Getting Serious part II

We presented over 100 Get Serious postcards to the leader of Islington, Cllr Terry Stacy, at the October Council Meeting. Islington Council are already doing a great deal to combat climate change, but there is more that needs to be done. We would like them to pledge to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020, and produce a plan saying how they will do it.

We will be continuing the campaign over the next few months.

Getting Serious about Climate Change

Last year Friends of the Earth scored a massive success with the Climate Change Law which commits the government to year on year cuts in CO2 emissions. Now the real work begins - actually making those cuts. Our new campaign, Get Serious about CO2, is all about getting local authorities to take action.

Nationally councils can have a big influence on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. They have an annual spend of £10billion, they employ 2 million staff and they provide 3.5 million homes.

Action on climate change will create green jobs, slash energy bills and boost Islington’s economy. Inaction will lead to increased flooding and droughts, rising food prices and continued economic instability across the UK and the rest of the world. It would leave billions of the world’s poorest homeless within our lifetime.

Islington Council is already a bit of a pioneer when it comes to tackling greenhouse gases. They have set up the Climate Change Partnership, working with other organisations committed to cutting CO2, and they have recently joined the 10:10 pledge - to cut CO2 emissions by 10% by the end of 2010.

However, our campaign is calling for them go further and make cuts of 40% by 2020. It's a big ask but we know it is possible. That's why we have been out on the streets asking people to sign up to our Get Serious Campaign.

Islington FOE at the Angel Canal Festival

Islington Friends of the Earth were enjoying the sunshine and persuading passersby to sign up to the Get Serious Campaign at the Angel Canal Festival in September

Outdoor Heaters removed from Upper Street Bars

At our prompting, Islington Council has taken planning enforcement action against several Upper Street bars and restaurants who had screwed high power electric heaters to the front wall. Upper Street falls inside a conservation area and these heaters didn't have planning permission (and most likely wouldn't get it).

Five bars have removed their heaters. However one (102 Upper Street) claims that the heaters have been up for 4 years and were able to prove this to the council.

Of course, all outdoor heaters should be banned in the UK. But bar owners will do anything to keep their customers warm. Anyone know of other outside visible heaters on buildings in conservation areas?

Photo gallery of all the bars and their heaters

Greggs introduce the unrecyclable bag

Greggs, the high end foods retailer specialising in high salt and high sugar content has introduced a new composite bag made of plastic and paper. It combines all the features of both materials. If you get caught in the rain leaving the shop, you can be sure that although one half of the bag with fall apart in your hand, the other half of the bag will stay intact for hundreds of year, at which time the loaf will be just outside its 'best before date' thanks to the use of modern preservatives.

To the untrained eye and probably to most local authority recycling officers, this bag looks pretty much unrecyclable but Greggs have their best brains looking at this conundrum.

Transition Highbury

It hasn't launched yet but there is a steering group of five people: Isabel Carlisle, Antony Melville, Cinzia Sarigu, Roger Wright and Tom Hitchman! Transition Highbury