Friends of the Earth Falkirk

Star Award

2012-01-16T22:03:00.003Z

Friends of the Earth Falkirk were given recognition from Falkirk Council Litter Strategy team for their community gardens and litter picks over the year.

On Yer Bike

2012-01-11T17:47:00.005Z

Over 350 people, most of them on their bikes, gathered outside the office of the Scottish Government on Wednesday 11th January to urge Scottish Ministers to increase funding for cycling and walking instead of funding expensive road-building programmes that will increase Scotland’s carbon footprint. Friends of the Earth Falkirk took part in the Stop Climate Choas Action along with other Friends of the Earth Activists from across the country. This was a well attended action with groups and individuals turning up on their bikes to show there is a stong demand for better funding for cycling and walking facilities in the next budget. The local group will be taking forward its cycle campaign to promote everyday cycling in Falkirk over 2012.

Falkirk Energy Fair

2011-11-26T19:11:00.001Z

Friends of the Earth Falkirk are holding the Falkirk Energy Fair on Wednesday 14th December at Falkirk Old and St Modans Church, Manse Place, Falkirk, FK1 1JN, We have speakers confirmed from Transition Linlithgw and Community Energy Scotland. The event will have stalls to encourage energy reduction and the Fair will start with a cafe at 5pm if people are only able to come for the energy advice. The speakers will start at 7pm and there will be workshops around 8pm for group discussion.

The Forth and Final Garden gets under way

2011-10-22T20:53:00.006+01:00

The forth, the biggest and the final Friends of the Earth Falkirk community garden got its initial turn over on Saturday 22nd October. The Bean Row garden is south facing and will enable to group to grow food, demonstrate composting and provide plants for the other three gardens.

The reason the Garden needed some TLC

Work started on Community Garden in Kings Court

2011-10-10T19:38:00.000+01:00

With the negotiations with the owner of the land Friends of the Earth Falkirk have been given permission to maintain two town centre gardens. The Kings Court Garden (pictured) is a dark area where litter has been a long term issue. A litter pick on Sunday cleared a collection of fast food wrappers, bottles and cans. The hope is that if a community garden can be established the litter can be reduced.

Our final community garden will be developed on Bean Row, just round the corner. This will be a good space to grow flowers and food. Work will start on the both gardens over the next couple of weeks to get it in shape for planting after the winter.

Clean Zone Sign on Orphan Land Garden

2011-10-10T19:19:00.000+01:00

Our Clean Zone sign which explains that Friends of the Earth Falkirk have adopted the Arnot Street Garden has been put up on our garden wall. The sign has been provide by Falkirk Council Litter Strategy Team as part of our involvement in their Orphan Land Pilot Project.

LOAF meal at AGM

2011-09-27T21:09:00.000+01:00

Friendsof the Earth Falkirk held a “LOAF” meal as part of our AGM onSaturday 10^thSeptember. LOAF stands for Local, Organic, and Fairtrade, and onceyou try to put together a dish that satisfies those criteria, yourealise how tricky it can be. I fell at the first hurdle andsheepishly handed over a packet of organic shortbread from The EngineShed, a social enterprise cafe and organic bakery in Edinburgh.Ethical and tasty but a bit of a cop-out!The other members of ourgroup outclassed themselves with their delicious and imaginativecontributions, which you can see illustrated in the photograph below.

We drank minttea with mint that Norman had grown in his window box, and ate our(local) rolls with organic spreads he provided.

Corriemade a salad from her own garden andallotment produce; the ingredients list is pure poetry! Good KingHenry, red amaranth, salad burnet, rocket, radish, spinach andsorrel, the leaves and flowers from borage and nasturtium, all on abed of three sorts of lettuce. It looked and tasted gorgeous. Shealso provided a bramble cake and bramble jam as well as a spicyrunner-bean chutney. The brambles were foraged from secret Falkirklocations, but she is willing to reveal that the apples were foragedfrom trees at the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert! Theeggs were free range, from Larbert, and the oil was from aMid-Lothian producer who has a stand at Falkirk Farmers' market. Thehoney came from Stirling.

Jeanbroughtan absolute feast: salad, green beans, quiche, plum tart, tomatoesand pickled beetroot. The quiche was made using eggs kindly given byMr and Mrs R Murray of Camelon, and the vegetables were from Jean'sown landshare plot. Her salad leaves, herbs, garlic and raspberrieswere also all home-grown. The flour, oils, vinegar, salt andpeppercorns were all Fairtrade. Mr and Mrs Murray also provided plumsfrom their bountiful tree which went into the gorgeousplum-and-marzipan tart, using milk and butter from our nearest Dairy,Graham's at Bridge of Allan. Jean used “Silver Spoon” sugar madefrom Bristish Sugar Beet. The marzipan was left over from decoratinga child's birthday cake.

Gerardand Carole provided a lovelycourgette quiche which was made with their home-grown courgettes andsome from Fife. They used butter from Graham's, eggs from Angus,herbs from their garden and organic flour which came from England.Carole also provided one of the highlights of the meal, a great bigbowl of Cranachan. This was made with double cream from Graham's,honey from Larbert, Perthshire raspberries and oatmeal fromAberdeenshire.

Friends of theEarth envisions a future where eating local food is not an eccentricpursuit; in the meantime we always enjoy our LOAF meals. They are funbut they are also the starting point for useful conversations aboutthe nurturing of local food systems. There are so many benefits,including: food security for all people; fair prices for producers;shorter food chains and

fewer foodmiles; and increased links between producers and consumers.

Duringthe meal, each contributor spoke about the experience of harvesting,foraging or shopping for their “LOAF” ingredients and wediscussedhow much of a challenge it had been. Gerard lamented how hard it isto find genuine Scottish flour, and then Corrie regaled us with thestory of how she cycled 50 miles to Blair Atholl to buy the flour forher Bramble cake – bona fide Scottish flour, from stone-groundwheat produced in a 16^thcentury water-powered mill! You don't get much more authentic thanthat.

Jessica Paterson

Our first mosaic workshop

2011-08-31T15:56:00.011+01:00

Last Sunday we got all creative and started decorating the bollards at the Arnot Street site. A huge thanks to Jaine Marriott, our excellant teacher and a fantastic professional mosaic producer (see her website http://www.jainemarriotmosaics.co.uk/ to see her work). Here are some photos of us hard at work. Photos of the results are posted below

Friends of the Earth Falkirk AGM 10th September

2011-08-30T19:28:00.003+01:00

The Friends of the Earth Falkirk AGM will be held as part of a day of action on Saturday 10th September 2011. At 11am the group will encourage shoppers at Falkirk High Street to "say NO to plastic bags" by handing out cotton shopping bags in partnership with Falkirk BID. At Lunchtime the group will share a Local lunch with the food sources as local, organic or Fairtrade as possible. The afternoon session will be an opportunity to plan the groups campaigns and events around our usual campaign themes of Waste, Food, Transport, Energy and Environmental Justice.

Bugs arrive on Arnot Street Bollards

2011-08-30T19:22:00.005+01:00

ASDA Garden Takes Shape

2011-08-30T19:04:00.005+01:00

Friends of the Earth Falkirk planted out their Community Garden at ASDA Falkirk before their August meeting. After a couple of sessions to clear the ASDA site our second garden starts to take shape. The group purchased plants and herbs from the Gartinny Nurseries , which supports Scottish Autism, to create a sensory garden which will hopefully make people think twice about using the garden as a litter bin or an ashtray while waiting for their bus.

Donations to the Orphan Garden

2011-07-08T20:35:00.010+01:00

Before the June meeting of Foe Falkirk some of the group meet at the community garden to tidy up the garden. A local resident came to the garden and asked Jessica if we worked for the council. When she said, "no- we are volunteers with Friends of the Earth Falkirk", the gentleman handed over a bag of alcohol. He stated his flat looked over the garden and he appreciates the effort the group has made. That night we also got a donation of wild strawberries from Ronnie, a mutual friend of some of the group.

Later that same week we were donated flowers from Hannia at the Litter Strategy Team. They needed to be planted the evening we got them and we needed water to give them a chance to survive the hot spell we were experiencing. As previously mentioned in the blog there is a local resident with a tap in his garage behind the garden who has shown an interest in the garden. Norman went and spoke to him and we were able to water the new additions the garden. When the man came round he explained that he had already chased someone who had been helping them self to our plants. He didn't give much hope for our new plants not been stolen. Unfortunately some of the new plants have disappeared but there is still plenty of colour to keep the garden looking great.

Cycle Route Litter Pick

2011-06-15T20:19:00.011+01:00

In preparation for Bike to Work week Friends of the Earth Falkirk carried out a litter pick at one of the routes to Grangemouth which leads to the Primrose Avenue underpass.

The local group are taking part in a Bike to Work event at Grangemouth town centre on Sunday 26th June at the Transition Town Grangemouth shop. There will be a number of stalls on the day, including FoE Falkirk, as well as bike maintenance and a guided cycle through the town. The event starts at 11am.

Second Garden Identified in Falkirk Town Centre

2011-06-09T21:25:00.006+01:00

Friends of the Earth Falkirk have identified our second community garden. Unlike our orphaned land garden at Arnot Street, we know who own this garden. The group will be working with ASDA to try and keep the new site litter free and hopefully brighten up this area of Falkirk.

This is a Garden not and Ashtray

2011-05-16T19:11:00.002+01:00

some artwork for our new garden in the town centre

Water

2011-05-16T19:04:00.003+01:00

At the start of May I went to the garden with a bag of water to try and save the plants we had planted at the April group meeting. Kevin had been and planted the lavender hedgeand it was great to see the latest development on the site. As it had been dry for a week I started to give everything a fair share of water i had taken with me. One of our neighbours came out and asked where my bike was and asked about the garden- were we the council? When I gave him some information he told me his garage is the one behind the garden and it has a TAP. Did I want to use it. Not only did it have a tap it had a hose and he said it should reach the garden- and it did. So I socked the garden. He said I he would try and give it a water if it stays dry. Result- community participation with the most precious of support- WATER.

Norman

Work continues on the Community Garden

2011-04-14T20:33:00.003+01:00

On Saturday 9th April members of the group were reminded that the community garden project is essentially a litter programme. Before the planting could go ahead the site had to be cleared of food rappers and plastic bottles.

Friends of the Earth help with treeplanting in Bonnybridge

2011-03-28T12:51:00.009+01:00

On Saturday 26 March members and family of the FOE Falkirk group spent a lovely sunny spring morning helping to plant over 400 trees at the Bonnyfield nature park in Bonnybridge. We transformed the land from the picture on the left to the one on the right

Thanks to Ian Edwards at Falkirk Council and the Bonnyfield group for inviting us along

Orphan Land Project

2011-02-21T21:42:00.004Z

Friends of the Earth Falkirk have been asked to participate in the Falkirk Council Litter Strategy's Orphan Land Pilot Project. The local Friends of the Earth group have been looking at areas to guerrilla garden and had identified a site on Arnot Sreet in the centre of Falkirk, at the entrance to the Old Polish Club and opposite the Glasgow Buildings Car Park. The site identified fits with the Orphan Land objectives and the local group are happy to take forward their community gardening action as part of the Litter Strategy's pilot project

On Saturday 12th February the group met at the site to discuss the gardening proposals for the coming months.

Merry Christmas from Friends of the Earth Falkirk

2010-12-19T21:02:00.003Z

As the festive season reaches fever pitch remember that there are ways of reducing the mountains of waste produced at this time of the year. Don't waste Christmas.

You could reuse and recycle wrapping paper if you need it.
Give homemade cards and gifts to friends and family.
Take your own shopping bags on your last minute shopping or when you go to the January sales.
Don't cook too much food for the Christmas meal

Thrifty Christmas

2010-11-08T21:23:00.005Z

The local group held a successful event in the Mall in Falkirk on Saturday 6th November to promote the idea that there was another way to prepare for Christmas without unlimited consumption.

Guerrilla Gardening

2010-11-08T21:09:00.006Z

Guerrilla Gardening in Falkirk- first step Litter Pick of site> FoE Falkirk have an aim of making some of the forgotten patches of land in the area tidier.

A vision for Cycling in Falkirk 2020

2010-10-22T19:26:00.004+01:00

Friends of the Earth Falkirk would like to hear what people in Falkirk think would be the best way to tackle the main barriers to cycling in Falkirk over the next 10 years. The event "A vision for Cycling in Falkirk 2020" will be held on Monday 25th October, at the Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk 7pm to 9.30pm. This would be the first step in starting to collect a vision of what Cycle facilities in Falkirk could be, or should be, in ten years time. The event is free to attend and all contributions will be welcomed.

Getting out on my Bike

2010-05-10T21:32:00.003+01:00

Over a year ago I decided to get rid of my car and share a car with my wife. The aim was to share the daily 10 mile return commute to work and on the days I didn't need a car at work I had hoped to cycle. I live near the Union Canal and my workplace is only about 4 miles along the canal- so no excuse really. I wish this article was about how I took to cycling really easy and have been cycling regularly since. However, it is only since the beginning of the year that I have been getting into the habit of cycling and this article is about how I overcame some of the usual barriers to cycling. I make no claims about being a super cyclist, but I have enjoyed cycling more regularly and I would like to encourage as many people to consider cycling.

Inspired by Copenhagen
There were two things which encouraged me to cycle more. Visiting Copenhagen in December with Friends of the Earth Scotland and seeing so many people making the most of the great cycle facilities was the main inspiration to get on my bike more. The second source of encouragement was listening to the Guardian Bike Podcast and reading the newspapers bike blog: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/bike-blog

Starting to cycle more during the winter requires a bit of preparation. I have a hybrid bike with full mudguards which makes cycling in the wet a bit more comfortable without water in the face or a streak up the back. As my main cycle is to work I usually wear waterproof over trousers so that I can wear my work clothes to work and not get covered in water or mud. In Copenhagen I liked that people used their bikes with their usual clothing and there wasn't much Lycra on show. There are some tips I have found useful which enables me to cycle to work or a meeting and arrive fresh and clean. I always have a complete set of waterproofs which provides a shell against the rain and wind. I quickly learned that you need to avoid wearing too many layers of clothing even in the winter. Even when it is cold outside you soon heat up when you pick up a bit of speed wearing a waterproof shell. I also bought a couple of bike bags which can be packed up the night before with waterproofs, spare clothes and shoes, ready for the morning cycle. Preparation is key to cycling in the rain or the cold. If there is any excuse not to cycle in the rain it is too easy to jump in a car.

There is research into cycling which shows that cyclists who commute regularly do not get caught in the rain as much as people would think. If your start time can be flexible, by even ten minutes, you can often avoid cycling in the rain. In the first three months of the year, cycling up to four days of the week, I only cycled during a rain shower on three occasions- two of these were cycling to Friends of the Earth events. That is not to say that it only rained three times over these months but when I needed to cycle rain was not an issue. When it has rained I have actually enjoyed the experience of taking on the elements and arriving at my destination dry under my waterproofs. I have not had a puncture yet but I am aware that this will only be a matter of time. I carry a spare inner tube and have already been in a position to share my spare to enable a fellow FoE member to cycle home when his tyre exploded.

When not using the canal paths I have been surprised by the response of fellow road users. I have found car drivers to be considerate and the only criticism so far is that I have often been given too much room on the road and cars have held up traffic waiting behind me. I always wear a hi-vis vest when cycling on the road and use a number of lights at night giving drivers no excuse not to see me. As I prefer to be on the road with cars as little as possible I have worked out a number of regular routes using Callendar Park as a hub to a number of Falkirk destinations.

I have enjoyed cycling and would like to be on my bike more. Promoting cycling will be one of Friends of the Earth Falkirk's local campaign issues this year and we have a number of ideas to encourage people to cycle more. The first is an event where people can bring their underutilised bike and be talked through a check up and given tools and advice to fix any minor repairs or safety concerns. We hope to adopt a couple of cycle routes and ensure they are litter and glass free and we have already had a couple of cycle events which have been good for getting out on our bikes as a group.

Norman's cycle types
1. Be Safe/ Be Seen
Always wear a helmet and hi-viz jacket when cycling on the road. Don't give drivers an excuse not to see you.
Always use lights when cycling at night.
2. Be Prepared
Prepare your waterproofs, lights and tools the night before your commute so you don't have to scrabble about in the morning
3. Choose you own route
You don't have to use the road route- be creative and find your own short cuts and off road options.

Norman Philip

No Lentils this Lent

2010-02-18T18:13:00.004Z

As one of the group members I'm trying to do something environmental and food based for Lent this year- so my idea was to only eat things from the UK- a big version of the Fife Diet. I've set up a blog to do it so if anyone wants to see how I'm getting on you can click this link to find out.
The idea is to reduce food miles and try and like a bit more sustainably.
This picture is not my family- they are American but they don't eat a whole lot differently to my family.

2010-02-03T21:23:00.004Z

From Falkirk High to Copenhagen

Once you have campaigned locally and nationally the next stage is the global stage. After a couple of years of campaigning for strong climate legislation between Falkirk High Street and the Scottish Parliament Friends of the Earth Falkirk wanted to take their campaigning to the next level- to the streets of Copenhagen during the UN climate change talks.

In the run-up to a busy month in December, members of Friends of the Earth Falkirk spoke to local residents and local groups to explain the urgent need for a global agreement to tackle climate change and to demand climate justice. Local people, young and old, were asked to contribute to our community banner for the group to take to the Wave, the climate march in Glasgow, and to the Flood, the Friends of the Earth International march in Copenhagen.

Three people from Falkirk joined 30 people from Friends of the Earth Scotland who took the low-carbon route to Copenhagen, two days travel by train and coach across mainland Europe. Corrie Cuthbertson, Norman Philip and Des Tinney, the Falkirk 3, stopped off at the House of Parliament to meet their MP, Eric Joyce, as they passed through London. This provided an opportunity to lobby on both local issues as well as discuss the need for government action on climate change.

The Friends of the Earth International march in Copenhagen on the morning of Saturday 12^th December brought together 5000 FoE activists from across the globe, the majority in blue ponchos, to represent a flood of people demanding climate justice with a single voice. For the Falkirk 3 this was a great inspiration and a reminder of the global network our local group belongs to. The community banner was carried with pride as we flooded through the streets.

In the afternoon we joined the 100,000 strong climate march from the centre of Copenhagen to the conference centre where the climate talks were taking place. Representatives from NGO's, civil society, political parties and the Danish public took to the streets to show the leaders that the people of the world were looking for a global climate agreement. Although the outcomes of the talks were disappointing the politicians could not claim there is not a public mandate for positive action.

Inspired by Copenhagen

The weekend in Copenhagen was an opportunity to hear about so many positive climate solutions which we could promote in Falkirk. On the Sunday there was an international march by the la via campesina, the global peasant movement, which gave a global context to our local food campaign which will be the main focus for the Falkirk group this year. Copenhagen is the cycle capital of the world and every street corner gave us inspirational ideas for what we would like to see in Falkirk. Cycling will definitely be a FoE Falkirk campaign this year. We have come back with so many ideas for this year that you will just have to join our group or attend our events to keep up with the developments. All environmental groups will continue to campaign on climate change and we will be demanding climate justice, with the echo of the chants from the streets of Copenhagen in our ears.

Norman Philip

Check out more photographs at http://www.flickr.com/people/foefalkirk/

http://twitter.com/foeFalkirk

Join us for a walk around the proposed Helix site on Saturday 16 January

2010-01-01T08:44:00.002Z

This year we would like to try and hold one event a month. These events will be held at the weekends or on evenings and will complement our speakers and campaigns but hopefully add a more relaxed and social element to the group and our campaigning.
The first such event will be a walk of the Helix site on Saturday 16th January.
Many members of the group have concerns over the plans for the Helix development so we thought it would be a good idea to go and see what will be happening and where it will take place to make us more knowledgeable when discussing plans with others.
Meet at the parking space where Etna Road meets the ring road (see http://www.multimap.com/s/jTtvm3iZ) at 9.30m.
Please dress appropriately as we plan to walk through some areas which are not tarmaced and do dress up warm.
If you would like to come by bike and check out the proposed changes to the cycle paths, please do so.

"Friends" of the Earth

2009-12-19T22:16:00.003Z

When we caught the train in London very Early on the Friday morning we were joined by a Helen Baxendale, who was in the cast of Friends, who travelled with the UK Friends of the Earth Activists and shared our accommodation on a primary school floor.

2009-12-18T22:19:00.002Z

See photos of the Copenhagen trip at http://www.flickr.com/photos/foefalkirk/

2009-12-17T22:57:00.001Z

The Falkirk wave banner as part of the Flood march

After the wave we joined the flood

2009-12-17T22:47:00.003Z

The Friends of the Earth Falkirk Three- Corrie, Des and Norman, returned from Copenhagen after taking part in the Friends of the Earth International "Flood" and a 100, 000 strong Climate Justice March through the streets of the city. Photos and information from the trip will follow just as soon as we catch up with some sleep.

The Wave Glasgow 5.12.2009

2009-12-05T21:42:00.003Z

Friends of the Earth Falkirk activists joined the thousands of others walk through the streets of Glasgow

Christmas – let’s keep it local this year

2009-11-21T09:54:00.002Z

Being keen environmentalists, I’m sure you will already be thinking about how to enjoy a green Christmas. You will have ordered your recycled wrapping paper, e-cards and organic turkeys but what about the local element?

I have been thinking about how we all enjoy our local meals on a regular basis and often talk about needing to bring things down to community level. Then Halloween happened and I saw guising replaced with trick or treating, turnips replaced with pumpkins and localism went out the window.

So how can you enjoy a local Christmas?

I guess things don’t get any more local than your own home, so why not make your own presents this year? People always appreciate homemade jams and chutneys, hand-made knitting and sewing, home brews or even tablet and cakes. Do you have any interesting or particularly admired plants that you could split? If this isn’t your thing, why not give your time – offer to walk a friend’s dog for them, babysit or mow their lawn next year.

Then look around Falkirk. The wee farm shop has some great local honey at the moment and the West Carmuirs shop is the perfect place to get all the ingredients for your Christmas dinner (including potatoes grown in the field next to the farm). Remember to use local independent shops and support local charities (including the charity shops which are a real Aladdin’s cave of unusual gifts).

The next level up is Scotland of course and this opens up a lot more possibilities.

Why not enjoy Cairn O’Mohr wine on Christmas day rather than imported varieties ( I highly recommend the sparkling strawberry). For the women in your family, Scotland now has plenty of producers of beauty products (http://www.etsy.com/shop/missballantyne uses lots of organic ingredients and hand-blends her fresh products in small batches – containers can be returned for reuse too) and for men, Scotland has hundreds of whiskey’s to choose from or what about Larbert’s very own brewery. Talking of food, Scotland has a countless number of suppliers of cheese, biscuits, meat, fish...

I’m going to try and source all my gifts from Scotland this year, why don’t you join me?

Corrie Cuthbertson

Up the Canal.... with a paddle!

2009-07-26T10:32:00.002+01:00

Dealing with the problem of litter could be described like being up a particular creek without a paddle. However I was involved in a recent litter pick where Action Outdoors in Brightons provided the paddles, the canoes and the litter pickers in an attempt to clean up a stretch of the Union Canal. I joined the Hallglen Youth and Environment Group as they collected bottles, bags, a tyre and a golf trolley while getting to grips with steering a canoe and remembering not to lean too far out the boat and risk falling in the water. Being in a kayak instead of a canoe it was easier for me to turn on the water and I was sent to get the litter left behind by the fleet of canoes.

I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the group who had sharp eyes for litter. Teenagers are often seen as caring less about the environment: That difficult age between the enthusiasm of primary school and the responsibility of adulthood. This group of teenagers were great examples to all ages within their community.

Dawna Chisholm from the Hallglen group said “The young people loved getting out on the water and were very competitive with each other, which was great as we ended up with loads of litter some of which was bizarre, ie a car tyre and golf cart. I wish more people thought the way our young people do, I am sure the fish and wildlife were pleased to see their home a bit cleaner.”

Eliot Sedman from Action Outdoors explained that a number of canoe clubs across Britain have a clean up on the water they use regularly. Hopefully this litter pick will become a
regular occurrence and give people like myself, who walk and cycle along the canal regularly, the opportunity to get involved and give something back to the environment we enjoy. I now know a group of young people who would jump at the chance to do it all again. So I will finish with a quote from one of the young people themselves, “this is peachy when are we coming back”.

By Norman Philip

Secret Penguin Competition

2009-06-28T21:06:00.001+01:00

Colony of miniature penguins descends on Scotland Pocket a Penguin today – Save the Human tomorrow. A colony of climate-refugee penguins set off from Scotland’s capital on a brave mission to carry their message of ‘Save the Human’ across the country.

The pocket-sized model penguins are launching a competition with Friends of the Earth Scotland to call on all politicians to pass a strong Scottish Climate Change Bill.
Fifty of the threatened birds are heading to secret locations around the country, five
to the Falkirk area, and are to be found splashing in city centre fountains, enjoying
scenic vistas from on high, or pronouncing their message in busy high streets.
Those lucky enough to befriend a penguin – all individually named – can log onto
www.pocketapenguin.org.uk to find out more about the penguins’ plight - and our own.
They will also have the opportunity to enter a fabulous prize for a bicycle worth £300 from
the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative’s ‘Revolution’ range.

Bowhouse Primary welcome and new champion and make tetrapak wallets

2009-06-22T18:04:00.003+01:00

Local CREW champion Lissa gave her first ever public workshop to 26 primary school children in Grangemouth with the help of another group member. The highly enthusiastic eight-year olds proudly showed off their latest project of cars make entirely from scrap. The CREW champions were impressed with their imagination and the wide range of materials used, including remote controls, cars full of shopping and exhaust pipes made from drinking straws.
The kids then split into two teams to see who were the best wicked wasters and who were the SMART (save money and reduce trash) shoppers. The workshop was rounded off with the class making their own wallets from used tetrapak juice cartons. This activity is new on the agenda this year and certainly went down a storm with them as the wallets were quickly filled with dinner money just in time for the lunch break bell.

For more information to request a CREW workshop contact Norman Philip by email. click here.

Monday 18th May Climate Change event

2009-05-12T14:03:00.002+01:00

On Monday, 18th May, Friends of the Earth Falkirk is hosting an introduction to the Scottish Climate Change Bill by Cathy Peattie MSP Depute Convener of the Transport, Infrastructure
and Climate Change Committee. Her presentation will be followed by a guide to the Friends of the Earth Scotland Big Ask Scotland Campaign.

Where: Kersiebank Community Centre, Grangemouth 8pm- 9.30pm MAP here
When: Monday 18th May 8pm-9.30pm

Tea/coffee and stall available from 7.30pm.
If transport is an issue please contact us and we will try and help out with transport.

Carbon Capture and Storage

2009-05-12T13:59:00.000+01:00

Friends of the Earth groups in Fife and Falkirk welcome the UK
government announcement on 23/4/09 to expand fitting of carbon capture
and storage equipment from one UK coal fired power station to several.
This should mean Longannet becomes one of the first power stations to
be fitted. Given the will this equipment could be fitted to Longannet
by 2013 and, with additional equipment Scottish Power is already
proposing to fit to reduce acid rain emissions, this should provide a
future for the site beyond 2015.

Longannet is not the only large greenhouse gas emitter in the area and
the opportunity should be taken to ensure that the system can
accommodate emissions from Grangemouth at the same time.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this engineering will
provide the UK with the opportunity to become a world leader in
producing the equipment for carbon capture and storage, which would
secure long-term jobs in the UK.

We call on all those with power and influence to ensure the equipment
is fitted to Longannet rapidly and made suitable for Grangemouth to get
economies of scale.

Norman Philip

Monthly Meeting 30th March 2009

2009-03-23T22:06:00.002Z

Friends of the Earth Falkirk will be holding a Spring Clean Meeting on Monday 30th March, 7.30 to 9.30 at the Christian Centre, Glebe St, Falkirk. Local activists will be encouraged to spring into action and lobby their local MSP's to call for strong legislation as the Climate Change Bill goes through the Scottish Parliament. There will be updates on the three current local group priority campaigns- Big Ask Scotland, CREW waste project and Local Food. The meeting will also have a presentation from Community Green Initiative (CGI) a hands-on, volunteer group working to clean up litter, flytipping and dog fouling in the local villages of Dunipace and Denny.

This will be an open meeting and anyone interested in finding out more about the work of the group is welcome to attend.

AGM and Talk by Friends of the Earth Scotland

2008-10-04T15:48:00.003+01:00

Last Monday- 29th September the AGM of FOE Falkirk was held.

First off we had a talk from some of the workers in FOE Scotland- on the waste reduction CREW project and also on some of other work going on behind the scenes in FOE Scotland.

The AGM involved a report back on the groups activities over the year including the packaging reduction campaign, the Fife Diet and Food Discussions and the various fundraising and awareness raising events we have been involved with. Once again our mail fundraising effort has been in second hand books (A good example of reuse in action). We agreed to make a donation to FOE Scotland and to our regular venue with our funds.

The next meeting will involve a local meal (see our previous meal here) and is due on 27th October. Usual Venue. If you want to attend or bring something contact us.

Various members have also been involved in a prototype Transistion Town Falkirk idea. Again if anyone is interested then get in touch here. Email Norman

When Vegetables Attack!

2008-07-20T12:14:00.003+01:00

Firstly many thanks to members for taking time out last Saturday to come down and help out at my packaging event.
Also thanks for putting yourself through 2 weeks of shopping at Morrison's.

I think all in all it was a success despite no MSP or coverage in the Herald.
We have yet more names on petitions and I think the manager is realising that we won't go away.
As promised I've produced a draft letter of the key points/questions I want the manager to look at in-store and to raise with head office.

Next FOE Meeting: Monday 30th July 7.30 Christian Centre, Glebe Street Falkirk

2008-06-23T09:24:00.002+01:00

I would like to remind everyone about the Packaging Action Day on the 28th June which Corrie emailed everyone about. If you have some time to space it would be great to see you. Meet at Morrison's at 1.45pm.

AT the next FOE MEeting on Friday we hope to show "The 11th Hour" on Monday 30th June.

Leonardo DiCaprio's "The 11th Hour" is a feature length documentary concerning the environmental crises caused by human actions and their impact on the planet. The 11th Hour documents the cumulative impact of these actions upon the planet's life systems and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity.

Hope to see some of you at the next meeting

Norman Philip, Local Group Co-ordinator

*I have also added in an email from Ros Browning, Activism & Volunteer Development Officer, at FoE Scotland.

Hello Everyone,

I'm now starting to think about organising a local groups day for everyone to attend from local groups across Scotland. The day is likely to include staying overnight somewhere to allow for groups from far away to attend.

For the moment, I just need to get an idea of what dates people would prefer. I'm initially thinking a date between 1st-20th August. Please can you pass this email onto ALL your local group members to ask if there are any date in this period that are NOT suitable?

Also, please let me know if people would prefer a weekday or weekend.

The day is going to be a great opportunity to get to know other FoES local groups, and gain ideas and inspiration on everything from local campaigning to running more effective group meetings and increasing your group members. I hope lots of you will make it!

Thanks

Ros

Rosiaina Browning
Activism & Volunteer Development Officer email rbrowning@foe-scotland.org.uk

Packaging Action Day Part 2

2008-06-15T10:12:00.001+01:00

As you will probably remember last October I organised a supermarket packaging action at Morrisons in Falkirk as part of Friends of the Earth Scotland's CREW project.

Thanks to everyone who showed up on the day, it was a real success and we managed to get a lot of mentions in local and national media.

Well the time has come to repeat the event. Again groups up and down the country will be organising the same stunt over the same weekend at various locations throughout Scotland for maximum impact and I'd be grateful of your support in the Falkirk area.

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the issue of excessive packaging and supermarkets' environmental policies and to urge supermarkets to make changes to their practices of excessive food packaging and inordinate use of plastic bags. Since this is a repeat, it will be interesting to see if Morrisons have implemented any of the changes we called for.

This time round I hope to concentrate on cost as this is at the forefront of everyone's mind now that food and fuel seems to be going up on a weekly basis. Packaging costs households £470 per year – that’s one sixth of the average food budget. We will be calling on supermarkets to reduce the amount of packaging that has to be transported up and down the country, adding to the cost of fuel, and for them to source more food locally so it requires less transport and less protection in the form of packaging.

We will be returning to Morrisons, Hope Street, Falkirk and the date for the action is Saturday 28 June 2008, 2pm.

The plan is for as many people as possible to do their shopping at any Morrisons store in the run-up to the event. I would suggest shopping in the store at least twice prior to the event but feel free to collect excess packaging from 2 full weeks as this is the time period I will be indicating to the manager. The aim is to accumulate a fair amount of excessive packaging - for maximum impact this should be at least 2 carrier bags' worth per person. Do collect it in Morrisons bags to demonstrate that they too contribute to waste.

On the day of the event, we will take the packaging we have collected to the supermarket where we will meet with the manager to return the excess packaging to him and to explain why we are taking this action. Again we will have a petition for the public to sign as this is a good way of getting our message over to shoppers. Hopefully the press and some key local figures (MP, MSPs etc.) will also again attend the event.

There is also an option of dressing up on the day in any way you think demonstrates excess packaging or local food. This is purely optional but if you're feeling creative, please go for it. If anyone wants to dress up as a vegetable or fruit, do let me know as I have a few ideas.

If you are interested in taking part in the event, please get in touch with me and I will send you reminders about when to start collecting waste and when and where we will be meeting. Even if you don't live near a Morrisons store, please do turn up on the day and show your support.

Please also tell any friends and family you think might be interested in taking part or simply turning up on the day.

Corrie Cuthbertson

Notes from 23rd May- Forth Valley Diet evening

2008-06-15T10:06:00.002+01:00

After the Fife Diet presentation the previous month the group discussed what a local diet in the Falkirk area would look like. It was agreed that Falkirk would be too small an area to consider for a realistic diet but you would think that the Forth Valley area would be a manageable area. People agreed to bring a dish to the May meeting for a Forth Valley meal.

The Forth Valley Meal

soup: seasonal broth Simon

Simon used a recipe which had a stock from oats (Scottish). He replaced onions with spring onions from his veg box and his butter was scottish rather than local.

starter: rocket and herb salad Annie

Annie had all the leaves in her garden and included her first radish of the year. There was carrots from Plean

main: potato and sorrel bake Corrie

Corrie got a big bag of potatoes from the local farm shop which has lasted for ages and she has been able to share with all her friends. The sorrel, a leaf which tastes of apple) was from her garden. The milk was delivered to her door in a glass bottle by her Slammanan milk man. The butter was from the Bridge of Allan dairy. The dish required some olive oil- allowed in the Fife diet and lemon juice.

dessert: rhubarb Norman

Norman got his rhubarb at the side of a railway line near his house while walking his dog.

drinks: mint tea from Norman's garden

elderberry wine Annie's friend gave her a bottle as a gift

It was agreed that the growing season at the end of May was not the most productive time for local food variety. Norman had tried to find a local farmers shop but the Camelon farm does not open till later in the year and a shop advertised online in California was nowhere to be seen. Corrie had a The Forth Valley Food Link local food directory but this was out of date.

It was agreed to have a Harvest Meal later in the year.

Stall at Falkirk Town Hall Tuesday 24th May- Braveheart Health event

Corrie has arranged for a veg box from Yourlocalfarm.com and will use her Dammhead Organic box to demonstrate local food options which can be delivered locally. Norman has produces a flier to encourage cycling and a write up of the Fife Diet event from last month. The stall will also have the Big Ask materials and postcards.

Yourlocalfarm.co.uk delivers a fruit and vegetable box scheme throughout Central Scotland. From their base at Balquhatstone Mains Farm, Slamannan, yourlocalfarm.co.uk has been providing locally grown vegetables for over six years now.

Initially set up as a ‘local producer’s cooperative’, they have now been organized into ‘yourlocalfarm.co.uk’. Produce in the delivered box is grown on the farm, with a further 11 local, ethical, producers contributing.

Their vegetables are grown using traditional farming methods, with minimal interference. They have as a result been able to become a member of LEAF. As a member of LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) they endeavour to produce and supply wholesome food in an environmentally sustainable manner. What they are unable to grow themselves they source from local farms and small holdings or Glasgow Fruit Market to make up their boxes.

Burning Issues of Group

Norman had participated in a community litter pick in Westquarter and was impressed by the response of the community- both adults and children. He has produced a certificate to send to the school thanking the children for their contribution.

Simon has been thinking about the pace of his life and has looked into going to a four day week at work to enable him to slow down and have more time to do different things.

Corrie went on a cycle round the River Forth and which made her think about the distance things travel. On a days cycle she never passed any anywhere where food was was being produced. The media stories on the cost of food highlights that people are no longer prepared to pay for “proper food” and how can local farmers survive if people don't pay a fair price for food. Through Corrie's work she was involved in a consultation for town centre redevelopment in Falkirk which will be paid for from a local business levy. Corrie was against the proposals but since it was introduced after a vote she has decided to put herself forward for the steering group to try and influence environmental improvements in the town.

Charlie is angered at the hypocrisy of the Daily Mail and their plastic bag campaign while the continue to print prominent climate change denying articles. The 11th Hour was on Channel 4 and Charlie thought it was an informative film and wondered why there was so little publicity for screening.

The group agreed to try and get a copy of the film to show at the next meeting.

Big Ask Update

Corrie has had communication with Eric Joyce MP's office. He has confirmed that he will not be supporting the Big Ask pledges as he does not agree with the annual targets and emission on aviation and shipping.

Tonights meeting: Local Food Meal!

2008-05-26T10:13:00.003+01:00

The Friends of the Earth Falkirk meeting on Monday, 7.30 Glebe Street Falkirk will be our follow up to the talk by Mike Small on the Fife Diet.

You can see Norman's report on the fife diet talk here.

The Fife Diet have an amazing post on their blog which shows the differences in food consumption in some families around the world. Be prepared for a shock.

Tonight the group will attempt to have a meal of food exclusively from the Forth Valley area- the Falkirk area was seen as too restrictive. Feel free to bring something along. I have looked out how to make mint tea, have eyed up some rhubarb for a sweet, and will provide a starter once I have worked out my options. The discussion will be on the environmental and social impact of food and how to raise the profile of local food production.

On Tuesday the group will have have a stall at a Healthy Living Event at Falkirk Town Hall- 6.30pm to 9.30pm We hope to have a stand looking at the heath benefits associated with cycling, organic food and local food.If anyone is interested in attending and helping out on the stall, even for a short time, do let me or Corrie know.

A new newsletter will be getting produced over the coming month an any articles would be welcomed.

Norman Philip
Local Group Co-ordinator

Food: Where the personal becomes political

2008-05-04T11:26:00.003+01:00

Mike Small gave an inspiring talk on Monday on the Fife Diet project. Next Month the group agreed to make a shared meal of a Forth Valley Diet. There will hopefully be soup, salads and a sweet. Lets see what we can do- all welcome:

Corrie Adds:

Just to follow up from Mondays's meeting, Mike Small from the Fife diet has sent me some recipes for Scottish vegetables that are currently in season:

Parsnip Soup & Baked Eggs and Kale

Mini Pasties with Oatmeal Pastry

Rumbledethumps

Vegetables a la Polonaise

He would welcome feedback on any of the recipes if anyone tries them. Just add this to his website http://fifediet.wordpress.com.

I also promised details of the event we have been invited to later in the month. It is for a charity called Braveheart who support people in the Forth Valley area who have heart problems and to this end they hold a yearly event entitled the "Healthy Living Event". This year's event is taking place on Tuesday 27th May from 6.30pm to 9.30pm in Falkirk Town Hall. It aims to bring in local services and support mechanisms to help people live a healthier lifestyle. Last year's event attracted approximately 200 participants and they hope to build on this. We hope to have a stand looking at the heath benefits associated with cycling, organic food and local food.If anyone is interested in attending and helping out on the stall, even for a short time, do let me know.

Lastly another date for your diary is May 12 when the Falkirk Allotment Society is holding an open meeting on at 7.30 in the Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk

They will have a display of information they have gathered during their research into allotments over the last year. There are growing levels of interest in allotments in Falkirk and they hope you will join them for some refreshments and a chat.

Corrie

The Falkirk Diet???- Event Monday 28th April

2008-04-17T11:18:00.000+01:00

The next Friends of the Earth Falkirk Public Event will be a talk by Mike Small on the Fife Diet on Monday 28th April 2008 at The Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk @ 7.30pm.

The Fife Diet

Mike Small argues that we should eat local produce and save the planet, an idea that has obliged his family - and a growing number of adherents to his cause - to eat meals of local lamb, pork and a great many dishes based on parsnips, beetroots, kale, potatoes, leeks and all the other root vegetables that typify the agricultural output of this wind-swept corner of Scotland. Learn about the pros and cons of sourcing all his food within a 20 mile radius.
"It's part of our experiment to see if we can do it, how long can we do it for, what it costs, and what the health benefits are. We're not saying we've got all the answers. We've got small children, we work, and we're crap at gardening. We are not The Good Life, but it will just be interesting to see if it can be done. It might be that we can't do it and it ends up that we just buy seasonally and more locally.”
Mike Small, The Guardian November 21 2007

What would a Falkirk Diet look like?
What food would we be able to source within a 20 mile radius and could we sustain a healthy diet?

Radio Link

2008-04-14T18:14:00.000+01:00

The documentary “The Carbon Connection” features the people of two towns, one in Brazil and one in Scotland, that are intimately linked by a carbon trading project of BP Scotland. This interview features a conversation with one of those people, Norman Philip of Grangemouth, Scotland talking about some of the real outcomes of carbon trading.

Follow the Links below, to hear the interview, and head here to read more details and watch the documentary.
http://www.celsias.com/2008/03/19/the-celsias-show-2-breakin-the-law-breakin-the-law/

The Big Ask: Saturday 7th April

2008-04-06T20:30:00.000+01:00

Gordon Brown- Please don't ignore aviation emissions.

Big Ask Climate Change Debate

2008-04-06T20:27:00.000+01:00

On Friday 4 April, Friends of the Earth Falkirk welcomed Stuart Hay, head of campaigns at FoE Scotland and Eric Joyce, Falkirk West MP to a debate on climate change to launch the Big Ask day of action the following day.
The event started with a presentation from Stuart on climate change and how we need tough legislation to prevent the situation spiralling out of control in the future.
This was followed by a lively discussion with Mr Joyce. Members of the local group were saddened to hear of his great enthusiasm for nuclear power and how the present government sees nuclear as the only way in which we can fight climate change rather than investing in renewables and a reduction in consumption.
Everyone present agreed that the key to solving emissions problems lies in changing mindsets and education.
The evening ended with the group handing over postcards to Mr Joyce from his constituents asking him to vote in favour of a tough climate change bill.

The Big Ask Falkirk Event- Friday 4th April

2008-03-31T16:51:00.000+01:00

As the Climate Change Bill goes through the parliamentary process The Big Ask campaign will continue to demand tough legislation to reduce the impacts of climate change.

An evening of discussion and film on Friday 4th April at The Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk at 7.30pm.
There will be a screening of sections of the Inconvenient Truth.

Speakers will include:
Eric Joyce MP
and
Stuart Hay
Head of Campaigns
Friends of the Earth Scotland

Meetings on Week Beginning March 31st

2008-03-30T16:01:00.000+01:00

Monday evening 7.30pm at The Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk
The main topic of discussion will be the Big Ask event this coming weekend.

Friday evening (4th April) 7.30pm at The Christian Centre: Film showing for the Big Ask.

Saturday?? Stay tuned for further information.

February FOE Meeting

2008-02-10T16:04:00.000Z

Monday 26th February 2008 7.30-9.30- Christian Centre

James Curran will give a presentation about his about his new environmentally-aware shop in Glasgow, Entrading, 88 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2QZ, on the corner of Hope Street.

www.entrading.co.uk 0141 332 2424

Crew Update (Communities Reducing Excess Waste)

2008-02-10T15:53:00.000Z

As part of the CREW initiative Corrie Cuthbertson has been involved in a number of forums to try and spread the message of waste minimisation.

As part of a Falkirk Council initiative Corrie has been involved in looking at the possibilities of finding a community to pilot a Plastic Bag Free Zone. This has involved looking at initiatives with examples of good practice and researching the range of alternatives available.

Corrie tried to investigate the possibility of reintroducing reusable glass milk bottles into stores in the Falkirk area. As someone, who still has her milk delivered in a glass bottle to her door, she was surprised to discover that there is currently no capacity in the local dairy market to reintroducing glass milk bottles into local shops.

Falkirk MPs sign up to the BIG ASK campaign

2008-02-01T10:52:00.000Z

The morning after the Bali UN climate change talks ended without setting strong reduction targets due to pressure from the US negotiators, local campaigners visited Michael Connarty MP to ask for him to support strong reduction targets in the UK climate change bill. On Saturday 14th December 2007 members of Friends of the Earth Falkirk delivered postcards from local constituents asking for a climate change bill strong enough to meet the climate challenge.

The group were delighted that Mr Connarty signed their Big Ask Pledge and agreed to support the Friends of the Earth call for 80% cuts in UK carbon reductions by 2050, annual milestones for reductions and the law strengthened to include the UK’s share of international emissions from aviation and shipping.

Michael showed his ongoing commitment by signing an Early Day Motion (EDM) tabled by Nigel Griffiths in January 2008 on the Climate Change Bill. The EDM welcomes the Bill, but points out the United Nations Development Programmes recent conclusions that the targets are not ambitious enough and that leaving out international aviation and shipping weaken the Bill considerably, and calls for the Bill to be amended.

Eric Joyce MP was also visited by FoE Falkirk as part of the Big Ask campaign and he agreed to sign up to the demands. He offered to come and meet the local FoE group to discuss the issues, but unfortunately this had to be postponed due to his commitments in parliament.

PULP FICTIONS Saturday 2nd February

2008-02-01T10:50:00.000Z

Secrets of the paper industry exposed (and what we can do about it)
Keynote speaker Mandy Haggith, author of the forthcoming book ‘Paper Trails’, will explain how we can limit the environmental and social costs of an industry that in many parts of the world has cleared ancient forests to make way for industrial plantations, displaced local communities, endangered wildlife, used massive amounts of energy and caused substantial pollution.

Other contributors will outline the state of recycling and waste reduction today in Scotland and how they are currently promoted.

This event is being held at the Christian Centre Glebe St Falkirk

Packaging Action in Falkirk

2007-10-29T13:15:00.000Z

Some pictures from the Packaging action held at Morrisons supermarket in Falkirk.

Meeting Report Sept 2007 Part 1

2007-09-26T13:06:00.000+01:00

The speaker this month was Shaun from Going Carbon Neutral Riverside. GCNR us a grass roots organisation based in teh riverside are of Stirling (right) who are working toward reducing emissions in their community.

Shaun covered the organisations involved and the work done so far in moving forward with the project. The group has been reasonably well funded and their work in producing a feasability study on a biomass district heating scheme is likely to be of value to other similar sized communities. Other work has included looking at improvements to insulation in buildings, promoting existing schemes to fund loft and cavity wall insulation, and the supply of energy saving light bulbs although the choice of free bulbs has limited uptake. Improvement in community lighting in closes has also been examined based on experience in Glasgow. One technical issue which has come up and will resonate in many areas of Sotlnais the difficulty in insulating older stone built homes.

The Going Carbon Neutral Riverside website has details including an excellent energy reduction diary .

PACKAGING ACTION DAY - Saturday 27th October 2007

2007-09-25T13:20:00.000+01:00

FED UP WITH THE EXCESS PACKAGING YOU ARE TAKING HOME?

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH SCOTLAND IS HOLDING A PACKAGING ACTION DAY

On Saturday 27th October 2007 at 11am in Morrisons Store, Hope Street, Falkirk.

What is a Packaging Action day?

It is a day when people in the community travel to a local supermarket and present the Manager with what they consider to be excess waste from that supermarket.

What is the purpose of this day?

The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the issue of excess packaging. We’re aiming to persuade supermarkets to make changes to their use of excessive food packaging and plastic, as well as encouraging them to use environmentally friendly practices.

Who can participate?

Anyone who is fed up with over-packaged goods can take part and it will only take an hour or so of your time!

What do I need to do to participate?

Contact your local Waste Prevention champion
(Corrie Cuthbertson) for more details

Join in and help make a difference!!!

Off to a bad start

2007-08-20T13:07:00.000+01:00

Due to other commitments I missed a few stories through the last couple of months.

One interesting article according to edie.net

Brown downgrades climate committee
Source: www.edie.net

Not a promising start from our new leader.

More in the Guardian on the problems with biofuels.

Biofuels switch a mistake, say researchers

And finally some local news which has already been doing the rounds.

£18m waste plant plan for Polmont

Better news than an incinerator although a reduction in waste would be preferable to a technical fix that makes it seem that waste is a solution to another problem. It would be interesting to find our how much of the embodied energy in the waste is actually recovered by this process.

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-06-19T21:06:00.001+01:00

There will be a showing of An Inconvenient Truth at Falkirk Town Hall on Tuesday the 26th
of June at 7.30pm.

FOE Falkirk will have a stall and a discussion has been arranged in the lounge after the film.

Cyberactions

2007-06-07T22:29:00.001+01:00

A reminder of the cyberactions web page on FOE-Scotland.

Currently there are two actions related to climate change.

Demand a tougher Climate Bill

Write to your MP about the Climate Bill

CATE

2007-06-07T22:09:00.001+01:00

CATE (Crap at the environment) is comedian Mark Watson's attempt to tackle environmental issues in his and the lifes of other members. The group and blog on myspace consists of discussion of issues, and the setting of personal challenges. These vary from the quite particular issues like buying no plastic for a week, spending no money for a day to doing something on the World Environment Day (did anyone notice) actions list. Although generally light hearted some of the discussion highlights just how difficult it can be to try and reduce our environmental impact.

CATE on myspace

Meeting - May

2007-05-21T19:34:00.001+01:00

Friends of the Earth Falkirk meet on Monday 29th May, 7.30 at the Christian Centre, Falkirk. There will be a introduction to a new Friends of the Earth Scotland project by Rosiaina Browning FoE Scotland’s Waste Prevention Co-ordinator. The CREW tour will be about 'climate-friendly living'. The project will explain to members of the public what steps they can take to live climate friendly lives. At the same time it will explain what the government should be doing to make it easier for people to live greener lifestyles.

Carbon Offsetting

2007-05-11T19:15:00.001+01:00

A lovely wee video someone posted a link to on the CAT bulletin board.

http://www.scenewon.co.uk/scene_movie.php?movie=485

www.cheatneutral.com

I don't think I've seen a simpler argument against carbon offsetting.

Falkirk Development Plan

2007-05-04T21:46:00.001+01:00

As discussed at the last meeting the local plan will be available for objections this week from the 20th of April until the 1st of June.

It will be available on the council web site and also in local libraries, one stop shops and at Abbotsford house where it is also available for purchase at £32.75

April

2007-04-30T07:32:00.000+01:00

There are no specific issues on the Agenda for this months meeting. As usual all are welcome, if you have an environmental issue you want to discuss come along.

Alternate weekly collection

2007-04-26T13:31:00.000+01:00

There has been a lot of coverage in the press recently about alternate weekly rubbish collection schemes similar to that currently used in most of Falkirk. There seems to be a growing number of people raising concerns over smells, vermin, insects, and disease.

While I can understand some of the concerns, especially as this is much of the media this is sold as a simple story of council cutting services, in some areas concern is being replaced by a level of hysteria which is difficult to believe. I feel that the advantages of a separate bi-weekly recycling service isn't being communicated well to the public. AFAIK most of the schemes proposed would work in a similar way to our local system.

As this scheme has been in place in Falkirk for some time it might be worth while trying to pass our experiences of the scheme onto some who just can't believe that civilisation will survive only having a waste bin collected once a fortnight.

The following site seems to be one woman's battle against bi-weekly waste collection. The forum is free and no registration is required so I decided to share my positive experience of our waste collection system. Some how I don't think this is likely to persuade her, it may however make others who come across the site think.

http://www.weeklywaste.com/

I think there may be room here for some concerted action to try and get the good news story of AWC out to the public. My suggestion is where you find discussion add note of your experiences, I'm sure the debate will be going on in many blogs and discussion groups.

Climate change vs Peak oil

2007-04-24T13:30:00.000+01:00

There has been an interesting discussion on the Transition Culture blog about the subjects of Climate change and Peak oil. There is often debate about whether these issues are complimentary and should be used together in campaigning for change or should be seperated. Generally the latter view is more common amoung those who campaign against Climate change and see Peak oil as either irrelevant or worse as a potential threat to action.

George Monbiot on peak oil and transition towns

There is some interesting counter arguments to George Monbiot's talk in the discussion that follows the post and also a more detailed response later by Chris Vernon of the oil drum europe.

Scottish Parliament Hustings*

2007-04-10T07:22:00.000+01:00

Hosted by Friends of the Earth Falkirk & Falkirk Churches Together
On Thursday 19th April 2007 7-9pm at the Salvation Army Hall
Woodside Court (off High Station Road), Falkirk.
Chaired by Ian Scott.

Falkirk East candidates

Annabelle Ewing SNP
Nataliee Maver Liberal Democrats
Cathy Peattie Labour
Stephen O'Rourke Conservatives

Falkirk West candidates

Scott Campbell Conservatives
Callum Chonczuk LibDem
Dennis Goldie Labour Party
Michael Matheson SNP

Regional List candidates

David Robertson Green Party
Tom Selfridge Scottish Christian Party
Lynn Sheridan Solidarity
Mary Straub Scottish Socialist Party

*All the political parties standing in the Falkirk Area have been invited to represent their views.

March

2007-03-22T13:03:00.000Z

The first part of the March meeting will give an opportunity for a Journalist from the Falkirk Herald to interview members for the papers soap box article.
A general discussion will follow, and some updates on the plans for an environmental hustings which members are organising.

E-Petitions - Council Tax could be a Green Tax

2007-03-07T07:36:00.000Z

On and off in the media there have been reports about the methods used for revalueing properties for council tax. It seems likely that any improvement will result in an increased valuating and increased council tax bills. At the moment this will probably include improvements intended to reduce carbon emissions such as solar panels, wind turbines, improvements in insulation, heat recovery systems. The nice people at CAT have set up a petition on the governments petition website.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Greenhousetax/

Please read it, sign it if you feel strongly and pass this information on to anyone else you feel may be interested.

There is also a petition requesting more land to be set aside for allotments around the country, I guess this is devolved but there doesn't seem to be any harm in signing it. I know this issue is something that some members feel strongly about.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/allotments/

[edit]

Probably a little more controversial but here's another petition of interest on planning issues for renewables.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/windsolar/

February Meeting Report

2007-03-02T21:05:00.000Z

After a short discussion on news, events in the coming months the meetings main focused turned to Robin Baird, Falkirk Councils Wast strategy co-ordinator.

Robin gave an interesting talk on Falkirk Councils residential waste management policy. This covered the current three bin system, some of reasons for the limitations on the recyclables collected and possible enhancements to the system in the future. Some of the financial and operational demands were explained, as was the reasons for the slow roll-out of the system across the council area. The key advantage of the simple and slow approach adopted by Falkirk is relatively low rates of contamination in the recyclable waste collected. The composting method used for the waste in the brown (compostable) bins was explained and some possible enhancements to this was discussed including the future possibility of collecting kitchen waste and using an in vessel composting system to produce clean safe compost from this waste further reducing landfill.

Currently 62,000 households are taking part in the system, this will reach 68,000 by the end of this month (March 2007).
35% of the waste recovered by the council is recycled currently
only one of only six councils in Scotland to have won funding to extend recycling collection into flatted properties.

Some of the concerns expressed by the members included the lack of facilities at Roughmute, although the site has now been redeveloped to allow proper sorting of waste there is currently a shortage of labour to man it. A number of the members had experienced staff unwilling to direct them to separate waste, instead being encouraged to use the anything else waste pit.
Problem wastes such at tetra-pak containers, used batteries and fluorescent lamps were discussed although currently the council has no facilities to deal with them. The implications of the WEEE directive were also touched on. The issue of retail and small industrial waste disposal were also discussed although Mr Baird admitted that the council had very little control over this.

Falkirk Councils Waste Strategy

Too good to waste

2007-02-25T19:59:00.000Z

The February meeting of Friends of the Earth Falkirk will concentrate on the issue of waste. A discussion will follow a presentation by Robin Baird, Falkirk Council's Waste Strategy Co-ordinator. The group meet on Monday 26th February at the Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk between 7.30 and 9.30. Anyone interested in waste minimisation and recycling welcome to come along and join in the discussion.

(Apologies to all for the late posting)

Climate change contributions

2007-02-13T13:08:00.000Z

Posted with permission - credit to the Centre for Alternative Technology carbon gym team.

Humans are probably a significant driver of global climate change, by emission of 'infrared active' gases: CO2, CH4, NOx etc. We can estimate the contribution of our various activities - roughly, half are 'individual' e.g. car exhaust, and half, 'joint' e.g. burning fossil fuels to heat public buildings.

CAT is about to re-launch their Carbon Gym calculator. They think in terms of four types of emissions: (1) Direct and measurable; (2) Indirect, pro-rated on the bases of purchases; (3) Indirect, not pro-rated and attributed to the industrial sectors; (4) Fixed infrastructure, not pro-rated and attributable to government policy. They quote the following:

UK national average: 11 tonnes CO2 equivalent per person per year.
Breakdown: Direct - 35%; Indirect - 50%; Infrastructure - 15%.
Global per capita sustainable target: 2.5 tonnes CO2e per year

"The data comes from a variety of different sources including the Department for Trade and Industry, Department for Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Office of National Statistics."

On the basis of this research, CAT advise on ways to reduce CO2e. (They do not include work-related activities e.g. business trips). In rough order of priority:

(1) Fly less - you, and your goods.
Rough CO2e (tonne per person per trip) from the UK: 0.25 UK, 0.6 Europe, 2.0 USA, 3.0 India, 5.0 Australia.

(2) Drive less - you, and your goods.
Rough CO2e (tonne per vehicle per year): 1 per 5000 miles.

(3) Watch what you eat - prefer local, organic, unprocessed plant foods.
Rough CO2e (tonne per person per year) eating ordinary supermarket ready meals: 8
eating vegetarian supermarket ready meals: 2.5
cooking omnivorous supermarket food from scratch: 3
cooking omnivorous local organic: 0.5
cooking local vegan-organic: 0.1

(4) Don't heat with electricity - use solar, wood or gas.
Rough CO2e (tonne per person per year): Kept 'nice and warm' with electric heat: 5
with mains gas: 2
(assumes two occupants, moderate size detached house not to current building regulations)
Kept 'comfortable', mains gas, wall insulation, thermal glazing: 1

(5) Buy less - your indirect emissions are strongly correlated with 'disposed income'.

(6) Get political - to reduce 'infrastructure' and 'industry' emissions.

UK wind power reaches 2 gigawatts milestone

2007-02-09T21:26:00.000Z

From the BBC website UK Wind power reaches milestone

The UK has become only the seventh nation in the world to have more than two gigawatts (GW) of operational wind power capacity.

The milestone was passed on Friday when the Braes O'Doune wind farm, near Stirling, began producing electricity.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling described it as a "major landmark" for the UK wind industry.

The government has set a target for 10% of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2010.

The 36-turbine Braes O'Doune wind farm, built and operated by Airtricity, has a generating capacity of 72 megawatts (MW), enough to supply electricity to 45,000 homes in the area, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

Maria McCaffery, BWEA's chief executive, said passing the 2GW mark, equivalent to two coal-fired power stations, was a "tremendous step forward".

Progress visible from parts of Falkirk.

January meeting report

2007-01-31T21:25:00.000Z

For those who didn't make it we had a film show as planned.

I was out voted and we watched "Who killled the electric car" which was very well presented using the story of the GM EV1 to illustrate the broader issues surrounding the attempts by California to try and reduce the environmental and human damage caused by the car.

The issues were well presented and although a lot of the technical problems with electric vehicles were glossed over the case was made for why the EV experiment ended.

Basically it came down to there being just too many groups with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. I prefer this explanation to some of the more hysterical "tin foil hat" conspiracy theories, it demonstrates you don't need dark figures in smoke filled rooms plotting, you just need a good financial incentive to carry on with business as usual. The tactics used by the motor industry, the oil industry and the fuel cell business interests all just came together and did for the EV.

Whether EV can really be a solution is a bigger question, in a world where we drive less perhaps electric vehicles can provide a technical solution for our reduced transport needs.

The general consensus at the meeting seemed to be the film missed the bigger issue but did demonstrate the obstacles which will be put in place to those fighting climate change, preparing for peak oil, or both. We have already seen Bush offering technical solutions with Hydrogen, biofuels and most recently with carrying out experiments with our atmosphere, all to carry on with business as usual.

In response to a lovely optimistic post on another forum I sketched out the following. The original idea was we would all make Hydrogen from electricity generated from wind power at night. I need to fact check this but post it for information anyway.

I'm not convinced that would work a little back of the beer mat math gives you an idea of the scale of the problem.

Petrol has an energy density of over 30MJ / Litre, it's actually a bit more that that but I'll use 30 to keep the numbers simple (they are going to be huge).

Lets say cars get an average of 45 mpg (excuse the mixed units) that works out around 10 miles per litre giving an energy usage of 3MJ / mile (30/10).

Hydrogen cell advocates typically claim that cells are three times more efficient than heat engines (internal combustion engine), I'm skeptical but lets use take it as a fact, so our new exciting FCV will run at around 1MJ per mile.

A typical car in the Uk does 10,000 miles a year, that's 10,000 MJ or 10GJ per year.

I have a figure in my head of 25,000,000 cars on the road, I think that's a couple of year old but it'll do for now.

That makes the energy demand assuming all cars were converted to hydrogen fuel cells around 250,000,000 Gj per year

Current UK electrcity production is around 1,224,000 Gj per year again this is based on a number in my head (340,000 GWh = 1,224,000 GJ again this is old so may need checking).

Now that's unfair because some traffic will move over to alternatives such as bio-diesel, so if we half the demand figure and say we need 125,000,000 GJ then we only need to generate one hundred times as much electricity as we do now just to fuel cars, this is based on carrying on with current driving patterns.

It's not all bad news, there are some experimental FCV that run as low as 0.333MJ per mile but the numbers still don't add up.

On bio-diesel there was an interesting story at the tail end of last week, tortillas in south america have shot up in price due to increased demand for corn for conversion into bio-fuel in the states.

Anyone for a bike?

January meeting

2007-01-26T20:50:00.000Z

The first FoE Falkirk meeting of the year will be at the usual venue but on Monday and not the usual Wednesday. The group will now meet on the last MONDAY of the month at the Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk 7.30 to 9.30.

There will be a showing of either "Crude Impact" or "Who Killed the Electric Car"

All welcome.

Vote with your Feet - the 2007 everyone election campaign

2007-01-09T20:44:00.000Z

The Falkirk meeting is coming up at the end of the month. Before that Foe Edinburgh are holding a meeting that sounds very interesting.

Date: Thursday 25th January 2007, at 7.30pm

Venue: Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Speaker: Ylva Haglund, Campaign Coordinator, everyone campaign

Vote with your Feet - the 2007 everyone election campaign

Ylva Haglund will explain how the latest campaign was put together to focus on the Holyrood elections in May, and what you can do to support this.

How can we persuade politicians that unless they change the way we treat the planet, we will change them - by voting for somebody else?

Top issues in this campaign include:

- Climate change
- Loss of our wildlife and habitats
- Destruction of our landscape
- Pollution of our seas
- Our health and wellbeing

The everyone campaign, an initiative of Scottish Environment LINK, is a network of Scottish environment charities which campaigns to establish the environment as a serious mainstream
issue in Scotland.
Charities involved include Friends of the Earth Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers' Association, RSPB, Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF Scotland.

See www.everyonecan.org for more details.

Going green with DEFRA

2007-01-09T07:44:00.000Z

The end of December saw the official lauch of the DEFRA greener living website.

Most of it is commonsense advice and is available elsewhere but it's nice to see a government site promoting it. Unusually the section on air travel is reasonable, recommending a reduction in air travel, only flying as a last resort and even covers the problems with offsetting.

If only the rest of governments policies reflected the actions and choices they would like us to make.

Next meeting Wednesday 29th November

2006-11-21T07:57:00.000Z

This month the speaker will be Catherine Wilson, Litter Strategy Officer with Falkirk Council. Litter is one of the local group's priority campaigns and the meeting is open to any one interested in finding out more.

Litter line: 01324 504433

www.falkirk.gov.uk/litterzone

The meeting will be held at the Christian Centre, Glebe Street, Falkirk at 7.30.

FoE Scotland Christmas Cards will also be on sale at the meeting for £3 for a pack of 10 cards plus cotton shopping bags at £3 each.

Contract and Convergence Petition

2006-11-21T07:43:00.000Z

There is a .gov.uk site allowing the creation of petitions, these are reviewed listed publicly and can be signed online. There are issues over the validity of any petition and probably greater issues over whether these are ever really taken into account. However for those interested there are a number of environmental issues which have already been listed.

One of which is related to our discussion on the practicalities of contraction and convergence.

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Adopt Carbon Rationing and Contraction and Convergence...."

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Carbon-Rationing/

Ash Pits at Longannet

2006-10-30T09:57:00.000Z

Longannet Power Station (just over the Forth from Grangemouth) is the biggest pollutor in our area (and in Scotland). Fortunately for us (and unfortunately for Europe) most of the air-bourne pollution goes into the high atmosphere to be carried away for a few hundred miles. However I have heard tell of falls of mysterious dust in Culross.
A couple of years ago on Doors Open Day I went to see an old salt panning building which is just past Culross on the coast. It is on Scottish Power land which has been reclaimed from the Forth. The salt panning buildings used to be on an island, but now its part of this reclaimed land. Basically what happens is that the ash from the power station is washed away by water drawn in from the Forth, and then pumped along the sea front past Culross and into ash pits at the other side. The water then drains away and leaves the ash in giant pits. Once the pits are full the top is capped with earth and made into a place where you can walk your dog.
I suppose I am posting this to let you know the consequences of our power station, and also because I wanted to show a link to the programme "Flash Earth" which shows an ariel view of the site. (You need the Flash to show it- once you open it, read the instructions, click on the black box and you will see the pits).
Is there anything we can do about it? I'm not sure. It was being presented by Scottish Power as a good environmental management option. But...

A.G.M Update

2006-10-29T20:55:00.000Z

As you will tell from the masthead of this newsletter the AGM made a decision about the local group’s name and decided to change it to Friends of the Earth Falkirk. This reflects the current membership better and gives the group a clearer identity and locate it at the heart of the environment in Falkirk.
The AGM gave the group an opportunity to reflect on where we would like to place our energy over the coming year. Many of the usual suspect came up again such as recycling, litter, public transport and local food with the hope that we can build in previous campaigns. New campaigns which reflect some of the current interest in the group include congestion and promoting biodiversity. As always the local group will also continue to support the priority campaigns of Friends of the Earth Scotland in the Falkirk area.

Local IS best

2006-10-29T20:54:00.000Z

Proved on the street We couldn’t have planned it better. At the Eat the Street event in Callender Riggs Falkirk in September we conducted a taste test between carrots bought at a supermarket and carrots grown on the temporary allotments on the street. Overwhelmingly the home grown carrot was preferred by the visitors to the event.
Friends of the Earth Forth Valley supported the event organized by Forth Valley Food Links to promote the environmental benefits of local food and to promote interest in allotments. The stall gave information on the issue of foodmiles and promoted the Friends of the Earth Campaign

Freecycle

2006-10-29T20:53:00.001Z

Changing the world one gift at a time

The Freecycle network was established to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. In under four years it has grown from a community project based in Tucson to a worldwide network of nearly three thousand eight hundred locally organised groups with over two and a half million members. It works by providing a mailing list in which members can offer unwanted items, other members or groups can then arrange to take these. As well as reducing waste it can save you money both in items found on the list and in special waste collection fees it also provides a network for building local communities.

The essential rule for all Freecycle groups is that everything offered has to be given freely.

Once you’ve joined the list the mechanics are simple. When you have something you no longer want, check the guidance notes that it’s acceptable to your local group then post an OFFER to the list. If you see something offered you want then contact the offerer and if it’s still available arrange collection. Once the arrangement is made the offerer posts a TAKEN note back to the list. It requires no more knowledge than the ability to read and respond to an email and that simplicity and it’s locality is what makes it all work.

Joining the list couldn’t be easier, point your web browser at the uk network home uk.freecycle.org or at www.freecycle.org and follow the links to find your local freecycle group.

Alternatively for those in the forth valley area the following groups are available.
Falkirk – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FalkirkReCycle
Stirling – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stirlingcityfreecycle/
Edinburgh – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleEdinburgh/
Glasgow – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/glasgow-freecycle/

Just go to the website and select Join, you can then choose to receive messages by email, as a convenient daily digest or just read them on the web. The rules of each group may vary a little, these are local groups run by local moderators, giving there own time to make freecycle work. Read through the welcome emails and the rules and jump in.