Lynne Featherstone MP: "Pinkham Way – one step closer to victory!"

"I have just sent the below comment to the press regarding the North London Waste Authority’s (NLWA) decision to end their procurement process for long-term waste management services.

"In short – they have decided to keep using the waste facility in Edmonton, and keep waste management under control of the local authority (rather than contract them out to a private bidder).

"There are now no current plans to use the Pinkham Way site for waste management. I’d like to echo the words of the Pinkham Way Alliance: 'This is very good news!’

My press comment:

"The decision to end the procurement for long-term waste management in North London marks a great victory for the Pinkham Way Alliance, the local Liberal Democrats and local residents, who have campaigned hard against the NLWA’s plans.

From day one, the whole process has been a farce and the strategy deeply flawed. The plan to use Pinkham Way for a waste plant, for instance, was simply inappropriate. They should have been looking at ways to reduce wastage – not thinking of building huge incinerators in unsuitable places.

It’s all very well the NLWA saying they’re saving us money now by keeping waste management services ‘in house’ – but what about the public money wasted to date on their flawed plans?

I am of course glad that the NLWA has finally seen sense – but it shouldn’t have taken this long to realise their existing Edmonton site would be suitable.

We must remain vigilant, though. Although there are now no immediate plans to use the Pinkham Way site, it is still an asset of the NLWA, and different plans to use the site may surface in the future.

The local Lib Dems and I will be sure to keep residents updated as and when we receive information."

BBC: "Five expired foods you can still eat"

Link to web site

"In the US alone, 40% of food is thrown out, partly because of confusing date labels, telling consumers to 'use by', 'sell by' and 'enjoy by' a certain time.

"Some of the dates are not about safety but taste, says Dana Gunders, a food scientist from the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), which has issued a report saying much of the food labelled bad is actually perfectly edible.

"Early next year, businessman Doug Rauch, once behind the successful Trader Joe's chain in the US, is opening a supermarket and restaurant which will sell outdated food. So what are some of those foods?"

Barnet Press: "NLWA waste services to remain in-house"

Link to web site

"PLANS to outsource north London's waste management contracts to a private bidder have been axed in favour of keeping the service under local authority control.

"The North London Waste Authority has decided to end its private procurement process for long-term waste management services after Enfield Council confirmed its existing waste facility in Edmonton would be able to function for longer than expected.

"The NLWA, which represents the boroughs of Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, Camden, Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, said running the service in house out of the upgraded Edmonton EcoPark site in Advent Way would deliver the best value for money."

---

Statement from the North London Waste Authority

---

Statement from supporter of the Pinkham Way Alliance

"On Thursday a decision was made by the North London Waste Authority to end its ill-fated Procurement Process.

"The Procurement was meant to put waste processing from the constituent seven north London boroughs into the hands of a multi-national company for the next 30 years but it ran into many problems including all the original bidders bar one pulling out of the process.

"The PFI funding was withdrawn by the Government two years ago, and because NLWA was threatening to use the green site at Pinkham Way for a massive waste plant, thousands of local residents have campaigned vigorously against the plans.

"At long last the NLWA have agreed with us that, in fact, the Procurement Contract was a huge error and that in effect waste can be treated in-house far cheaper.

"In a statement issued yesterday, the NLWA have said that the existing waste incinerator at Edmonton will be life extended to at least 2025, and that plans for a new EfW plant are to be explored in the Upper Lea Valley.

"They have said that the land that they now own at Pinkham Way will not be used for residual waste treatment but will be retained for possible other uses.

"We believe that this means Pinkham Way could possibly be earmarked for a new recycling plant, where comingled recyclate is separated and sent away for processing. The Authority is committed to increasing recycling and Barnet is about to change from kerbside separated recycling collections to comingled collections, which require MRF plants to separate the different types of recycling again.

"At the moment the NLWA believe they may have sufficient capacity for dealing with the recycling rates at present, but more will be needed for increased rates.

"Overall this is good news, not just for us, but for all residents in the seven boroughs as keeping the waste processing in-house will save Council Tax payers £m's over the next few years compared with proposed Procurement contract which has now been dropped.

"We will of course continue to watch what NLWA propose for their land at Pinkham Way."

Bowes & Bounds Connected: "New River at 400"

Link to web site

"This weekend (28/29 September) marks the 400th anniversary of the the much-loved New River.

"Whilst it is neither a river - nor new, is has for 400 years been bringing fresh drinking water from Hertfordshire into central London. Today the New River still forms part of London's drinking water infrastructure."

Recycling: Barnet Times and The Guardian

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The Guardian:

"Plastic bags: symbol of consumer waste
may ignore worse offenders"

Independent on Sunday: "Whatever happened to climate change?"

Link to web site

"Whither global warming? Apart from a succession of puerile puns – fracking awful quips, as the Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, might have put it in his conference speech – the issue hardly raised its head at the Lib Dem gathering in Glasgow. It is not looming large on the Labour agenda in Brighton over the next few days. And David Cameron, who once bragged his would be 'the greenest government ever', hasn't waved his eco-credentials for ages now.

There's irony, then, in the fact that more than 250 climate scientists meet in Stockholm tomorrow to finalise the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. When it comes out on Friday, it will be the most comprehensive report on climate science ever published. It will show that scientists have upped from 'very likely' to 'extremely likely' their judgement that it is human activity, rather than natural variations, which have caused most of the rise in global temperatures since 1951.

"Since we have the irony pot on the table, let's ladle out another helping: while experts have been becoming more convinced, the rest of us have been moving in the opposite direction. The number of people in the UK who think climate change is happening, and is caused by man-made greenhouse gases, is falling, polls show."

Evening Standard: "The strife of Brian... disgraced Tory rips into former party colleagues on his blog"

Link to web site

"One of London’s most controversial councillors has sparked outrage and bemusement by writing a scurrilous account of his former Tory town hall colleagues.

"Brian Coleman, a former aide to Boris Johnson at City Hall and an ex-mayor of Barnet, penned at-times vicious portraits of each of the 37 Conservative members of Barnet council.

"He notes how the wife of a former leader “made probably the most disastrous maiden speech in recent times” by bursting into song, and recalls 'bit-part actor' David Longstaff’s role as a 'drunken elf' in a TV drama.

"He notes Robert Rams was step-brother to Amy Winehouse 'but has none of her unfortunate habits, nor for that matter her artistic talent'. Others are castigated for their hairstyles."

The Guardian: "Inside the mind of NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander"

Link to web site

"When he was running the Army's Intelligence and Security Command, NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander brought many of his future allies down to Fort Belvoir for a tour of his base of operations, a facility known as the 'Information Dominance Center'. It had been designed by a Hollywood set designer to mimic the bridge of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek, complete with chrome panels, computer stations, a huge TV monitor on the forward wall, and doors that made a 'whoosh' sound when they slid open and closed.

"Lawmakers and other important officials took turns sitting in a leather 'captain's chair' in the center of the room and watched as Alexander, a lover of science-fiction movies, showed off his data tools on the big screen."

Barnet Press and Barnet Times

Independent: "Modern art was CIA 'weapon'"

Link to web site

"For decades in art circles it was either a rumour or a joke, but now it is confirmed as a fact. The Central Intelligence Agency used American modern art - including the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko - as a weapon in the Cold War.

"In the manner of a Renaissance prince - except that it acted secretly - the CIA fostered and promoted American Abstract Expressionist painting around the world for more than 20 years.

"The connection is improbable. This was a period, in the 1950s and 1960s, when the great majority of Americans disliked or even despised modern art - President Truman summed up the popular view when he said: 'If that's art, then I'm a Hottentot.'

"As for the artists themselves, many were ex- communists barely acceptable in the America of the McCarthyite era, and certainly not the sort of people normally likely to receive US government backing."

Barnet Press and Barnet Times

United States attacks enemy country

LA Times: "To heal the earth, put plastic in its place"

Link to web site

"... We discard far more plastic than we recycle or reuse, much of it into rivers, lakes, beaches and, ultimately, the ocean. It kills birds, turtles, dolphins and other marine life, creates navigational hazards, imposes costs on local governments and businesses (costs we all pay), and may even threaten human health.

"Plastic's durability, light weight and low cost make it a useful material for many long-term applications. But if one tallies the environmental and economic costs of using a highly persistent material for a single-use disposable item, it becomes abundantly clear that in most cases those costs outweigh the benefits."

Lynne Featherstone MP calls on rail bidders to protect local services

Link to web site

"Lynne Featherstone MP last week met with some of the rail companies who are currently bidding to run the new Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern Franchise – which covers rail stations in Haringey Borough.

"Funded by Government investment, the new Franchise aims to improve services by installing longer, more regular, and more reliable trains in and out of London.

"However, concern arose that smaller local stations, such as Hornsey and Harringay, could get fewer services as a result of the new Franchise – as the newer trains would be too long to stop at their platforms." [As indeed are Kentish Town, Cricklewood and Hendon on the other Thameslink branch.]

The Guardian: "The era of climate change 'denial' is over"

"... It rarely gets noticed that climate change sceptics have actually conceded a lot of ground over recent years when it comes to the science. Many have begun to adopt a so-called 'lukewarmer' position, which means they now accept the basics of climate science but don't think it's worth investing heavily today to prevent or limit a problem that will increasingly hit home in the decades ahead.

"As I have noted many times before, I think this is a profoundly risky and irresponsible strategy. But, then again, I'm not a politician whose survival depends on a four-to-five year election cycle. Nothing exposes our species' 'future flaw' more than climate change – rarely, if ever, have the history books demonstrated a generation acting selflessly, or with sacrifice, for the sole benefit of generations to come.

"We are an extraordinary animal in so many ways, but one of our weaknesses is that we operate firmly in the present tense. We jump only when we are in imminent danger ourselves. If not, we prevaricate, delay or turn our heads away. Climate change requires us to fast overcome this flaw."

The Independent: "Crews battle on after all-night efforts to control recycling plant fire"

Link to web site

"Dozens of firefighters have battled through the night to bring a blaze under control at a large recycling plant.

"Roads were closed and residents advised to close doors and windows as a precaution after flames swept through the plant on Stockport Road West in Bredbury, Stockport."

The Observer: " 'March of the incinerators' threatens drive to recycle more rubbish"

Link to web site

"A rush to build incinerators to burn waste and break the UK's reliance on landfill is threatening the country's commitment to increase its recycling rates.

"As new figures reveal that recycling rates have fallen for the first time in 30 years, experts warn that the UK is in danger of building far more incineration capacity than it needs. The controversial waste disposal systems are used to produce electricity and heat for homes and industry. But there are fears that the 'march of the incinerators', as some have called it, will act as a disincentive for councils to recycle waste.

"... Experts said the use of incinerators had consequences for recycling as local authorities were forced to divert waste to feed the plants. Adam Baddeley, principal consultant at Eunomia, said"

"The choice to invest in thermal treatment can hold back recycling efforts, At one level, the money invested in such plant simply isn't available to put into building recycling plants or collection infrastructure.

And once you've built an incinerator or gasifier, there's a strong incentive to keep it fed with waste, even if that means keeping on collecting as 'black bag' rubbish, material that would be economically practicable to collect separately for recycling."

Barnet Times: Trains to New Southgate, Arnos Grove, Alexandra Palace,...

Crossrail (precedes Crossrail 2 to Alexandra Palace!)

Scientific American: "As Asia Bakes, Scientists Predict Extreme Heat May Become the Norm"

Link to web site

"As the heat wave in East Asia drags on, hospitalizing thousands in Japan and straining power resources in South Korea, a new study by European climate researchers predicts that today's unusually high temperatures may become tomorrow's normal summer weather for many regions across the globe.

"Published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the paper projects that heat waves will become far more common by 2040, even if humans manage to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions before then.

"Beyond 2040, however, the possibility of the further increase of heat waves is 'strongly dependent' on whether or not emissions are reduced, the study states."

Enfield Independent: "North London Waste Plan consultation affecting Enfield and Hairngey launched"

Link to web site

"A consultation about the future of how rubbish and recycling is dealt with in Enfield and Haringey has been launched.

"The new North London Waste Plan, which covers seven north London Boroughs, is due to be signed in May 2014.

"... For more information, click here."

Evening Standard: "Have the wheels begun to come off the Boris bikes?"

Link to web site

"It's not quite the birthday present Boris Johnson might have wished his bikes. Yesterday, days after the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme celebrated its third anniversary, the RMT union announced that members working for Serco, which moves around and repairs the bikes, will strike next week over shift patterns and pay.

"But it’s not the only challenge facing the chunky grey machines.

"Complaints about docking stations being either full or empty are commonplace, an impression borne out in official figures recently obtained by Lib-Dem Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon. I’ve stopped trying to ride hire bikes into the West End, so hard is it to find free spaces."

GLA Transport Committee on Crossrail 2 to Alexandra Palace

"London needs to build Crossrail 2, if it is to have sufficient high quality rail capacity to cope with a rapidly increasing population. Significant population and employment growth underpin the need for Crossrail 2. The most recent forecasts predict that London’s population will reach between 9.7 and 10 million by 2031.

"We must also recognise that London’s population growth has previously exceeded forecasts, and it is likely to again. TfL told us that its modelling for Crossrail 2 is based on population estimates that are already out of date because new data show that population growth has occurred at a higher rate than expected. Former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, highlighted the fact that London’s rate of population growth far outstrips projections in other parts of the UK. We agree with his view that the nature of London’s expanding population provides a robust challenge to those who may argue that London has received sufficient investment in transport.

"... We have heard how Crossrail 2 could act as catalyst to develop new interchanges with other rail services, such as orbital rail in Barnet. For example, there could be a future rail link from the Crossrail 2 station at Alexandra Palace to Barnet. Equally, designing a Crossrail 2 station at Seven Sisters to interchange with South Tottenham station would enable passengers to connect with the London Overground. We would like to see TfL and Network Rail examine these opportunities in their on-going engineering feasibility work."

Crossrail 2 - consultation response %28July 2013%29[1]

Report of North London Waste Plan Launch Consultation

Link to documents

"We received many very helpful and thorough responses as a result of the consultation and your comments will be used to inform the preparation of the new draft NLWP.

"A report on the launch consultation has been prepared to provide a summary of the consultation, responses received and information on the next steps in the plan-making process. The consultation report also sets out the main issues and any contrasting points of view. Full representations can be found the Appendices."

"Representations received to the launch consultation, alongside previous comments on the NLWP, will be used to establish the main issues for the new plan. This Report is being published so that the representations on the launch consultation are publicly available. The boroughs will consider all comments during the development of the draft plan.

"The next stage of consultation will be for the Draft Plan. This consultation is expected to happen in summer 2014.

"A formal Consultation Statement3 setting out how representations have been taken into account during the preparation of the Draft Plan will be published in November/December 2014.

"The new plan will require a robust evidence base to justify its policies and meet planning requirements. The evidence base will be assembled in three main ways. Firstly, through a review of the work undertaken for the previous NLWP to identify what material is still applicable and what needs updating; secondly, through a review of waste data to take account of any new information available; and thirdly, through an analysis of consultation responses and policy context.

"The need for new facilities will be considered in light of the forecast of waste to be managed during the plan period, an assessment of existing waste facilities and their capacity, and the gap between the two.

"Site selection criteria is a key issue for the new plan, and the North London Boroughs will consider this carefully in light of suggestions made through the consultation process and other factors such as planning policy requirements. We will be concentrating efforts to ensuring a new and robust site selection process.

"Boroughs will be updating the previous NLWP Consultation Protocol. The revised Consultation Protocol will build on the Statement of Community Involvement from each borough and create a consultation strategy which will form the basis of all NLWP consultation. The document will be published on the nlwp.net website in November/December 2013."

Scientific American: "Today's Climate Change Proves Much Faster Than Changes in Past 65 Million Years"

Link to web site

"The climate is changing at a pace that's far faster than anything seen in 65 million years, a report out of Stanford University says.

"The amount of global temperature increase and the short time over which it's occurred create a change in velocity that outstrips previous periods of warming or cooling, the scientists said in research published in Science.

"If global temperatures rise 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next century, the rate will be about 10 times faster than what's been seen before, said Christopher Field, one of the scientists on the study. Keeping the temperature increase that small will require aggressive mitigation, he said."

Daily Telegraph: "The Queen's 'speech' and Wintex 1983: How not to lift morale at a time of crisis"

Link to web site

"Papers just released by the UK National Archives cast light on a major Nato military/diplomatic exercise, known as Wintex 1983.

"... Part of the Wintex planning included producing a text that the Queen supposedly might use to address the nation as hostilities began. As we have discovered, the speech was dismal. I suspect that the sensitivity of the policy issues involved meant it was drafted by someone who had no idea how to set about this momentous job.

"The tone of the text was all wrong. It made the Queen sound like a nervous health visitor, not the leader of a defiant nation ready to do what it might take to win: there was too much about the Queen and her feelings, and nothing on what the war was about or why our cause was just. It included this bizarre passage, with its cringing hint of mutually-assured blame for the unfolding conflict:

"The enemy is not the soldier with his rifle nor even the airman prowling the skies above our cities and towns, but the deadly power of abused technology."

---

Link to web site

The Guardian:
"The Queen's unused nuclear war speech has a ring of Beyond the Fringe about it"

"Drafted by civil servants in 1983 as part of an extensive government exercise in precaution and preparation, it has a cadence, style and language that goes back to the early 1960s era of the cold war.

"Take this, for instance:

"Now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds."

"And, even more so:

"The enemy is not the soldier with his rifle nor even the airman prowling the skies above our cities and towns but the deadly power of abused technology."

"Clearly, the civil servants responsible were fans of Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller in their Beyond the Fringe revue, and, in particular, the civil defence sketch.

"Cook, Bennett and Miller play mandarins attempting to calm the nation's fears about mass extinction. 'The airman prowling the skies above our cities' is a fine echo of Cook's opening remark that:

"A lot of people in this country tend to think of the whole problem of the hydrogen bomb as being rather above their heads."

---

Beyond the Fringe:
"Cook as Macmillan recounting a summit meeting with U.S. President John F. Kennedy:

"We talked of many things, including Great Britain's position in the world as some kind of 'honest broker'.

I agreed with him when he said no nation could be more honest. And he agreed with me, when I chaffed him and said no nation could be broker."

Enfield Independent: "North London Waste Authority hits back against MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone, and Pinkham Way Alliance"

Link to web site

"A waste disposal authority has hit back after an MP supported a petition to stop a waste plant campaigners say could cost the taxpayer £3billion.

"Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone encouraged residents to sign the Pinkham Way Alliance’s current petition to halt the contract due to be awarded by the North London Waste Authority (NLWA).

"Campaigners claim the agreement, which will affect seven north London boroughs including Haringey and Enfield, is based on inaccurate data and will mean taxpayers will be paying for it for decades to come."

Evening Standard: "Crossrail 2 [to Alexandra Palace] could be worth £49bn to London, says Assembly report"

Link to web site

"The Crossrail 2 rail project linking north and south London could boost the capital’s economy by as much as £49 billion, it was claimed today.

"Shorter journey times and more reliable services would help stimulate growth and attract new businesses. The London Assembly report said the £12 billion scheme could also help tackle chronic over-crowding on public transport.

"The capital’s rapid population growth, which is forecast to approach 10 million by 2031, is likely to put the network under increasing strain so new routes are desperately needed.

"... Boris Johnson has put the Crossrail 2 project — which would run from Wimbledon in the south to Alexandra Palace in the north — at the heart of his vision for the future of the capital."

Winning Your Wings (1942)

WembleyMatters: "A round up of messages to the 'racist van'"

LetsRecycle: "Councils warn Defra over 2020 landfill targets"

Link to web site

"The UK is in danger of missing 2020 landfill targets as councils are collecting more waste, recycling rates are flattening, and residual waste levels are on the rise, local authority waste department heads have warned.

In a letter sent to Defra minister Owen Paterson, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) claims that the government’s waste and recycling data is ‘out of date’ and urgently needs reviewing if the country is to meet 2020 Landfill Directive targets."

BBC: "Arctic methane 'time bomb' could have huge economic costs"

Link to web site

"Scientists say that the release of large amounts of methane from thawing permafrost in the Arctic could have huge economic impacts for the world.

"The researchers estimate that the climate effects of the release of this gas could cost $60 trillion (£39 trillion), roughly the size of the global economy in 2012.

"... In this study, the researchers have attempted to put an economic price on the climate damage that these emissions of methane could cause. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, even though it lasts less than a decade in the atmosphere."

Sun 21 July: Finchley Society Alexandra Palace Walk

"Final reminder for this Sunday's walk - meet outside East Finchley tube station at 11-45am for a 12 noon start. I have attached a poster. Good news on the weather front for walkers - Saturday and Sunday will be more cloudy than during this week and the max temperature will be down from 30 to 24 degrees cent. Nevertheless it's still hot and you are recommended to bring at least 500ml of drinking water. 

"We will stop for lunch along the disused railway line, so a packed lunch is also recommended BUT if you can't manage a packed lunch, we will be just 50 metres from The Royal Oak (I don't know what they serve for lunch). Strictly 30 minutes for lunch though.

"We will walk in shade as far as possible and there are a lot of trees along our route. For anyone who gets tired, we will get/direct you to a 102 bus stop, there are many drop out points along the way. At Muswell Hill Broadway there are many buses. There are toilets at Cherry Tree Wood (near the start), The Clissold Arms(Fortis Green), The Royal Oak, The Grove Cafe and Ally Pally.

"The distance from start to end is 3.9 miles. If anyone would like a map or further information please RING me on 0208 346 5503, I won't be carrying surplus papers unless I can offload them before we start walking. One final point: Harriet Copperman will be coming along at 11-50 to give us a short talk about the work of The N2 Gardeners and show us the station garden. Hope to see you Sunday,"

Mike Gee

Daily Telegraph: "Floating 'plastispheres' may provide answer to disposing of plastic in landfill"

Link to web site

"A study of the fragments of plastic found floating in the oceans has revealed more than 1,000 different types of bacteria living on rubbish the size of a pinhead.

"Many of the bacteria are thought to be new species previously unknown to science.

"Scientists who conducted the study say the tiny pellets of plastic, which form as plastic bottles, bags and other debris break down, are creating tiny floating habitats they have named “plastispheres”.

"The researchers also found evidence that the bacteria may even be feeding off the plastic itself, raising hopes that the microbes can be harnessed to break down plastics at landfill sites."

Muswell Hill Sustainability Group: "No time for pessimism"

MHSG founder member Nancy Hocking writes:

"Professor Michael Jacobs brought good news to Muswell Hill Methodist Hall. The former Special Adviser to Gordon Brown, both at the Treasury and at No 10 and visiting Professor at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science spoke to some 40 members of the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group on the 23rd of May.

"But we had to hear some bad news first. Bad news such as

... To limit global warming to 2C, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere must remain below 450 parts per million. We are currently at 400 and rising. The global reserves of oil, coal and gas, should we use them, are five times the amount that would take us over the 2 degree limit. Bear in mind that CO2 is accumulative in the atmosphere, so in order to prevent a dangerous rise we have to leave three quarters of the fossil fuels reserves just where they are; in the ground. How likely is that without a coherent financial investment in green technology world wide?

"Bad news such as

... the oil companies are eyeing up the Arctic for new oil

"Oh, and here is choice bit of bad news

... Fracking in the USA has provided a source of oil to substitute for much more polluting coal and they have reduced their CO2 emissions by 20% in the last three years. However with the reduction of demand for coal its price has gone way down, and American coal is now being exported, big time, to Europe."

Enough of the bad news

"Professor Jacobs tells us it has been known for 150 years that CO2 causes global warming. Once adjustments for natural variables are made it becomes obvious, despite what the Daily Telegraph and Lord Lawson would have us think, that what we are seeing now is manmade global warming. But the professor is an optimist. Or as a well-informed pragmatist, he is what might pass for an optimist in the light of the massive challenge climate change poses.

"I admit that I was expecting to leave his talk confirmed in the prospect of doom and gloom. Instead, I came away with a real sense of having a part to play in the changes we must make to turn the tide of CO2 emissions. But can we really hope to be in a position where we can turn our backs on precious oil in the ground? As Professor Jacobs says,

"The stone age did not end because we ran out of stone. We have the means and certainly we have the reason for making the changes."

"The good news…. Investment in renewables is now priority in many countries. Germany is forging ahead with decarbonisation schemes and will reduce emissions by 40% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050 without use of nuclear power – using renewables and energy efficiency alone. Fully 70% of all European power investment is in renewables. Meanwhile, China has become the world’s largest producer of both wind and solar power.

"What is needed is interconnected grid systems that can ensure varying energy supply from renewables can flow from where it is generated to where it is needed, adjusting demand more carefully to supply. Gas, the least polluting of fossil fuels, can as long as it is situated where carbon capture can apply, provide the base-load fuel.

"For me, the most interesting aspect of Professor Jacob’s talk, the part that gave hope, was his discussion of the concept of Green Growth. The argument used to be presented in terms of a choice – Green or Growth. What both Michael Jacobs and Paul Ekins (who spoke to MHSG last Christmas) have emphasised is that without green policies, we will have less growth, not more.

"What we called sustainable development has morphed into the Green Economy or Green Growth and is now prominent in discussion in major international institutions. The OECD, the World Bank, UNEP and the Global Green Growth Institute have jointly established the Green Growth Knowledge Programme. A platform for research and knowledge of green economic issues.

"Imagine, not long ago, say 30-40 years, those who spoke and campaigned for sustainable practices and environmentally sensitive policies in government were thought of as nutters. Look what we have achieved and in the face of huge self-interest and establishment politics! Given the leviathan we faced and continue to face we have worked the near miracle of international acceptance of our goals and aims.

"Grass root organisations do have impact. Persistently pestering the political establishment and spreading the word to neighbours and local groups and keeping ourselves informed is our job. MHSG has done a good job of it these last five years, don’t you think? Pat on the back….now back to the grindstone."

Salon: "The age of revolution: 1989-2013, and counting"

"From the Berlin Wall to Cairo, we live in an era of anti-authoritarian revolution that may transform the world"

Link to web site

"Whatever you make of the extraordinary turn of events in Egypt over the past week, it makes clear how much and how rapidly the world is changing. If you were ever worried you didn’t live in interesting times, you can quit worrying now.

"Only the world’s most committed nihilist could approve of all those movements, which wouldn’t even all agree that their aim was democracy, or at least not the version of it practiced in the U.S. and other major Western nations. They have nothing in common except that shared mistrust of imperial power, and a thoroughgoing rejection of the neo-liberal capitalist consensus that has governed the world for the past 24 years.

"That’s exactly where the immense opportunity and danger of this revolutionary age lies.

"Watching the people of a major nation take to the streets and overthrow a hated government for the second time in three years suggests that 'another world is possible',” as the activist slogan holds, but also that we have no idea what it will look like, or what degree of chaos might be involved in getting there.

Tues 9 July: "Create Solutions - Design Waste out of Our Bins!"

Link to web site

"A creative, constructive workshop to redesign the products voted as the things that most drive us nuts in the People's Design Lab Awards.

"No design expertise needed - you just need to care about waste.

"The workshop will bring together people who care with designers, people who know the ins and outs of impacts and product manufacturers. We'll be unpicking the reasons behind current designs and giving them a 'zero waste' makeover." 

"Let’s design waste out of our bins! Join us at The People’s Design Lab’s first workshop on 9th July at Cranfield University, where we’ll be bringing together people who understand design and us folk who just care about waste. Meet Karen Cannard of The Rubbish Diet and Ugo Vallauri of Restart as we create new solutions!

"Over 130 products that you can’t recycle, re-use or repair were nominated for a People’s Design Lab Award. 1000 votes later and we have our Award Winners. Now the real fun starts as we redesign inkjet printers, two types of packaging and electronic chargers." 

Sun 21 July: A Big Ally Pally Do

"Join us to celebrate 150 years of the extraordinary."

"150 years ago, Alexandra Park was opened by the renowned landscape architect Alexander McKenzie, as a pioneering Victorian leisure park and centre for education and entertainment. To mark this historic occasion, Ally Pally will celebrate 150 years of the extraordinary, bringing the park to life with entertainment and activities in true McKenzian style!

"This community and family-focused event will be free to attend, and will celebrate all the amazing things that have taken place in this beautiful 196 acres of landscaped parkland over the past 150 years.

"The celebration will feature a bandstand featuring local community groups and entertainers, a south terrace street-party, a farmers’ market, an activity zone including pitch-and-putt workshops, cricket, community games and archery, a funfair with Victorian street performers and fairground rides, park walks, tree-climbing, face-painting, pedalo races and a soapbox showcase, just to name a few."

Barnet Times

Thu 25 July: "Do the Math(s) - The Movie"

"It's on Thursday 25 July, at the Gallery Cinema, in St Margaret's Chapel, 21 Old Ford Road (just by Bethnal Green tube), at 6.30pm.

"It's about 45 minutes long, followed by a panel discussion with Danielle Paffard from Move Your Money (and possibly someone from FOE).

"Then it's a drink afterwards at the excellent Approach Inn..."

Incident at Pinkham Way Recycling Centre?

Link to Evening Standard

"Ten firefighters have been injured tackling a blaze involving 100,000 tonnes of plastic recycling material in the West Midlands.

"The fire service said 200 firefighters were at the scene in Smethwick.

"A plume of smoke was today rising 6,000ft into the air from the fire at the Jayplas depot in Dartmouth Road."