6 – 21 September 2008
Join others for a week of eating only local organic food, free from plastic packaging to demonstrate to Government urgent action is needed to transform our food system. This is a ‘pilot’ in preparation for a bigger week next year!

Most of us would love to eat more locally grown food that has been grown in ways that are good for both our health and the environment. But how many of us feel we could actually do it with our current globalised and industrialised food system? Well three people, all with their different takes on local food, have decided to do just that and are asking you to join them for a week!

Between Saturday 6 and Sunday 21 September, during Organic Food Fortnight and when food is at its most abundant in the UK, we ask you, for one week, to only eat food from a selection of the following sources:

- Organically grown UK food without plastic packaging – if it is organically grown on British soil, it qualifies, but obviously the more local the better. Plastic packaging is out.

- Foraged food – food growing wild and abundantly all over the UK – free rich pickings!

- Self-grown food – any food you, your friends or family have grown.

Visit http://eatthechange.org for more information and advice on how to do it.

Sign up at www.pledgebank.com/eatthechange - if you are taking part please sign up even though we’ve already reached our target so we can show how many people are taking part: we need as many people signed up as possible to make an impact.

Check our website: www.camdenfoe.org.uk for details of our next meeting.

Camden Council has recently introduced recycling of beverage cartons for residents. Seven collection points have already been set up around the borough where residents can bring their clean, flattened cartons. Camden Friends of the Earth would like to thank the Council for setting up the scheme. Further information, including the location of collection points, can be found on the Camden Council site

As part of our campaign on waste, members of Camden Friends of the Earth went out to interview people on the streets of Belsize Park regarding their views on throw-away shopping bags. Shoppers were asked whether they supported the idea of Belsize Park going “Bag Free” and how they think this should be achieved. The majority of shoppers support measures to reduce the use of plastic bags, and wanted this to be carried out by a combination of charging a levy and an area to drop-off and collect old bags.

Camden FOE is hosting a public meeting to raise awareness about climate change and to encourage local MPs, Glenda Jackson and Frank Dobson, to back a strong climate change bill.

The bill will be introduced to parliament in November and FOE has concerns that the draft did not include…
- targets that reflected the latest scientific evidence
- the environmental impact of international aviation and shipping
- a requirement for annual reporting

The meeting will take place at Haverstock School, on Haverstock Hill, by Chalk Farm tube, on 13th November from 7.15pm.

Speakers include the 2 local MPs and Carbon Coach, Dave Hampton.

Contact us if you want to find out more.

Camden Friends of the Earth today responded to London Council’s consultation on throw-out shopping bags.

The group supports the introduction of a levy on all throw out shopping bags, whether paper or plastic, together with restrictions on the types of bags that shops can supply.

Bags use finite resources in their manufacture and distribution. Additionally, on disposal, often after only one use, they create litter, add to the UK’s landfill problems, and endanger wildlife on land and in water. While throw out shopping bags form a small percentage of our waste, such a levy will send a strong message to consumers and businesses about the need to reduce our impact on the environment.

Paper bags are not the answer as lifecycle analysis has shown that their environmental impact, although different to plastic bags, is still damaging. The group believes that the answer is a return to reusable bags, and that we should not wait for this legislation to make that change.

On 17th November the group is holding a joint event with Highgate LEAF (Local Environment Action Forum) to help people make bags. javascript:void(0)Material, sewing machines, and lessons will be provided. Please contact camdenfoe@gmail.com for more information.

Last weekend members of Camden FOE joined with Greenpeace, WDM, and the National Trust to ask West London residents for their views on the expansion of Heathrow airport.

As thousands of people gathered at the nearby Climate Camp we wanted to back up their action with evidence of local opinion. A thousand people were questioned, and the results of the poll showed:
- over 95% supported government action to make rail travel a more affordable, easy, and pleasant alternative to air travel within the UK;
- 62% opposed the expansion of Heathrow, with only 24% in favour of the plans (14% were unsure);
- 64% would be willing to holiday more in the UK than abroad to protect their local area from airport expansion, and help combat climate change

Polling was being conducted at locations across West London, including Richmond, Kew, Ealing Broadway, Houslow and Osterley Park: a historic National Trust house, green space and recreational resource for local people., already blighted by aircraft noise and pollution.  Sarah Kramer, MP for Richmond Park was presented with the results at Kew Gardens following polling (pictured). She told us how frustrating it was trying to make her constituents’ opposition heard - BAA won’t even attend a public meeting to hear their concerns.

Steve Huxton, a volunteer for Camden Friends of the Earth, who assisted with carrying out the poll said “The results of this poll show that people are prepared to change their own travel habits in order to protect the environment, preserve green spaces and tackle climate change.  Government policy needs to catch up with public opinion and  abandon plans for expanding aviation, instead focusing on providing viable alternatives for people’s travel needs.”

Learn more about the issues at http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/case_studies/heathrow.html
 

This week sees the theory of peak oil going mainstream with the International Energy Agency’s Medium Term Oil Market Report predicting a global oil “supply crunch” by 2012.

The theory of Peak Oil is that world production will peak and plateau at an undefined point in time and then begin to decline while demand continues to rise. Wars are already being fought over petroleum resources - imagine how much worse it could be if we do not respond to the decline in production with a similar decline in our use.

The IEA, which advises the world’s largest consumers, said this week that the world could face an oil crunch in five years’ time because producers outside the Middle East are unable to increase supplies at the rate demand is growing, meaning consumers will all be depending on the Opec cartel to pump out more from its fields. And there are doubts about the reliability of Opec’s reserves…

This decline in supplies is not necessarily good news for climate change - alternatives such as heavy oil in Canada and biofuel have their own negative impacts on the environment. These 2 challenges need the same response - consume less, but can we show the restraint necessary, or is just human nature.

Read The Last Oil Shock to learn more.

As part of London Sustainability Weeks, Camden Friends of the Earth is hosting a Curry Evening to raise awareness of action on climate change – locally, nationally and internationally – with the opportunity to hear about FoE’s progress from Suzy Edwards, a Friends of the Earth Board Member.

The event will take place at the award-winning Elephant Walk restaurant in West Hampstead from 7.30 pm on 14th June.

Tickets for a three course meal, including the first drink, are on sale for £25 and profits will be used to purchase educational equipment for use by the group at the many events they attend each year.

We approached the restaurant after their enthusiastic participation in last year’s Local Food Festival. The owners are well aware that climate change will hit their country of origin, Sri Lanka, hard and are also taking part in the Camden Green Fair on 3rd June.

Please register your interest by writing to camdenfoe@gmail.com, calling Liz on 07730 30 40 30 or by calling in at the restaurant. We look forward to meeting you!

Camden FoE was out in force for the start of London Sustainability Weeks at Camden Green Fair. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spoke to people from all around London and beyond. Over 300 people signed up to the Big Ask campaign, and we managed to raise some funds for future educational initiatives.