Climate Change Charity Art Auction

For all green art enthusiasts, this is the event for you!

A charity art auction, ‘Art Aid: Embrace‘ will be taking place on Saturday 21st June to raise money to support poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America adapt to climate change.

The work of around 50 artists from the East Midlands will be displayed in the View from the Top gallery in Nottingham from Wednesday 18th June until the reception and auction on Saturday 21st June.

The many artworks available are:
Painting and Drawing
Mixed Media
Original Printmaking
Ceramics and Sculpture
Photography
Signed Print

So there’s something for all art lovers out there!

If you’d like an evening of culture, treat yourself to a beautiful piece of art and help raise money for those affected by climate change then pop along to the website www.art-aid.org to find out more.

Positive Conservation Story: Water Voles offered protection

Did you know that 2008 is the 100^th anniversary of that wonderful children’s book, ‘Wind in the Willows’?

For those of you who recollect the classic story you will remember characters such as Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, Mr. Badger, Mole and also ‘Ratty’ who was actually a European Water Vole.

In addition to 2008 being the anniversary of the book, it is also the year that the Water Vole has been finally provided full legal protection. Six years after a change in the law was first recommended, ‘Ratty’ is finally to receive full protection from the law, under new proposals announced today by Defra.

Photo by Aphid Twix, source Flikr.

Water Voles have been threatened due to habitat loss and predation by American mink. Back in 1990 there were seven million water voles in the UK.  By 1998 numbers had crashed to less than a million and they have since continued to fall.

I am delighted to hear that ‘Ratty’ is finally being provided the legal support to be protected. In addition to the new proposal, all across the UK organisations such as the Wildlife Trust are embarking on river restoration projects which will help to create suitable habitats for water voles and other threatened riparian mammals such as Otters. Projects include the Trent Holmes in Nottinghamshire, the Itchen Navigation in Hampshire, River Eden in Cumbria. 

For some fantastic footage of water voles check out a video created by John Keeling for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. 

If you would like to help protect ‘Ratty’ then check out Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Adopt A Species scheme.

Smarter than yeast?

When I received details about this event in Nottingam the organiser said “The name of the event is ‘Smarter than Yeast?’ Check out the dictionary definition of yeast and let’s hope we can prove we are!”

‘Smarter than Yeast’ is a day of fun and education for people in Nottingham who are concerned about environmental issues taking place on Sunday 3rd February, 2.00pm - 10.30pm at The Art Organisation, 21 Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3AJ

From 2pm to 6pm there will be:

A free shop - Take home some new (to you!) clothes

V3 Power- Learn about renewable technology and hand built wind turbines

Still Within- Find out about permaculture

From 6pm to 10.30pm there will be:

Peak Oil Talk - by local Ecological Economist Brian Davey

Plus - Eco Poetry, Collaborative Art, Live Music & Veggie Food

If you would like to showcase your group or share skills at this event contact Hannah or May at maisiebate@hotmail.com.

Energy and Environmental Awareness Training in Nottingham

Would you like to contribute to making your neighbourhood and your community greener?

Then this one-day course in Nottingham could be for you.

What does the course cover?
The tools you need to make a difference in your community, including an introduction to green issues and ideas for taking action

• Background to climate change and the Every Action Counts scheme
• Energy issues in the home
• Energy auditing of community buildings
• Working with your NDC
• Spreading the word
• Action planning and ‘taking it forward’
• Grants and incentives
• What next?

Is the course for me?
The workshop is designed for NDC residents and Urban Forum members who are interested in saving energy (and money), improving their environment and creating a more pleasant home and community. Everyone is welcome, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

Where can I do the course?
The course will be run on Tuesday 15 January at:
Training Room, Castle Cavendish Business Centre, Dorking Road, Radford, NG7 5PN
The day runs from 10am until 4pm with tea and coffee available from 9.30am.

What will I learn?
A thorough grounding in energy and environmental awareness issues and the knowledge and support to bring the message back to your community.

Who is delivering the course?
The course is being delivered on behalf of the Every Action Counts programme by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) a Bristol-based sustainable energy charity with 20 years experience in training, and Urban Forum, a national membership organisation for community and voluntary groups with an interest in urban and regional policy, especially regeneration.

To register, contact Kirsty Mitchell on 0117 934 1400 or kirsty@cse.org.uk with your name and contact details.

Please indicate that you would like to attend the Nottingham course and let them know any dietary requirements.

Information above provided by Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE)

Peak Oil Events

“How vulnerable is your business or organisation as the oil price continues to rise?”

The workshop being organised by the Nottingham Fuel Depletion Analysis Group which is working with Transition Nottingham, the Nottingham Energy Partnership and the Nottingham University Business School.

The Venue: University of Nottingham - Jubilee Campus, off Wollaton Road, B2 Business School South.
Date and Time: 2.00pm - 4.00pm Tuesday 8th January 2008

The event is free but places are limited and booking is recommended. Please e mail Brian.Davey@cooptel.net

“How do community gardens and agriculture adapt to peak oil & climate change?”

Peak oil will present many different challenges in the coming years but will also offer several opportunities for local growers. A need for localised markets will make community gardens a vital part of the city economy but will we be able to cope with our new found demand?

The Venue: The Arts organisation, Station Street, Nottingham.
Date and Time: Saturday 12th January 2008

Please email info@transitionnottingham.org.uk to book a space. The event is free but donations are welcome

Hybrid School Bus

This Hybrid School Bus story isn’t a new one but I just found out about it and thought I would share anyway.

Over in the US they have taken a huge step forward with school transport. The programme, led by the non-profit organisation Advanced Energy, is planned to revolutionise the school bus market. Starting with 19 hybrid buses in several states this year and the most recent going to Texas the programme will eventually be rolled out country-wide.

The buses are primarily run on diesel and also have an electric motor. The ‘plug in’ technology that they use means the batteries can be re-charged overnight and therefore more energy taken from them whilst the bus is being driven. Electricity is relatively inexpensive so as well as creating less pollution they can, in the long term, save money for schools too. If the buses were charged on renewable energy then they would be even greener!

For a more detailed explanation of how it all works visit the technical pages of the Hybrid School Bus website.

Learning about these school buses got me thinking about public transport in general. Here in Nottingham a car park, which was demolished in January 2006 and re-built, recently opened in the middle of the city. The lovely people of Nottingham had lived without the car park for nearly two years and nothing disastrous happened so I can’t help but ask why bother re-building it at all? The Nottingham City Council website boasts that the new Trinity Car Park has 120 more spaces than the old one, a special shopper tariff and “high lighting standards”. Surely this is encouraging even more visitors to drive right into the heart of the city and I dread to think how much electricity the lighting is going to use!

I think that Nottingham City Council could take the lead from Texas and other participating states and consider spending money on our public transport system instead of new ways to invite more cars. The re-build of Trinity Car Park was part of £100 million development in the city - I wonder how many hybrid City Transport buses could have been commissioned for the same price…

Nottingham Bus image is from FreeFoto.com

And the winner of the £50 million of lottery funding is ………..

……… the Sustrans Connect 2 project!  Which will create and connect more cycling and walking networks in the UK. 

Personal reaction to the results 

Although I am very disappointed that the Sherwood: Living Legend project did not win (as I live in Nottinghamshire and was helping to promote the bid as reported in the post titled (Vote for Sherwood Forest) I am delighted that the winning project will help to provide resources for a stronger sustainable transport network. 

As a cyclist (though been naughty and caught the bus to work the last few months) it is great the see that the Sustrans Connect 2 project will improve local travel in 79 communities by creating new walking and cycling routes for the local journeys we all make every day. 

Building Bridges 

According to the Sustrans website the project will involve building bridges and crossings over busy roads, rivers and railway lines, resulting sustainably getting people to the places they want to go. Each crossing will link to a network of walking and cycling routes, taking you to your schools, shops, work and green spaces. 

In addition to the £50 million of lottery funding, Sustrans have also secured £100 million of funding from the local government. Wow, they have a lot of money to build new bridges. I hope that in addition to connecting these new cycle routes they will also be embarking on a creative and wide marketing campaign encouraging people to use these new cycling and walking paths. If they don’t and the routes are only used by the existing cyclists then it’s not really going to help create a greener and healthier UK, as in order for such new resources to be effective you have to encourage people to use them. The project will be completed over five years and I will keep you updated about their progress. 

Don’t forget Sherwood Forest 

Whilst the media may end up concentrating on the winning project, it’s important that the public does not forget and also considers the funding requirements of the three projects that did not win the £50m – especially Sherwood Forest! 

Without such significant funding, Sherwood Forest could potentially become a complete shadow of the past. The ancient and historic forest is all ready fragmented and suffering due to industrialization. It really needs significant funding and hard work to restore it to its former glory. 

Restoring Sherwood’s Ancients Heathlands 

I truthfully do not know what the other project partners will be doing to raise money for the areas of Sherwood Forest that they manage or support, however at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust we will be embarking on a fundraising appeal in 2008 to raise over £350,000 to restore some of Sherwood Forest’s Ancient heathlands. The project will involve undertaking important practical conservation work at two nature reserves (Rainworth and Strawberry Hill Heath) both of which formed part of the original Sherwood Forest.   

Historically, the majority of Sherwood Forest was heathland, not dense oak woodland as many people believe. What’s left of this habitat in the UK represents one fifth of the entire world’s lowland heathland resource, making it extremely important both locally and internationally that remaining heath is properly cared for and that new areas are created to conserve this cherished landscape.  

Appeal for funding  

Whilst I have tried to limit how many funding appeals that I do via GGG (only cycling to save our seas so far), I am now appealing to GGG readers for your help to support the Restoring Sherwood Forests Ancient Heathlands project.  

If you would like further details about how you can help, including through the provision of a donation or creative fundraising please click here for my work email address. 

Thank you

Lecture: Long-term monitoring of the natural environment

Attention Nottinghamshire based GGG readers! Here is an interesting event for you. 

Event Name:     

Professor Tim Burt’s lecture, titled Long-term monitoring of the natural environment: perceptive science or mindless monitoring  

Date:  Wednesday 23^rd January 2008      Time:   6pm  

Location:        

Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly Lecture Theatre, Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, UK.  

Details:             

Long-term observation of the natural environment has too often been dismissed as low-grade science which contributes little to our understanding. However, the value of long observational records has recently been recognised, for example in relation to global warming and the impact of pollution. This lecture will use examples from the UK to argue that well designed monitoring programmes provide our best chance of studying effects that can only be identified over long periods of time and for revealing new questions of interest that could not be anticipated at the time the measurements were begun. Case studies will cover some of the UK ’s longest records of climate and water quality, and will even include some ‘blue skies’ thinking about heavy rainfall and floods!   

Professor Tim Burt is Professor of Geography and Master of Hatfield College at Durham
University . His research interests include hydrology, geomorphology and water pollution; a recent focus has been the export of dissolved organic carbon from Pennine catchments. He is also interested in long climatic records and has run weather stations at Oxford and Durham , the two longest records for any university in the country.   

Booking:          

This lecture is free to attend but will be ticketed. To book your place at this event please click here to email the Events Team

VOTE FOR SHERWOOD FOREST and give Robin Hood the home he deserves

Made famous by tales of Robin Hood the Sherwood area of Nottinghamshire is known all around the world. Unfortunately though due to industrialisation and other factors this historic landscape is no longer the majestic place it used to be.  

However don’t despair as this could be about to change!  A project titled ‘Sherwood: The Living Legend’ has been short listed (amongst four other great projects) for the People’s Millions lottery initiative and is with a chance to win £50 million. 

This extremely important project is being led by Nottinghamshire County Council in conjunction with a variety of partners including the Sherwood Forest Trust and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. 

Restoring Sherwood Forest 

Recreating the forest to its former glory is a key element of the project. The plan is to convert at least 300 hectares of farmland (that’s roughly the size of 400 football pitches!), north and west of the River Trent back into wood and heath land.

Most of the new trees will be native oak and birch along with other shrubs sourced from the Sherwood area.  The new trees and heath will connect together existing but fragmented remains of the original forest and improve the visual landscape along the main routes into Sherwood Forest, giving locals and visitors alike a much better sense of how the most well known forest in the world appeared hundreds of years ago. 

And of course all of these new trees, shrubs and heathland will help to absorb Carbon ensuring that Sherwood Forest can truly be the lungs of England.   

Cycling, Walking and Horse Riding Network

  If successful the project will also create a 250 kilometre network of walking, cycling and horse riding paths. 95 km of these will be completely new and introduce new road and river crossings to connect existing routes together. How sustainable is that! 

Yes, you can help Sherwood Forest 

You may have read the tales of Robin Hood when you was younger, you have probably watched at least one Robin Hood film and you may have even watched the BBC Robin Hood TV series….  

….But now you can actually give Robin Hood the home he deserves, please vote for Sherwood: The Living Legend project to win the £50 million. The project is being backed by a range of celebrities including Brian Blessed, Kevin Costner and Jonas Armstrong who plays Robin Hood in the BBC TV series.

How to vote 

To vote online for the Sherwood: Living Legend project please click here. 

You can also vote by telephone, by calling: 

However hurry as the voting ends at 12pm on Monday 10^th December. 

Please vote Sherwood, thank you! 

Anna-Lisa

Celebrating Nottinghamshires Green Guardians

Did you know that Nottinghamshire is home to some fantastic green projects? In fact last Thursday (08-11-10) I was at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s 2007 Green Guardians Environmental Awards Gala Dinner (which I helped to organise) celebrating some of the best green projects in Nottinghamshire.

The event was hosted by TV Environmentalist Penney Poyzer and supported by a range of other green celebrities including David Bellamy who was the final judge.   In total, five awards were presented and winners in all but the business category receive £1000 to invest in the future of their projects.    

The Winners were as follows:

 Environmentalist of the Year:  Tony Menzies   

Tony is a key member of the Farndon Residents Environment Group and has spent hours working to make Farndon a more pleasant place to visit and live. He has been instrumental in landscaping and restoring the area adjacent to the riverside and in caring for the ponds nature reserve and propagating snowdrops throughout the village. He is also reserve warden at Farndon Willow holt where he monitors the internationally important collection of willows.

Speaking about Tony, Professor David Bellamy commented:  “A volunteer in the truest sense of the word knowing what needs to be done and getting down to work to do it. A real Little John of the green team”.  

Environmental Community of the Year: Partnership Council  

The Partnership Council has been delivering a varied, exciting, and unique programme of environmental education involving children, young people and adults, alongside a number of hand-on projects involving volunteers. Overall, their aim is to work with local residents to help them change and care for their local environment and to give them a voice on environmental issues. 

Speaking about the project David Bellamy said: “The partnership council is touching on and improving most facets of environmental concern in the heart of Nottingham.”  

Environmental Business of the Year:   Notts Golf Club, Hollinwell  

The Golf Club has made an amazing contribution to heathland habitat restoration in our county at a time when this habitat has been the focus of environment efforts across the
UK. The golf club has has transformed  neglected heathland and acid grassland areas through effective habitat management  - helping to bring back a number of threatened species and help redefine the boundaries for sustainable golf course management.  

David Bellamy said:  ”If every golf cub followed suit I would probably take up golf”   

Education in the Environment :  Orston Primary School 

Orston’s environmental programme is a fundamental aspect of learning within the school and the number of environment related activities are countless. They range from wildlife gardens and insect towers to waste reduction strategies and a dedicated Eco Team, ‘Eco Code’  ‘Eco Action Plan’ and Eco Newsletter.    

David Bellamy Commented: “Wow! the greenest of the green. Educating, Entertaining and Enthralling as they Reduce Reuse and Recycle their way towards a more sustainable future”.  

Green Guardians ‘Living for Tomorrow’ award: Partnership Council  

This award is designed to promote sustainable lifestyles and was presented to the Partnership Council due to its wide ranging activity programmes and links across different sectors.  

I would like to congratulate everyone who applied for the 2007 Green Guardians Awards as every entrant was fantastic. The 2008 awards will be launched in April and I hope that there will be an even greater number of fantastic projects that are nominated.