2023, including Hagley Road and Coventry Road.

Additionally, Bristol Road, Pershore Road, areas of the Stratford Road, Broad Street and the A41 may not reach the EU legal limit for five years.

Let's Get Moving!

These predictions are deeply concerning and show that Birmingham's most polluted roads are not just motorways and dual carriageways but also streets on which people live and work. With data suggesting that this will remain the case for decades, poor air quality and its health impacts will continue to affect residents of our city unless drastic action is taken.

This is why we have been calling on Birmingham City Council to invest and be part of the solution. With

14

(continued from page 13)

25% of car journeys under two miles, there is massive potential for more journeys to be made on foot or by bike, taking cars off our roads and cleaning up the air. This is why Birmingham Friends of the Earth has been asking the Council to invest ÂŁ10 per person per year on cycling and walking over the next ten years, to make it easier for people to choose a more sustainable form of transport. You can get involved in our campaign Let's Get Moving by signing our online petition at bit.ly/lgmpetition until around midOctober. After this, find out more information about how the Let's Get Moving campaign has progressed by visiting www.get-moving.org.uk or the Birmingham Friends of the Earth pages (www.birminghamfoe. org.uk). Together we can really tackle to problem of poor air quality by getting moving on active travel!

Rachel Karina Powis

garden party shows nature is everywhere Protecting the marine environment is a huge issue for the UK. Surrounded by coastline as we are, we have a responsibility to ensure that the seas and oceans are preserved.

Our lives have a very great impact on the sea, just as the marine issues can severely affect our daily lives. The seas are becoming more polluted by industrial waste, rubbish and plastics; fish populations are being decimated; ocean acidification is increasing and biodiversity is threatened.

We, as campaigners and as concerned citizens, must act on these vital issues if we are to affect the change that is urgently needed.

However, for those of us who live in landlocked areas such as the West Midlands, marine issues can often seem quite distant and irrelevant; we are liable to wonder what these issues have to do with us. We know that marine ecosystems are important to us. From the food we eat, to the things we throw away, we are inextricably linked to the oceans, but how can we in Birmingham motivate ourselves to take action on this much overlooked issue?

It was for this purpose that we threw ourselves our very own Birmingham Beach Party! The idea behind the party was to educate ourselves in marine issues, inspire us to take action and, of course, to have fun! The beach party took place on 24th August and was an excellent opportunity for us all

to learn a bit more about ocean conservation issues.

There was a sea-themed quiz through which we learnt many facts about marine conservation.

The answers to some of the quiz questions were pretty tough but clues to the answers could be discovered in the litter fishing game. In the ‘sea’ (made from an old reclaimed bathtub!) were many plastic bottles littering the water.

Partygoers had to fish out the bottles with a fishing rod to clean up the sea. The bottles contained messages with clues to the quiz. The thinking behind this was that, just like the ocean ecosystem, the party games should all be interconnected.

There was also a fancy dress competition. Alongside the bathtub sea, there was a makeshift beach made from reclaimed sand and recycled decorations such as cardboard bunting. The BBQ was a particular highlight of the party. The day was well spent and everyone came away feeling a little more informed about marine conservation issues and why they are important, even for landlocked communities.

The party took place in the recently opened Digbeth Community Garden, see Jake’s article about this on page 8. The Community Garden is a great space where a small pocket of nature thrives in the midst of the sprawling urban jungle.

It is areas like this that the newly developed Nature Everywhere idea (formulated by national Friends of the Earth) seeks to celebrate. When

15

garden party shows nature is everywhere we live in urban areas we tend to think of nature as a separate, far-off concept from our lives; we sometimes get the idea that nature is a day trip. The concept of Nature Everywhere challenges that notion.

No matter what sort of setting we live in, rural or urban, we are surrounded by nature: the tree across the road, the grass verge, and the flowers in the window box

(continued from page 15)

down the road. All these natural wonders need to be protected and enjoyed.

We in Birmingham celebrate our green spaces, we celebrate our connection to the sea and we celebrate our commitment to protecting and enjoying nature wherever it may be found!

Tom Garrood

warehouse news 2 - Phil’s day out in London Phil Burrows, our Building Manager here at the warehouse, presented his evidence to the HS2 Bill committee on Tuesday 2nd September.

The rights and wrongs of HS2 have been raging ever since the Tories announced their support for it in Birmingham at their party conference in 2008. Phil, however, was in London to present our case for better connectivity for the area around the Warehouse and Digbeth in general, if it does indeed happen.

This is both during the construction phase and once the thing is operational. Phil has had numerous meetings with other Digbeth residents, local business, and the City Council as well as HS2Ltd. There is a general consensus that Digbeth gets a raw deal and Phil was batting for those who will get that raw deal.

16

Phil and others have established that HS2 is not interested in the finer details of the scheme and how the scheme will affect people’s lives and day to day business. They are in charge of a national project of huge proportions and the fine detail is not what matters to them. We are all too aware of the nature of grand projects and the allure they generate. However at all times the detail is important as are the impacts on people who are currently here. That is why Phil went to London to make his case on behalf of us all. We won’t hear the results of the bill committee’s deliberations for a year or so but at least they have heard the views from the Warehouse.

A big hand all round to Phil for sticking with a painful process, designed to stop people from taking part.

Chris Crean

the start of the road to Paris Panel discussion on the UN Climate Conference in Paris in 2015

In September, Birmingham hosted the Green Party Conference, flooding Aston University campus with environmentalists from across the UK and beyond.

Friends of the Earth ran a stall and participated in panel discussions. National FoE Climate and Energy Campaigner Donna Hume was in the limelight of the debate on the impending UN Climate Conference in Paris in 2015.

In the aftermath of the disastrous Copenhagen Climate Summit, the Paris Climate Conference is believed to be the last chance to reach global consensus on action against global warming. Green MEP Jean Lambert chaired a panel dedicated to this issue. The two speakers, Bolivian Ambassador Roberto Calzadilla and national FoE Campaigner Donna Hume, represented two voices that most need to be heard in Paris – the voice of the developing countries and the people’s voice.

Hopes of the developing world Roberto Calzadilla said he was looking forward to the Parisian promise of new policy to replace the Kyoto Protocol. He could not stress more that global warming has already had catastrophic repercussions on the developing world, adamant that Western humanitarian missions should include subsidies for sustainable development and climate change mitigation. Roberto emphasised that the political concept of sustainable development needs to move away

from constant reiteration of its potential for the new businesses and markets, instead turning to the essentials such as harmony with nature and living well.

What UK citizens need to ask?

Donna Hume’s speech was similarly optimistic. According to Donna, the main stumbling point on the way to action against global warming is the ‘lack of political will’. This can only be countered by widespread public action. Donna added that progress in talks can only be influenced by people’s demands, such as a push for fixed EU emission targets, stopping British politicians from blocking negotiations. UK citizens should call for moratorium on fracking, funding for renewables, creation of a national energy strategy and abolition of government funding of fossil fuel companies.

17

the start of the road to Paris What NGOs need to do Donna also stated that green NGOs need to be more transparent and accessible. They should stop using jargon and address common needs in common language, encouraging more people to join action groups.

Moreover, these groups need to improve communication and become united nationally and internationally.

Finally, a new generation of community projects like ‘Run on Sun’ must become commonplace, since this is a great way to plant

(continued from page 17)

eco-ideas in the most fertile soil – schools, children and families.

Wind in our direction

Donna concluded with a saying: ‘the wind is blowing in our direction; it just needs a bit of push’. This hopeful statement is a promise that climate issues will be tackled if we as citizens pledge to champion change - little by little, doing what we can. We have all the necessary tools, so let’s start!

Lija Lascenko

cathedral congregation On Sunday August 24th, Birmingham Friends Of The Earth were invited to a service at Birmingham Cathedral to discuss ‘Let’s Get Moving’ and the issues around air pollution that we face.

‘Let’s Get Moving’ is calling on Birmingham City Council to invest £10 per person per year in active transport for ten years as a way to fight air pollution. We have been lucky enough to form some alliances in the community to support the fight against air pollution, and that was how the invitation to speak to the congregation at the Cathedral came about.

We went along to the service and Rachel was invited to the altar to

18

answer some questions about ‘Let’s Get Moving’. The response from the members of the church was brilliant, with plenty of the congregation signing our action cards and stayed after the service to talk to Rachel and her Lungs (Libby and Myself).

Sean Coldicott

Bicycle: a film review more disposable income to spend on things like bicycles than they did pre-WWII. The West Midlands was a powerhouse for the cycling industry with Birmingham being the home of important cycle manufacturers, including Dawes, which is the main bicycle manufacturer sold by Sprocket.

I’ve been excited about this film ever since I first heard about it at Bike Lounge. I was so excited that I contributed to the crowd funding project for the film.

Thanks to BFOE I was lucky to be able to go to the screening of the film as part of the Birmingham Cycling Revolution.

Stakeholders were invited to attend a private screening before the two sold out public showings at the MAC. The film itself documented the history of the bicycle from when it was invented to Britain today.

The first version of the bicycle was the penny-farthing, which was predominantly used by athletic, rich, white men in Victorian England. A more user-friendly version of the bicycle was invented, which has remained similar to the bikes of the 21st century in design. The newer version of the bike helped give independence to people as it was a cheap way to travel longer distances than before. Cycling grew in the post-War period as people had

Unfortunately, in the 1960’s and 1970’s as it became more affordable, the car became king.

Cyclists dropped off the radar and our transport system became the domain of the car. Birmingham is a great example of this with flyovers and a motorway leading to the city centre! After this, the film talks about the growth of cycling post1992, first at the elite level and now as a form of transport. The film ends on a campaigning message that the growth of cycling will only continue if we fight for it. The Dutch were going in the same direction as us but made a conscious decision to prioritise cycling. Chris Boardman’s speech about cycling infrastructure is inspiring.

Interwoven amongst the history are personal stories of cyclists, including Danielle Khan, an elite level cyclist from Solihull. A lot of the footage was filmed in Birmingham, including the Rea Valley Route. Our very own Phil Burrows makes a starring cameo. I enjoyed the film Bicycle tremendously and I think that it clearly demonstrates how wonderful the bicycle is and the potential it has to be a key part of a sustainable society. Shaz Rahman

19

reclaiming the power In August, Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners travelled to Lancashire for the weekend to attend a ‘mass antifracking action camp’. We joined an impressively collaborative and organised group of people deeply concerned about the future health and well-being of themselves, their children and their environment.

The camp at Little Plumpton was set up adjacent to one of Cuadrilla’s proposed test rigs and over the course of a week became its own little self-contained community, bringing together seasoned activists and local campaigners – most notably the Nanas. There were workshops, talks, regional meetings, training, legal advice and storytelling. On Sunday, we marched along Blackpool front and on the Monday, some activists super-glued themselves to the entrance of Defra in London and occupied Cuadrilla’s Blackpool office.

The government are bending over backwards to make it as cheap and easy as possible for fracking companies like Cuadrilla and IGAS to fracture rock and pump chemicals beneath our feet. So much so that the revolving doors between governments, banks, corporations and other establishment institutions are hard to keep track of when it comes to fracking.

The best example is Lord Browne.

He has hopped between senior positions at BP, the House of Lords, Goldman Sachs, the Royal Society, Oxford University, the Tate, the

20

Royal Academy of Engineering and is currently the Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings who co-own Cuadrilla. He headed the review recommending removing the cap on tuition fees, and is thought by some as the man most responsible for the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the Texas City Refinery explosion due to his cost cutting programme at BP. It is these kinds of major white collar criminals who hold the power we need to reclaim, and we can only do so by uniting and spreading information. The best placard I saw in Blackpool was one simply saying ‘google fracking’ – urging people to research the issue for themselves and then see if they come to a different conclusion from the Reclaim the Power activists.

If you haven’t already, you can start to fight against fracking by joining the ‘Not For Shale’ legal block at http://wrongmove.org/ http://www.nodashforgas.org.uk/ Adam McCusker

volunteer spotlight Julien Pritchard interviews Tom Garrood

and spent plenty of time talking to the public about FoE campaigns.

I most recently organised the Birmingham Beach Party.

What do you like about working here?

I love that every day there is something different to do. I feel I’m making a difference to the issues I really care about. Also the people I’ve met since I started volunteering with BFoE have been absolutely amazing and brilliant.

What have you learnt from volunteering with BFoE? I feel like every day I volunteer I learn something new. There is always a new skill to master or challenge to face and the support I have received since starting here has made all the difference to me.

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

How long have you been volunteering with BFoE? I have been campaigning on environmental issues all my life but have been with Birmingham Friends of the Earth since March.

What do you do here?

As Lead Biodiversity Campaigner I have been involved with several campaigns, notably the Bee Cause. I have met politicians and journalists

For me, the most important environmental issue is the protection of the ecosystem. We are all part of nature and as such we are inescapably part of the world.

With climate change and human carelessness causing so much destruction we must act now to defend the worlds biodiversity, to defend ourselves from annihilation.

What’s your best green tip/ advice?

Never lose hope. Together we can build a better world!

21

diary Campaign Meetings - Mondays 7.30pm 6th October: General Meeting 13th Octoboer: Action Meeting Let’s Get Moving 20th October: Food Night 27th October: Action Meeting New campaign brainstorming 3rd November: General Meeting 10th November: Action Meeting (TBC) 17th November: Action Meeting (TBC) 24th November: Action Meeting (TBC) 1st December: General Meeting 8th December: Action Meeting (TBC) 15th December: Action Meeting (TBC) 22nd December: Christmas Party (TBC) 29th December: No meeting, closed for holiday.

Other Events 3rd October: Digbeth First Firday, see digbethfirstfriday.com for full details 10th October: Green Drinks/Cafe society Locanta Restaurant, 6pm 11th October: Global Frackdown Day of Action

22

12th October: Court Lane Allotments Autumn Fair 22nd October: How to Build a Society that Works for Everyone: the Debate, Priory Rooms, Bull St, Birmingham, 6pm till 8:30pm 29th November: Buy Nothing Day See Northfield Eco Centre (www. northfieldecocentre.org) for more events and workshops

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

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

Chair: Robert Pass Campaigns Co-ordinators: Roxanne Green & Robert Pass Campaigns Support Worker: Julien Pritchard

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

General Manager: Philip Burrows

E-mail: info@birminghamfoe.org.uk Web: www.birminghamfoe.org.uk

Treasurer: Margaret Lynch

Friends of the Earth is:

Biodiversity: Tom Garrood

- 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:

Climate Change & Energy: Jacob Williams Let’s Get Moving: Shajidur Rahman Planning: Benjamin Mabbett Transport: Adam McCusker Waste & Recycling: John Newson Newsletter Editors: Catherine Palgrave Steven D Quirke Zoe Wright Website Editor: Philip Burrows

- Education

Talks: Speakers available on request.

Please get in touch.

- Empowering others to take action

All enquiries and callers welcome.

- Lobbying

- Participation and representation through public fora

23