Recieved via LUU Green Action email list.
There will be an anti agrofuels (biofuels) demo on May 2nd at 3pm at a location in Leeds as part of the May Day of Action on technofixes and false capitalist solutions.
The simple message is 'food not fuel' and 'greenwash/false solutions' so be creative with banners and placards
We hope to have street theatre with a cardboard car being fed food! plenty of banners and publicity and some hilarious 'greenwashing' action.
You can find out more in person at the climate camp yorkshire neighbourhood meeting on the 30th, or be at WHSmith at leeds train station at 2pm on May 2nd where there will be someone to meet you.
Biofuels (Agrofuels)- The false solution
Yorkshire and Humber Environment Forum Newsletter
FOR MORE DETAIL ON ANY STORY BELOW SEE: http://www.yhref.org.uk/ click the links to 'yhref newsletter' or read the articles under the news section. You can subscribe to recieve the newsletter (which I would recommend as I can't always pass information on in time)
One Region Living - Advanced Notice of Workshop 3
Environmental Limits and Rural Areas will be the subject of the next seminar in the popular WWF / YHREF co-production. We are currently confirming the date and venue but read on for an outline of discussion topics.
Workshop Discusses Fund to Finance Land-Based Climate Change Works
A partnership of organisations in Yorkshire is working towards a climate change scheme to pay for enhanced carbon storage in land-based projects. The scheme should help businesses who want to help tackle climate change to finance organisations that restore damaged moorlands or plant trees to reduce carbon emissions and provide wider environmental benefits.
New from WWF: The Right Climate for Change
The transition towards a low-carbon economy requires a fundamental change in the way we think about climate change at a local level. This change needs to be about extending local authority action to include communities and behaviour change. It also needs to include a recognition of our global responsibility to act-not just on domestic emissions but also on indirect emissions.
Why Place Matters and Implications for the Role of Central, Regional and Local Government
This paper highlights some of the underpinning Communities and Local Government analysis which fed into - and supported a number of recommendations of - the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR) July 2007.
Prosperous Places Consultation - 7th April to 20 June 2008
In July 2007 the Government published the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR). This provided the framework that will enable central and local government and other partners to work together to help maximise prosperity in all parts of England and tackle social deprivation and inequality. This consultation sets out and seeks views on the proposals contained in the SNR. More details...
Have your say on the future of our countryside with CPRE
CPRE are looking to the future and we want to set out some of the challenges facing our countryside. The ambition is to provoke a national debate that will lead to a consensus on how we can all protect the green spaces that make England beautiful.
Independent online - The new age of the train
Britain is witnessing the dawn of a new era of rail travel as an unprecedented demand for environmentally friendly transport encourages people to take more train journeys than at any time since the Second World War.
Reduction Film Festival
The Reduction Festival is managed by Sheffield-based companies 'Sort Of.Films Ltd' and 'Environment Room' and is dedicated to film and video content with a green/environmental theme or agenda. Sponsorship opportunities are still available so read on if your organisation would like to be involved.
The West Yorkshire Travel Plan Network
The Travel Plan Network brings together Metro, the five local authorities of West Yorkshire and the Highways Agency, to support employers from West Yorkshire in promoting more sustainable ways of travelling to work and reducing the number of people who drive alone.
Residents of UK cities ranked in eco-debt index
The residents of UK cities will plunge into ecological debt over the next month having exceeded their fair share of the Earth's natural resources for 2008, new research from WWF-UK shows.
Full details of all storues via www.yhref.org.uk
Help make your group more 'green'
Changing the way you work – a green guide
Every Action Counts is hoping to convince 14,000 voluntary and community organisations to improve their green credentials. ‘Changing the Way You Work’, advises charities to produce environmental action plans to help staff and volunteers to be as green as possible. The guide shows a range of examples of how VCS groups are already making a difference and is free to download at:
www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=230&n2=281
Yorkshire Forward taking on new roles. Yorkshire and Humber Assembly
Sub-national review proposals published
The government has released their plans for implementation of last summer's sub national review of economic development and regeneration. These include; a scrutiny role of regional policy for local government and a greater role for Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) (Yorkshire Forward) who will take on some functions of the Regional Assemblies (including regional spatial planning). The review also proposes putting Multi Area Agreements (
To download a copy of the implementation plan click here: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45468.pdf
Local people to be given more say over spending decisions.
PB for All – a national Participatory Budgeting strategy
Communities and Local government are consulting over their plans for a national strategy to give local people a greater say over spending decisions. The Government wants Participatory Budgeting to be used in all local authority areas by 2012 and are seeking views on their plans. The consultation runs until 10th June.
Download at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/participatorybudgeting
Empowerment White Paper
‘Power Pack’ launched to feed White Paper
A Community Power Pack has been created to help local groups to contribute to the forthcoming Empowerment White Paper. The pack is designed to help groups hold meetings and contains advice for facilitators and organisers as well as detailed information about key empowerment issues. Feedback will be used by Communities and Local Government to inform and shape empowerment activities, including the Empowerment White Paper.
See: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/powerpack
You can read Urban Forum’s briefing on ‘Unlocking the talent of our communities’ at: www.urbanforum.org.uk/pdf_files/unlocking%20talents%20brief%200308.pdf
Leeds Voice would like to hear your views on the empowerment white paper.The Ecological Land Co-operative
Text taken from Permaculture Association e-bulletin. see: www.permaculture.org.uk
If you had to name the two biggest barriers to the ability of permaculture projects to achieve their objectives, I think it is a fair bet that the market in agricultural land - rigged in favour of the rich - and the planning system - structurally unable to accept low impact lifestyles - would come out near the top. A new co-operative business is trying to find solutions to both of these problems.
The Ecological Land Co-operative plans to buy agricultural land that is suffering from or vulnerable to intensive agriculture, and convert it into low impact, residential smallholdings with planning permission. It will then sell long leases to suitable users which will give them the security of landowners, but retain the ability of the co-operative to monitor land use and maintain high ecological standards regardless of how it changes hands in the future. The proceeds from the sale of leases will enable the purchase of further land, cover the costs of planning applications and improvements, and provide a fair return to the investors that provided the funds in the first place. Our intention is to create clusters, or hamlets, of between two and six smallholdings, sharing services and facilities.
How can you be involved? In several different ways:
- The ELC is keen to include among its steward members people and organisations that are already practicing ecological land management, from the level of allotments up to whole farms. They will be vital guardians of the organisations values as it builds up its membership, and can benefit from access to collective services and support.
- You might be interested in investing - however, at this stage it is not possible to make a share offer to the public. Instead, the only investors we can work with are self certified "high net worth" or "sophisticated" investors. If you think you might fall into this category, please do get in touch for a copy of our prospectus.
- You might want us to help you get land. By all means get in touch and tell us about your requirements - but please do bear in mind that there is unlikely to be any land available for almost a year, it may not come up in the location you would like, and to begin with demand will almost certainly exceed supply.
- You might be interested in working with us. There will certainly be opportunities for volunteers to be involved working on land we have bought, and helping with the administration and planning applications. There will also be some paid work available later in the year. By all means ask to be added to our mailing list to hear more about these opportunities as they arise.
You can contact us at info@ecologicalland.coop, or by phoning Alex Lawrie on 0845 458 1473.
Climate Camp- Yorkshire meeting
Please forward far and wide to groups you are in and lists that youare on that you think might be interested.
Hello All,
On 30th April there will be a meeting in Leeds for all those hoping to be at the Climate Camp in the summer who want to be involved in Yorkshire's very own corner of the camp: The Yorkshire Neighbourhood. We'll meet between 7.15 and 7.30 at the Common Place, but we'll be moving to a nearby pub, as No Borders have the building.
It's the area where folks from across Yorkshire camp together, in the middle of which is the Yorkshire Kitchen tent, where we all the cooking, eating and neighbourhood meetings go on.
Moreover, the neighbourhood needn't just be a bit of the camp, it can also be a process of engaging people within our region, coordinating our contacting of local groups and a chance for would-be and might-be campers to meet people before heading to Kingsnorth, and for us to organise mass-transport. If we want to see Yorkshire thoroughly represented in this
year's camp, nows the time to do something about it.
Yours,
Graham Martin
Neighbourhoods and Regions Working Group
Camp for Climate Action.
Eco-towns consultation paper
Eco-towns consultation paper
LEEDS HAS BEEN SHORTLISTED TO GET A NEW ECOTOWN. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) have published a shortlist of 15 possible sites for new Eco-Towns which are now open for consultation. The Government plans to establish five new Eco-Towns by 2016 and ten by 2020 which will provide affordable housing and high standards of sustainable living. The closing date for the consultation is 30th June, 2008.
To find out more and download the consultation: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/ecotownsgreenerfuture
The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have been commissioned by CLG to carry out a study of the criteria for new Eco Towns and their incorporation in the Government’s ‘Growth Points initiative’.
For more about this go to TCPA’s website: www.tcpa.org.uk/ecotowns.asp
Climate Bill- Have you called for a strong climate bill?
The time of decision is at hand as to whether we will have a strong climate bill that addresses emissions from air travel or a weak climate bill that ignores the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Climate Change Bill - Leeds MPs
The Climate Change Bill is coming to the Commons, and at present, it still doesn't include aviation emissions, the fastest growing source of UK GHG.
All the Leeds MPs, bar Hilary Benn, have signed up to a Parliamentary petition (Early Day Motion) calling for the inclusion of aviation, but it's votes, not signatures, that count.
We need to put pressure on our MPs to keep their promises, and vote to get aviation in the Bill
An easy way of doing this is to email your MP today:
· thanking them for supporting EDM 736 calling for the inclusion of aviation emissions in the Climate Change Bill
· and urging them to stick to their guns, and vote for aviation emissions to be included, when the issue comes before the Commons
If you want to check out the Early Day Motion for yourself, you can do so here: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=34898&SESSION=891
If you're not sure who your MP is, or how to get in touch with them, you can use this site: www.writetothem.com/
Info recieved via Green Action (a student environmental group based at Leeds Uni).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)