Save our seals

Posted by: Anna-Lisa

When I watch wildlife documentaries I love to see playful seals and I would love to take part in a seal watching expedition in Scotland or even on the South East Coast of England (Margate in Kent is becoming a hot spot for seal spotting). 

However these popular marine mammals which help attract wildlife tourists to various locations across the world are victims of human cruelty. Seals are brutally and savagely murdered across the world for their skin, oil and most bizarrely by fishermen because seals eat fish to survive!  

The Canadian commercial seal hunt 

When I think of Canada, I think of a country rich in wildlife however it appears that the Canadian Government may care more about what the fishing industry thinks and increasing GDP from commercial activity than wanting to keep its country rich in wildlife. Each year a cruel and unethical practice takes place in Canada in which seals (including pups aged about 2 weeks to 3 months) are killed with a blow to the head using a wooden club or hakapik.

This hunt is a highly competitive activity and it is disturbing to know that some of the seals are actually skinned before being rendered fully unconscious. Most of the sealers are fishermen who in addition to wanting the seals to sell abroad also have a vested interest as they own sea food companies and thus want to reduce seal population to maintain cod stock levels which in turn will increase their profits.  

The 2008 Seal Hunt
  
The allowed quota for 2008 was 275,000 seals however it was reported that participation in seal hunting was lower than usual and federal officials say that about 80% of the quota was taken (still far too many!!). The reason for low participation included bad weather, high fuel price and the fall in financial value of pelts (half of what they were a year ago).   

Seal products  

Whilst seal products are not sold in the U.S.A (thanks Marine Mammal Protection Act) they are still legally sold in a variety of countries including the UK! 

Seal pelts   

Back in 1982, the European Union banned the import of ‘whitecoat’ seal pup pelts (skin) however hunters instead waited until the pups shed their white fur before they killed them. 

Seal pelts are still used for a variety of products ranging from designer coats to traditional Scottish sporrans (see photograph below).

However I was delighted to hear that the UK ethical Bank ‘Cop-Operative’ refused to do business with one Scottish kilt company which still uses seal pelts in its sporran range (news source from Guardian newspaper)   

Seal meat 

After the seals have been skinned most of the meat is wasted and left on the ice, however some is sold and ground up into animal feed and some of the flippers are even sold for human consumption in Newfoundland. 

Seal oil  

North Atlantic Harp Seal oil is sold in capsules labeled “Terra Nova Omega-3 capsules” by a company called ‘Atlantic Marine Products’. However there is no need at all to source Omega 3 from seals or even fish as ethical alternatives exists including vegan versions containing predominantly seed oil.

Seal products and the EU Legislation

Thanks to the successful lobbying of various conservation and animal welfare organisations the European Commission recently announced that it will seek to ban the import of “inhumane” seal products.  However it is not known how long it will be until it is enforced.

Seals and the Fishing industry 

It is hard to escape the fact that fish stocks are becoming drastically low, however rather than blaming the unsustainable fish quota’s, many unjustifiable persecute seals simply for eating fish for survival.  

Conservation organisations including the Seal Preservation Action Group (SPAG) in the
UK state that:

“There is no scientific evidence to justify claims that seals are threats to fish stocks when human over-fishing clearly is”

In fact research suggests that seals are opportunistic feeders and their diet mainly consists of fish species which commercial fishermen target. According to SPAG: 

“It has been estimated that seals in the North Sea account for only 2% of fish stocks annually, compared to 25% to 30% by the fishing industry”

The way in which some fishermen, fish farmers and even the owners of sports fishing rivers deal with seals eating their fish stock is to shoot them. In such instances profit is being put before ethics, animal welfare and nature conservation. However consumers must also play a role in terms of supply and demand, commercial fishermen and fish farmers are protecting fish stock from marine mammals to supply the demand from consumers.   

What you can do to help  

1) Use your consumer power to protect seals by: 

a) Not purchasing any seal by-products 

b) Boycott business organisations that sell seal byproducts including fashion designers 

c) Help SPAG encourage UK food retailers to stock seal friendly salmon

d) Reduce or even completely stop eating fish 

e) Not participating in or funding the sport fishing industry     

2) Lobby for change:  

a) Help SPAG encourage the UK government to create a Seal Protection Act whereby the killing of seals will be strictly forbidden.  If you would like to help SPAG’s campaign, please write to the relevant UK and Scottish Ministers calling for the protection of seals.

Their addresses are:  

Lord Rooker, Minister for Animal Welfare, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, Nobel House, London SW1P 3JR  

Richard Lochhead MSP Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Scottish Parliament,Edinburgh EH99 1SP 

For further information about this campaign please go to the Seal Preservation Action Group (SPAG) website  

b) Write to the Canadian Ambassador in your country and pledge to boycott all Canadian seafood products until sealing is ended.

In the UK the address is Canadian High Commission, Macdonald House,1 Grosvenor Square, London,W1X 0AB

c) Write to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanding that the UK introduces a unilateral ban on the import of all seal products as have EU partners Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands:

Rt Hon.Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister, Downing Street, London, SWIA 2AA

I have written to all of the above and I hope that GGG readers will get involved to help protect seals too!

Filed under Animals, Politics, Marine & Coastal, Nature & wildlife | Comment (1)

Marine Bill update

Posted by: Anna-Lisa

I’m back! Regular GGG readers may have noticed that it has been some time since I wrote a post for this fantastic blog and I would like to apologise for that. However I hope that you will forgive me as I have been in the middle of selling my house and relocating. Whilst I have lots of interesting news that I could post on GGG, I thought that I would start off by providing you all with an update about the Marine Bill Campaign. 

Marine and Coastal Access Bill 

After extensive campaigning from a wide range of environmental and conservation organisations the UK Government has included the Marine Bill (now called the Marine and Coastal Access Bill) in its draft legislative programme. This is absolutely fantastic news for the environment and marine life, however before we all get excited I would like to highlight that whilst there is a strong indication that it will be mentioned in the Queens speech (and thus be brought forward to Parliament) there is no guarantee. 

Good – but could be better  

I have read a couple of different summary documents for the Marine and Coastal Access Bill (not yet had time to read the whole draft Bill in great detail) and from what I can gather and what marine experts have informed me (including Lisa Chilton the Marine Development Manager at the Wildlife Trust) the Bill is good but could be a lot better. For example there is concern over the following points: 

§            There seems to be too much emphasis on economic development (in terms of tourism, commerce etc) as opposed to protecting the environment and marine life.

§            Under the new rules some damaging activities such as dredging may be exempt from licensing. Also oil and gas licensing will continue under The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) rather than the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

§            It appears that there is not a duty on the Secretary of State to designate Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) which is appalling. The Marine Bill should enforce the duty to designate MCZ’s not just a power to designate.

Going Forward  

A joint Committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords has been established to scrutinize the draft Bill. As a member of the public you can provide your views and comments on the draft Bill by writing to Defra before 26^th June 2008.

I will be writing my response and I hope that GGG readers will too. In order to gain the full picture I highly recommend that you read the full, draft Marine Bill and accompanying notes which is available to download by clicking here.  

After reading the draft Bill please send your comments to:  

Marine Bill TeamDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsArea 2C Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR 

I will keep you posted about the Marine and Coastal Access Bill including updates about specific important marine sites such as Lyme Bay Reefs.  

Filed under Politics, Marine & Coastal, Nature & wildlife | Comment (1)

Vote local!

Posted by: Katie

As great green girls you probably already know all about this but just in case…!

The Federation of Small Business has just launched a national petition which calls on the Government to pay special attention to securing the future of independent shops across the UK.

You can sign here on the 10 Downing Street website. It takes less time than it takes to eat a locally made organic choc chip biscuit!

The FSB has also launched a Small Business Manifesto which urges local authorities to take specific steps to champion small businesses.

It’s our duty as green girls to do all we can to support the distinctiveness of our unique, independent businesses! Also take a minute to check out Brighton-based uniqueto.co.uk - who alerted me to this petition - their site offers the easiest way for locals and vistors to find unique local businesses.

And if you’re in London, you could also consider investing in a Wedgecard - the local shop loyalty card. Am hoping these cards make it to Sussex soon!

Katie
www.ethicalweddings.com

Filed under Business, Politics, Shopping | Comments (2)

Guest Editor: Callie Lister ‘Be Gordon Brown for the day’

Posted by: Guest Editor

Attention all East Midlands (UK) based GGG readers!  

You are cordially invited to an East Midlands Day of Action on the Climate Change Bill outside East Midlands Airport on Saturday April 12^th from 1.30 until 3 p.m.  

What’s it all about?  

Since Friends of the Earth launched the Big Ask campaign in June 2005 we’ve made amazing progress towards securing binding climate change legislation in Britain. The Government has introduced a Climate Change Bill which will become law in 2008. However the Bill they propose is not strong enough to realise the carbon dioxide emission cuts that are needed to ensure global emissions are kept below dangerous levels.  

 For this reason Friends of the Earth are now campaigning to see 3 key amendments in the Bill: 

·         An increase in the overall target for 2050 to 80 per cent CO₂ reductions;

·         The inclusion of the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions;

·         The adoption of annual targets rather than 5 year budgets.   

What are the aims? 

We need to highlight the need for ALL emissions to be included in the Climate Change Bill and show how Gordon Brown and his government are wilfully ignoring the impact of international aviation emissions.  We need to generate as much local media coverage as possible. MPs carefully monitor the local press and coverage and it really does influence the decisions they make. With an impending vote on the Climate Change Bill this coverage could make all the difference.  

What’s the Plan? 

We’d like to get as many people as possible posing outside the airport wearing Gordon Brown masks with their hands over their eyes, as the planes fly overhead. The image is intended to show how Gordon Brown is wilfully ignoring international aviation.  We have already received support from Members of Parliament across the region and David Taylor MP for North West Leicestershire will also be joining us on the day.   

How do I get involved?  

We will provide all the masks and props for the day but we need you to register your attendance by contacting callie.lister@foe.co.uk or calling 0115 9506 926, this will allow us to alert the press in advance as to how many Gordon Browns they can expect outside the airport! If you can please wear a dark suit and tie for an even better Gordon Brown effect!   

You can find information about public transport to the airport by clicking here.  

We will meet by the airport sign outside the front of the airport at 1.30 p.m. (please be very careful if you are crossing the roads near the airport as they are very busy and the traffic travels incredibly fast). If you need to contact us on the day for any reason you can call 07831 648 171 – but please do register your attendance in advance.  

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries,  

Thank you   

Callie Lister

Friends of the Earth Regional Campaigns Co-ordinator

East Midlands Region

Filed under Guest editor, East Midlands, Climate change, Politics, Events, Transport | Comment (0)

Fossil Fools Day

Posted by: Anna-Lisa

It’s 1^st April, which means all of you pranksters have been working hard at making fools out of friends and family. But did you pull a prank that really packs a punch? One network of environmental organisations did!

Today ‘International Rising Tide’ (a network of groups and individuals dedicated to taking local action and building a movement against climate change) organised a day of action against the fossil fuel industry – the name ‘Fossil Fools Day’. 

The Fossil Fools Day website states:  

“Roll up, roll up! The climate circus is in town. Confronted with melting ice caps, unprecedented species extinction, droughts and extreme weather, climate change threatens our very survival. The fools at the head of the fossil fuel empire continue to plunder the earth, with the governments as willing court jesters at their side.   

They would have us believe that we can escape climate change with techno-fixes, market mechanisms and offset schemes - all technocratic acrobatics that distract us from the truth: the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.  On April 1st, 2008, we’re going to turn the tables and show them who the real fools are.Target a local fossil fool - See the clowns investing in coal - The carbon offset contortionist or the oily strong man? and join with thousands around the world in taking one step closer to dismantling the fossil fuel industry. Find a fossil fool in your community and pull a prank that packs a punch.” 

Protests have taken place in over 100 locations throughout the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom which was organised by International Rising Tide partner ‘People and Planet’.   

Whilst it is too late for you to attend the protests (sorry about not featuring this earlier) you can still be part of the revolution that is trying to topple the coal industry: 

 Ideas include:   

Don’t be a fossil fool - ensure that you are not part of the reason for the demand for new coal burning power stations and avoid financing the fossil fuel industry, for example:

 - Reduce your energy use as much as possible; avoid having unnecessary electronic devices and make sure you always turn appliances completely off when not in use. 

- Change to a green energy company or if you can generate your own energy 

 - Reduce or even completely stop purchasing products made out of fossil fuels / oil / petroleum etc 

Target fossil fools - such as energy companies and financial institutes which invest in coal. Contact them telling your concerns about what they are doing and advise them that you are not a fossil fool – thus will be boycotting their services and encouraging others to do the same. 

Organise a meeting with your MP - to discuss your concerns about the

UK government considering providing permission to build a new coal power station in Kingsnorth. If this plant is allowed to be built, then it is possible that seven more will follow, which means that we can wave goodbye to any hope that the

UK will be a world leader on climate change. You can ask for a meeting with your MP through the Parliamentary Switchboard on 020 7219 3000.

 If you have participated in a Fossil Fuel protest then it would be great to hear about it, and if you have targeted fossil fools then share your outcome.  

 Click here to download an information sheet from ‘Rising Tide’ with further details about how you can help topple the coal industry.

Filed under Pollution, Politics, Events, Power & Energy | Comment (0)

Book Review: Do good lives have to cost the earth?

Posted by: Anna-Lisa

Have you ever considered whether good lives have to cost the earth? Well a diverse group of people have considered the question and their answers were documented in a book (with the question as the title) edited by Andrew Simms and Jo Smith.

Before I started reading the book I already had an answer to the question myself and that is No. It has always been my belief and my experience (even as a child) that a good / happy life does not have to cost the earth. To me the simple / free pleasure are always the best for example:

* Just peacefully being with my loved ones

* Volunteering my time to help people and also the planet

*Breathing the fresh air of the countryside

*The taste of freshly picked organic food from my garden

*The beautiful sound of bird song

*Walking along the beach with my fiancé  

As you may have gathered from some of my posts I always aim to consume as little as possible in life as it is my belief and the book also supports this that…. 

“people who consume above their fair and sustainable source of the Earth’s resources is no more likely to be satisfied with life than someone who is living within our collective environmental means”  

(Quote within book and sourced from the European (un)Happy Planet Index, 2007) 

The book has some interesting contributors all of whom have focussed on different areas of what makes a good life. Below you will find my favourite quotes from all of the featured contributors:  

Tom Hodgkinson (Editor of the Idler): “Good lives are cheap, cheerful and will save the planet to boot” 

David Boyle (Author): “Victorian economists calculated that the average English peasant in 1485 needed to work fifteen weeks a year to earn the money the needed to survive. In 1564, it was forty weeks. Now of course it is questionable whether we can manage to afford a reasonable life in
Britain without two salaries all the year round” 

David Goldblatt (Author) “Step forward motor sports: Seriously, guys, yes you in the fast cars, peak oil is here or near. What are your great-grandchildren going to think a hundred years from now when they look back and see you spunking up the last precious drops of gasoline”  

Phillip Pullman (Author) “Environmentalists need to know something about basic story telling in order to make their words effective” 

A.C Grayling (Philosopher) “The environment has suffered in pursuit of wealth”  

Oliver James (Author) “We talk of needing these things (i-pods/cars etc), but really we only want them” 

John Bird (Creator of the Big Issue) “What we need today is to keep monopolies out of our life. Whenever we have a monopoly, whether public or private, you have the limitation of choice.” 

Adair Turner (Vice Chairman at Merrill Launch Europe) “Population stabilization will be crucial to our long term success in dealing with climate change and other global environmental impacts” 

Dame Anita Roddick (Founder of the Body Shop) “Providing for these vital human needs requires another kind of economy altogether, which emphasizes beauty, community and creativity”   

Ann Pettifor (of Advocacy International Ltd) “We live in a global community that worships the god ‘Money’” 

 

 Larry Elliott (Financial Journalist)  “The idea of personal thrift has gone out of the window, to be replaced by a culture in which it is not just permissible but commonplace – acceptable even – to live beyond our means” 

Colin Tudge (Author) “The people who get to be in charge are the people who like power and the people who like power are not necessarily on the side of humanity”  

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Writer, broadcaster, campaigner) “Buy local food and almost by definition your buying seasonal produce with a low environmental impact” 

Rosie Boycott (Writer and Broadcaster) “How you live is just as important as what you say. We argued (the feminist movement) that by changing the way in which we lived, we would in time influence the larger world around us. Now, I believe that sentiment is back” 

Kevin McCloud (of Grand Designs) “I think that human beings are of our own environment, we are the problem but we are also the solution: the cause and the cure of our own environment” 

Wayne Hemingway (Creator of Red or Dead and the Land of Lost Content) “We cant change the fact that new things stimulate us. But if we are really to achieve sustainability, then durability is incredibly important” 

Stephen Bayley (Design Correspondent of the Observer) “Man is homo faber, a divine monkey who makes tools. While saving the planet it is a priority no one should ignore, its important to remember that since we stepped out of the primeval glop on to the dry shore and started the journey that ended with reality TV, the world has been constructed by us” 

Nic Marks (Founder of the Centre of Well-Being at nef) “The language of well being doesn’t rely on an economic model that assumes that more consumption is always better” 

David Cameron (Conservative party MP) “The greatest responsibility in the fight to save our planet lies with the Government, which must give a lead on the issue and set the right framework”  

Hilary Benn (Labour party MP) “Transforming our economy, our cities, our way of life and cherishing our countryside and wildlife is something that we have to do”  

Caroline Lucas (Green Party MEP) “Whether good lives are defined as happy lives or lives of well being, the bottom line is that living a good life and sage guarding the climate are not only simply compatible, they are inextricably connected and mutually dependent” 

As you can see the book really does have a wide range of contributors, each providing their own insight in to whether good lives have to cost the earth.  I found the book an excellent read as it provided different perspectives on the green movement, I highly recommend it - however to be green and frugal get a copy from the library, a friend or second hand.

If you have already read the book what did you think? If not what are your thoughts about the featured quotations? And a question for everyone ‘do you think that goods lives have to cost the earth’? 

Let’s all discuss…. 

Filed under Business, Climate change, Sustainability, Politics, Media, Love & Relationships | Comments (4)

The US Presidential Race - Who’s the Greenest of them All?

Posted by: Arcadia

The presidential race here in the States is really heating up!  When I’m not working I am glued to the tv watching CNN!  I think this has got to be the most exciting race since…well since who knows as this is the first time we have had a qualified female candidate and black male candidate to go with our usual white male candidates.  But who cares!  What I really want to know is who is the GREEN candidate of the bunch. 

Since our candidates have whittled down a bit I will focus on those still in the race.  Let me first fully disclose I am a registered Democrat, but in the spirit of fairness I will keep my opinions to myself and just report on the facts.  You decide!

The Democrats

Barack Obama- Senator Obama introduced an energy and climate plan in 2007. He calls for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. by 50 percent by 2030 and all new buildings in the US to be carbon neutral by 2030. He supports a phase-out of incandescent light bulbs by 2014. He proposes an increase in research and development for biofuels, renewable energy, and other clean technologies. He proposes raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 40 miles per gallon and light trucks to 32 mpg by 2020. He was a co-sponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, and he calls for cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. He hopes to accomplish this through a cap-and-trade system that would auction off 100 percent of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit.

Hillary Clinton - Senator Clinton’s campaign has been carbon neutral! She supports a goal of the US getting 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. She supports raising fuel-economy standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2020 and 55 mpg by 2030. She wants the US to cut its consumption of foreign oil by two-thirds of projected levels by 2030. She also proposes a cap and trade system similar to Senator Obama’s; to reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and would auction off 100 percent of the emission permits as well as other measures. Senator Clinton has been a huge advocate for energy independence throughout her campaign.

The Republicans

John McCain- Senator McCain has been a leader on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and is probably the greenest Republican candidate of the group! He too supports a cap and trade system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and opposes the carbon tax. He’s against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He supports the use of nuclear power as an alternative energy source and a way to reduce carbon emissions and he wants to find a way to use our coal resources without emitting more greenhouse gases. Global warming would be a top issue for his presidency. He spoke out against the current administrations lack of action on the climate change issue! (He will be the oldest president ever, if elected.  Even older than Reagan!)

Mike Huckabee - Former Governor Huckabee is unsure if humans are responsible for climate change but supports the cutting of greenhouse gas emissions because it’s the right thing to do. He supports raising fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. He supports the expansion of nuclear power. He believes we have a moral and religious obligation to protect the earth and says as president he will send Congress his comprehensive plan for energy independence (yet no one knows what it is?!).

Ron Paul - Former Congressman Paul doesn’t have much to say on environmental issues at all. He thinks the free market/private companies should have more control of it and the government should stay out of it and see what happens. He supports all offshore drilling. He too doesn’t believe humans have contributed to climate change. He would end any special benefits to energy companies.

The choice is yours America, choose wisely!

Filed under Politics, San Francisco, US | Comment (0)

Lighting - The Government’s Response

Posted by: Vicky

It’s been a little while since I complained about lighting outside buildings (and inside for that matter) so I thought it was about time I had another moan.

The government has given their response to a petition on floodlighting I signed a while ago. The petition requested a ban on uneccessary floodlighting and asked the government to lead by example and reduce the lighting on their own buildings.

You can read the whole response at the 10 Downing Street e-petition site but the straight answer is that they do not intend to bring in a policy which bans floodlighting.

They say that “good practice” is to use various types of lower energy lighting but importantly they do not suggest making even this the law. Why not???

My favourite statement throughout their whole response is “Effects of reducing lighting levels or turning lights off vary from case to case”. Surely reducing lighting levels or turning lights off will reduce energy in every case!

They then state that safety should be a consideration (and balanced against financial and environmental cost) and I wouldn’t argue with that. So, let’s not necessarily have a blanket policy to ban floodlighting altogether but consider the use of it more carefully - I’m sure that alone would cause great reduction in energy waste and light pollution.

I strongly feel that this is an issue which shouldn’t be brushed off in the way it was in this government response. So, if you feel that light pollution needs to be tackled join me in signing a couple more petitions:

Make it illegal to leave lighting and electrical devices on in any establishment whilst the building is vacant or outside of working hours

Save energy consumption by reducing streetlight usage

Switching off a light is one of the easiest things to do so why is it so difficult to make it happen?

Filed under Building & construction, Politics, Power & Energy | Comment (0)

Help prevent oil spills in UK seas

Posted by: Anna-Lisa

Edinburgh MP Mark Lazarowicz has introduced a new Bill titled The Environmental Protection (Transfers at Sea) Bill, which if introduced would improve the regulation of ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other hazardous cargos throughout UK seas, thus helping to protect the UK’s marine habitats and wildlife from potential oil spills. 

Why is the Bill needed? 

Ship-to-ship (STS) transfer is a process by which cargo is transferred between ships at anchor, this includes oil! The transfer of oil currently takes place at Scapa Flow Orkney) and Sullum Voe (Shetland).  

However what is very worrying is that there are new proposed STS sites around the UK including include Falmouth Harbour (Cornwall), Southwold (Suffolk), the Firth of Forth (SE Scotland) and Nigg Bay (NE Scotland). Lyme Bay (Devon/Dorset) (remember that Lyme Bay is already suffering from commercial scallop dredging as reported in the post titled ‘Help save the seaside’)  

Currently, STS operations are insufficiently regulated. The UK Department of Transport (which is responsible for shipping matters) has failed to fulfil repeated promises to introduce stronger measures.  

Mark Lazarowicz’s Bill would require the Secretary of State for Transport to bring in new regulations controlling STS transfer of cargos, including strict safeguards to protect our seas and sea life. STS transfer is not addressed by the forthcoming Marine Bill (which I wrote about in the post titled Can we have the Bill please’) , so separate legislation is necessary and extremely important. 

Please act now  

The Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Commons will take place on 25 January and as this is  a make-or-break time for the Bill, the Wildlife Trust is urging people to email their MP asking him / her to support the Bill and attend the debate on 25^th January. 

4 simple steps to help secure the bill 

1)  Visit www.theyworkforyou.com and type in your postcode to locate your MP. 

2) Click on ‘Send a message to…’. 

3) Write a short message in your own words, using the following notes to help you: 

- The Environmental Protection (Transfers at Sea) Bill, introduced by Mark Lazarowicz MP, would improve the regulation of ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other hazardous cargos throughout UK seas.   

-This would allow strict controls on ship-to-ship transfers, helping to protect the
UK’s marine and coastal habitats and wildlife from potentially catastrophics spills. 

-The Bill’s Second Hearing is on 25 January. 

-More information about the Bill can be found on Mark Lazarowicz’s website: www.marklazarowicz.org.uk 

 4) Email the Wildlife Trust Marine team marine(at)wildlifetrusts.org to let them know that you have done it and please put STS as the subject and let them know who your MP is. 

Attention non UK citizen’s whilst you wont be able to do the above steps I see no harm in you contacting Mark Lazarowicz and offering support to this Bill, his contact information can be found on his website. 

Thank you

Filed under Pollution, Politics, Marine & Coastal | Comment (0)

Peak Oil Events

Posted by: Vicky

“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

Filed under Gardening, Climate change, Business, Politics, Nottingham, UK, Events, Power & Energy | Comment (1)