Spring 2005 Newsletter
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The following articles are reproduced from the Spring 2005 newsletter, and so any information within this page is correct only as of February 2005. For the latest up-to-date information, please visit the relevant campaign pages using the menu on the left, or by clicking on the image alongside the title of each article. |
Poor Vehicle Choice
In the year that Nissan reveals that they don’t know the difference between an ice cream van and a 4x4*, Dave Coleman on why he won’t be giving his lolly to Nissan...
Organising the event as part of the national Alliance Against Urban 4x4s on 18th December 2004, we took to the streets of Manchester in December to spread the message that 4x4 vehicles are “Not Clean, Not Safe and Not Cool”.
After a 10am press call, we set out on an urban safari, issuing hundreds of 4x4s across the city centre with tickets, which initially look like parking fines, but on closer inspection humorously branded the vehicle as ‘a dirty and dangerous car’.
Four Wheel Drives guzzle fuel at a rate that puts our climate at risk, whilst also posing a danger to pedestrians (especially children), cyclists and drivers of smaller cars.
The day of action generated substantial media interest with TV news coverage from Granada and Channel M, radio from Smooth FM and press pieces in Metro News and the whole of page 3 in the Manchester Evening News. In addition the MEN ran the issue as their daily Readers Poll and reported that an astonishing 75% of online voters and 85% of text and phone voters viewed that 4x4s were unsuitable to be driven in urban areas!
As Dave commented on the day: “Most 4x4 drivers don’t want to be selfish, but don’t realise the impact these vehicles have or how widely they are resented and ridiculed. We hope that using humour will help to educate drivers that these huge vehicles pollute, threaten and endanger lives and our environment, and will continue to do so, long after the fashion fad is over.”
Nissan on why the 4x4 is “ideal for the school run”:
A seven seater SUV like Pathfinder is an ideal vehicle for the
school run, if used responsibly. To carry six children to school in
a family hatchback would require two vehicles…
Manchester FoE would like to point out that walking buses can escort more than 6 children safely to school and is offering the lucky reader who spots a 4x4 containing 6 children on the road between 7am and 9am on a weekday a bottle of organic wine (or non-alcohol equivalent). Please send photos to our office email or postal address. Competition is not open to employees of Nissan or their relatives. Manchester FoE reserves the right to ask for proof that the photo is genuine.
* In a press release dated 9th February 2005, Nissan
attempted to refute the argument that 4x4s are too big for UK roads
with: “In fact you could say
that an SUV, with its separate bonnet, produces only a partial eclipse
compared to a monospace-style MPV … or an ice-cream van, for that
matter.”
Keeping it Real
Don't know what to put on your baby and still be able to look your green friends in the face? Colette gets to the bottom of the problem...Did you know...?
• Disposable nappies can take up to 500 years to decompose.
• Disposable nappies use up to five times more energy to
produce than cotton nappies, including the washing process.
• Disposing of nappies costs tax payers £40 million each year.
What’s the alternative?
Modern reusable nappies are very similar to disposables and are as easy to use. A biodegradable liner is used inside the nappy which can be removed to flush the contents down the toilet. They come in various styles:
Flat
Includes traditional terries and prefolds. Cheap and versatile, they
need some folding and a waterproof cover, but they are economical and
quick drying. From around £2 per nappy.
Shaped
Requiring a waterproof cover. Shaped and fitted, with elasticated legs
and waist, they generally have a neater, less bulky fit than flat nappies
and are even easier to put on. They
have Velcro fixings or poppers and wash and dry easily. From around
£4 each.
All-in-one
Supremely easy to use, as the shaped, fitted nappy with Velcro or popper fastenings has a built-in waterproof cover. They take longer to dry but are the easiest cloth nappies to use. From around £8 each.
Covers
Most covers are soft, durable, breathable and machine washable. Fabrics and styles vary, all of them allowing for quick and easy nappy changes.
How to use them?
Real nappies can either be washed at home or you can participate in a nappy laundering service. Laundry services deliver fresh nappies to your door each week and at the same time collect your soiled ones for washing.
Where to buy them?
Contact your local council to see if you are eligible for a free trial.
Contact Cottontails, Manchester's local supplier, on 01244 374521 or www.cottontails.co.uk
How do I find out more information?
The Real Nappy Association
PO Box 3704, London, SE26 4RX
Tel: 020 8299 4519
Web: www.changeanappy.co.uk
The Women's Environmental Network (WEN)
PO Box 30626, London, E1 1TZ
Tel: 0207 481 9004
Web: www.wen.org.uk
Colette Humphrey
colette@manchesterfoe.org.uk
Appetite for Change
On Monday January 24th over 80 people gathered at organic bar-restaurant Nectar in Hale to attend Manchester Friends of the Earth’s “Food for the Future” event. The event was so popular it was sold out well in advance and many applicants had to be turned away.
In an evening of fundraising and education, the audience heard
speakers such as Michele Barlow from the Slow Food movement, Brigid
Benson talking about Altrincham’s bid to become a Fairtrade town
and Dave Coleman highlighting the links between “Thinking Global”
when looking at our environmental impact and “Acting Local”
in how we live.
The audience then enthusiastically tucked into an organic and fairly traded gourmet buffet provided by Nectar and many took time out to sign up to food, corporate and other related environmental actions at the campaign stalls. Organic goodies donated by local ethical investment advisors The Gaeia Partnership, Duchy Originals, Green And Blacks and Doves Farm were raffled.
Dave commented, “Running this event has highlighted not just that people in Manchester are really passionate about their food and where it comes from, but just how many people are passionate about the organic movement and keeping our food free of GM contamination.”
We were so pleased with the event that we are planning another later this year...
Our Guests
Karen Connell, Heide Connell & Joyce Geddes found out about the event through a friend who is a member of National FoE. Their favourite part was the cheese making presentation. Joyce: 'I think the things we talked about are very important.'
Jane and Paul Butler are members of the Slow Food movement. They try to support local businesses and avoid supermarkets. 'We're very suburban but it's not so very far away from food production.'
Real Food campaign co-ordinator:
Kirsty Ogle (kirsty@manchesterfoe.org.uk)
Nuclear Ain't Gonna Save the Day
As more and more people recognise the imminent catastrophe that climate change represents, there have been suggestions from some quarters (notably from the nuclear industry) that nuclear power represents a possible solution.
Friends of the Earth continues to oppose the resurrection of the UK's morbid nuclear industry, not from a position of prejudice but simply because it isn't a solution.
Domestic energy production accounts for less than one-third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and nuclear power currently supplies only 25 per cent of our electricity. As a result, even if we could duplicate every existing nuclear power station in the UK and double the capacity of the nuclear industry at a stroke, this would reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by less than eight per cent per annum. In reality we are years away from commissioning even a single nuclear power station. We can’t afford to wait that long for such a poor contribution: the challenge from climate change is one that we need to address right now.
The numbers behind nuclear simply don't add up. Nuclear is so expensive that even taking the same amount of money and investing it in clean technology in existing coal fired power stations would reduce carbon dioxide oxide emissions by a greater amount than nuclear could contribute.
Clearly the largest savings of greenhouse gas emissions are from making this investment in the growing renewable energy industry. A study by French research institute DETENTE shows that over time, the same investment in wind-power as compared with nuclear generates twice as much energy and twice as many jobs per project. All of this without any terrorist threat to fuel supply or power stations, and without adding to the still unsolved problem of what to do with the almost indefinitely lethal waste that the nuclear industry generates.
We continue to oppose nuclear power because the reality is that renewable energy provides the only long-term answer to the climate change crisis, and time wasted making a case for nuclear power is simply a dangerous distraction from this.
Climate campaign co-ordinator:
Dave Coleman (dave@manchesterfoe.org.uk)
Scorchio! Spain makes solar panels mandatory in new buildings
Spain wants to take advantage of its sunshine by making solar panels compulsory in new and renovated buildings — to save fuel costs and to improve the environment.
Jose Montilla, the Industry Minister, has announced that from next year, anyone who intends to build a home will be obliged to include solar panels in their plans, with the aim of turning Spain from a straggler to a European leader in the use of renewable energy.
The new construction regulation will affect more than half a million new houses a year, if the current pace of construction is maintained.
A single two-metre solar panel on the roof of a home can cut its water-heating bills by up to 70 per cent a year, according to government estimates. Three years ago Seville, the Andalusian capital, introduced the same measure which the Government now intends to adopt nationwide. (Times Online)
Climate campaign co-ordinator:
Dave Coleman (dave@manchesterfoe.org.uk)
Transport Facts and Figures
Looks like transport campaigner Graeme has been cleaning out his attic again. Here, arranged in an unashamedly random order are the what, where, whys and how of getting around whilst improving your health, saving dosh and having a smug green glow about it.
• Cycling 20 miles per week halves the risk of a heart attack. (British Medical Association)
• Cyclists often have a fitness level of someone 10 years their junior. (Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme)
• Carbon dioxide emissions from road transport in Britain in 2001 were 31 million tonnes. Road transport contributes around 21 per cent of total man-made carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. (RAC)
• In heavy traffic-jams the air quality can be poorer inside a car than outside. Car users are to exposed up to three times as much pollution as pedestrians. (Environmental Transport Association)
• Road traffic and aviation are the fastest growing sources of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. (DETR)
• Two-thirds of people now understand that transport emissions are a major factor contributing to climate change. (Department for Transport, Transport Trends)
• The average carbon dioxide emissions for different modes of transport are as follows (in grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre): passenger rail 73, buses 77, cars 114, short haul air 330. (Strategic Rail Authority)
Where to go to find out how to go...
• public transport info for the UK
www.traveline.org.uk
or 0870 6082608
• train information for the UK
www.thetrainline.com
or 08457 484960
• rail journeys into Europe
www.raileurope.co.uk
• for journeys in Manchester
www.gmpte.com
• online cycle training
kingcommute.live.poptech.coop
Transport campaign co-ordinator:
Graeme Sherriff (graeme@manchesterfoe.org.uk)
Thanks to Karen and Ben for additional research.
Take Action!
If you have...
...5 minutes
Go to www.gmpte.com and click on Journey Planner to see how you could change your journey to work.
...15 minutes
Think about whether you could share a car to get to work or the kids to school and approach your friends or colleagues.
...1 hour
You could walk to do your shopping. You can walk up to 4 or 5 miles in an hour and your health will improve as a result.