Meeting Dates and Venue update

NGFOE now meets at the Tyneside Cinema, in the heart of Newcastle.
It has never been easier to come along to our meetings.

For meetings at the Tyneside Cinema, just turn up at the meeting time and date and ask at reception for the NGFOE meeting to be directed to the room.

You can always check meeting update by emailing ngfoe1@googlemail.com.

The forthcoming meetings have been arranged as follow:

16th April-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
21st May-Venue and time to be confirmed
18th June-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
16th July-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
20th August-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
17th September-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
22nd October-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema
19th November-19h30 to 21h00-Tyneside Cinema

The results of the energy vote have been tallied, and come out as below

Source Votes (Percentage)
Gas burning 2 (1%)
Coal burning 5 (2%)
Biomass 10 (4%)
Nuclear 11 (4%)
Wind turbine 31 (12%)
(land)
Hydropower 33 (12%)
Geothermal 35 (13%)
Wave & Tidal 42 (16%)
Solar 45 (17%)
Win turbine 53 (20%)
(Sea)
Total 267 votes

We recently attended a Greener Gosforth event at the Trinity Centre. The top picture shows two members campaigning on renewable energy. As part of this we were doing a highly scientific survey of where people wanted their energy to come from in the future, by getting them to stick coloured dots on the picture showing their choice (second picture).

February Debate 2

We had hoped to have Jim Cousins MP at this event, to get his views on the Climate Change Bill (which Friends of the Earth is campaigning on in the Big Ask campaign) but he had to decline at the last minute.

However, he did send us the statement below about the issue.

“I’d like to explain that I cannot be with you this evening. The House of Commons is discussing international development as part of the European Treaty.

The Climate Change Bill is world leading legislation on emissions reduction. We desperately need it. However, I agree with those calling for it to be strengthened. That is why I have signed Early Day Motion No. 736 in Parliament. This calls on the Government to include a 2050 emissions reduction target of at least 80% and targets to reduce international aviation and shipping emissions.

I welcome the fact that the Government seems to be moving on the issue of microgeneration and a ‘feed-in tariff’. But this will be of limited value unless there are grants to support microgeneration and much tougher energy efficiency regulations and requirements. In the past I have supported a number of initiatives to improve our laws on these issues.

I‘ve had solar thermal panels installed at my own home in Newcastle. These don’t require heat to work, they just require light. They operate in the bright winter sunshine we’ve been having. Many of my constituents with south facing sloping roofs could benefit if the installation grants were more generous. I am pressing Your Homes Newcastle and the Government to introduce these schemes for Council owned housing in Newcastle.

It’s extremely important that those of us pressing for action on climate change don’t give the impression that we want energy prices to rise. So it is important to increase Warm Front grants that reduce costs. We must keep up the pressure on big suppliers of energy to provide fair costs to people. I’ve been one of the leading campaigners against regional varied electricity tariffs that mean people in the North East pay some of the highest prices.

Clearly we need a framework at European level which will bring ships and aircraft into environmental controls. I remain opposed to a third runway at London airport. I’ve now made a conscious decision to stop using air travel for internal UK travel unless absolutely necessary. I haven’t flown in the UK for nearly six months.

It’s important to recognize that in Newcastle most of the housing we have was built some time ago, often without cavity walls. These will still be the homes most people live in by 2050. We will have to consider what may be quite expensive measures to improve the energy efficiency in these homes. I’m pressuring the Government to introduce a way of helping low income households to pay for these improvements.

Just a short distance away from the place where you’re meeting is one of the largest CHP schemes in U.K. hospitals. It serves a grid that links all three main hospitals in Newcastle. It was a local initiative I was glad to support. I was able to convince the Government that this scheme should be done in advance of the main hospital improvements. We need many more initiatives like this.

Annual targets in the Climate Change Bill are clearly required. They can point the way. I think we all realize that we are at a tipping point in the effect of climate change. At the same time we also face an energy crunch and a credit crunch. Collectively and individually we have to change our ways

I hope this evening goes well and look forward to hearing what questions and issues were raised. I will be happy to discuss the Bill again with my constituents as we get nearer to the discussions in Parliament.”

If you are hoping to attend our March 2008 meeting, the date has changed due to Easter, and it will now be on the 27th March, rather than the third Thursday of March, as is normal. Time and venue are unchanged.

February Debate

On 25th February we held a Question time panel event at Newcastle University, organised jointly with Newcastle University Students Union.

The Chair was Karen Wilkinson Bell, Director of Business in the Community North East., and the panellists are listed below.

David Bellamy OBE, botanist, broadcaster, author and environmental campaigner.

Tony Bosworth, Senior Transport Campaigner Friends of the Earth

Gareth Kane, Newcastle City Councillor and Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Newcastle Central
Barry Gills, Professor of Global Politics, Newcastle University

Judith Sadler, Christian Aid North East

A number of issues were discussed, with the main questions being:

Is the Climate Change Bill enough to combat the effects of man-made climate change?

In the UK, each of us produces an average of seven times our own weight in waste each year, cumulatively filling a space the size of the Royal Albert Hall every hour (The Environment Agency 05)

Do the panel members practice the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and do you believe fiscal incentives are the only way to reduce waste consumption?

Is China's emerging economy justifiably condemned by the global environment movement?

Today, Saturday 19th January, a few of us did a short stall (just 2 hours) at Monument relating to the planning White paper. We got some postcards signed (about 35) - not many, but its not an easy issue to get people interested in as its a bit abstract, even if it is very important. We also gave out quite a few fliers with information (over 100 I would think) and overall this was the better than the last stall we did on this issue, so we are pleased with the results.

If you want to know more about this issue go to the Friends of the Earth Planning pages to find out more