Are you aged between 18-30? Live in London? Passionate about the environment? Keen to get involved in actions around the capital? Friends of the Earth is looking to develop a new network of activists in London, bringing together people aged 18-30 to take part in a variety of campaign actions and social activities across the capital.

Group members of Camden FoE will be involved - we think it sounds like a great way of mobilising campaigners across London. If you’ve never been involved with Friends of the Earth activities before this is a great opportunity to get involved in new ways of environmental campaigning!

Find out more on the Friends of the Earth website.

We’re currently seeking local residents views on sustainability issues. If you could take 5 minutes to tell us what you think about the environment in Camden we’d really appreciate it! The information will be used to help steer our local campaign work.

Thank you!

We have a letter in this week’s Camden New Journal (22 April) about the Hampstead & Kilburn Hustings: read more here.

Camden Friends of the Earth took campaigning to the catwalk (well, almost) when we were invited to the UCLU Modo Green Fashion Show on 28 February.

We ran a stall for our Get Serious about CO2 campaign, getting over 50 postcards signed and a lot of positive response from those at the event!

We also were lucky enough to see some of the amazing recycled and ethical fashion creations designed by students, inspired by the green theme. The Mododiva blog has some more great examples of ‘Trash’ fashion too, including the IKEA dress (pictured). Would you wear it?

“The amount of waste produced in North London, like everywhere, is growing year on year and although recycling it is great, preventing it is even better…”

Camden Council together with the North London Waste Authority are challenging residents to reduce their waste to zero. The challenge forms part of the Watch your Waste Week which is running from 4-12 October.

For more information about the week and the Challenge, including information packs full of useful tips
http://www.nlwa.gov.uk/html/watchyourwasteweek.asp#TheWatchYourWasteChallenge
and
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/news/2008/september/watch-your-waste-week.en

Unnecessary packaging forms a huge part of our waste. A new shop in Islington provides a place for you to shop, without the packaging. Just bring your own containers, and fill them up with what you need.

For more information, see http://www.beunpackaged.com/

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.