EFoE news
January 2010
www.ealingfoe.org.uk
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Next Meeting Wednesday 20 January at 7.45pm Back to our usual venue: The Rock Room, St John’s Church, Broomfield
Place, off Mattock Lane, West Ealing W13 9LB Report
back from FoE Local Groups Gathering Further
meetings: Wednesday 17 February, Wednesday 17 March |
The offices of Friends of the Earth Haiti (Haiti
Survie) were destroyed in the earthquake, but the director, his colleagues and
their family members have been accounted for.
FoE
Their work is now concentrated on immediate relief
effort. Working alongside other NGOs they are running two mobile clinics, which
are being supported by around 40 medics, 12 of whom are Haitian exiles who have
returned from the USA to offer their support. In addition they plan to
distribute more than 10,000 litres of drinking water, which is being delivered
by a partner organization based in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
They have sent out an urgent plea for donations to
help them in their relief efforts and subsequent rebuilding work. To find out
more and to donate, go to http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/take-action/haiti-earthquake
The Food Chain Campaign
Early Day Motion 845 in support of planet friendly
farming received 259 signatures, making it one of the most-signed EDMs of the
entire parliamentary session. This is something of a triumph for the campaign
since very few MPs were aware of the issue to begin with.
Now
the aim is to get a new law to reduce the environmental aspects of meat and
dairy farming. The best opportunity for this will come with the Private Members
Ballot that will take place soon after the General Election. Once it is known
which MPs have been drawn near the top we can focus attention on them to get
one of them to take up the Bill. Meanwhile Friends of the Earth will be asking
a supportive MP to table a Presentation Bill on the issue (this won’t have an
official slot to be debated so can’t become law itself, but it gives MPs a
template to scrutinize and discuss).
We need to make parliamentary candidates aware of the
support for the Food Chain campaign. FoE have put together ideas for an
information package to be sent to them. We can also take the opportunity to
quiz candidates at local hustings.
There is new Early Day Motion (EDM 194) on
Deforestation, Climate Change and Livestock. FoE is preparing another postcard,
which will be relevant up to the General Election and will act as a reminder to
MPs. We’ll need to get the postcards signed as quickly as possible once they
are available as they have a strictly limited shelf life.
We will be
discussing this further at the meeting on Wednesday.
Please send
contributions for the next issue to the Editor, 6 Willow Close TW8 8DE or email
vfassnidge@yahoo.co.uk
Diary Dates
London’s Charity Potato Fair and Seed Exchange 
100+
varieties (some organic) will be available at the 2010 Charity Potato Fair and
Seed Exchange. They are sold by the tuber and certified free of blight. There
will also be a seed exchange where unused or surplus seeds can be swapped –
these may include varieties that can’t be bought in the shops because they
haven’t gone through the registration process.
The Fair is on Sunday 24 January from 10am – 3pm.
Entrance costs £2.00, with all profits going to the charity Hope and Homes for
Children. It’s quite a distance to travel from Ealing as it is in South East
London, at the Harris Girls’ Academy, Homestall Road, London SE22 0NR. There
seems no very quick or easy route by public transport, but it could be an
interesting day out.
More
information from www.potatofair.org
Ornithology Walk
John Wells will be leading a series of nature walks
in 2010, starting with an all-day birdwatching event in Richmond Park on Sunday
24 January. Meet outside Richmond Station at 10am or at Pembroke Lodge in the
Park at 10.30am. Public transport: Underground (District), London Overground,
South West Trains; buses 33, 65, 190, 371, 391, 419, 490, H22, H37, R68 and
R70. Bring binoculars, boots recommended, picnic with hot drink.
John used to run events for the Wildlife Trust but is
now leading these walks as a private individual and makes it clear that no one
will be liable in the unlikely event of accident or illness.
Ealing Transition: Talk by Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association
The future of agriculture in the UK is very much in
the news at the moment. With the planet's population booming and natural
resources under increasing pressure, just how will we feed ourselves in the
years to come?
An antidote to those who believe that technologies
such as GM will give us a free pass to continue exploiting global resources,
the Soil Association is organised around the simple proposition that the health
of soil, plant, animals and the planet are connected. It has created a model
for sustainable agriculture on which the future of food and farming could be
transformed.
Tuesday 26 January at 7.30 pm, St Mary’s Church, St
Mary’s Road, Ealing. Admission is free but small donation to cover costs
requested. Refreshments available.
More information from www.ealingtransition.org.uk
Richmond and Twickenham Friends of the Earth group
Tuesday 26th January
7.15pm – 9.00pm.
Katharine Robinson from the thinktank Carbon Focus
will be explaining her recent research into the “carbon complacency” that is
caused by “trivial tips” on how people can reduce their carbon footprint and
helping us to distinguish the steps that we can take that will really make a
difference. The talk and discussion will take place at the usual meeting
venue, Langton’s Bookshop Café, 44-45 Church Street, Twickenham (a short walk
from Twickenham station and close to all the main bus routes). Organic
drinks and nibbles will be served and there will be plenty of opportunity to
chat to other local residents who are interested in the big challenges that we
face following the uninspiring Copenhagen Climate Change summit.
The event is free but spaces are limited so it would
help if you could respond in advance if you are thinking of coming along by
emailing info@rtfoe.org.uk
Big
Garden Birdwatch The
RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s biggest survey, has been going for
over 30 years and has provided valuable information about the country’s bird
population. Everyone can take part (and more than half a million people did
last year). You don’t even need a garden as you can choose to count the birds
in a nearby park. All you have to do is watch out for birds for an hour on
Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 January and record the highest number of
each species you see at any one time.
For further information go to www.rspb.org.uk
Walk
London’s Winter Wanders Over
the weekend of 30-31 January there will be more than 30 led walks taking place
throughout London on the seven routes that make up the Strategic Walks Network.
Walks are free and range from just over one mile to ten miles long. There
aren’t any in Ealing this year, but there’s Richmond to Twickenham on the
Sunday; alternatively you could explore the City, or distant boroughs like
Havering or Bromley.
For more information on the weekend and on walking in
London in general go to www.walklondon.org.uk
Seedy Sunday
On 14 February Kew Bridge Eco Village is hosting Brentford’s
first Seed Swap from 11 am to 3pm. Take along your surplus or saved vegetable
and flower seeds. If you don’t have seeds to swap they’ll be available for a
small donation. There will be gardening-related stalls and refreshments. The
Eco Village is on the empty site next to the bridge (65 bus). For more information visit www.seedysunday.org
London School of Economics For those with time and
energy to get up to central London, there’s a very full programme of free
public lectures, with the opportunity over the next couple of months to hear
talks by eminent speakers on subjects such as Delivering a Low Carbon London;
Climate Crunch - making the economics fit the science; Sustainable Housing –
how can we save 80% of energy in existing homes?; Prosperity without Growth;
Adapting to climate change within a new economic framework; Beyond
Copenhagen
Visit www.lse.ac.uk for further
details