We’re looking for volunteers for two upcoming projects:

Renewables case studies: researchers, interviewers, photographers and writers

For our Big Energy Conversation campaign we’re looking to create some case studies of local Camden businesses and other organisations that either use renewable energy or work with renewable energy. We’re looking for volunteers to research examples of local businesses that we can interview, to help interview businesses, to take photos and to write up case studies.

Treasure hunt helpers

We’re planning a public transport treasure hunt to take place on Saturday 24th September to mark 350.org’s global day of action. The event will be an opportunity for people to explore a few different areas of Camden using public or active transport to get around and will end at the Belsize Green Fair. We need volunteers to help plan the route, write some clues, and test out the treasure hunt!

Want to help?

If you’re interested in any of the above we’d love to hear from you!
Email Susan at camdenfoe@gmail.com or come along to our next meeting, Tues 2 August, 7pm at the Pirate Castle to find out how you can get involved (please note our August meeting starts at 7pm - half an hour earlier than usual!).

The government’s consultation on High Speed 2 has come to an end. Camden Friends of the Earth have submitted their answer [download as PDF 400Ko] opposing the current plans. We invite the Department for Transport to consider the following points:

1) investment in local transport schemes must not be jeopardised by high speed rail; we demand that the rate of investment in local sustainable transport must be twice the one in high speed rail;

2) an alternative scenario with a 125mph or 200mph maximum speed must be considered, where more stress is put into providing comfort and wifi/broadband on board;

3) the impact on the London transport system, especially around Euston, must be mitigated by the funding of an accessible network of tramways, trolleybus, walking and cycling routes;

4) the impact on the electric load must be mitigated by harvesting renewable energy along the line, to the amount which is required to run the trains.

We had a great time at the London Permaculture Festival on Saturday 16 July.

The event featured animation workshops, honeybee talks, forest gardening workshops, carbon conversations and more.

Alex, Natasha, Shiv and Susan ran our stall surveying people on energy issues for our Big Energy Conversation campaign (and we made a few paper windmills, too)!

If you didn’t make it to the fair, you can take our energy survey online here.

The Camden Transport Strategy 2011-2031 sets out how the Council will address a range of transport challenges. The strategy also forms the Local Implementation Plan, also called LIP, a key element to request funding from TfL.

Camden Friends of the Earth answered the consultation in February 2011, supporting most orientation but pushing for a more ambitious approach. Considering the financial difficulties the Council is facing, planning is critical. We have to set the priorities right. We must identify and support the future patterns of sustainable travel.

Amongst our many concerns, three key issues can be identified:

1) Camden must get serious about cutting excessive speeds in our neighbourhoods using physical measures such as speed tables and raised crossings;

2) The Council should explicitly stop supporting populist myths such as the “clean car for all” and the “lower emissions from smoother traffic flows”;

3) The strategy should plan for a legitimate steep increase in parking charges.

Our full answer can be downloaded here [PDF 500ko]. We are expecting Camden Council to publish a final version of their plan this month on this page: [Council's Transport Strategies and Plans]

Following on from our recent waste & recycling campaigning - asking David Cameron to talk half as much rubbish - Camden Friends of the Earth responded to the consultation on the North London Waste Plan.

The North London Waste Plan sets out a plan to manage the waste of seven north London boroughs; Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

Read our response to the consultation.

If you were at the Brunswick Centre last Wednesday afternoon (13 July) you might have seen something just a little bit different: ‘Save the Diva’, a new street opera with a green theme.

An artistic collaboration between award-winning touring opera company The Opera Group and Friends of the Earth, the street opera has been performed guerilla-style out on the streets of five UK cities this summer. The production explores environmental themes of climate change and consumerism and attracted a lot of attention at the Brunswick Centre!

Camden FoE members handed out ‘Don’t be a Diva‘ leaflets to the crowd who gathered to watch, which gave tips on how to ’save energy and save the planet’. We had some really positive feedback from passers-by who stopped to watch! You can watch the video of the performance below:

You can read more about the opera performances on the Friends of the Earth website.

Our co-coordinator Jess took part in a film-making workshop at the recent FoE South East Regional Gathering on 25 June. See her film-making debut below:

If you haven’t been to a regional gathering, it’s a great opportunity to network with other activists, find out more about campaigns and learn new skills (like film-making!) Find out more on the FoE website.

And if you’re looking for an eco-minded feature film to check out Just Do It is well worth watching - a look into the world of direct action including the Stop Kingsnorth protest, Copenhagen protests, Transition Town Heathrow.. and much more!

Camden Friends of the Earth visited the brilliant Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales from June 10-13.  Some highlights of our trip:

• the inspiring WISE building with its eclipse-like ceiling cover (to block out daylight when needed)
• sensory blindfold exploration of the woods (and river!)
• the water-balanced cliff railway
• a great example of solar PV panels working in wet cloudy rainy weather conditions!
• beautiful scenery, mountain, woodland walks, and pub gardens of Machynlleth