newsletter summer 2016
unlocking The Warehouse how we will become more socially, financially and environmentally sustainable, by Phil Burrows Next year, it will have been 40 years since Birmingham Friends of the Earth moved into The Warehouse and 30 years since we purchased the building. The only way that we managed to raise
the money for this was through loans from our members and supporters and the inspiring dedication of the people that promoted it. (Continued inside)
contents 3 - unlocking The Warehouse 5 - campaigns digest 7 - the Great British bee count 9 - summer in Digbeth Community Garden 10 - Basecamp 2016 12 - nature and wellbeing day 13 - update on the brum pound 15 - divestment 17 - sharing cities book tour 18 - volunteer spotlight 19 - don’t frack Yorkshire 21 - meat free may 23 - breaking free
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unlocking The Warehouse continued from page1 Today, we’re faced with new challenges. We want the building to become fully accessible, financially self-sustaining and carbon neutral. We’ve got the structural engineering calculations, planning permission, building control notice, architects drawings, business plan and desire to transform The Warehouse to meet our vision. The one thing that we’re missing is the money to do it. That’s why we’re asking our supporters to invest in our future for the next 30 years. You won’t just be financial supporters or customers, but a member and owner of one of Birmingham’s leading environmental organisations. We’re telling you about this now because we’ve received a grant to test our business plan and make sure we’ve got everything in place before the offer goes out next year. Big Potential is funding us to work with the Plunkett Foundation, who have a real expertise in testing business plans and preparing community share issues. If the business plan fails, then we won’t release the issue. Just as we repaid the original investors, we plan to make the money from our share issue withdrawable as soon as the investment pays off. At the moment, we hope that the option of full repayment will be possible within 6 years, but this may change. We
also hope to get advanced assurance from HMRC that every investor will be able to claim 30% of their investment off their tax bill as a way of financially rewarding people for helping us. There’s a lot of work to be done to prepare all of this, which is why we don’t expect to release it until next year. However, we would be delighted if you signed up to help us spread the word after it launches and even happier if you expressed interest as a potential investor.
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S U P P O R T 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: Take part in our campaigns. Join us as a supporter. Make a donation. Or you could receive our email updates and decide what you want to do when you know us a bit better.
Whichever way you get involved, you are helping to make Birmingham green and sustainable!
For donations go to http://localgiving.com/birminghamfoe
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campaigns digest by Libby Harris Welcome to the latest edition of
our newsletter which has a new look thanks to graphic designer, Annette Bowery. We have had a wet start to the summer, but we haven’t let the rain dampen our campaigning spirit! We have had a busy few months with event planning and fundraising as well as working on our exisiting campaigns.
economics Work on the Brum Pound is coming along quickly and they are looking to start planning the pilot phase. Check out Corline’s article for all the updates. On 12 May BFOE campaigners, Ben, Molly and Tim attended a Sharing Cities Book Tour event at the impact hub. It was a joint event run by Friends of the Earth and Julian Agyeman. Read all about it in Molly’s article.
energy & climate change Climate campaigners, Tim and Molly have been busy working on the Divest WMPF campaign. Check out Molly’s article to find out what the Divest team have been up to. At the beginning of May our Campaigns Co-ordinator, Roxanne joined hundreds of activitists for the Reclaim the Power camp in Ffos-y-
fran. Have a read of Rox’s article for more info. On 20 May, Roxanne braved the rain to show solidarity with the anti-fracking movement in North Yorkshire. Have a read of Roxanne’s article. The following day, BFOE were joined by Green Peace and Divest WMPF campaigners to celebrate the UK being frack free for 5 years! The rain didn’t dampened the celebrations which took place outside Birmingham City Council House. Many people stopped to join in our celebrations and have their photograph taken.
nature Christina and Hannah have been busy planning and organising our Nature and Wellbeing Day which is to take place on the 30 July in Digbeth Community Garden. Read Christina’s article for all the details. We took part in the #GreatBritishBeeCount over May and June which was largely social media based and have had a great response from fellow bee lovers! Check out Hayley’s article for more info. BFOE campaigners wanted to do more to help save the bees
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campaigns digest continued and decided a beehive Digbeth Community Garden would be benefical. Lisa has been busy with our Digbeth Bees Please! appeal which went live on Local Giving at the beginning of June. Have a read of Lisa’s article to find out how you can get involved.
waste Our Waste Isn’t Rubbish! Campaign went a little quiet while we wait for Birmingham City Council’s Future Waste Strategy to open. The consultation went live on 29 June and will run until 31 July. At the time of writing the waste team have sprung into action, so watch this space!
planning Ben has been keeping an eye on planning proposals and has
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responded to Midland Metro Birmingham Eastside Extension Consultation and to the Smithfield Masterplan.
food During May we decided to join in with the Meat Free May campaign. Corline enjoyed leading on this and set about putting a resturant review team together to go around Brimingham trying the different places where you could get a vegetrian or vegan meal. Check out Corline’s article to find out more. We always welcome new people who want to get involved with our campaigns so if you fancy getting involved then please get in touch or come to one of our weekly monday night meetings.
the Great British bee count by Hayley Bevan We were really excited to be taking part in the Great British Bee Count, which happened between 19 May and 30 June. Friends of the Earth set up the Great British Bee Count to monitor the British bee population as the numbers of British bees are declining! Twenty species of bee have already been lost in the UK and this number will increase if action is not taken soon. Our Bees are in trouble!
“Twenty species of bee have already been lost in the UK” British bees are threatened by many factors induced by the human population. These include: habitat loss and destruction, changes in land use (increasing urbanisation), toxic neonicotinoid pesticides and climate change. Bees are an essential component in helping to sustain our food and economy as we rely on them to pollinate around 75% of our fruit
and vegetable crops. Digbeth Community Garden is in full bloom, showcasing a rich wild flower habitat for bees and other wildlife to thrive. During the bee count, we spotted different species of bee and took lots of photographs. Check out our twitter page to see what we have spotted! Along with monitoring the bees in the garden, we also tweeted a different bee fact every day throughout the bee count. Here are a few of our favourite facts: •Honey bees fly at a speed of around 25km per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second! •There are around 250 species of bee in the UK. •Beekeepers wear white to keep the bees calm. •In mathematical terms, a bee flies around the world one and a half times for one jar of honey (500g).
Be sure to follow us on twitter (@ Bham_FOE) and see the good work we are doing for British Bees!
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Organic, Fair Wear, Artist Designed, Locally Printed T-Shirts
£15 All Proceeds Go To Our Community Garden Our limited edition ‘Green Heart’ T-shirts have been lovingly produced for you by Stanley and Stella and Get a Grip. Stanley and Stella are specialists in ethically produced garments, using only sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials. Stanley and Stella work with the Fair Wear Foundation, an independent non profit organisation that aims to improve labour conditions for textile and garment workers. Get-a-Grip are a unique, local screenprinting company that use their Punk Rock DIY ethic to print a wide range of garments. Their Digbeth based workshop employs a small production team that use traditional screen printing techniques and waterbased inks.
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summer in Digbeth Community Garden by Adam McCusker
The last month has seen a lot of activity in the garden, including a great volunteer session with the green team from Selfridges and some incredible musical performances at the pop-up poetry café, which continues to get better every time. BFoE have been conducting their Great British Bee Count in the garden and spotted several species of bee, including redtailed bumblebees. Fundraising is underway for a beehive, so keep an eye out for the Digbeth Bees Please! fundraiser. We have been busy planting and have peas, broad beans, runner beans, carrots, beetroot, lettuce,
turnips, onions and melons all shooting up this year. We intend to build a pizza oven this summer. Please get in touch if you can help us out with sourcing some clay. Anyone who wants to help build herb spirals and clay ovens this August with NCS volunteers can email: digbethcommunitygarden@ gmail.com A few other events are coming up this summer, including BFoE’s Nature and Wellbeing event on 30 July. Check out the calendar on our revamped website for details on what’s happening: digbethcommunitygarden. wordpress.com
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Bfoe and new
friends win pu
es Crafty Cath repurpos
b quiz
all t may be sm Corline’s tens are big but her idea
newspaper
Campaigners enjoying a talk by Human Rights campaigner, Shami Chakrabarti 10
Ben & Cat ready for th e toxic glitter fest
at the ked sharing a o s n u s e m So Cinnabar
p drinks with Post basecamof Man Foe ManFoe & Isle
How many BFOE campaigners can you spot? 11
nature and wellbeing day 30th July
by Christina Nijjar Summertime is upon us, so whilst the days are still long and the flowers still blooming, we thought what better time to join together and spread the message that nature is for everyone, everywhere! We invite you to gather with us in one of Birmingham’s green spaces, Digbeth Community Garden, for a day that celebrates nature and our connection to it. You can get creative with natural arts and crafts, nature poems, or brew mint tea. There will be a sensory corner, seed bombs and
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face painting for the kids, and meditation/ yoga sessions for the adults. We’ll have a beekeeper with live bees, and you can make a recycled bee to take home. If you want to be more active, there’ll be a garden gym. Also, we’ll have some tasty food on offer provided by the Real Junk Food project. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and family for what promises to be a fun and relaxing afternoon. The garden will be open from 12pm and we’ll be there all afternoon - we hope to see lots of you there!
update on the Brum Pound by Corline Hazenoot
The focus of the economy branch of our Go Local campaign is the Birmingham Pound. By setting up a local currency we want to improve, encourage and support Birmingham’s economy. After having spent quite a while on discovering ways to set up a local currency and making a lot of connections in the city, we are now starting to forge our way towards a pilot phase. The technical side of our Birmingham Pound is mostly agreed on and will ironically be hosted in Bristol, thanks to the Bristol Pound team. We will use their Cyclos system to manage the different accounts.
We have also just done a small skills audit to see what capacity we have and where we need to bring in more expertise. We are lucky to have a very wide team of experts who can advise us. We also have most of the essential expertise covered within the team to start the currency. We do need more volunteers to speak to individuals and businesses once pledging for the Birmingham Pound starts.
So what would a pilot look like? The current ideas are that we will start with an electronic version of the Birmingham Pound using the Cyclos system from Bristol Pound.
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update on the Brum Pound continued We have not yet decided on the areas where we would start our pilot, as Birmingham is so diverse and we want to be sure to be as inclusive as possible, but we also want to make sure we are picked up as an exciting new phenomenon. This is the real balancing act between early uptakers and representational of Birmingham’s diversity.
“We want to improve, encourage and support Birmingham’s economy”
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We will start a marketing campaign to get businesses and individuals to pledge to use the Birmingham Pound. By having individuals pledge to use it, it will be easier to convince businesses to accept and use the local pound and vice versa. You might see us around this autumn and/or winter at festivals and markets. So keep your eyes peeled and tell your friends what we are about!
Divestment by Molly Luke
If you haven’t heard of Divest WMPF, we are campaigning for divestment action here in our region by asking the West Midlands Pension Fund to freeze their investments in fossil fuels and reinvest the money in renewable energy. It’s a big task, but we are incredibly passionate about divestment as a climate action. With massive environmental and economic benefits we see it as one of the best ways for the West Midlands to reduce it’s carbon footprint and have a real and positive impact on our future. After all, the pension fund in its essence is a fund for future security. For the WMPF to have billions of pounds invested in economically unstable and environmentally immoral oil and gas companies seems counter-intuitive and
down right wrong. Campaigning over the past six months has had it’s highs and lows. Response to our public engagement has been fantastic
“One of the best ways for the West Midlands to reduce its carbon footprint” which is encouraging when other areas of the campaign aren’t progressing as swiftly as we would like. On a chilly afternoon in February we held our first action in Victoria Square featuring giant bubbles (very popular with the Birmingham shoppers) and our very
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Divestment continued own divestment rap. We gathered well over a hundred signatures and had some great conversations with passers by. Since then our petition has continued to flourish and we have even gained a few new team members as a result. Positive feedback from the public is rewarding and inspiring. With a lot of work to be done behind the scenes in order to actually get the Pension Fund to hear our voice, an ever growing list of petition signatures really keeps us motivated. It is an exciting time for the Divest
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WMPF campaign with lots of plans finally coming into motion. There is plenty to do and we are always looking for helping hands, so we encourage anyone with an interest in the global climate movement and their local environment to join us. Divestment is an incredibly promising climate movement that is sweeping the globe with an ever-growing success list. We are determined to see that the West Midlands Pension Fund is one of the next UK authorities to ditch the dirty oil companies and invest in a clean, just and sustainable future!
sharing cities book tour by Molly Luke
On Thursday 12th May we welcomed Julian Agyeman to the Impact Hub for an evening of ‘sharing’. The social concept of sharing is explored in Sharing Cities: A Case for Truly Smart and Sustainable Cities by Julian Agyeman and Duncan McLaren. In light of his book, Julian presented a stimulating argument for the value of sharing in city communities; following his talk was a Q&A and networking session. Julian’s case for sharing is grounded in his belief that we cannot hope to tackle environmental crises without addressing social inequality first. The sharing economy can create smart, sustainable cities that address social inequality by prioritising community growth and equal access to resources.
Julian gave one example of sharing that I found particularly useful in understanding these ideas: in the city of Medellin, Columbia, the government have used ‘urban acupuncture’ to address social inequality. This method of urban planning pin points the deprived or marginalised areas of an urban space to develop in order to strengthen those communities. The Spanish Park Library is located up on the mountain slopes in the slums of Medellin, and by extending the Metro Cable link from down town Medellin up to the library, economically segregated communities are given a reason and a means to cross paths and share resources and urban spaces. The story of the Spanish Park Library allowed me to understand the positive impact that sharing can have on social inequality. Social justice is core to a truly smart and sustainable city; a sharing economy can eradicate the social imbalances created by consumerism and encourage community relationships. The best thing is, Birmingham has already caught on. Sharing is beginning to thrive in our city, and many groups and organisations are practising and encouraging sharing through a variety of schemes and
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projects across Birmingham. Our venue, Impact Hub, is a thriving community workspace, as is BFOE’s own home, The Warehouse. My favourite discovery that evening was the community-driven ‘Co-Wheels Car Club’, a social enterprise giving Birmingham access to sustainable
car share. I left Julian’s talk feeling inspired. I would encourage everyone to use, support and promote sharing schemes taking place in our city, and hope that it is a practise that will continue to blossom in Birmingham.
volunteer spotlight: Corline Hazenoot What do you do at BFoE? I am involved in the Birmingham Pound group. We are setting up a local currency for Birmingham to promote local business. I write blog posts and articles and I manage the social media accounts. I also do quite a bit of social media for the BFoE accounts.
What do you think is the most important environmental issue and why? How long have you been involved with BFoE? I became a volunteer in December 2015.
How did you first find out about BFoE and what made you decide to get involved? I was looking for an environmental organisation to volunteer with, and a friend told me about Friends of the Earth. So, I went to one of the Campaign meetings and it was such a welcoming atmosphere with great people that I got really excited to join the group.
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Climate change poses a great danger to our lives and to people all around the Earth. I think we have to take drastic action against climate change in solidarity with people around the world.
What’s your best green tip/advice? As a vegan, I say: have a critical look at your diet. You can greatly reduce your environmental impact by deciding to put less animal products on your plate and it’s healthier to boot! It’s only a small decision everyday, but it can save tons of carbon.
don’t frack Yorkshire: the fight goes on by Roxanne Green
On May 23, North Yorkshire County Council approved Third Energy’s application to frack the village of Kirby Misperton - going against the wishes of 4375 residents and the interests of millions of people suffering the effects of climate change across the world. On the weekend that we celebrated keeping the UK free of fracking for five years, this is a disappointing and short-sighted decision. But one thing is absolutely certain – the fight is far from over. On Friday 20 May I made the journey to Northallerton to join hundreds of anti-fracking campaigners at a rally outside North Yorkshire County Hall, where members of the affected
communities were giving evidence to their councillors. Over the course of the day, around 75 people presented well-researched, scientific and passionate arguments about why they did not want their beautiful countryside to be fracked. We braved the morning rain and stood together in a show of solidarity that lasted all day and can have left the councillors in no doubt about the level of public opposition to these plans. The numbers speak for themselves: the council received 36 responses in favour, 4375 against. There was a constant din of cars honking their support as they drove past. During breaks in proceedings we heard from local people, ate cake from
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don’t frack Yorkshire continued the anti-fracking nanas and had a rousing singalong to some special anti-fracking songs. One of the most exciting things for me was the way that affected communities from across the country had come together to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ryedale. Frack Free Lancashire
“This is what real community activism looks like”
brought their double-decker bus over the Pennines to support their counterparts in Yorkshire. White and red roses abounded, and rarely have I felt as inspired as when the Lancashire and Yorkshire nanas joined forces on stage and sang their hearts out. This is what real community activism looks like: most of these people are not seasoned campaigners; they’re local business-owners, farmers, parents, grandparents from across the political spectrum. This isn’t about protecting one area, it’s about a powerful grassroots movement united by a fury at the way establishment interests are trying to force unwanted development onto ‘the desolate north’ without the
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consent of its residents. People are sick of being ignored and taken for granted by an entirely disconnected political elite, and they are fighting back. This was never going to be an easy battle. Legal options are currently being considered and activists across the country are resolving to fight tooth and nail, for as long as it takes. Stand with them and sign the people’s declaration online.
Meat Free May Brum’s best veggie/vegan restaurants by Corline Hazenoot
What are your favourite restaurants to eat vegetarian food? In order to prepare for Meat Free May, we were asked by Friends of the Earth EWNI to make a list of restaurants in Birmingham that cater to vegetarians and vegans.
Meat Free May is part of their Eat Better campaign and asks people to pledge not to eat meat and fish
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for a month. It is all about making people aware of the impact of our food intake on the environment and our health.
We decided that of course we could just make a list, but it would be much more fun to visit these restaurants together and decide on our own favourites. We discovered that some of us really like to gobble up some restaurant fare!
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meat free may continued We went to a range of restaurants with different cuisines, from SouthAmerican to Chinese via American to Indian and, of course, our trustworthy British cuisine. The restaurants we visited all had a nice selection of vegetarian dishes; we also found a fair few that catered to vegans as well. All in all, it was a success, and we got to discover more of the great vegetarian cuisine our city has to offer. For our reviews of the restaurants we visited, check out the Meat Free May blogs: www.birminghamfoe.org. uk/category/news-events/blog/ All in all, here is the list of restaurants that we would
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recommend: • Deepali’s •
Bodega Cantina Y Bar
•
Blue Ginger
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Blue Nile
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Kitchen Garden Cafe
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Mr Singh’s
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Vegan Grindhouse
• Ort • Jyoti’s •
The Warehouse Cafe
Why not try them out yourself? Bon Appétit!
breaking free by Roxanne Green
On 3rd May, hundreds of activists from Reclaim the Power shut down the Ffos-y-fran mine, the UK’s largest opencast coal mine. It was the start of Break Free, a wave of global actions targeting fossil fuels and demanding a transition to sustainable energy immediately. The action was supporting the United Valleys Action Group, who successfully fought off an incinerator and are now fighting plans for a new mine in the next valley. I was at the Reclaim the Power camp helping with the preparation and, although I had to leave early, it was a privilege to be part of this community and to have helped towards such an inspiring action. I cannot think of a time when I have
been surrounded by such welcoming people, united by a conviction that a better world is possible and it’s down to us to make that a reality. We made our camp on common land, and constructed a fully functioning site, including compost toilets, a kitchen, a medical tent and a wind turbine for power. All attendees were crew and had to play an equal role in keeping the infrastructure running over the weekend. This was hard work. We were camping on top of a very high hill in the Welsh countryside, with no trees and nowhere to hide from the elements. And, in April, it feels very elemental. It rained a lot. It blew a gale. It was really cold. Hours spent lugging around access boards,
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breaking free continued creating ramps and washing up outside did take their toll. It wasn’t all hard work – we had the wonderful Three Acres and a Cow performing a history of land rights through folk song, and music from Seize the Day, who also joined in on the action today. There was a great feeling of camaraderie and togetherness throughout it all and knowing we were all there for a purpose made everything easier.
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Camp decisions were made through active consensus, which meant that everybody had a say in the outcome and everybody participated equally. It is this principle that I think is as important as shutting down the mine today. If we end fossil fuels but usher in an era governed by the same exploitation and unequal distribution of power, then that’s just not good enough. We showed that it’s possible to do things differently.
diary campaign meetings - Mondays 7.30pm 11 July – Nature event planning 18 July – Divestment/stalls (TBC) 25 July – garden clearance 1 August – general meeting 8 August – stalls/divestment (TBC) 15 August – film night 22 August - Action Meeting – TBC 29 August - Bank Holiday 5 September - General Meeting 12 September - Action Meeting – TBC 19 September - Action Meeting – TBC 26 September - Action Meeting – TBC
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 Moseley: 4th Saturday of the month 9am-3pm New Street: 1st & 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
3 October - General Meeting
Other Events 30 July - Nature & Well-being Day – Digbeth Community Garden. 11 September - Bfoe Pub Quiz – Anchor Pub
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contacts contact us: Friends of the Earth (Birmingham) The Warehouse 54-57 Allison Street Birmingham B5 5TH
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.
Campaigns Support Worker: Libby Harris
Economics: Adam McCusker & Corline Hazenoot Nature Christina Nijjar Planning: Benjamin Mabbett Waste & Recycling: John Newson Newsletter Editors: Faustine Ladeiro Zoe Wright
- Over 90% of its funds come from its supporters.
Website Editor: Philip Burrows
Birmingham FoE:
Talks: Libby Harris and others
Campaigns at a local level to effect environmental change (in ways which feed into national and international policy) through:
All enquiries and callers welcome.
- Lobbying - Education - Empowering others to take action - Participation and representation through public fora
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Campaigns Co-ordinator: Roxanne Green & Shaz Rahman
Vector graphics courtesy of freepik.com Tomatoes photo courtesy of FreeImages.com/Yucel Tellici
Birmingham Friends of the Earth is looking for New Mangement Committee Members Birmingham Friends of the Earth (BFoE) exists to promote positive environmental change by increasing awareness of environmental issues, campaigning and supporting small environmental projects and business BFoE are currently looking for enthusiastic and interested people to help us take this vision forward by becoming part of its Management Committee. If you feel that you have the ideas and enthusiasm to contribute to shaping BFoE’s future, please consider getting
involved. (Or if you know someone who might, please pass this on.) The Management Committee meets 6 times a year and is responsible for setting strategy and overseeing the staffing and day-to-day operations of the organisation. If you want to find out more, please get in touch. Contact Phil Burrows on 0121 632 6909 or e-mail phil@birminghamfoe.org.
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