Copenhagen disaster

I had one email over Christmas saying why haven't I written about Copenhagen - well the truth is I could hardly bring myself to blog on the depressing disaster of it all...there is virtually no comfort...but well here as we come to the end of 2009 are a few thoughts...

Firstly scientists are pretty unanimous in their agreement that the failure of world leaders to agree targets to cut climate pollution at the Copenhagen summit will lead to a global catastrophe and threaten the lives of hundreds of millions of people. There is now little hope of keeping the average rise in global temperatures below 2°C (which is already too high). Scientists are predicting instead that temperatures will increase by 3°C or more, bringing widespread flooding, major droughts and mass migrations, along with serious food and water shortages.

James Curran, the director of science at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and one of the Scottish government’s top advisors on climate change comments: “It really couldn’t be any more serious. It’s staggeringly frightening and deeply disappointing that Copenhagen has failed. This is extremely dangerous for Scotland and the world.” A temperature rise of 3°C could trigger runaway climate change that will be impossible to reverse."

Martin Whiteside, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Stroud issued a statement here saying: "After the disappointing outcome at Copenhagen, Stroud Greens are even more determined to continue the fight for climate justice. We have to move forward so that 2010 will be the year of the global climate pact, with clear and binding reduction targets and fresh money to finance those targets. We must make good use of the incredible energy and passion displayed by civil society organisations in Copenhagen".

Indeed anyone interested in hearing what happened in Copenhagen from people who were there should come along to an extra Coffee House Discussions sponsored by the Stroud District Green Party at the Hibernia (the old Centre for Science and Art opposite the Library in Lansdown, Stroud) on Tuesday 5^th January at 7.30pm. It will be a chance to discuss the outcome at Copenhagen, what it means internationally and how we can respond to it locally.

Who to blame?

Blame for the failures of the conference has been flying around all over - it is clear that the EU did not act together as a strong and united bloc and wasted time on internal bickering when a firm commitment to a 30% reduction in emissions by 2020 could have provided the momentum the conference so badly lacked. However Mark Lynas writes an interesting piece that starts: "How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I was in the room". See his article here.

Stroud Voice from Copenhagen

Stroudie Issy Cockcroft writes in her blog of the Copenhagen meeting: "Amid the depression and chaos of the last few weeks I’ve seen, and been able to be a part of so many beautiful, inspiring things. I’ve walking with 100,000 people of every age and nationality to call for a safe and stable climate...." Read more here and she writes: "I will be honest. This took me a long time to write. I almost didn’t want to tell anyone how disastrous the outcomes of these talks have been. There are 3 main components for a strong global deal; it must be fair, ambitious and legally binding. Copenhagen has delivered none of these things. The Copenhagen Accord is a joke. But somehow I couldn’t laugh, only cry." Issy will be at the Coffee House discussion (see above).

Other voices

SchNEWS has a write up of the conference here - suggesting that "no real deal suits the dominant powers very well - they can afford to hang on until the poorer nations buckle. It's full-scale carbon trading and business as usual or nothing for the richest nations. Despite half-hearted last ditch attempts to salvage something to save media face, the volutary 'accord' arm-twisted through at the last moment is virtually meaningless."

Activists report on the conference - see loads of stuff at: http://icop15.org

Copenhagen has jeopardised plans to build the new generation of nuclear power stations in Britain. Leading energy industry figures have said that the meeting’s failure to help to establish a strong international price for carbon dioxide emissions had undermined the economic rationale for developing the new plants, which emit little carbon but are very expensive to build. See the Times here.

But the story of Copenhagen is not just a story of failure

There were 112 countries that have now stood up in support of 350ppm and a safe and stable climate. They represent the poorest and most vulnerable nations. Indeed rather than die quietly like the rich nations would have they have stood firm.

We must also take credit that three years ago, eight new coal power stations were being planned, and the third runway at Heathrow was all but inevitable. Now all the new coal power stations have been cancelled, and the third runway is dead in the water. Protests are working but there need to be parallel movements to this in every country on earth and a much bigger one in Britain.

Where next?

At least there is an agreement to go to Mexico, but I have to ask whether internationally negotiated climate agreements are obsolete? The tiny cuts discussed don't remotely approach the cuts that are needed and it takes years to negotiate and ratify these agreements. We will run out of time. Of course we must participate in the negotiations but we need a new way.

Environmentalist Paul Hawken this year said something along the lines of the need first to decide what needs to be done, then to do it and then ask if it is possible. We will certainly need to mobilise again all that wonderful positive energy from so many that put so much hope in Copenhagen. Let us hope that the disaster of Copenhagen can spur us all onto make the changes that are needed - here's to 2010.

"The climate summit in Copenhagen has finished without a treaty to protect the climate. It's not fair, not ambitious and not legally binding. It's not done yet. Neither are we." Greenpeace

6.05 years to clear housing waiting lists

Shelter have released details of the housing waiting list at every local authority in the country, and calculated how long it would take for them to clear the backlog (using the number of lettings made - by housing associations and local authorities - to new tenants) - Stroud has 2559 on housing waiting list with 6.05 years to clear it's list (see Shelter here).

News from the Government about a council-house building programme is most welcomed - and about time too!

The Prime Minister has promised Treasury rules that prevent councils building will be relaxed to allow councils to borrow more money for construction and to keep the proceeds from rents and sales. This will hopefully mean good news for all those who live in poor and overcrowded conditions, those sofa-surfing and of course street homeless people. There is a wealth of evidence that demonstrates that building new homes puts people back to work in substantial numbers more quickly than any other major industry and the government gets back at least 50p in every pound it invests in the housing programme through benefits not paid and income tax and national insurance collected.

Will Stroud go down this route and build homes? It is too early to say but any new council homes should also be part of a wider package. The Government must also:

• Stop council house sales
• Introduce first-time buyer grants, which could help revive the private housing market and would also be available to private sector tenants who receive no help at present
• Make extra efforts to bring empty homes into use
• Support councils who want to set up their own building companies to build new homes
• Ensure all the new homes are energy and water efficient

WEEE this Christmas

Yesterday I noted the excellent My Zero Waste website and urged folk to vote for them in the Green Web Awards. Today I wanted to highlight one of their recent blog posts about the campaign, by the Recycle for Gloucestershire team, to raise awareness of how to dispose of broken and unwanted waste electronics and electrical equipment (WEEE). More of that in a moment...

This is a subject dear to my heart having nearly established a company locally some years ago to deal with computer waste. I was working with a guy, Richard Drake, who set up a similar company in Canada - for various reasons, not helped by the repeated delays by our Government to bring forward WEEE guidelines, I didn't develop the project. Nevertheless it was a huge learning process and I was able to visit some very interesting projects - not least a unique machine to recycle monitors.

At the time this is what I wrote: "In the Western world there is an increasing problem with discarded computers entering landfills. At present there are few computer recycling programs to address this problem. Of particular concern are the toxic ingredients found in computers which, when disposed of inadequately, can pollute the environment. Many of these computers are still in working condition or can be easily repaired or upgraded, and thus are suitable for disadvantaged people in countries with little or no computer resources, or the needy in England. The CompuCycle project originated in Canada, where a series of public computer collection events were held on Vancouver Island in 2001 and 2002– the first of their kind. At each event a 53ft van was filled, and sent to a recycler who guaranteed ethical recycling. A number of working machines were also collected for donation to Third World countries."

CompuCycle, as it was called, was going to be divided into a non-profit and profit arm. Anyhow WEEE has now happened and is starting to work. UK residents currently throw away enough WEEE every year to fill new Wembley six times.

It’s estimated that around 150 million small electrical products are bought each year in the UK for Christmas - new toys, gadgets, power tools and kitchen appliances - and most will end up in the landfill once they have fulfilled their useful life - some even before then.

My Zero Waste blog (see here) writes:

Everything from kettles, razors, torches, drills, cameras and Christmas tree lights fall under WEEE. I was astonished to learn that a staggering 500 tonnes of Christmas lights alone are discarded in the UK over the holiday season.

WEEE consists of anything with a plug, removable or internal batteries. For more information see our WEEE article. You’ll learn about the crossed out wheelie bin symbol and the reasons why our WEEE should not be put into landfill.if you fancy something light hearted to help you remember things, why not have a go at the ReGeneration game!

On average every Gloucestershire home has at least 3 old broken or unwanted small electrical items such as hair dryers, kettles or old mobile phones.

Regardless of where you live, the message is to dispose of WEEE responsibly either at the local Household Recycling Centre or take it to stores offering a take back scheme. Check out Recycle Now’s “Don’t bin it, Bring it” site for more details.

To determine whether your item is WEEE or not, Recycle for Gloucestershire recommend asking these simple questions…

• Does it have a plug?
• Does it use batteries?
• Does it need charging?
• Does it have the crossed-out wheelie bin logo on it?

If you can answer “YES” to any of the above, you can recycle it with WEEE facilities.

Locally our nearest site fopr disposal is the Recycling Centre at Horsley.

Labour target Green seats

It is interesting that Labour letters in the SNJ have recently targeted Greens - well tried to - I personally think they are on a loosing streak with that argument - Labour have consistently failed regarding the environment - and indeed on other key Green issues like justice.....

Photos: Nothing to do with this blog entry but pics of Olivas in Painswick that has my vote this year for the best coffee in Stroud area

John Marjoram answered the SNJ Labour letters - see here - in John's letter he mentions The Independent on Sunday which shows a list drawn up in Downing Street of crucial constituencies with strong support for the Green Party - it identifies 31 seats (including Stroud) that Labour believe they can target among the 112 target seats the Tories need for a majority.

The Downing Street paper notes they have various options like to target voters with leaflets quoting some prominent Conservative climate change sceptics. This follows Gordon Brown's welcomed denouncement of "flat-Earth" environmental sceptics, including the former Tory chancellor Lord Lawson and ex-shadow home secretary David Davis.

As The Independent notes "one problem with the strategy is that the Green Party could benefit by the extra focus on environmental issues – making no difference to the battleground."

As for the Tories? Well Cameron didn't even list Climate Change as one of his top ten priorities (see here). Indeed Cameron's recent speech on "post-bureaucratic age" promises a return to Thatcherism with a government that would tiptoe round big business. Indeed he daren't even legislate for energy-efficient TVs, only 'appeal' to manufacturers to be 'responsible.' Well we've had decades of that, and it hasn't worked. We need a government that's going to take action.

Similarly we hear from Cameron about pledging to stop Heathrow's third runway in order to help cut greenhouse gases, yet simultaneously promoting the growth of regional airports despite the corresponding increase in greenhouse gases - it simply doesn't make sense. See also here frustration at Labour and Tory vote re wind turbines.

Labour have been inadequate, but the Tories in government were a lot worse and there is no indication they will be better now.

The failures of our democratic system has meant Greens have not had a voice in Government - unlike many European Governments - I've spoken before about the need for proportional representation and Labours failure to introduce it - and now they have the cheek to say vote Labour or the Tories will get in - shame on them. But I'm not going down that route now it's time for a mug of tea....

Vote Zero Waste

Gloucestershire's My Zero Waste website has been shortlisted for the Green Web Awards in the 'Green Living Advice sites" category.

This is a huge success in itself as competition is hugely steep - in the shortlist they are up against two companies - one being the Guardian newspaper with its several MILLION visitors per month and the other against a great company called You Gen.

Voting ends on Thursday, so if you can spare them 5 seconds, please click on the link below, scroll down until you find the 'Best green living advice" category and vote for My Zero Waste:
www.nigelsecostore.com/green-web-awards/vote/

As regular blog readers will know Ruscombe Green has linked and contributed to their website - they do a grand job with passion and humour and greatly deserve this recognition. Well done indeed.

Petition: Stop EU fisheries in Western Sahara!

Here is a petition launched last month to the European Commissioner for Fisheries that I signed regarding Western Sahara. Please consider signing - it is illegal for the natural resources of Western Sahara to be exploited in this way, yet the EU continues to buy permits from Morocco for EU fishing vessels which allows them to fish in Western Saharan waters. The people of Western Sahara have never given their permission for this to happen.

Go to petition at: www.fishelsewhere.eu

No state in the world has recognised the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara. Still, the EU is paying millions of Euros annually to the Government of Morocco to allow EU vessels to fish in the waters of Western Sahara. The EU fisheries activities in Western Sahara must immediately come to an end.

Morocco continues to refuse to cooperate with the decolonization process in Western Sahara, thereby defying more than 100 UN resolutions that insist on the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. Simultaneously, Moroccan authorities commit human rights violations against Sahrawis who voice their political views. No EU states, nor the UN, recognise the Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

In this context, cooperating with Morocco in exploiting Western Sahara’s natural resources is highly unethical, and clearly jeopardizes the UN’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

According to the UN, the natural resources in Western Sahara cannot be exploited without regard to the wishes and interests of the people of the territory. However, the EU is transferring European taxpayers’ money to the Government of Morocco for access to Western Saharan waters, without even consulting the Sahrawi people.

The EU has the legal and moral obligation to stop subverting the UN peace process in Western Sahara, by respecting the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination over their land and their resources.

We urge the European Commission to put an immediate stop to the granting of all licenses to EU vessels fishing in Western Saharan waters, and we demand that no further EU fisheries operations take place in Western Sahara until a peaceful solution to the conflict has been found.

See previous blog on Western Sahara here.

Seasons Greetings!

Just a quick note to send Seasons Greetings to all the readers of Ruscombe Green.

Here are some pics from Standish Woods this last week - I've had some time off work but sadly missed being able to sledge in the little bit of snow we had - but love the Christmassy feeling the snow has given in the run up to today.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrope

I've just been yesterday to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the re-launch of the Picturedrome Theatre in Barton Street in Gloucester - it was wonderful - it is still on until 4th Jan - see here.

Photos: White Witch, Mr Tumnus and Lucy, White Witch and wolf, Aslan and gang meet in woods.

The story from the Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis and first published in 1950 opened at the former Olympus theatre - the play written by Adrian Mitchell, produced by Adrian Locher and directed by Alexander Gifford.

One of the best characters in the play is Nicholas Allan (of Star Anise Cafe in Stroud fame) who played Mr Tumnus - indeed a perfect Mr Tumnus! Also in the cast is Bread Street, Ruscombe resident Alex Brabbins who played Edmund brilliantly and Penelope Wildgoose, a former Stroud District Green party candidate in local elections, who played the White Witch wonderfully terrifyingly scary...wanted to hide behind my programme.

Loved the movement of the Leopards and the wolf was also especially scary and loved the howl! Other highlights included Mr and Mrs Beaver and former Randwick resident Andrew Floyd who played Aslan and the professor.

The sets were great but the 'puppets' fantastic - the eagle moved wonderfully, the great giant and various other creatures.....thank you indeed - don't miss it!

Tickets cost £8, with £7 concessions, from 01452 503050 or online at www.ashacentre.org/narnia.

How to recycle your wine bottles

Here's a use for 2,500 wine bottles that I saw earlier this year - this was built at the Centre for Sustainable Technology - corks are put back in to ensure they don't fill with rain.

So perhaps start saving all those bottles drunk over Christmas?

See also the greenhouse made of plastic bottles on my 20th August 2007 blog.

Win on boiler scrappage

The Government has announced the formation of a £50 million greener boiler incentive to upgrade the boilers of 125 000 households. This incentive, to be launched in 2010, will help householders reduce their emissions by upgrading their old boilers to the latest efficient models.

Photo: Christmas Fairy cake sold for the Gloucestershire Chest Fund on Goodwill evening

This is good news - it was Green party London Mayoral candidate Sian Berry who helped launch the campaign for a gas boiler scrappage scheme - this is basically a short-term anti-recession measure to bring forward some overdue savings by replacing old equipment now and help small businesses.

Of course we can have greener boilers, but unless this is part of a mass insulation programme, lifestyle shift and renewables installation, there will be a tendency of replacing old boilers with new ones that are more efficient but just as big. This would be like campaigning against 4x4s - and just arguing for new, more fuel efficient 4x4's instead. Research has shown that by saving money on the new boiler without accompanying measures we will just heat our homes warmer. New boilers should be smaller as well as more efficient. So some caution!!

Mick Williams, a plumbers’ merchant based in Hampshire, had the idea for a boiler scrappage scheme. He argued that small businesses need a boost right now far more than banks and giant corporations. And, with lower bills and added carbon savings, the scheme would bring real green benefits as well. Mick started an online Downing Street petition after being inspired by the absurd car scrappage scheme, and could see that boiler scrappage would be far better for carbon savings.

According to the campaign website, www.reheatbritain.org.uk, the benefits of a boiler scrappage scheme would include:
- Reduced carbon dioxide emissions
- Boilers account for around 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions in a gas heated home. By replacing an old G rated boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler and improved heating controls, emissions can be cut by as much as a quarter (see figures here).
- Lower bills for many householders
- Savings in carbon translate into reduced gas bills, with the average home saving up to £200 per year with a new condensing boiler (see figures here).
- A boost to businesses involved in plumbing, building and related industries These businesses are largely sole traders and small companies, whose profits benefit local communities much more than those of the car and banking industries.
- A boost to British manufacturing
- A large proportion of gas boilers are still made here in the UK, so a boiler scrappage scheme would benefit many thousands of other workers here, not just plumbers and builders.

To read the full story, see pages 115 and 132 in section seven of the pre-budget report at: http://ow.ly/MHBI

Hedgehog Hospital website

Well regular blog readers will remember several blogs earlier in the year regarding the new Hedgehog Hospital in Brimscombe - well their website is progressing and recently had lots more info added to it: www.helpahedgehog.org/

Photo: Hamish at the Hospital

There is also a new car sticker which you can buy for £2. I think Annie has 15 hogs at the moment - and is also working with pupils from Thomas Keble Secondary School - they are creating a questionnaire mapping sightings of hedgehogs in Gloucestershire. Most of the pupils had never come face to face with a hedgehog before. This is perhaps not so surprising as figures show hedgehogs are dying out at a rate of about a fifth of the population every four years: if this continues there will be no more hedgehogs by 2025!

See my visit to Hedgehog Hospital here and more info here and bonfire alert here.

Thermal Imaging Houses project to cut heat loss

I previously mentioned my uncle's involvement in a project looking at Thermal Imaging (see here) as a way of raising awareness about heat loss - well below are some of the notes he has gained from experiences of five communities (not in Gloucestershire). Big thanks to him for sharing them here.

Photos: Pics from appendix A below of the report - see there for more details - apols for quality - I couldn't get them to reproduce in a jpeg so ended up photographing the photos on the screen - hence the terrible quality!!
Picture one is south elevation and front of a village hall - you can see radiators (red) have been heating the uninsulated wall. Picture two - north elevation shows insulated extension compared with poorly insulated main walls and roof - lower windows and doors double glazes but it was warmer inside there. Picture three - south elevation with heat escaping from open door - the white spot is a direct view of the hall radiator.

This Thermal Imaging Project is an exciting and very visual way to highlight heat loss - seeing the results are a clear way to motivate behaviour change - but it isn't easy as the report shows. Indeed behaviour change is tough stuff - there are those motivated to change - and projects like the energy monitors in libraries locally (see here) are great for that - but then how do we engage wider populations? This is the challenge.

A recent tenants energy group at the District Council couldn't get enough members to keep going and a local Transition Stroud Carbon Reduction Action Group (CRAG) folded due to not enough interest.....even free insulation often isn't enough to make people accept it - changing behaviours is hard - but clearly rising fuel prices will impact and encourage change - Ofgem say we can see 60% fuel price rises within next 5 years - some say they could be higher.

For me there are very real concerns re fuel poverty - and of course climate change - as noted before I am chairing a District Council inquiry into funding of this issue - we only just started but a report should be out by our February Scrutiny meeting - I completed the first draft earlier this week - yet without serious investment we cannot hope to tackle these issues. Anyhow I'll leave you for mo with this report....

Thermal Imaging Houses – Some Conclusions

Based on experiences of 5 communities using infra-red photos to highlight houses’ heat loss.

The Good News & the Bad News

The Bad News
- Thermal imaging is not so easy.
- Interpreting results needs training, care & experience.
- Normally it needs to be done in cold weather when neither the sun
nor rain has fallen on the house being imaged. This and the need for discussion with householders mean that it takes more time than one expects to image a number of properties.

The Good News

- It fulfils its main function in being absolutely intriguing, raising interest and awareness.
- It makes people think they should do something to save energy.
- Householders are pleased and enjoy having it done. They can recognize and confirm what they see in the images.

Gathering initial support & involvement

It was important to advertise the project beforehand and seek committed team members and individuals interested in having their properties imaged. This can be done via personal contact and suitable local publications.

It is necessary to made clear that no images will be taken of properties without the householders’ permission.

The Team

Team structure and the choice of committed individuals is important. Obviously the choice can be approached in different ways, but certain key characteristics are required:-

Someone to set out & coordinate the imaging program (i.e. Project Director / Leader).

Someone with good contacts & knowledge of the community is needed to facilitate communication & identification of individuals.

Imagers who have training / experience specifically in operating the infrared camera. Experience with normal digital photography is useful but not enough.

Those downloading the digital thermal image data onto computers, processing it and probably printing it will need suitable computer skills.

Someone, presumably one of those involved above, to keep track of the rather large amounts of data collected.

Camera Use

Thermal imaging is different to normal digital photography. Using the camera & putting in the appropriate settings is not straightforward. Training, practising & understanding beforehand is essential.

Imaging glass windows can be affected by reflection. Even the heat from the imager’s body can be reflected. So the angle and what might be reflected needs care in image taking & interpretation. For example, shiny surfaces and roofs imaged at an angle can give distorted temperature readings.

Other equipment

Although not essential, a tripod & thermometer can be useful. For image interpretation it helps to know the temperatures inside & outside the property being imaged. The camera itself does measure ambient temperature, but takes some time to respond. Some hand held thermometers are quicker.

Weather

A temperature differential between inside & outside of at least 10ºC is needed for good results.

Solar gain is another problem. Sun on one side of a building, even hours earlier, can seriously distort the thermal imaging results.

A wet surface, such a brick after rain, can also be a problem.

Thus winter evenings after overcast skies without rain give the best results.

A local weather forecasting website, such as www.metcheck.com, can help in organizing imaging dates.

Time needed

Imaging a number of properties takes longer than expected. This is largely due to weather uncertainties and the establishment of coincident availability dates for householders & imagers. Contacting householders & imagers and programming imaging dates is essential.

Good organisation is key! One community was assigned the camera for only a short time and yet thermally imaged 18 properties in only 4 evenings. This is the best time performance to date from any of our communities.

Having the camera allocated for an extended period seems good but a shorter period a say of ~2 weeks can concentrate the mind and give better use of time if well organised (& given suitable weather). Also imaging sessions seem better fitted in after evening meals rather than before.

Organisation

The team organisation needs to be set up beforehand with individual roles defined. Once the camera collection date is known, a date for training the team members needs to be established. Training needs adequate time, and more than one training session may be needed.

The most usual operating teams consist of 2 ‘imagers’ one of whom concentrates on operating the camera and the other on the essential note taking. A third, a director/‘imager’ may be added to help coordination.

Note taking

Image interpretation is not straightforward. One cannot stress enough the need for careful notes of the weather, building structures & any anomalies found.

Anomalies to keep an eye open for are unexpected colours / temperatures in the image. Then it’s best to try to establish & note the possible explanation. The householder’s explanation / opinion is likely to help. Knowing the weather conditions & building structure (e.g. insulation already installed etc.) helps with image interpretation.

Field Note Taking is helped by having pre prepared forms for the imagers to complete on site whilst out imaging.

Downloading, Processing Images & Producing Reports

This can take longer per property than the imaging itself. But for maximum impact the results should be fed back to the householder fairly quickly, say within a month.

Before starting report production it is necessary to decide the nature of the reports to be produced, the colour palette for the images, the software to use (this can be camera software alone or in combination with other software e.g. JPEG & MS Word), and how they will be conveyed to householders.

Some opt for reports of several pages using camera software, incorporating not only Red-Blue palette thermal images, but added normal digital images of the properties as well.

Some used the camera software to process the thermal images, but produced their 1 or 2 page reports with JPEG images using MS Word (see example Appendix A below).

One community opted to save paper by circulating images via email and only printing images for householders without computers.

All the communities managed to get example results in village & local publications & on display boards at local events, all of which helps to convey the message.

Reactions

Our community projects have been well received. Thermal imaging is fascinating. People were very interested to see the results and pleased to have the images and analyses. Sometimes it did not tell them much they did not suspect or know, but it emphasised their energy loss and added to motivation.

As with most motivational projects continued follow-up & varied approaches are needed.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect is getting people to act on the information received and to spend their hard earned cash on energy saving improvements.

One suggestion is for a suitable member of the team to return to the householder say about one or not more than two weeks after they have received the thermal image results to discuss possibilities. For this it is helpful to have details / publications on energy saving and its costs & returns produced by organisations such as the local Energy Centre and the Energy Saving Trust.

However, energy prices are going to rise further and people will start to see an even stronger need for making the necessary savings in the home.

Conclusion

Good - Planning, Organisation, Team Selection, Training, Communication & Commitment are the keys to success.


APPENDIX A: Thermal Imaging Study

Date: 8.3.08 Time: 10.00
Inside: 10 º C Temperatures: Outside: 7 º C
Build Date: c1871
Householder: The Village
Image Address: Village Hall
Wall Structures: Solid brick main building & cavity in extensions
Window Types: Upper single glazed & double glazed in extensions
Roof: Tile non insulated.

Photos: see above for a brief description of each of the pics.

Great insect towers

These wonderful insect towers are on the cover of The Garden's July issue which I read in the dentist recently - they formed part of the "Future Nature" garden by Adrian Hallam, Chris Arrowsmith and Nigel Dunnant at the Chelsea flower show - the photo on the cover was by Neil Hepworth - I love them as sculptures in the garden - maybe something to develop more with the local Global Bee Project?

See here some of the previous beehouses local folk have made - and here about how to make them.

Public transport e-campaigns

This pic is from local artist Russ and shows the new improved route across the Ruscombe valley! We are seeking a team of cyclists that can take on this new role that will link the BRead Street side of the valley with the Whiteshill folk.

Meanwhile the Campaign for Better Transport has several quick actions that you can take - it took me less than ten minutes and I think all three are worth the effort:

First up there are rumours that the Treasury wants to kill the Kickstart bus funding programme. Ask the Bus Minister not to let that happen! Click here to send a message to stop the bus cuts:
www.bettertransport.org.uk/take_action/bus-cuts

Second please support the campaign asking the Transport Secretary to review train fares. Send a message from here callingf for similar cheap fares on our line:
www.bettertransport.org.uk/take_action/east-coast-fares

Lastly the Highways Agency plan to squander £1.3 billion on one road. Is this madness? You’re not alone. This massive road in Cambridgeshire will not solve traffic problems. Please add your name to those who want to see transport budgets spent in better ways:
www.bettertransport.org.uk/take_action/A14

Copenhagen: petition to rescue deal

I can hardly bring myself to blog about Copenhagen - three days to go and it seems despite all the hope the summit is failing.

Photo: Rooks whirling in wind over Randwick

Today the world's leaders arrive for an unprecedented 60 hours of direct negotiations. Can a last tidal wave of public pressure for a deal rescue the summit?

Click below to sign the petition for a real deal in Copenhagen - the Avaaz campaign already has 11 million supporters!! Every single name is actually being read out at the summit - sign on at the link below and forward this to everyone!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen

Here is what Prince Charles had to say: "As our planet's life-support system begins to fail and our very survival as a species is brought into question, remember that our children and grandchildren will ask not what our generation said, but what it did. Let us give an answer, then, of which we can be proud." Full speech here.

Stroud teenager Issy Ellis-Cockcroft is part of the UK delegation – see her blog plus films and how she is getting on at www.livingonsunshine.org.uk

I have also been moved to read the messages on the Copenhagen tree outside the Sub Rooms - mostly written on Saturday at the Stroud Climate event - here are dozens of the messages from the people of Stroud typed up by Emily and circulated to Transition Stroud:

No half measures, we need a fair, just deal on climate change – for all countries We can only do so much individually – help us do more together “Copenhagen, give us your answer do, we're all crazy, we're all dressed in blue. Unite and all start trying, to stop and all start trying for all it's worth, let's save the earth, reduce your CO2!” (sung) Look after the earth for my grandchildren Let's do what we can, while we can Think of the starving people around the world. Stop global warming!!! Think! Stop taking oil and coal. Think! Our planet needs our help. Don't give up the fight Wake up and love the earth We need to take responsibility Our children and grandchildren need action NOW! Walk, cycle, reduce, reuse Fair deal please for Africa “Politics is the art of the possible” show it to us Copenhagen Hurry Up – Dan age 11 Sow the seeds of light, visions for the future generations in the dark times. Reduce carbon emissions, be satisfied with less, live sustainably Om Chanti Cut CO2! Stop pissing our planet away for gain and greed take action for all our children and their children, now! Act now for social justice, equality and the planet Act now so our grandchildren can enjoy our beautiful world as we have been privileged to do Think differently, think of others Ntau ya shotta (time is running out!) Our planet needs to live Redistribution of wealth and power will end global conflict Please, please, please, we need strong, short term reductions now. It is almost too late! We ask that all governments do all they can now for our grandchildren. Not to act is criminal. We are the people we have been waiting for. Now is here. Examine your hearts not your bank accounts. Get real! There is only one earth. We are running out of time, oil and natural spaces. Stop putting your heads in the sand, act now! Our beautiful earth. How beautiful all you activists are out there – let's step into our power now for this great turning. Human change will only make climate change. Rich nation delegates – listen to the voices of developing countries! Climate is an economic issue! A lower standard of living – a higher higher standard of life. It's our generation that has made this mess, but it is our children, and our grandchildren who may not have a planet to share. Act now – every single one of us must take responsibility but our leaders have the real power to bring change. Make our day! Save our planet! We want the earth to last for many more decades, we love the earth and hope for a real, lasting deal! Tusino Tak! Freedom.We have it to change who we are and how we behave We need to believe it is happening! We do care, help us save our planet. Please grant the earth the same rights humans expect. Attraverso il azlone del figlio l'immenso dolore del padre sia placato per mezzo della liberazione di tutte de tue creature. (apologies if anything miss-spelled.) Go for it – you can do it! Wind, water, solar, we need to think how we can use our planet, not abuse it. Please take ambitious, binding and fair decision for the sake of your children. Clean energy, sustainable resources. I know change is not easy... be the change, the time is now we need to replace our rampant consumerism with respect for the planet, respect for future generations and respect for other species. Consider grandchildren urgently Just do it – don't be dumb! Think of the planet – not your egos!! Act now! For everyone. “We will not die quietly” It is not just about us, remember the other denizens of the world Please don't take my sunshine away

50 videos including Julia Butterfly Hill

I just came across this video collection - the Big Picture TV - it streams free video clips of leading experts, thinkers and activists in environmental and social sustainability. See here their most popular fifty clips: www.bigpicture.tv/videos/popular

Photo from here of Julia Butterfly Hill

Anyhow some great stuff - in particular I just watched "How can we make sustainability mainstream?"after it being recommended - it is by Julia Butterfly Hill - see it here. I love how she points out the obvious like how on earth did we come to a point when all that is good for the planet is considered 'alternative' and we talk about managing ancient woodlands as if somehow they haven't been able to 'manage' themselves!!!

Julia Butterfly Hill was the one who for 738 days lived 180 feet high in the canopy of a 1,000 year old redwood tree to help make the world aware of the plight of ancient forests. She then wrote the excellent book The Legacy of Luna - it is now set to be made into a film starring Rachel Weisz.

Anyway apols for recent blog posts but I have been tied up with two scrutiny inquiries that have taken lots of my time recently - indeed just spent half of yesterday and a large chunk of today on writing one - hopefully available for public consumption soon! Of course it is also Christmas so no doubt all you readres out there will have more interests so this blog maybe a little quieter over the coming weeks.

Cutting the cost this Christmas

I was just sent this image that I thought to share with you - not sure where it came from!

Time for LEDs

Well done Gloucestershire County Council for replacing the halogen lamps in traffic signals with low energy LEDs. This move, welcomed by Greens, will reduce carbon emissions by 600 tonnes a year, save £180,000 of tax payers’ money and reduce energy consumption by up to 74% for the 291 traffic signals.

Cartoon - apols for poor quality borrowed from 'First' magazine

Meanwhile the EU are planning to include spotlight and downlighter bulbs in those bulbs banned next year - see Sunday Telegraph a while back here - this is expected to include those traditional spotlights and some kinds of halogen downlighters used in kitchens and bathrooms.

Low energy halogen bulbs use 25 per cent less electricity than the normal varieties while energy saving compact fluorescent lamps consume up to 75 per cent less power. LEDs, as noted before on this blog, can save up to 95% in energy - infact I am trialling a couple in my kitchen at the moment - good light but slightly yellow tinge - they have come a very long way recently and provide a much greater range of lighting options than in the past - I still find it difficult to understand why not more is made of these lamps locally - am sure more folk would want to purshase them. See useful summary re compact fluourescent lamps here - indeed they have also come a long way from that dreadful lighting of the past - the sad thing is, it is usually the grotty light ones that have been given away or sold cheaply - so giving them a bad name.

Meanwhile as we know the first of the European rules aimed at phasing out traditional incandescent light bulbs has already come into force with manufacturers and retailers being banned from importing frosted incandescent bulbs and clear incandescent bulbs of 100 Watts or above. Over the next three years the regulations will be extended to ban 60W, 40W and 25W incandescent bulbs.

It is perhaps not surprising that use of energy saving lightbulbs is up 5% on last year - a house fitted with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) is likely to save up to £37 a year, and £590 over a 10-year lifespan of bulbs fitted throughout the house. This can impact not just on those in fuel poverty and of course save emissions.

Video on those Climategate emails

A couple of days ago I mentioned those Climategate emails - well here is a good video that explains them - it includes some extraordinary scenes from those believing this has uncovered a conspiracy...see it here.

Bits and Bobs: logo, starlings, bus fumes, wood fuel and more

This blog is full of bits of info and updates on various local stuff:

Starlings - they have been amazing at dusk just outside Slimbridge (see photo) - if you have never seen them don't miss! It is an extraordinary site to see the clouds of birds join, twist and turn across the sky - one of the best sights ever!!

Randwick Parish Council have agreed on their logo - a version by Russ of the old logo of the lone Ash - see picture below.

Whiteshill goes 1940s - Great to see all of Whiteshill School dressed in 1940s costume for a train ride to Swindon Steam Museum - all part of their Second World War theme.

Humphrey's End Allotments proposal - the draft lease has now gone to solicitors so we are hopeful that papers can be agreed and might be signed in January and then the site could be cleared then allotments created....maybe even some veg next year.

Gypsy exhibits - the pics here by Gypsy are from a gallery last week in Nailsworth but this local artist opened another exhibition at The Space yesterday which runs until 17th December - 10am to 4pm - entitled "Trees: an exhibition by Gypsy" - I've not had a chance to visit yet but have enjoyed her work in the past.

Stroud Pasty - have you tried yours yet? Available in the shambles street market.

Wood Fuel Project in Randwick? Some will be aware of the success of the wood fuel project in Hawkwood where 12 folk go monthly into the woods with chainsaws to collect fire wood. I've mentioned before hopes to set up a similar project this side of Stroud - there are of course various issues like costs, insurance, training, equipment etc that need some discussion - plus talk with local woodland owners. However some of us have a meeting planned for Tues 5th January at 7.30 in The Vine Tree pub in Randwick village - this is a chance to shape this possible project which will hopefully bring many benefits including new skills, fun and of course firewood. Please let me know if you can make the meeting or are interested in the project.

Open Homes 2010 - well this week we had a meeting to put the finishing touches to a report on this year's Open Homes event - available very soon on the Open Homes website - Helen Royall (pictured) has agreed to Coordinate next years event so is now off in search of funding - there is also a possibility of an Open Gardens event to include reskilling like chicken keeping, veg growing, compost making etc - we'll see - it maybe that needs to wait until 2011 unless we can find the resources to make it happen sooner!

Acorn School Christmas Fair - this pic is from the fair last weekend - one of many wonderful fairs across the District at this time of year - and so much more pleasurable to find handmade gifts for Christmas than in those big stores.

100 Exciting Lectures on All Things Green - a link to this site was recently sent to me and I've now had a time to browse - worth a visit - See here.

Vestas update - the campaign to save the Vesta wind factory on the Isle of Wight continues - they may have been evicted but it appears the campaign has paid off - £3.5m in research monies into offshore wind will go to Vestas on the Island - see here - not enough but a start - see here pics of our small Vestas demo in Stroud.

Stagecoach success - I had some correspondence over the issue of bus drivers ignoring notices and their company guidance, in relation to switching engines off when stationary at bus stops. A campaigner wrote to me regarding the 504 Service in Wotton being particularly bad - he has recently sent the reply he got from Stagecoach. I am delighted to hear they are taking the issue seriously and acted very promptly - well done to them. I note already an improvement has been seen - however it is probably worth keeping an eye out!

Just for the record their minimum expectations are that if a driver knows they are going to be stationary for 3 minutes, or longer, that they switch their engine off to ensure that they do not cause unnecessary disturbance to residents or businesses in the places that they stop.

Flooding ramble: Bridgend, Water Bill, Foxes Field and more

This blog is a bit of a ramble from Bridgend to the new Water Bill...it starts with a questionnaire I completed from a civil engineering student in his final year of a degree at Nottingham Trent University.

Photos: nothing to do with floods but met these two great horses up in Randwick Woods the otherday

This blog means I get quite a few students contact me - two last month on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems - anyhow this guy is writing his dissertation on the role of Flood Forums in Flood Management. A useful project indeed - however too often people don't have a voice on those forums or on flooding issues.

The recent Flood and Water Management Bill is a start and notes that the 2007 floods caused major disruption, particularly in Hull, Doncaster, Leeds and the Severn Valley causing £3 billion worth of damage, affecting 55,000 properties and the loss of 13 lives. Since then we've seen Morpeth, Cumbria and others. However I fear the Bill may not go far enough - the way we manage our land and increasingly climate change means we are set for many more problems.

Indeed Gloucestershire Councils all wrote a joint letter last month pointing to some of their concerns - here is some of what it said:

We note with great interest the recently published Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Paper (23 September 2009) reporting its views on progress to date on the new Flood and Water Management Bill. We are therefore disappointed to read that the Committee identifies that the current Draft Bill is a “confusing mix of measures many of them poorly drafted”.

We are profoundly concerned that the proposals in this Bill would bring about an over centralised model which, if introduced would significantly reduce the role of Local Government as a Community Leader, and place excessive power and influence with the Environment Agency. If enacted this Bill, based on the current EA flood risk investment strategy, would place the responsibility on the Environment Agency for 40% of the 5.2 million properties that are at risk of flooding and give them 90% of the resources. Local Government will pick up responsibility for 60% of the properties at risk from flooding with less than 10% of the resources. This at best can be described as perverse.

The joint model we have been operating in Gloucestershire was presented to the Select Committee by colleagues from Gloucestershire County Council putting forward the proposal of a Joint Catchment Flood Management Board, which has been identified by the Select Committee as having “much to recommend it”; yet to date this has been ignored by DeFRA.

Our principle concern (and that clearly reflected by the Select Committee) is that the Bill is being rushed and there is a likelihood that the outcome of such a Bill may well offer no significant improvement to where we are already.

It also has the potential to be an overcentralised model, which is likely to result in reduced value for money and greater remoteness from local communities. We ask that you explore our concerns and seek to ensure that any future Flood Bill is fit for purpose.

Bridgend flooding again

The local press reported flooding again at Brigend on the 29th/30th - one house was flooded and pumped out by the Fire Brigade, and the residents of a further 8 properties spent the night pumping flood water away from their homes desperately trying to stop the water getting in. This time they managed to avert serious damage to their homes and property, but clearly all suffered a great deal of stress and anxiety alongside a very busy and sleepless night.

The rainfall that weekend was not exceptional by any fashion, and yet Bridgend suffered again - moves are being made by agencies to look at the problems and now early January a meeting has been set up with Councils and the EA - I hope that comes up with a useful strategy.

Flooding in Severn Vale

The Potsdam Institute in Germany say their best guess is a one metre sea level rise this century, assuming three degrees warming, and up to five metres over the next 300 years - see more here. With figures like that it does mean we need to seriously look at any future developements - and existing flood plains.

The District planners already are talking to County colleagues about how to produce better climate change projections for the County/Stroud. This will hopefully lead to a better understanding of issues locally and help provide better evidence to support new policy approaches.

The immediate impact from tidal flooding is not likely to be great as the existing defences will largely cope with that and no development is likely to be promoted in those areas at risk alongside the River Severn in any case. The coastal defences issue is currently being considered via the Shoreline Management Plan currently being prepared by Halcrow (see here).

The impact of fluvial flooding arising from the backing up of rivers flowing into the Severn is less well understood and this could increase the risk of flooding from our 'main' rivers (Frome, Cam/Ewelme, Little Avon), but the extent of that impact is not known as far as I am aware. It is that sort of thing that the Council's work will help us understand.

Foxes Field

I've blogged before on this absurd plan to develop this last green field between Stroud and Stonehouse with over a 100 homes - see here - well the inquiry is over and we await the results. Graham Williams, a member of Fox’s Field Action Group, kicked off the inquiry, by setting out some of the reasons why not to develop the site - a key reason he gave was the risk of flooding on the field, which he said, would be greatly heightened by the proposed development.

Of course there are many other reasons that this site should not be developed like it would create a major change in the form, style and mass compared with the ‘ribbon’ development which has so far been built along this stretch of Ebley Road in a countryside setting close to the Cotswold AONB and the Cotswold Way. As the CPRE guy said: "It is clear that the development would be unsympathetic to the surrounding houses and would damage to some extent, arguably substantial or significant, this part of the countryside."

However of concern relating to this blog was the failure to make more of the flooding issue in the original objections. It seems the EA did not object for a number of reasons but did state that any flood risks arising from the development were to be outlined in a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA), for consideration solely of SDC and any resulting increase in flood risk be determined by SDC.

The action groups claim that the actual FRA as prepared for this proposed development was deficient in following respects like: it pays no regard to the large volumes of rainfall runoff entering the site from farmland further up Doverow Hill and actually attempts to infer that there is no drainage into the site; it therefore also fails to account for the additional runoff that presently attenuates within the topsoil where the proposed development is to be located; the FRA does propose a (partial) SuDS approach, only addressing some of the rainfall falling on part of the development area; the proposed (partial) SuDS approach will only capture approx 1/100 year rainfall event (the recent Cumbria event was 1/1000 - we have had 5 x 1/100+ events locally in last 3 years, and barely 100 years of meanful rainfall data exist for UK); the proposed (partial) SuDS here will attempt to soakaway into the deeper strata some of the captured rainfall, which will very quickly enter the River Frome as the site is only 120 m distant at 10 m elevation and thought to be free draining here; a new drain is proposed as a part of this proposal for excess drainage, where there was none before; this can only contribute further to the regular damage of property and critical risk of flooding downstream, arising solely as a result of this development; the FRA makes no attempt to account for the effects of additional drainage downstream - like the impact on Brigend.

SDC appear to have accepted the FRA from Barratts - despite the various concerns mentioned - this makes countering it difficult - but I hope the inquiry took on board these concerns.

Lastly two bits of good news

The Slad brook scheme to reduce flooding is set to start in January and the EA have rejected the plans at the Nailsworth Railway Hotel due to concerns re flooding.

Meeting with County councillor: gulley success, stiles and 20mph

Tony Blackburn (pictured) - not the DJ - is a resident of Randwick and since May is our local Tory County Councillor. I've tried to meet several times with Tony since his election but it has been mostly grabbed moments at Parish meetings. However this week I invited Tony to my home for a meeting - I wanted to share views and also to update Tony on some of the issues we have faced locally. I can never understand why in some areas councillors don't seem to want to work together.

Anyhow I have been delighted by Tony's interest in getting some of the issues sorted - he admits he is new to this but has already thrown himself in to trying to sort some of the County Council issues that we have battled with for some time. This post covers a couple of the issues we discussed - but certainly not all the issues:

Ruscombe Road Gulleys Success - well I am delighted to say that after over a year and many emails from me and particularly from one resident we have finally sorted some of the problem at Humphreys End. As these first two pictures show they have been blocked by leaves and silt for a long while - they get cleaned but as picture three shows the stuff from the gulleys has been piled on the edges - hence when it rains it washes back down - plus over the years the piles have got higher have been damaging the walls behind - indeed in places the piles must have been over 2 feet tall.

Anyhow the County promised to remove the piles of dirt - I think it was as long ago as last year - anyhow nothing happened but now after another bid by the resident and more emails we finally have the piles of dirt removed and instructions to the contractors not to pile the dirt on the side again. We'll see how that goes. See a previous blog on this here.

One success is that the gulleys in that area including Redhouse are highlighted as high priority so these are cleared 3 times per year. Anyhow I also shared with Tony other gulleys we've had problems with like at the end of Ash Lane.

20 mph for Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe - I've argued the case for 20 mph many times - see particularly my blog entry here - Tony has already actively taken up the case for a 20 mph outside Whiteshill School - I hope he will also press for wider changes as casualties happen in all places - it is about trying to change the culture so that cars have respect for others when they travel through our neighbourhoods.

In terms of 20 mph I was pleased to see that Jenny Jones, a Green on the London Assembly helped write a scrutiny report "Braking Point" which achieved all party consensus for boroughs having the power to go ahead with 20mph across residential areas. Download it here.

Meanwhile Green Party Islington councillor, Katie Dawson, has been granted £1million to implement the 20mph zone on all council-controlled residential roads, mainly through signs, although speed bumps and CCTV cameras may later be used. In fact I had a London Radio station call me to get hold of Katie's number to talk on the show about it - and if not would I talk - well that was until they realised I was a wee way away from Islington!

Anyway I am seeking a way forward with the Parish as well to see if we can have a few more traffic calming measures like gateways - but not bumps!

Stiles in Ruscombe valley - a resident recently reported the damage again to these stiles - I have written a couple of emails on this to the County as my understanding was that if stiles and gates are not kept in proper repair the authority can do the job itself and send the bill to the owner. The Wheelers Walk stile has completely gone a while ago - with only the step left there - hence the motorbikes entering the field. The other stiles are damaged and dangerous to use - they are on the footpath parallel to the brook further upstream. We are still awaiting a reply on these.