Synod to be asked to go carbon neutral on Vicarages?

Today I gave a presentation with some personal views and thoughts on climate change to clergy and others from the Diocese Environmental and Justice forum at Saint Aldate's Vicarage, Finlay Road, Gloucester (see photos with appropriate words above the altar).

I was invited after making some suggestions re the Churchs' Environment policy (see earlier blogs by clicking the 'Diocese' Label below) and challenging the Diocese re the lack of energy efficiency of their new housing developments - particularly the Vicarage in Cashes Green (again click on 'Diocese' for previous blogs). To me this was a great opportunity to make new links with others concerned about our future and also see if we can support the Church to become more of a leader in this issue.

Here are some of my notes below from the talk which followed on from a talk by Jonathan Whittaker from Traffic Lights for Peace - he gave more info on this project and an intro re the need to act and also talked about the local Save Our Planet Day on 7th July

Introductory points:
- Awareness growing re climate change but 10 years of rising emissions, £30 bn road building and doubling of airport capacity indicate little sense of urgency
- FoE Scotland note none of 3 main parties have policies to tackle climate change
- IPCC note 8 years or less to act
- 60% cut by 2050 planned but some scientists now saying need that by as early as 2020
- Greens have been seen as being too much doom and gloom and have failed to get across message that a greener lifestyle is in many ways better - greater employment, healthier local food, stronger communities, warmer homes from better insulation and a future where, instead of hours in traffic jams, we have clean, safe, reliable public transport. A future self-sufficient in energy: a safer world where foreign policy isn't about securing fossil fuels in unstable parts of the world.
- it is a serious challenge to get across urgency but at the same time bearing in mind the need to be positive to engage and empower people.

Cashes Green, Vicarage:
- the Diocese has with developers pulled down the Vicarage and plans 6 houses (including a new Vicarage) in it's place.
- two key issues;
(i) Loss of building liked by community: not a 'listed' building but few buildings of any distinction in that area and many memories of gardens being used for community events. Parish and community objected strongly to plans and seeming lack of willingness to consider alternative plans.
(ii) Pulling down building is not usually environmentally friendly and the replacement homes are not much above current minimum standards.
- reasons for energy efficiency standards given rather than carbon neutral include need to meet 'best value' practice, Church commissioners requirements and no requirement by Stroud District Council to meet higher standards.
- development is clearly not 'best value': we will be embarrassed by the standards of homes built now. Scandinavia much better and other parts of country.
- oil is running out - we need to build houses for at least the next 50 years not houses that are not even fit for the next 20.
- International author Richard Heinberg is in Stroud on Weds 30th May at Subscription rooms for a talk re Peak Oil
- Climate change - those energy leaky homes are contributing to climate change: the average Somali is about 100 times more likely to die from events caused by climate change than the average American, despite emitting roughly 16,000 times less carbon.

Churchs' role:
- Church could be leader
- Dr Rowan Williams (April edition of The Ecologist) calls for Church to take responsibility for Climate Change. Archbishop Rowan Williams: ‘For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian.’
- need for spiritual dimension to development process
- Shrinking the Footprint is excellent start
- 'We're in this together' campaign involving Church, Tony Blair and 8 corporations could divert attention away from what is really needed. The suggested actions are small but important but washing clothes at 30 degrees (one of the key pledges) is only a v small part of the answer. See their website and my previous blog comment by clicking on 'Diocese' below).

Discussion points:
- need annual CO2 target reductions to increase urgency and actions. Friends of the Earth has for example called for the Government to set an annual target of 3% reduction in CO2 emissions.
- Church to work towards carbon neutral. Many Councils and corporations are developing strategies to become Carbon neutral. Milton Keynes has a carbon neutrality on all new developments exceeding five homes.
- Engage with exciting new local grassroot projects to tackle climate change and Peak Oil - like Transition Towns - new group in Stroud
- New developments such as Vicarages by the Diocese to be carbon neutral and improvements to existing vicarages in terms of insulation/energy efficiencies. A couple of those present will be putting a question to Synod in June around this issue.

Other related news:

Sat 23rd June - Gloucester Climate Change March organised by Christian Aid - meet North Warehouse Gloucester Docks at 11am - march ends at Cathedral Green for picnic.

Weds 12th Sept and Thurs 13th Sept - Cut the Carbon march from Chepstow to Chipping Sodbury with events on route incl breakfast at Lynch Knoll - Christian Aid organising

Sat 15th Sept - West Regional event re Climate cHange in Bristol

Tues 2nd Oct - Climate March in London - coaches from Glos

Questions to author of this blog

The local community newspaper, the Randwick Runner, is kind enough to report on various local activities in which I'm engaged so I put the following together re this blogsite.

Photos: taken in Ruscombe Valley last week

Part One: Questions to local District councillor Philip Booth regarding his 'Ruscombe Green' blog that has been listed amongst the top Green blogs in the country.

What is it?
It is a collection on a website of comments and reports of meetings and events about very local issues as well as broader issues around my role as a local District councillor: the entries are written in chronological order but displayed in reverse chronological order. Ruscombe Green has been going for just over a year and has around 600 entries on a vast range of topics with new entries being added most days - plus many photos including local views. The entries are not crafted works of literature but often quick comments or write-ups of meetings or events or perhaps topical issues - often with links to other web pages. Comments, anonymous or otherwise, are welcomed on each blog item and displayed for others to also read.

Why do a blog?
The Randwick Runner is a wonderful community newspaper but it doesn't reach all the people in the ward or Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish which I also cover. A blog similarly also can't reach everyone but it is another forum where people can engage and debate on local issues. Local politics is in many ways not so accessible as it could be: this is one way to share what a District councillor gets up to and hopefully encourage more local participation. Of course I am also very happy to talk on the phone or talk with more local groups about my role on the Council.

Who looks at this blog?
The blog statistics can analyse in detail who visits: over 1000 people are visiting the site every month (more than visit the Councils' webcast which averages 536 viewers per month!). About 75% of those visiting are new visitors, some 370 people are returning to view the site regularly. The vast majority are from the UK but many visit from abroad: last month the site has seen visitors from a huge number of countries including Latvia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guyana, Ukraine, Thailand and even 9 visitors from the Ivory Coast. The stats can even tell you which town so I know for example 19 came from Melbourne, 11 from Los Angeles, 1 from Reykjavik and 17 from Watford! About 10% of people come direct to the site while some 30% come from other websites: for example 29 this month from Randwicks' website, 2 from the New Statesman, 160 from other bloggers. The remaining 60% come via search engines.

What do they look at?
This varies considerably: some spend time perusing through various local items while others just visit one specific item then leave. Popular this month has been items on the Open Studios, Mobile phone masts, a comment about the research on country walks reducing depression, a meeting I organised on Sustainable Urban Drainage and Richard Heinberg's talk to Stroud District Council's Cabinet regarding Peak Oil - this 'peak' is the point at which oil production rises to its highest point before declining and it is fast approaching with huge implications for all of us.

How do people find items on the blog?
There is a search facility: put in key words like 'art' or '20 mph' to find items or use the 'Archives' section in the right-hand column. There are also links to other local sites.

Is there life beyond the blog?
I do wonder sometimes about the time spent in this online world: the blog does take time to do but many of the items I will have adapted from other uses. A letter or report for example can quickly be turned into a blog item. There is also clearly lots that doesn't make the blog like meetings that perhaps aren't worth reporting or events that I just didn't get around to writing about. I would welcome comments and suggestions on how to improve within the limited time resources I have!

Next time in the Runner a report on some of the contents of Ruscombe Green

Visit Ruscombe Green at:
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com
Or telephone: 755451

Part Two: Questions to local District councillor Philip Booth regarding his 'Ruscombe Green' blog.

Last week we looked at what was this Ruscombe Green blog, who reads it and what is it for, this week we look a bit at what Philip Booth writes about:

What are some of the local issues you've written about?
The Wap, local attempts to slow traffic, the National Trust woods, the local bus service and attempts to improve it, proposed footpath changes, street lighting and whether it should be switched off at night, Parish meetings, homelessness in Whiteshill, vandalised grit bins, reports on local events and future events, local artists, the Ruscombe brook and more. There are also stories like a Peregrine falcon seen in Ruscombe valley and even a local sleuths attempt to identify the house in a 1832 painting of Paganhill Cottage found in Canada.

What about some of the issues re the District Council?
The various Council meetings and policy panels get mentions and comments - and of course the many consultations and various reports. I air some frustrations like climate change not being tackled with the urgency it is needed - but there is also a huge welcome where things work well like the Councils consultation on the Environment Strategy paper and how they listened to opposition councillors and made changes. The Council have also made much welcomed changes to their submission on the Draft Climate Change Bill and regional planning documents following comments made. I also mention some key planning decisions like the loss of Cashes Green Vicarage: in fact I followed that up with the Diocese who kindly invited me to make a presentation to them last month in Gloucester. I understand this has led to questions being asked at Synod to see if new Vicarages can all be carbon neutral rather than what we will see in Cashes Green.

And County issues?
Numerous issues including Post Office closures, furniture recycling, affordable housing and trying to see more 20 mph zones in our residential areas. One key issue has been opposition to the proposed expansion at Staverton airport: it is astonishing that Councils who have signed up to cutting CO2 emissions should be seeking to see the airport increase its emissions, when every other business in Gloucestershire is being told to cut theirs significantly. The science is clear: we cannot countenance any further expansion of aviation. I've written to many other councillors and the press on this. Another big issue is the 39 year old Oldbury nuclear power station (16 miles from Stroud): whatever your views on new nukes, to me, it is quite clear this power station should close: it now has the most heavily corroded reactor core of it's type in the world and independent scientists have warned of the serious risks being taken, even internal reports released under the Freedom of Information Act show that is unsafe to operate through to its planned closure date of December next year.

Any other issues?
The blog covers a huge range of other wider topics like the Government's push for more GM crops, concerns about biofuels, the national breastfeeding manifesto, David Drews' very welcomed sponsoring of the important Sustainable Communities Bill, correspondence with Ministers, ID cards - and more - like this month another submission to the Panel looking at Weavers Croft arguing this service must not close. There are also blog entries about the exciting Transition Stroud and their projects to find local solutions to the twin threats of climate change and the forecast dwindling oil supplies. This is a hugely positive movement that only started last September and has taken off across the country: here in Stroud there is a hugely industrious, enthusiastic group of people looking at community renewable energy solutions, local food and even have a license to grow hemp for clothing. One of the key notions being that it isn't sustainable if it isn't fun.

Can you leave comments on the blog site?
Yes - on some issues there are many comments left and emails sent direct to me: some debate the issues or add extra information, some disagree, some are supportive, some are anonymous, some are not. One guy in Seattle has offered his particularly good photos for use on the site, another phoned from Australia with additional information to an item I'd written about Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, another was the author of the book whose ideas I was promoting, others have debated local issues like whether the campsite should reopen in Randwick woods. Another comment led to renewed pushes to encourage Tesco to put up a bus shelter outside their main store. While an item on Painswick library's threatened closure led to the editor of an International Library magazine visiting me in Painswick with another District councillor: he now plans a series of articles on the campaign to retain a library in Painswick. I welcome comment and feedback on how to improve the blog.

Visit Ruscombe Green at:
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com
Or telephone: 755451