Birmingham Friends of The Earth newsletter - Apr-May 2014

Birmingham

newsletter Spring 2014

friends of the earth

next generation tackle air pollution As part of our “Let’s Get Moving Campaign”, we have been collaborating with local primary schools to measure air pollution in Birmingham for our Citizen Science Project. The results of our experiments clearly show a link between busy roads and dangerous Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, with some areas exceeding legal limits!

Continued on Page 13

contents 3 - campaigns’ digest 5 - in the media 7 - Warehouse news 8 - guest article - young friends of the earth 9 - big green debate: Is Veganism the best way to eat sustainably?

13 - next generation tackle air pollution (continued from front page)

16 - tidal lagoon 18 - flooding & climate change in Brum 19 - yoga at The Warehouse 19 - volunteer appeal 20 -what politicians say and what they really mean 21 - volunteer spotlight 22 - diary 23 - contacts

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campaigns’ digest Hello and welcome! This issue has the usual updates, reports and interesting stories on local and national environmental issues. We also have some news about the newsletter!

We are planning to go down to a quarterly rather than bi-monthly newsletter from now on. This is because producing a good quality newsletter takes time, and we’d rather spend more time making sure it’s the best it can possibly be, rather than rush out an issue for the sake of it.

For anybody who wants to find out what we’re up to between issues, make sure you check out our website, facebook page, or twitter feed. We’ll also be sending e-mailings out a little more often to make up for the reduced number of newsletters. We hope people aren’t too disappointed, and please do get in touch with any comments or queries.

Energy & Climate Change

One way of tackling this is through Friends of the Earth’s new asyet-unnamed community energy campaign. This aims to get schools to take-up solar energy, and through this create a movement of people pushing for, and creating, more community renewable energy.

We’re starting by looking at primary schools in Birmingham and what they and our local authority are already doing. If you’re from a primary school who already has solar panels, or would interested in setting some up in your school, then get in touch!

The recent floods appear to be subsiding as I write this, but Climate Change means that they will be happening more and more often.

Birmingham may have escaped this time, but research carried out by Friends of the Earth (EWNI) showed that there are over 10,000 homes at risk of flooding across the city, over 2,300 of those are judged to be at significant risk. Never has the case for tackling Climate Change been made so dramatically!

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campaigns’ digest (continued from page 3) Biodiversity The government has finally launched the draft of its National Pollinator Strategy which it promised back in June. It’s a bit weak, so the race is on to convince the Government to make it as strong as possible during the 8 week consultation period.

We are asking people to sign the petition calling for a stronger Strategy, and for people to respond to the consultation. Go to: http:// bit.ly/1cWxzar to add your name to the petition, and go to http:// bit.ly/N9IJSk to respond to the Government consultation.

Transport Birmingham City Council Cabinet have approved a pilot of 20mph limits in parts of the city over the next two years. Based on the results, the scheme will be rolled out across the city after that point. As this is something we campaigned on for many years, we’re obviously very pleased that it’s finally happening!

Well done to everyone who helped make it happen!

Planning We have now submitted our response to the Birmingham Development Plan. We generally felt that whilst not perfect, it was good.

There were some contradictions, most notably between building out into the greenbelt and trying to develop a sustainable transport system. You can read our submission in full by going to http:// bit.ly/1jc0KKn

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The big news on the Let’s Get Moving front is that the EU has started proceedings to take the UK government to court over its failure to tackle Nitrogen Dioxide levels in 16 cities across the country.

Over the next few months we’ll be stepping up our Let’s Get Moving campaign to make sure that we at least take what action we can locally!

Julien Pritchard

in the media So what have we been talking about in the media over the last couple of months?

First was another interview on Adrian Goldberg’s show about bus lanes, which seems to have replaced wheelie bins as the topic for discussion in the papers and on radio phone-in shows.

This was related to the fines that drivers received for driving in bus lanes, which many said was due to inadequate signage. I again made the point that we needed to separate these particular problems from the wider issues of bus lanes, which I argued were an important part of an integrated public transport system.

Then came the news that the EU was taking the UK government to court due to illegal levels of Nitrogen Dioxide in 16 cities across the UK, including Birmingham. I was invited to speak on the Paul Franks show about the ruling and air pollution.

The presenter challenged me and asked why we were being targeted and what about other countries?

I responded that we were being targeted simply because we were in breach. I also outlined the positive solutions advocated by our Let’s Get Moving campaign, of more investment in walking and cycling. I then left them something to ponder as I made the point that 25% of car journeys in Birmingham are under 2 miles.

The news that the 20mph pilot scheme was going to Council

Cabinet gave me the opportunity to be quoted in the Birmingham Post supporting the move. I pointed out the benefits of 20mph, of safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists and vulnerable road users and that it really doesn’t add a great deal to journey times. I was also on BBC WM supporting the Council for approving the scheme after it had gone through cabinet, as well as having some more reaction in the papers after the decision, this time in the Birmingham Mail.

Finally I was again on BBC WM talking about waste. This time around David Laws’ idea of councils charging for residual waste collections. I made the point that this was looking at the problem the wrong way. Councils are sitting on a massive resource that is currently getting burnt or buried. If we reused or recycled what it is possible to re-use and recycle, and had a seperate food collection, then councils could actually make money from their waste system. After that there wouldn’t be much left to put in residual waste, so charging for it would be a moot point!

Julien Pritchard

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warehouse 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.

Open Monday & Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm 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.

0121 633 0730

“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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Vegan essentials, vegan treats, wholefoods & more Opening hours Mon-Sat 10:00 - 19:00 Closed Sundays

warehouse news Can BCC Stop HS2 from choking off Digbeth?

I showed 40 architecture students around Digbeth on 24th February and was surprised to hear that they had never heard of Birmingham’s concrete collar. This either shows my age or how quickly we forget things from our collective memory. I explained that it was the nickname for the old inner ring road; how its size and location were a physical and psychological barrier to people who wanted to come to Digbeth; and how its impact on Birmingham’s development was so great that it was removed in 2002. 12 years later, it feels like we are about to commit the same mistake with the High Speed Two station.

The station proposed by HS2 is monolithic and not too dissimilar in form from an out of town Tescos.

It is in stark contrast to the organic curves put forward by Birmingham City Council’s Curzon Street master plan and its affectionately named ‘shingled slug’. The Shed feels impenetrable, forgetting to compensate for closing Park St and Fazeley St, by squeezing visitors to Digbeth through Paternoster Row. On the other hand, BCC have ensured that the Slug is a gateway to Digbeth with its open gentle steps and enticing public space.

Birmingham City Council (BCC) has recognised the importance of access to Digbeth’s creative and social enterprise quarter and the economic regeneration it will bring. HS2 on

the other hand is on an extreme cost cutting exercise and have made it clear in talks that they are here to build a station, not to solve Digbeth’s problems. My argument with this is fourfold: 1. The Shed in its current forms exacerbates Digbeth’s access problem; 2. The whole point of HS2 is to bring economic benefits to the North; 3. The Curzon St master plan is being conservative in its design of Paternoster Place. More could be done to open up the triangle between the Moor St viaduct and the HS2 station.

4. If we can spend billions tunnelling under the Chilterns then why can’t we spend an extra few million creating a proper gateway to Birmingham?

This is why I’ll be signing up to the Curzon St master plan and petitioning HS2 as it goes through parliament. I implore the rest of Digbeth to do the same. We need to make sure that we don’t rebuild the concrete collar.

Phil Burrows Notes 1. Wikipedia article on the Concrete Collar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masshouse 2. Maps and illustrations of HS2 station from HS2 Ltd: http://assets.dft.gov.uk/hs2environmental-statement/volume-2/MB26_ VOL2_CFA26_WATERMARKED.pdf

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guest article - young friends of the earth Young Friends of the Earth are young people aged 18-30 who see that things can be different and who care about the future of our planet and the people on it.

We want to see a new, positive relationship between young people and the planet.

In order to do this we bring young people together to realise change that none of us could achieve alone.

At a time when our planet faces unprecedented crises and when there is huge uncertainty about young people’s futures, it is young people and future generations who must get the world out of this mess.

overfishing is damaging our marine ecosystems. It would be better for ourselves and the planet if we ate less meat and fish, and a more plant based diet. To show you that it is more than possible to reduce your consumption, Young Friends of the Earth is challenging you to cut out meat and fish from your diet for an entire month.

We will support you with an information pack and a fundraising pack.

Find out more at http://www.foe. co.uk/meatfreemay Dirty Energy Group Young FoE has been campaigning against dirty energy, joining the Reclaim the Power camp in Balcombe last year. In October we performed a stunt and created a petition calling on Lord Browne to resign from the Cabinet Office due to conflict of interest, as he is now the chair of Cuadrilla, the company responsible for exploratory drilling in Balcombe. Young FoE will continue to resist and campaign against dirty energy.

If you are interested in getting involved, please email us on the address below.

Young Friends of the Earth’s 20132014 campaigns: Meat Free May Meat and dairy production is responsible for 14.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions and

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Email: info@youngfoe.org.uk Facebook: http://facebook.com/ YoungFoEUK Twitter: http://twitter.com/ FOEYoung Get involved! Be the generation.

Join us. Greg Hewitt

the big green debate Is Veganism the best way to eat sustainably?

Hello and welcome to this issue’s Big Green Debate. This issue we’re tackling the rather meaty subject of the most sustainable diet for the planet. Richard Sagar will be outlining the case for a vegan diet, while Karen Leach will be making the case for flexitarianism. As usual there may or may not be a certain element of Devil’s Advocate in these articles.

Julien Pritchard

yes

no

While there are also issues of biodiversity loss, nitrogen production, peak phosphorus, not to mention the extraordinary amount of suffering the consumption of animal products is responsible for, for brevities sake I’ll focus on two primary issues as to why a vegan diet is the most sustainable.

There’s clear evidence, and common sense, around the normally greater environmental efficiency of eating vegetable protein ourselves rather than feeding it to animals and eating the animal.

i) Greenhouse Gas emissions The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) has demonstrated that animal production for food is responsible for more Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions than all of transport combined1. The distance the food travels, so called ‘food miles’, is trivial in comparison, accounting for as little as a few percent of the overall emissions2. As comedian and satirist Bill Maher has quipped, you’re probably better off eating a salad in a hummer, than a cheeseburger in a Prius.

Even if you consume food from locally produced grass fed beef and dairy cows, which may be better from an animal welfare

But more than with our other environmental impacts (e.g. few people commit to never use motorised transport) with eating animal products there is a growing tendency towards absolutism: not to focus on reduction, or on the impacts of the whole spectrum of buying, storing and cooking food, but on the specific solution of veganism. I see this absolutist expectation as unhelpful from a sustainability perspective for several reasons: 1) Culture and alienation: when people who are ‘not like us’ share food with us, it seems poorer in spirit to refuse than to break one’s own food rules. Do you refuse animal products cooked by your gran who’s eaten them for 80 years? Or from generous Muslim neighbours breaking their Ramadan

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yes (continued) perspective, they’re worse from a climate perspective. Due to an on average 50% increase in methane emissions;a greenhouse gas 2425 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

As the graph from the US Department of Agriculture demonstrates, a vegan diet produces the lowest amount of GHG emissions.

ii) Food Waste We feed enormous amounts of soy beans and grain to animals that could otherwise be used to feed people. From the calories in the food we feed animals, we only get between and 10% to 30% return in the meat, eggs and dairy which result. I take it as given that people concerned with sustainable

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no (continued) fasts? Absolutism alienates those around us.

2) Waste: It is surely better to eat someone’s Macdonald’s burger than see it put in the bin, or to snaffle the conference buffet remains than go home to make your own vegan dinner? Is it really an environmental act to send soup back to the pub kitchen to be thrown away on account of a miniscule cream garnish?

Do you refuse animal products cooked by your gran who’s eaten them for 80 years? Or from Muslim neighbours breaking Ramadan fasts? Absolutism alienates us.

3) Transitional systems and economics: I’d rather support my Welsh GM-campaigner organic grass-fed beef farmer friend than see Pembrokeshire farming go to the wall. For our farming to transition

yes (continued) development should abhor wasting natural resources. Animal products in our diet are responsible for a staggering amount of wasted food, far more than results from global biofuel production.

“You’re probably better off eating a salad in a hummer, than a cheeseburger in a Prius.”

Comedian and Satirist Bill Maher

Perhaps my opponent will claim that a reduction in our use of animal products will suffice, a socalled ‘flexitarian’ approach. While of course this is preferable to the consumption of large quantities of animal products, it still isn’t as sustainable as a vegan lifestyle.

With lower rates of heart disease and obesity as a by-product, a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle is truly the most sustainable.

Richard Sagar

no (continued) to sustainability over time, it first needs to survive! It then needs to be supported to become less resource-intensive. Even in the longer term a small proportion of livestock in mixed farming can create an excellent permaculture model. In the wild, or what passes for it, shooting rabbits and deer for food plays the essential ‘top predator’ role in habitats we have already disrupted.

Reduced use of animal products is environmentally crucial: veganism is not. Like other areas of change, diet change involves systems and people, and needs to work with those systems and people to enable them to change over time.

Karen Leach

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next generation tackle air pollution Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas is a pollutant linked to various respiratory problems and is the main precursor for ground-level ozone, which can lead to premature death.

Recently, the UK government have received great criticism for their failure to take action on this very important issue. A recent news article reported that “the UK faces fines of up to £300m a year after the European commission launched legal proceedings against it for failing to reduce “excessive” levels of NO2 air pollution from traffic, despite 15 years of warnings and several extensions and postponements granted to the government”1. As a result, the topical issue of NO2 pollution made for a very interesting lesson for the children.

Air pollution is responsible for approximately 500 premature deaths in Birmingham each year and can seriously impact upon the respiratory system. Outside of

(continued from front page)

London, Birmingham is one of the most polluted cities in the UK. It is therefore of vital importance to raise awareness of this issue.

In order to do this we went into schools during science and geography lessons, to teach primary school children about air pollution and its effects on our health.To date, five primary schools have taken part in this experiment, in Northfield, Digbeth, Nechells, Harborne and Kings Heath. In each school we ran two sessions. In the first session we introduced the topic of air pollution, what it is and how it is caused.

Alongside this they learnt about the potential health impact of breathing highly polluted air.

We worked with the children to predict air pollution levels in the area that they wanted to test. They considered factors such as road size, location of open spaces, train tracks and factories. They expected main roads and areas of heavy traffic to be more polluted with NO2.

They also thought that their school car park and nearby roads may be heavily polluted, due to a large concentration of cars when school starts and finishes. In addition, they were concerned about their parents leaving their engines on when they wait for their children outside the school gate. In contrast, the children expected parks and quieter roads to contain less pollution, due to a perception of lower traffic levels. To test these predictions, measurements were taken of NO2 levels in locations which experienced

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next generation tackle air pollution differing levels of traffic intensity.

The investigations used diffusion tubes to measure the concentration of NO2 in the air. These tubes have been widely used across the UK to measure air pollution. They consist of small plastic tubes containing a chemical reagent to absorb the pollutant to be measured directly from the air. These tubes are gripped by a sturdy plastic holder and attached to an appropriate substrate in the area, out of reach.

Once set up, these diffusion tubes were left for a two week period.

Following retrieval, the tubes were sent for analysis in a laboratory.

The results were very concerning, with areas around most of the schools having hourly average NO2 levels either close to or exceeding legal limits, if extrapolated over a year. Most of the results from Nechells were found to greatly exceed these limits. Some locations in Kings Heath and Harborne were also above or very close to these average limits. We are currently awaiting the results from Northfield and Digbeth but expect to find a similar situation. It seems that air pollution is a city-wide problem!

In the second session these findings were shared with the class and confirmed many of the children’s predictions. Certainly, NO2 levels appeared to correlate with perceived traffic intensity. Moreover, the children were very interested to find that air pollution was generally higher outside their school gates and may be directly due to the way they

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(continued from page 13)

travel to school. They concluded that it is probably higher outside the school because so many cars come to the school to collect children and because some parents leave their car engines switched on outside the school gate.

Upon receiving the results, the children came up with ideas about how to reduce air pollution, by taking individual and community level action. Their ideas included ensuring that factories and fuels were less polluting, encouraging people to cycle and walk rather than driving, and using public transport, as buses and trains carry more people than cars. They also discussed the potential of electric cars to reduce emissions. In the short term, they decided that they would avoid the busiest (and most polluted) roads by walking on quieter roads, to decrease the amount of air pollution they breathed in. However, they stressed the urgent need for a reduction in cars on the roads, as in some areas

the city.

While we do what we can to improve air quality through our Eco-Council and being part of Bike It. Local and National Government really need to take action on air quality, such as investing more in walking and

busy roads cannot be avoided.

The schools were very pleased that the children had learnt so much about the issue of air pollution and now appreciated the importance of reducing the amount of cars in Birmingham.

Mr Sakhawat, Headteacher of Al-Birr Independent School in Nechells said “We are very pleased to have taken part in this Birmingham Friends of the Earth project and have done our bit to help raise awareness and tackle air pollution in the city. Parts of the areas near to Al-Birr School have poor air quality, as there is in many parts of the city. While we do what we can to help we really need local and national government to take action on the issue.”

Mrs. Paula Weaver, Head of Allens Croft School said:“We’re really pleased have helped raise awareness and tackle air pollution in Birmingham by taking part in Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s Citizen Science project. Main roads in our area such as Fordhouse Lane are a particular problem for air quality, as they are in many parts of

cycling.”

We would like to thank all of our fantastic volunteers who made this project possible! The findings of these experiments shall also be reported to a wider audience soon, in the hope that everyone in Birmingham gets behind our “Let’s Get Moving” campaign to reduce air pollution by campaigning for more funding for active transport in the city. If you want to get involved in the campaign then why not get in touch campaigns@birminghamfoe. org.uk Emily Williams & Zarqa Mahmood 1http://www.theguardian.com/ environment/2014/feb/20/air-pollutioneuropean-commission-legal-action-uknitrogen-dioxide

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tidal lagoon

Exciting news: It looks like the UK is going to have its first tidal lagoon power station in Swansea bay, capable of generating 240MW. Now why is such a large scale project so exciting? Tidal lagoon energy is a relatively new way of generating renewable energy on a large scale, making it an excellent way to start using one of the UK’s best resources: its tides.

The UK has one of the largest tides in the world, with the Severn Estuary being the third highest in the world, and we are not using it enough. There is a lot of great work being done in Orkney on tidal stream technology, but exploring a mix of technologies is important if we want a clean energy UK.

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So, what is it? To simplify, it is building a large man-made lagoon using sand and rocks mostly for the walls, with gates housing large turbines. When the tide is at its highest, the gates are opened to allow the water to surge through the turbines. The gates are then shut until the tide’s lowest point, when the gates are then opened again to allow the tide to surge through the other way. What is so brilliant about this method of energy generation, is that by looking at a local tide table, you can see how much energy you will generate and at what time far into the future. This means you get very consistent energy production and can adapt to it. For example, if the tide changes are in the middle of the night, when we don’t need as much energy, it could be stored

instead via pumping water into large tanks, to be released when we need it. Energy storage techniques are always advancing and I would hope further developments will be implemented in this project.

Looking at this specific project, it is impressive to see how much this could genuinely generate.

The lagoon itself covers an area of 11.5kmsq and is rated at 240MW (megawatts) for a 4.5m tidal head.

This means that its net yearly output would be 400GWh (gigawatt hours).

For some perspective, the average electricity usage of a UK house is around 3,300kWh (kilowatt hours).

So that would be over 100,000 houses a year. The idea is to have

several of these lagoons in suitable areas around the UK, all generating a lot more than the Swansea lagoon, most having proposed ratings between 1000 and 2000MW. There are concerns over environmental impacts of projects such as this one, and these should always be studied and taken into account to cause as little damage as possible. One important factor is that the proposed lagoons are not the same, and are instead of, a Severn Barrage (a proposed idea to build a large dam across the Severn Estuary). Whereas a barrage would cause mass flooding to the surrounding environment and destroy habitats, a lagoon would actually have the opposite affect. As it is nearly completely walled there is no external flooding outside of this wall. Another interesting aspect of it is that it creates a large new area of calm water, thus creating new habitable ground for a lot of animals - think of it as a giant rock pool. There are other things to consider, such as the site the walls are being built on, and where it is connected to the mainland, but things are looking optimistic. Both RSPB and Friends of the Earth will show support if all their questions are answered.

It is exciting to see innovative projects in the UK and considering our energy industry at this moment, it is great to be able to report some positive news.

Jacob Williams

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flooding & climate change in Brum Water, water everywhere is what we have seen in these past few months. Floods and storms have hit the UK’s headlines, causing devastating damage and personal loss to thousands. So now is a good time to highlight the link between an increase in floods and Climate Change.

In Birmingham, we got off relatively lightly but according to analysis of Environment Agency data released

by Friends of the Earth (EWNI) (http://www.foe.co.uk/blog/newmaps-show-extent-flood-risk-facingbritain-0), there are 10,356 homes at flood risk in Birmingham. This includes 2,363 homes which have been judged by the Environment

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Agency to be at significant risk.

Figures also show there are a much larger number of properties in the UK that could face flooding in future as Climate Change takes hold.

Worse still, the Government’s own Climate Change Risk Assessment estimates that almost one million UK homes could be at significant flood risk by the 2020s, up from the 370,000 currently at significant risk nationwide. Yet the Government is spending £500 million less on flood defences than is required to keep pace with Climate Change, according to its own advisors, while cutting spending on energy efficiency and bringing uncertainty to renewable energy projects.

A big problem is the bizarre way we approach flood defences. Prevention is better than cure; we should be looking at tackling the cause rather than just building ever bigger flood walls. This is why Friends of the Earth have asked MPs to support the call for flood defences in line with the risks posed by climate change, and for more investment to make homes energy efficient, switch to renewable energy and get off climate-changing and polluting fossil fuels. Something I am glad to say that Roger Godsiff, John Hemming and Richard Burden have all done in recent quotes to the local press.

You can see the article with quotes at the link below. Let’s hope other politicians are just as enlightened, including David Cameron! http://bit. ly/1cZgl1q Jacob Williams

yoga at ‘The Warehouse’ Yoga classes at ‘The Warehouse’ are held to bring restoration and balance to full time cyclists, relaxation to inner city workers and good health to all others who attend.

Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise you can do it to enhance your cardiovascular system, body endurance, mental stamina and physical strength. It is a wonderful community to be a part of, excellent for the environment, and it is a beautiful way to travel. However, as a full time cyclist with an abundance of cycling history can tell you: it is like everything else, in that it too has its drawbacks.

These include shortened hamstrings, curved spine, twisted neck

syndrome, weakened knee cartilage and tight adductors, but with gentle, controlled stretches with your breath (as taught in yoga), you can learn to soften the overexerted muscles, strengthen the weaker, fine ones and release and relax the ones held taut out of habitual strain.

The same goes for repetitive strain injuries caused by bad ergonomics of office equipment, furniture and cars. These will also be addressed in association to their wear and tear.

I, Dionne, a holistic therapist and practitioner, will be at The Warehouse to deliver a Yoga class every Thursday. Times are currently 6:00 – 7:30 pm.

All are welcome!

Dionne Roberts

volunteer appeal Birmingham Friends of the Earth (BFoE) are looking for enthusiastic, outgoing individuals to help us build support and raise awareness for our campaigns, in particular our local campaign: “Let’s Get Moving”, which aims to tackle the levels of city air pollution by calling for greater investment in active transport such as cycling or walking.

You would be involved in staffing stalls, talking to members of the

public, helping run BFoE events, building relationships with other organisations, as well as generally supporting the campaign from our office.

Some of the work will be based in our office at the Warehouse in Digbeth, but also out and about in and around Birmingham. If you are interested, please contact Julien Pritchard for more information on 0121 632 6909 or at campaigns@ birminghamfoe.org.uk

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what politicians say and what they really mean For something a little different this issue, we invited Robert Pass to write a piece about politicians and what they say. This is a personal view which may or may not reflect the views of others in Birmingham Friends of the Earth. Enjoy the satire!

I will create real change: My political party gets its funding from people and organisations that are doing very nicely out of maintaining the status quo. My main goal is ensure I keep them sweet.

My paymasters have given their blessing to change the curtains in the spare room of Number 10 with the freedom to choose any colour I like.

We’re going to be the Greenest Government Ever: Cut the green crap! First, we’ll sell off the forests, then we’ll slash the feed in tariff, give big tax cuts to the fossil fuel companies, and encourage wide scale fracking of the countryside.

I take Climate Change seriously: If you think I’m going to fund a proper Green Investment Bank, you must be joking! Let’s make the tax and planning changes which will put Britain at the forefront of exploiting shale gas.

We’ve increased spending on flood defences to record levels: We’ve cut spending on flood defences by £247 million since 2011 and we’re going to sack 1550 people at the Environment Agency.

I’m tough on terrorism: I will use the fear created by constant rhetoric on terrorists to grab more power for

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the government at the expense of personal liberty and democracy.

I’m for the 99%: It’s all about the 1%, stupid! I can’t wait for the next Bilderberg Group meeting…

I’m on the side of hard working families: I’m on the side of the elite interests that bankroll my party and will ensure I get lucrative consultancy positions in the private sector when I leave office.

Unemployment has fallen: Thanks mainly to the fact that we now count people who work zero-hour contracts in Poundland as employed.

I believe in Freedom: Freedom to watch mindless telly, Freedom to go shopping, Freedom to make money, regardless of the environmental or social costs.

There is simply no alternative to austerity: There is a very obvious Keynesian alternative to do exactly the opposite of what we are proposing, but that would involve increasing taxation on my superrich friends and redistributing the wealth. Not on my watch!

Too big to fail: Remember the maxim - privatise the profits and socialise the losses.

We’re all in this together: LOL! Robert Pass

volunteer spotlight Julien Pritchard interviews Emily Williams

measure it in their area.

What do you like about working here?

It is refreshing to meet so many people that care about the environment and are willing to give up their free time to do something about the world’s problems.

What have you learnt from volunteering with BFoE? A lot! As the group care about so many different issues, there is usually something new to learn about at the General Meeting. In particular, I knew very little about the issue of fracking for shale gas before I joined. I have also developed a whole range of new skills.

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

How long have you been volunteering with BFoE? 4-5 months.

What do you do here?

I am currently working on the Citizen Science program. This involves teaching primary school children about air pollution and setting up an investigation to

Climate Change because the potential consequences of sealevel rise, temperature increases and extreme weather conditions could be/will be catastrophic.

Frighteningly, we are already seeing the impacts of climate change so this issue requires urgent action.

What’s your best green tip/ advice?

When you’re at the supermarket, think about where your food has come from and how it was produced. Moreover, just because a supermarket says something is “sustainable” doesn’t mean it is.

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diary Campaign Meetings - mondays 7.30pm 7th April - General Meeting 14th April -Action Meeting 21st April - No meeting / Easter Monday 28th April - Action Meeting 5th May - No meeting / bank holiday 12th May - General Meeting 19th May - Action Meeting 26th May - No meeting / Bank Holiday 2nd June - General Meeting 9th June - Action Meeting 16th June - Action Meeting 23rd June - Action Meeting 30th June - Action Meeting

Other Events 29th April: WDM Panel Discussion Event on Agribusiness – BMI 11th May: Spring Event – Martineau Gardens 1st-8th June: UK Green Film Festival – Mindlands Arts Centre 7th June: Big Lunch/Sustainability Fair – Botanical Gardens 13th-15th June: Friends of the Earth Basecamp – Castleton Youth Hostel 21st June: Go Green Event – Kings Heath Village Square See Northfield Eco Centre (www.northfieldecocentre.org) & Birmingham Environment Education Project (www.BirminghamEnvironment.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

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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: Rebecca Pollard

- 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: Jacob Williams, Rebecca Pollard & Emily Williams

- Empowering others to take action

All enquiries and callers welcome.

- Lobbying

- Participation and representation through public fora

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