juicing local apples at our 'apple day' celebration -
will be even bigger and better next year with the urban harvest apples
will be even bigger and better next year with the urban harvest apples
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Muswell Hill to be one of the UK's first Low Carbon Communities
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) - Press Release 21.12.09
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) launched the competition in July to find communities keen to be at the forefront of moving to a low carbon economy.
Muswell Hill will receive a grant to pay for solar panels to be installed at four schools to generate green electricity. The money will also fund a mobile sustainable learning unit, cycle parking and a community renewable energy company to manage the income from low carbon energy generation. This money will then be ploughed back into the community so all 1,800 residents can benefit from a low carbon lifestyle.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock said: “We’ve had more than 300 communities register their interest with the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, so there’s a real appetite out there to save energy to help tackle global warming and save money on fuel bills. The ten winning projects will now spend the money on things like community wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps, insulation or green transport projects to cut emissions. The UK has the most ambitious emissions reduction commitments in the world and communities like Muswell Hill will help to develop the policies we need in the future to make the successful transition to a low carbon economy.”
Haringey Council leader, Cllr Claire Kober, said: “We are committed to cutting carbon emissions in Haringey and are working with businesses and residents to explore what practical measures can be put in place to help us do this. This award will enable us to develop sustainable energy sources in the borough for the benefit of the community and will further help us reach our ambitious CO2 reductions’ targets.”
In return for technical and financial assistance, people in Muswell Hill will work alongside government and contribute to finding low carbon solutions from which the whole country will benefit. Successful outcomes from the project will pave the way for a national roll-out of proven measures.
DECC is now looking for an additional twelve communities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to take part in the next phase of the Challenge.
Muswell Hill in Haringey, London, has won up to £500,000 in a competition to become a blueprint for sustainable living. Muswell Hill is one of the first ten winning locations to benefit from a £10million fund as part of the Low Carbon Communities Challenge.
Around a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heating, lighting and powering electrical appliances in homes. By 2050 this needs to be almost zero if the UK is to cut its emissions by 80%, highlighting the importance of local action.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) launched the competition in July to find communities keen to be at the forefront of moving to a low carbon economy.
Muswell Hill will receive a grant to pay for solar panels to be installed at four schools to generate green electricity. The money will also fund a mobile sustainable learning unit, cycle parking and a community renewable energy company to manage the income from low carbon energy generation. This money will then be ploughed back into the community so all 1,800 residents can benefit from a low carbon lifestyle.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock said: “We’ve had more than 300 communities register their interest with the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, so there’s a real appetite out there to save energy to help tackle global warming and save money on fuel bills. The ten winning projects will now spend the money on things like community wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps, insulation or green transport projects to cut emissions. The UK has the most ambitious emissions reduction commitments in the world and communities like Muswell Hill will help to develop the policies we need in the future to make the successful transition to a low carbon economy.”
Haringey Council leader, Cllr Claire Kober, said: “We are committed to cutting carbon emissions in Haringey and are working with businesses and residents to explore what practical measures can be put in place to help us do this. This award will enable us to develop sustainable energy sources in the borough for the benefit of the community and will further help us reach our ambitious CO2 reductions’ targets.”
In return for technical and financial assistance, people in Muswell Hill will work alongside government and contribute to finding low carbon solutions from which the whole country will benefit. Successful outcomes from the project will pave the way for a national roll-out of proven measures.
DECC is now looking for an additional twelve communities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to take part in the next phase of the Challenge.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Monday, 21 December 2009
‘We All Live In Copenhagen’ Sustainability Fortnight
Dec 2nd - 20th 2009
Report of the local events throughout Haringey
**Tues Nov 24th - 60 people attended a Climate Action Now pubic meeting to publicise the national demonstration on Dec 5th and the planned fortnight of events in Haringey. It was held at Wood Green Library, jointly organised by Sustainable Haringey and the Campaign vs Climate Change. There were speeches, a showing of the Reel News Countdown To Copenhagen film and much discussion. 6,000 detailed publicity flyers had been distributed in the days before, including at street stalls, which served to alert the public about the issues and what they could do themselves to make a real difference.
**Nov 25th to Dec 5th - 20,000 leaflets/programmes were distributed throughout Haringey to publicise the coming fortnight of events. Each event was also publicised separately by the group organising it.
**Wed 2nd Dec Talk about global food issues. Speaker from CAFOD charity. @ St Ignatius, N15.
**Fri 4th Dec - A Winter Warmer social evening in Tottenham was organised by the Wards Corner Coalition to promote sustainable urban development - over 120 people joined in the dancing (ceilidh and egyptian), listened to performers (ukelele duo and ballads), and ate scrumptious home cooked food. A rep from Sustainable Haringey made a speech about Copenhagen and the planned fortnight's events...
**Sat 5th Dec - About 60,000 people attended a Climate Action Now march in Central London. There were similar marches in capital cities all over the world. There seemed to be a large percentage of young people (always a good sign of a movement that's here to stay!). Afterwards Trafalgar Square was occupied with pop up tents and a Camp for Climate Action set up there to co-ordinate further discussions & protests at relevant locations in central London throughout the whole fortnight. 5 Haringey residents were among the hundreds there early on.
**Sun 6th Dec - Green Bike Ride around Haringey. Around a dozen heroes braved the weather and cycled all over the borough visiting green projects and sites.
**Sun 6th Dec - A Crouch End family day of festival activities went well, including very informative stalls run by Crouch End & Hornsey Transition Initiative and the SH network.
**Tues 8th Dec-9 people attended the 'Green Your Home' coffee morning at 10am at the Green Lens Studios, N4. It was reported that there was an excellent speaker and discussion.
**Tues 8th Dec -About 50 people attended the Highgate and Muswell Hill Area Assembly where the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group and Council reps made a presentation about the plans for the new Muswell Hill Low Carbon Zone. The MHSG explained that the idea was to promote things that everyone can do, as well as specialist sustainable energy projects for public buildings etc - and most importantly they hoped Low Carbon Zones would spread across Haringey, London and the world!
**Tues 8th Dec-25 people went along to the 'Age of Stupid' film show in Tottenham Green Library, organised by the librarians. It was followed by a brief presentation from a rep from the SH network, and then a very good discussion in which over half of those present put forward their views about the very powerful film and what we should all be doing to address the climate change challenge.
**Wed 9th Dec-65 people attended the 'Age of Stupid' film showing @ Hornsey Library. Afterwards there was a speaker from the Crouch End & Hornsey Area Transition Initiative, followed by discussion.
**Thu 10th Dec-30 people attended the 'Age of Stupid' film showing @ Wood Green Library. It was followed by a speaker from Sustainable Haringey, and there was a discussion afterwards.
**Thu 10th Dec- 'Plane Stupid!' and other green films @ Green Lens Studios, 4a Atterbury Rd, N4.
**Fri 11th Dec-There was delicious home-cooked food and market stalls selling organic and local produce at the lunchtime Community Cafe / Tottenham Food Co-op @ Broadwater Centre, N17.
**Sat 12th Dec-10 people held 'NO! to climate change & capitalism' stall/leafleting, Seven Sisters tube
**Sat 12th Dec- 'Ways to create a low carbon future': food, entertainment and discussions. Around 40 took part. Organised byCrouch End & Hornsey Transition initiative @ Hornsey Vale Centre, N8.
**Sun 13th Dec- The new Urban Harvest Network was launched with a walkabout around Crouch End, leafleting about the need for harvesting unpicked fruit, followed by a meeting to plan activities for 2010.
**Tue 15th Dec- Sustainable Haringey held a special 'How can I get involved and make a difference?' open meeting @ Big Green Bookshop, N8.
**Fri 18th Dec-'Food, glorious food!' 40 people from a range of local food projects attended a mid-winter lunchtime celebration of local food growing and home cooking @ Broadwater Centre, N17. Displays, lunch, market stalls, speeches - organised by the Sustainable Haringey Food Group.
**Sun 20th Dec-'After Copenhagen - Where do we go from here?', @ Tottenham Chances, N17. 30 people watched a superb film made only the day before by Reel News from footage they d just filmed in Copenhagen. It portrayed the fortnight of street protests there by an incredible array of inspirational social movements from around the world. It highlighted their voices, campaigns and demands - contrasted with the failure of the politicians and corporations running the official summit.
Note: Some Haringey residents also travelled to Copenhagen to take part in the fortnight of protests there. Over 100,000 people from all over the world marched, discussed & debated together, and helped establish new grass roots global networks and solidarity in the pursuit of a fair & sustainable world.
Saturday, 19 December 2009
Creating a Game Plan for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Creating a Game Plan for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Jeffrey Hollender
November 17, 2009
Running Time: 0:58:56
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Report from Copenhagen
Haringey residents Adrian and Robyn Thomas have just returned from Copenhagen:
Copenhagen, 10th – 15th December 2009
One or two friends asked us to report on our experiences in Copenhagen during the climate change talks. We came back to London before the final negotiations but were able to take part in the main public demonstration on Saturday 12th December. The temperature that day was barely above zero so it was a test of commitment, but some 60,000 people turned out. They were a mixture of Danes and others, mostly West or North Europeans. It was inspiring to march with such a variety of nationalities, all with a common concern. Contrary to some press reports the part of the demonstration we were in was good humoured and orderly.
The march went from the city centre to the Bella Conference Centre, a new development some 5 kilometres away, where the climate negotiations are taking place. There was of course no access without passes but a sports centre next to the main railway station had been turned into an alternative venue, the Klimaforum.
This attracted a great variety of people, from serious activists to the merely curious. Between us we attended a number of meetings and seminars. The quality of the speakers varied quite a bit, as did their standpoints, but overall they reinforced our concerns. Robyn went to an interesting session on consumers, ethics and food. She found the Danish speakers a little complacent so put them on the spot by asking what they personally had done to reduce their carbon footprint. She was then interviewed by Swedish TV!
Meanwhile Adrian listened to Prof Schellnhuber from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research talking with other specialists on how to agree and allocate national emissions targets. He gave a particularly powerful presentation, stressing that during the coming century we must restrict all our future emissions to 700 billion tons if we are to keep warming down to 2°C - and most climate scientists found that level of warming disturbing enough. It may seem a lot, but it is the same as we emitted between 1989 and 2009! See http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2009/dec/14/climate-simulator if you want to learn more.
It was a good place for quotes and sound-bites. Some interesting ones we picked up on were:
· Politicians talk; leaders act
· The political reality is nowhere near the scientific reality; for scientists carbon-based growth is no longer an option for anyone
· There is a narrow window between (climate change) denial and despair (at ever getting agreement to limit emissions)
In many ways Copenhagen seemed a good venue. It is a very pleasant seaside city, with lots of history in its pedestrianised streets. There are excellent facilities for the many cyclists, and public transport is very good (all our travelling was by train and ferry, which worked well). Denmark is well known for the high proportion of its electricity which is wind-generated, but its overall record is not as good as it might seem: emissions per head are still high and the smoke from several coal-burning power stations ringing the city hopefully reminded the negotiators what they are up against.
All in all it was a most interesting few days and we are very grateful to Robyn’s brother and sister-in-law for enabling us to experience the meeting at first hand.
Adrian and Robyn Thomas
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Environmental Crime
One of our members recently was walking on a freezing cold day. They saw a man in an overheated office. It seems the heat was a bit too high for him, because was sitting in his shirt sleeves with a fan on to cool himself down a bit.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
George Monbiot at Copenhagen
www.monbiot.com
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 15th December 2009
This is about much more than climate change. This is about us.
...
Humanity is no longer split between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and progressives, though both sides are informed by the older politics. Today the battlelines are drawn between expanders and restrainers; those who believe that there should be no impediments, and those who believe that we must live within limits. The vicious battles we have seen so far between greens and climate change deniers, road safety campaigners and speed freaks, real grassroots groups and corporate-sponsored astroturfers are just the beginning. This war will become much uglier as people kick against the limits that decency demands.
...
Although the delegates are waking up to the scale of their responsibility, I still believe that they will sell us out. Everyone wants his last adventure. Hardly anyone among the official parties can accept the implications of living within our means, of living with tomorrow in mind. There will, they tell themselves, always be another frontier, another means to escape our constraints, to dump our dissatisfactions on other places and other people. Hanging over everything discussed here is the theme that dare not speak its name, always present but never mentioned. Economic growth is the magic formula which allows our conflicts to remain unresolved.
While economies grow, social justice is unnecessary, as lives can be improved without redistribution. While economies grow, people need not confront their elites. While economies grow, we can keep buying our way out of trouble. But, like the bankers, we stave off trouble today only by multiplying it tomorrow. Through economic growth we are borrowing time at punitive rates of interest. It ensures that any cuts agreed at Copenhagen will eventually be outstripped. Even if we manage to prevent climate breakdown, growth means that it’s only a matter of time before we hit a new constraint, which demands a new global response: oil, water, phosphate, soil. We will lurch from crisis to existential crisis unless we address the underlying cause: perpetual growth cannot be accomodated on a finite planet.
...
But somehow this first great global battle between expanders and restrainers must be won and then the battles that lie beyond it – rising consumption, corporate power, economic growth - must begin. If governments don’t show some resolve on climate change, the expanders will seize on the restrainers’ weakness. They will attack - using the same tactics of denial, obfuscation and appeals to self-interest - the other measures that protect people from each other, or which prevent the world’s ecosystems from being destroyed. There is no end to this fight, no line these people will not cross. They too are aware that this a battle to redefine humanity, and they wish to redefine it as a species even more rapacious than it is today.
...
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 15th December 2009
This is about much more than climate change. This is about us.
...
Humanity is no longer split between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and progressives, though both sides are informed by the older politics. Today the battlelines are drawn between expanders and restrainers; those who believe that there should be no impediments, and those who believe that we must live within limits. The vicious battles we have seen so far between greens and climate change deniers, road safety campaigners and speed freaks, real grassroots groups and corporate-sponsored astroturfers are just the beginning. This war will become much uglier as people kick against the limits that decency demands.
...
Although the delegates are waking up to the scale of their responsibility, I still believe that they will sell us out. Everyone wants his last adventure. Hardly anyone among the official parties can accept the implications of living within our means, of living with tomorrow in mind. There will, they tell themselves, always be another frontier, another means to escape our constraints, to dump our dissatisfactions on other places and other people. Hanging over everything discussed here is the theme that dare not speak its name, always present but never mentioned. Economic growth is the magic formula which allows our conflicts to remain unresolved.
While economies grow, social justice is unnecessary, as lives can be improved without redistribution. While economies grow, people need not confront their elites. While economies grow, we can keep buying our way out of trouble. But, like the bankers, we stave off trouble today only by multiplying it tomorrow. Through economic growth we are borrowing time at punitive rates of interest. It ensures that any cuts agreed at Copenhagen will eventually be outstripped. Even if we manage to prevent climate breakdown, growth means that it’s only a matter of time before we hit a new constraint, which demands a new global response: oil, water, phosphate, soil. We will lurch from crisis to existential crisis unless we address the underlying cause: perpetual growth cannot be accomodated on a finite planet.
...
But somehow this first great global battle between expanders and restrainers must be won and then the battles that lie beyond it – rising consumption, corporate power, economic growth - must begin. If governments don’t show some resolve on climate change, the expanders will seize on the restrainers’ weakness. They will attack - using the same tactics of denial, obfuscation and appeals to self-interest - the other measures that protect people from each other, or which prevent the world’s ecosystems from being destroyed. There is no end to this fight, no line these people will not cross. They too are aware that this a battle to redefine humanity, and they wish to redefine it as a species even more rapacious than it is today.
...
Sunday, 13 December 2009
The Bounty of Alexandra Palace
Along the south side of Alexandra Park runs an avenue of fruiting trees - beautiful large crab apples, and red-skinned eating apples that make pink applejuice
www.UrbanHarvest.org.uk
The Bounty of Tottenham Marshes
Pears, elderberries, horseradish, plums, plums, plums, more plums, and walnuts...
www.UrbanHarvest.org.uk
Hornsey Library Display for Global Carbon Reduction Fortnight
Free Food - Feeding the 5000, Trafalgar Square 16 Dec 2009
Trafalgar Square, London
Wednesday 16th December
12 noon - 2pm
Read all about it here: Feeding the 5000
"Urban Harvest" Launch 13 Dec 2009
We're going to do something about it in 2010.
Inspired by successful schemes elsewhere, we'll help people pick & distribute fruit they can't deal with themselves and from trees in public spaces.
One of next year's volunteers is practising already...
Join in! www.UrbanHarvest.org.uk
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Haringey Sustainability Fortnight - The story so far!
Fri 4th - The fortnight kicked off in style with a brilliant Wards Corner social evening in Tottenham to promote sustainable urban development - over 120 people joined in the dancing (ceilidh and egyptian), listened to performers (ukelele duo and ballads), and ate scrumptious home cooked food. There was also a speech about Copenhagen and the planned fortnight's events...
Sat 5th - About 60,000 people attended a Climate Action Now march in Central London. And there were similar marches in capital cities all over the world. There seemed to be a large percentage of young people (always a good sign of a movement that's here to stay!). Afterwards Trafalgar Square was occupied with pop up tents and a Camp for Climate Action set up there to co-ordinate further discussions and protests throughout the whole fortnight - all welcome to go and join in! 4 or 5 of us from Haringey were among the hundreds there early on.
Sun 6th - Green Bike Ride around Haringey. Around a dozen heroes braved the weather and cycled all over the borough visiting green projects and sites.
Sun 6th - The Crouch End family day seemed to go well, including very informative stalls run by Crouch End & Hornsey Transition Initiative and the SH network.
Tues 8th - 9 people attended the 'Green Your Home' coffee morning at 10am at the Green Lens Studios, N4. It was reported that there was an excellent speaker and discussion.
Tues 8th - About 50 people attended the Highgate and Muswell Hill Area Assemby last night where the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group and Council reps made a presentation about the plans for the new Muswell Hill Low Carbon Zone. The MHSG explained that the idea was to promote things that everyone can do, as well as specialist sustainable energy projects for public buildings etc - and most importantly they hoped Low Carbon Zones would spread across Haringey, London and the world!
Tues 8th - 25 people (of all ages and diverse backgrounds) went along to the 'Age of Stupid' film show in Tottenham Green Library. It was followed by a brief presentation from a rep from the SH network, and then a very good discussion in which over half of those present put forward their views about the very powerful film and what we should all be doing to address the climate change challenge.
Sat 5th - About 60,000 people attended a Climate Action Now march in Central London. And there were similar marches in capital cities all over the world. There seemed to be a large percentage of young people (always a good sign of a movement that's here to stay!). Afterwards Trafalgar Square was occupied with pop up tents and a Camp for Climate Action set up there to co-ordinate further discussions and protests throughout the whole fortnight - all welcome to go and join in! 4 or 5 of us from Haringey were among the hundreds there early on.
Sun 6th - Green Bike Ride around Haringey. Around a dozen heroes braved the weather and cycled all over the borough visiting green projects and sites.
Sun 6th - The Crouch End family day seemed to go well, including very informative stalls run by Crouch End & Hornsey Transition Initiative and the SH network.
Tues 8th - 9 people attended the 'Green Your Home' coffee morning at 10am at the Green Lens Studios, N4. It was reported that there was an excellent speaker and discussion.
Tues 8th - About 50 people attended the Highgate and Muswell Hill Area Assemby last night where the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group and Council reps made a presentation about the plans for the new Muswell Hill Low Carbon Zone. The MHSG explained that the idea was to promote things that everyone can do, as well as specialist sustainable energy projects for public buildings etc - and most importantly they hoped Low Carbon Zones would spread across Haringey, London and the world!
Tues 8th - 25 people (of all ages and diverse backgrounds) went along to the 'Age of Stupid' film show in Tottenham Green Library. It was followed by a brief presentation from a rep from the SH network, and then a very good discussion in which over half of those present put forward their views about the very powerful film and what we should all be doing to address the climate change challenge.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Edible Landscapes
Saturday 28 Nov 2009: To kick off the 'Edible Landscapes' project supported by Sustainable Haringey, two Sweet Chestnuts, a Walnut and two edible Rowan trees were planted in Priory Park.
Senior tree officer Alex Fraser & assistant worked hard aided (or watched..) by members of the Tree Trust for Haringey (www.TTFH.org.uk)
These were five of the more than 800 trees Alex and his team hope to have planted all over Haringey by spring.
The next Edible Landscapes event will be planting Sweet Chestnut and Walnut trees in Northumberland Park with local school children on 20 Jan. See calendar for details.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Why not start or join an EcoTeam?!
- support the Haringey Carbon Reduction Fortnight
and make savings on carbon emissions and money
Following the successful completion of the first wave of Haringey EcoTeams we are recruiting team leaders and members to participate in the next phase of the project.
EcoTeams are groups of people who come together once a month to discuss different environmental topics and agree on actions to reduce their impacts. Participating EcoTeam households will make savings on carbon emissions and money and will also compliment the other events and actions organised by the Sustainable Haringey Network during the Climate Change
Conference taking place in Copenhagen in December.
Savings - on average EcoTeam households:
- reduce their direct CO2 emissions by 16.6%
- reduce heating energy consumption by 21%
- reduce their rubbish by 20%
- reduce their water use by 15%
- reduce energy & water bills by £170 a year
If you would like to become an EcoTeam leader and help your family, friends and neighbours achieve tangible savings please log on to www.ecoteams.org.uk and register online to access the resources which will help you lead your team and achieve savings.
Global Action Plan
creating the climate for change
Supported by the Sustainable Haringey network
Contact for Haringey's EcoTeams: Mathew De Souza - mat_in_goa@rediffmail.com
www.sustainableharingey.org.uk
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