Act!

on
The Final Demand Countdown

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As national FoEs energy campaign moves to its close, time for a big push at MOSI, reports Damian

Spring 2012

The first stage of national FoEs series of energy campaigns, Final Demand, has now drawn to a closeit finished on 26th Marchso when February half-term came around we took advantage of a generous offer of a stall at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in order to bring the message to all the children visiting the Power Hallplus their parents of course! Over two days of steady campaigning, Manchester FoE managed to get no fewer than 570 more signatures on the national petition, as MOSI attracted a crowd of visitors from the length and breadth of the country (plus Belgium and Germany!) We made sure to have a range of energy activities for all ages, including pictures of electrical appliances to colour in, an energy word search and plenty of crayons/paper for children to come up with their own energy-saving drawingsyou can see one of the best opposite! As you may be aware, this campaign has coincided with a couple of items of good news: FoEs victory in the legal battle over feed-in tariffs and the reductions in energy prices by the Big Six. Watch this space for the next stage, focusing on switching your supplier to greener energy It was a pleasure helping out on Manchester Friends of the Earth's stall at the Museum of Science and Industry on Saturday afternoon. As someone who has a solar PV installation that has generated over 4500 kWh to date, I was well placed to answer people's questions. Friends of the Earth's recent successful Feed In Tariff challenge in the courts suggests that if people are thinking about a PV installation, it would be a good idea for them to get on with it! Chris, Stockport Friends of the Earth
Heres one of our favourite pictures from our stall at MOSITurn the TV off at the switch at night

On Monday 26th March, Paul Steedman, head of the Final Demand campaign, went to 10 Downing Street to hand in the petition with tens of thousands of signatures (see http://bit.ly/H8Mu0F for pictures). Inside this Issue: Trafford Growing Conference Manchester FoE is (Nearly) Forty Save for a Rainy Day ReviewBicycle Boutique 3 4 6 7

p 1 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Have You Got Experience of Renewable Heat and Home Insulation?

The University of Manchesters Public Participation Geographic Information Systems research team would like to hear from you.

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Why? We are developing a peer-to-peer or crowdsourcing website, where people can share useful experiences and practical tips about renewable heat technologies and home insulation. Much as with TripAdvisor, people can also recommend or review products or services they have used. Aims The project has two broad aims: to generate discussion that helps consumers make informed choices about what is good for them; and for installers, manufacturers and other stakeholders to learn from and respond to the issues raised by individuals and households. How Does It Work? This peer-to-peer website allows people to share a wide variety of experiences in relation to renewable heat technologies and increasing thermal insulation in the home. The purpose of the crowdsourcing platform is to bust myths and collect real experiences from households, organisations and professionals involved with renewable heat technologies and home insulation. Background The research project is funded by the EUs Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and is part of a research consortium of five European cities, Smart Metropolitan Areas Realised through Innovation and People.

The Manchester University pilot targets the Governments Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Green Deal policies, which aim to increase take-up of renewable heat technologies and property upgrades in terms of home insulation. However, from a consumer perspective, there are many uncertainties about the effectiveness of these technologies with the existing building stock. Research has found that peer-to-peer networks can be effective in spreading information and experiences. This project aims to gather experiences in the field of renewable heat and home insulation and develop a useful resource for people interested in reducing their household carbon footprint, or taking up the RHI or Green Deal policies. Please get in touch with Jenni Viitanen at jenni.viitanen@manchester.ac.uk for more information or to share your experiences.

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Are you aware of the threat posed by hydraulic fracturing or fracking? This method of extracting natural gas from shale has already made news headlines nationwide in the aftermath of two small earthquakes in the Blackpool area, both following on from exploration rigs dug by the Cuadrilla energy company. Licences have also been granted for exploration in South Wales, Sussex and parts of both Northern Ireland and the Republic, and further rounds of licences are expected to be announced by DECC. Fracking is based on pumping high-pressure water and solvents into rock deep underground to crack the rock formation open and release its natural gas, which is forced back up the pipe to the well head. The solvents are often toxic and in the US natural gas has been known to contaminate drinking water in the neighbourhood of fracking wells (as shown in the film Gaslands). From a climate change perspective, there is no way we can meet our emissions reduction targets if we burn shale gas. For more information see:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/shale_gas.pdf
p2 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

FrackingBe Alert!

Trafford Growing Conference

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Eileen finds out about Traffords push to get local people growing their own food

On Tuesday 14th February, Gather to Grow in Trafford, a food growing event for all the family, was held at Trafford College. This was a really enjoyable event, efficiently organised with a comprehensive programme. The workshops covered virtually every aspect of gardening, the only problem being which three to choose. For the new gardener there was the Patch from Scratch option, where we were told how to choose a site, prepare the soil, develop a healthy soil environment, space out the plants and rotate the crops, etc. Regrettably, though, the facilitator recommended using peat and, when challenged on the grounds of damage to the environment and climate change, justified her advice because Alan Titchmarsh uses it! Tool maintenance was taught in another workshop. We learned how to compost and make a wormery, being introduced to the wriggly special guests! Those interested in potato growing were guided in choosing varieties, starting, planting and growing them on, as well as receiving a potato-growing kit. We could also learn about fruit growing and planting a community garden. Advice on soil, variety selection, germination, care of seedlings and transplanting techniques was given to would-be tomato growers, who also went home with plants to start them off. This was so typical of the approach of the whole day, which was practical and hands-on. Such tactics could have been designed especially to charm the youngsters present. In the workshop on wildlife gardening we were not just told how to make fatballs for the birds and bee nests, but provided with the materials to make them ourselves, and the children took home the miniature wildlife gardens they'd created in the baskets provided. No wonder they were interested and keen.
Traffords youngest beekeeper gets ready for action

As honey bees pollinate a third of our food sources and the drastic fall in their numbers threatens our future well-being, we were told how to protect them by planting bee-friendly shrubs, garden flowers, herbs and vegetables, buying local honey, urging local councils to use singleflowering shrubs and flowers in our parks and sowing wild-flower meadows in open spaces. We should also lobby our MPs and MEPs for more funded research into bee health. Apparently, without it we could lose our honey bees within 10 years, with disastrous consequences for food production and our wellbeing, to say nothing of the loss of creatures that have been on this planet for 25 million years. The organisers provided an excellent lunch and a constant supply of refreshments. They did us proud! This really should become an annual event. Trafford's Growing Conference instructed and interested everyone, it seemed, from the tinies to the really elderly. They are to be congratulated. Later this Spring, FoE will be launching an exciting new campaign aimed at halting the decline in bees and building public understanding of the important role biodiversity plays in our dayto-day lives, as well as the need to restore, preserve and protect healthy ecosystems. See
http://www.foe.co.uk/news/bee_prepared_34833.html

to find out about our local training days!

p 3 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Manchester FoE is (Nearly) Forty

Eighth Day Caf hosts Manchester FoEs big gettogether, reports Damian

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As you may be aware, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland was 40 years old in 2011, marked by a gathering of four previous Executive Directors at last years Local Groups Conference. Manchester FoE cant claim to be quite that old when we set ourselves to trace our family tree, we only got as far as 1973. However, we didnt let that put us off so, on Friday 10th February, we held a get-together at Eighth Day Caf on Oxford Road (widely believed to be the birthplace of the group all those years ago). On the invite list were group members dating back to the very beginning, as well as representatives of other local FoE groups and Withington MP John Leech. The party featured a range of hits from all four decades care of DJs Vicky and Misty Phil from All FM, as well as a raffle organised by Corin (prizes included a veg box from Chorlton Wholefoods and bike accessories from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op) plus, of course, tasty vegetarian canaps and drinks from our hosts. As Dave Coleman remarked, it wouldnt have been a FoE event without at least one campaign postcard, so we designed a huge letter to the Government (see picture, below) asking it to live up to its promise to be the greenest government ever and vowing to hold it to account.

Jim Schumm (left) and Nigel Ray meet Manchester FoE coordinator Colette (photo: Ash Webster)

However, the main opportunity of the evening was the chance to meet some of the members of the group from previous decades, such as Nigel Ray, who joined Manchester FoE in 1973 (see picture, above). We heard about the campaign against the second runway at Manchester Airport, as well as a transport campaign stunt which was unfortunately upstaged by the 1996 bomb. To keep a record of the occasion, Graeme and Marc interviewed some of the participants. First of all, lets hear from Frank Kennedy from Ormskirk FoE, who first got in touch with FoE members from the Liverpool group in the 1990s while working as Justice and Peace Officer at the Archdiocese. Frank was the first ever North-West Regional Coordinator, being appointed to this post in 1998. About campaigns, Frank said I think the most creative one we did was within the first year when we did the Empty Homes Campaign with the Empty Homes Agency to expose the number of unoccupied properties in the North-West, featuring a fake estate agents display in the window of the Big Issue office on Oldham Street, where some people even rang up the number wed set up about the houses that theyd seen. He was less convinced that people had taken on board the need to make lifestyle changes to minimise our impact on the future, and was concerned that FoE groups are often forced to keep repeating the same arguments about local planning policies to make any progress.
p 4 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Justine signs our massive postcard asking the Government to keep its promise to be the greenest government ever (photo: Ash Webster)

Frank felt that Manchesters efforts to bring about a greener city are well-placed in so far as there is a lot of good work being done on the City Council, but greening the city has got to be from the bottom up; lack of funds can mean that a project stops for lack of a part-time organiser. Next, its time for Mary Eastwood, who worked as a horticultural scientist and environmental science teacher before getting involved in the campaign against GM crops. She gave an indepth report of a 1995 protest against a GM plantation in Oxfordshire, as well as a later event in Wales. Mary was worried that people interviewed on TV think GM technology is basically the same as traditional plant breeding: they were blathering on about its only like in the past when people hybridised. Its nothing of the sort. She expressed the view that people in large companies are less likely to act on their concerns for the environment as they have all been very carefully monitored to find out whether theyre likely to go against things; also that politicians have been got at so much that they dont understand. Mary wanted Manchesters greening to take a more literal turn, providing quality of the environment where people can actually go and sit in their lunchtimes instead of filling all available space with new developments. Finally, returning to Nigel Ray, who joined our group back in 1973. Back then, Manchester FoE met weekly or fortnightly, with a core of five or six people. Nigel was mainly involved in local planning issues, such as the Tunstead quarry in the Peak District which ICI planned to extend into the Peak District National Park, and issues centred on nuclear power. In the early days, he felt that many people were quite hostile in a polite British way and, even at that early stage, he met people denying the existence of climate changenot with overt hostility but quiet cynicism. Nigel sums up the current situation as follows: I think everythings more polarised; the issues are much bigger, more urgent, obviously and Im not so sure that

it feels like were winning; theres certainly a lot more people on our side but I think there are also a lot more people prepared to work hard [on] all sorts of peoples behalf, large corporations

Public MeetingClimate Change

Kevin Anderson, Mike Childs and Dave Coleman address our public meeting, says Cat

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Keeping the global average temperature rise below 2 degrees is not possible with our current rate of carbon emissions, and under 4 degrees would be a strugglethis was the stark picture painted at our first public meeting for the year. Over 30 people crammed into the Green Fish's meeting room to hear the latest research findings on climate change and what we can do practically in Manchester. After a typically adroit and sobering presentation from Professor Kevin Anderson, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, who painted a bleak picture of the scale of the challenge we face, the crestfallen audience was assured by Mike Childs of Friends of the Earth and Dave Coleman of Cooler Projects that action, both at a national and personal level, could achieve the levels of carbon reduction needed to slow climate change. Mike talked about the campaigns that Friends of the Earth are running over the next year and the vital influence that individuals, when they work together, can have on the political system. Dave talked about one Manchester response to the challenge in the Manchester Carbon Literacy Project he is heading. The floor then opened up for lively debate and discussion, with questions ranging from the role of developing countries to opinion as to what might be the most useful interventions. The event was the group's first open public meeting for 2012, replacing the traditional monthly full group meeting. The plan is to host a variety of engaging public events, every second month, that introduce a wider audience to environmental issues and the group's activities. For details on upcoming events please see our website. Got a great idea for a speaker? Please let us know!
p 5 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Save for a Rainy Day and Support Renewable Energy

Clare Walker invites you to back the Saddleworth Community Hydro scheme

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Saddleworth Community HydroEnglands first high head community-funded hydro scheme gives you the chance to demonstrate your commitment to environmental projects, put something back into the local community and be part of a community scheme that will generate clean, green electricity for the next 40 years. For as little as 250, you can invest in a hydroelectricity scheme and become one of its owners. As well as seeing environmental and community benefits, you get a financial return over the lifetime of the project and you might be entitled to a tax break too. The Scheme Saddleworth will be Englands first high head community-owned hydro, using head from the 90ft dam at the Dovestone reservoir. A 51kW turbine will be installed generating 170,000kWh/year electricity, enough to power 45 homes. Saddleworth Hydro is an Independent and Provident Society for the benefit of the community. It will be run on a one member one vote basis, regardless of size of shareholding, and surplus funds will be granted to local environmental and education projects. Directors are hoping to offer up to 4% interest from year 2 and the scheme is eligible for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). Under the EIS scheme, individuals must hold shares for three years and 30% of the value of the investment can be used as an income tax reducer in the year that the shares are purchased. Shares in Saddleworth Hydro cost 1 each, with a minimum shareholding of 250 shares. If youre interested in becoming a shareholder, download a prospectus at www.h2ope.co.uk. The closing date for the share offer is 16th April 2012. Saddleworth Hydro will be holding an Open Day at Dovestone reservoir on Monday 9th April from 11am to 4pm. For more information please contact bill.edwards1@btinternet.com or Tony Bywater on 01457 875423.

Dovestone Reservoir near Uppermill in the Pennines Saddleworth Hydro will be built by the dam on the left

Love Your BikeAward Winner!

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In December, the Love Your Bike team were invited to the town hall for a very special award ceremony, the Be Proud Love Manchester awards. Whilst enjoying the dinner and entertainment, the evening got suddenly better when attention turned to the category 'Green Futures'. Love Your Bike had been nominated for our campaign activities over recent years including Bike Friday, the Pocket Guide to Cycling, Bike Fabulous, the Get2 Challenge and our Park(ing) Day event. And the winner was Love Your Bike. Knowing what an active and creative voluntary and community sector Manchester boasts, it goes without saying that the team are humbled and delighted to have received this award. Not only is it a boost to morale, it also comes with some cash to help us continue our work and it is, we hope, some indication of the increasing status of cycling in the city. Thank you, of course, to our fellow cycle enthusiasts for nominating us. We have another busy year planned. We've been engaging with the council on the development of their cycling strategy and preparing to launch our cycling manifesto, which has received some high-level support. To coincide with Bike Week, we'll be running a competition on core cycle routes in Greater Manchester.
p 6 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Graeme reports from Manchester Town Hall

Finally, it wouldn't be Bike Week without our Bike Fabulous cycle style event. For more info on Love Your Bike and the transport campaign group, please contact graeme@manchesterfoe.org.uk

Friend of the Earth

Each issue, we feature one of our volunteers. This time its Safia Griffins turn.

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How long have you been in MFoE? Since spring 2011. What sort of activities have you been involved with? Meat Free Monday, which was a great event held at Kro Piccadilly involving a night of talks, music, fun and vegetarian/vegan feasting. Bike Fabulous, where I manned the very popular bicycle smoothie maker with another MFoE volunteer, getting very hot but having lots of fun. Also building on last years Taste Before Beauty campaign with an ambitious, but doable, strategy for reducing food waste by raising awareness of market standards and grade-outs. What environmental issues concern you most? Disproportionate use of natural resources, pollution and nuclear materialsbecause there is a finite supply of the first, the second has seen an unprecedented amount and range of chemicals and artificial hormones entering ecosystems and people, to the detriment of both, and creation and use of the third, in my opinion, is both dangerous and short-sighted. Also the unfair, wasteful and completely bonkers global market in farming and foods.

Why do you campaign with MFoE? What first struck me about the group was the passion and experience each member demonstrated and freely shared. I felt at the time something along the lines of finally, a likeminded group of people with know-how, doer mindsets and lots of green credentials... where do I sign? I stay involved not just because of the campaigning but because of the people already involved and their use of people power. I feel empowered not just to change my own behaviour and campaign on issues for the benefit of people and planet, but also to empower others and change their behaviour in realistic, active ways. What would you say to someone considering getting involved? Its a very rewarding way to spend your time and every journey starts with a first step, so look us up, drop by or contact usyou never know where it might lead!

ReviewBicycle Boutique

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Marc Hudson finds a local business to recommend

We all know one of the best things you can do for yourself and your carbon emissions is to cycle more and drive less. One of the excuses I used was not knowing a decent bike shop that could help me maintain my bike without me feeling ripped off or ridiculed. (I'll spare you the names.) Recently I discovered Bicycle Boutique, tucked in behind the Sandbar. The staff have been incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and skilled. They've serviced my bike (a big hybrid but from seeing other satisfied customers, they seem capable of fixing anything), sold me lights (always a good idea) and equipment. A couple of times theyve made minor repairs and refused to charge me for anything more than parts. We should all cycle more but, given all the potholes and hazards around, it can be tricky to keep the show on the road. Bicycle Boutique has de-stressed the whole maintenance experience for me, and surely would for anyone else. See http://www.bicycleboutiquemcr.co.uk/. There are many friendly and helpful bike shops in Greater Manchester. For a list, see www.loveyourbike.org
p 7 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012

Coming Up

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Tuesday 17th April Election Hustings, Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, 7pm for 7.30pm Hear members of Labour (Nigel Murphy), Lib Dems (Marc Ramsbottom), Greens (Brian Candeland) and Conservatives (to be confirmed) answer the question Is Manchester City Council taking the right action on climate change? Saturday 21st April FoE Re-energise Training Day, Preston Come to our Energy Training Day for the latest info on FoEs Final Demand campaign. To find out more contact rachel.hubbard@foe.co.uk Wednesday 2nd May Didsbury Film Society film screening, The Economics of Happiness, St James and Emmanuel Church, Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Price 4.50 including wine and nibbles.

Officers for 2012

At Manchester FoEs AGM on 5th December 2011 we elected the Group Officers for 2012. Please welcome: Group Coordinators: Cat Thomson, Colette Humphrey and Pete Abel Treasurer: Dave Coleman Membership Officer: Ali Abbas and Newsletter Editor: Damian Cross

Ever Eaten at Humble Pie?

Do you remember the Humble Pie wholefood restaurant in the Seventies? Maybe you helped set it up by contributing to FoEs Loan Share Scheme, which was set up to finance the restaurant back in 1978. Efforts are now being made to pay this money back. Evidence will be required, however. If you would like to claim, please contact:
Manchester Friends of the Earth, Green Fish Resource Centre, 46-50 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE

Regular Events

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Second Tuesday of the month 6.45 for 7pm. Full Group Meeting Green Fish Resource Centre, 4650 Oldham Street. This is the perfect occasion for new members to come along and find out more about the group! For details of our Campaigns Meetings, see http://manchesterfoe.org.uk/calendar/. These are held at Green Fish Resource Centre, 4650 Oldham Streetusually at 6.45 for 7pm, but times may vary. All welcome. We split into groups to focus on our main campaign areas: Climate Change, Transport and Food. Last Friday of the month Bike Friday. Rides from a range of locations in Greater Manchester to work, college or university. Starting points are Worsley (Worsley Road/Chatsworth Road), Stretford Mall, Chorlton Library, Withington Library, Levenshulme Station and Prestwich (Bury New Road/Scholes Lane). www.bikefriday.org

Please mark your envelope 'Humble Pie'. So sorry, but better late than never! Kind regards, Judith Ellis
Manchester FoE is an award-winning campaign group working on issues relating to the environment and social justice. We campaign on issues with a local connection and also lobby for policy changes at local, regional, national and international levels. We work on a diverse range of issues including climate change, corporate responsibility, real food, trade justice, sustainable transport and aviation, and waste and recycling. For more information about Manchester FoE and our campaigns, see www.manchesterfoe.org.uk Manchester FoE is backing the Citys climate change action plan Manchester: A Certain Future http://www.manchesterclimate.com/
p 8 Manchester Friends of the Earth Spring 2012