Book Review: I’m with the Bears

Posted on November 25, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Buy this book. Why? Two reasons – 1) it’s a collection of great short stories (not cheerful, it has to be said!), and

2) cash from every sale goes to one of the least worst climate campaigning groups around, 350.org.

Verso, a publisher better known for slender/glossy books by Jean Baudrillad and worthy Marxist doorsteps, dreamt up the project three years ago, and sought out stories from writers like Helen Simpson, Margaret Atwood and Toby Litt. Some works were specially written, some were donated from previously published efforts. Most importantly, not one of the ten is a dud (always a concern with these Cause Related volumes). Some of them will act as depth charges, exploding days after you’ve read them. Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Steering What, Where?

Posted on November 24, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester’s “Stakeholder Conference on climate change” should be happening any day now.  Haven’t got your invite? Well, it’s nothing personal; neither has anyone else. Without consultation or explanation, the conference has been postponed, probably till March 2012.

Who made the decision to delay? An unelected “Steering Group” which has met regularly for 18 months without ever publishing its minutes, a requirement under its Terms of Reference.

First, a little history; during 2009, Manchester City Council worked with a range of “stakeholders” to produce the Manchester Climate Change Action Plan. This was agreed by the Manchester City Council executive in November 2009, and taken to Copenhagen as an example of Manchester’s boldness by the Council Leader, Richard Leese. As well as a headline grabbing “41%” reduction goal for Manchester, the plan’s second aim was “to engage all individuals, neighbourhoods and organisations in Manchester in a process of cultural change that embeds ‘low carbon thinking’ into the lifestyles and operations of the city.” Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Tagged | 1 Comment

Manchester Veg People & Sustainable Organic Food For All?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Just published an article at the Guardian looking at the implications of having a huge – and privileged – client like the University of Manchester tapping into the city’s limited supply of organic fruit and veg through an organic food co-op (namely Manchester Veg People).

Here’s a snippet: Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged , | 1 Comment

MCFly climate bulletin #3, Nov 21 2011

Posted on November 21, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Hi all,
the first Manchester Climate Monthly (dead tree format) hits the streets on January 2nd, 2012. Please encourage your climate-concerned friends to take out a (free!!) subscription – via our subscribe page.
Here’s a 40 second video explaining the top ten reasons folks should subscribe…
And follow us on twitter (@mcr_climate).

and while you are wasting your life on the Interwebz, why not vote for Manchester’s own Carbon Co-op as it tries to win a big pot of money for its exciting work.  More details here. Continue reading →

Posted in Weekly bulletins | Leave a comment

U (Chorltonites) decided

Posted on November 19, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Small pots of money from Manchester City Council’s budget were dished out last Thursday night at a “U Decide” event in the impoverished and downtrodden ward of Chorlton. (See our earlier story.)

MCFly was not there, but we are reliably informed that eleven groups got some cash. Among the winners were;

Chorlton Big Green Festival – £750 for workshops, sound system, toilets, staging. (The Big Green Festival happens every March, and MCFly hopes to be there with a stall, distributing scurrilous propaganda). Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester City Council | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Campaign Update: People’s Republic of Energy needs your vote

Posted on November 18, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

manchester-carbon-coop-peoples-republic-energyMCFly invited Jonathan Atkinson from Manchester’s Carbon Co-op to tell us more about their EnergyShare project and how you can support their funding bid

Manchester’s Carbon Co-op has been shortlisted in a national competition to win £100,000. The project, The People’s Republic of Energy will convene people’s assemblies, train up community energy assessors and deliver a series of retrofit eco-house make overs.

Voting in the Energyshare competition is open now until Saturday 3rd December with the Carbon Co-op up against five other organisations from around England and Wales in the ‘large projects’ category.

Carbon Co-op project manager explained the idea behind the proposal:

“People’s Republic of Energy is a campaign to involve as many people in Greater Manchester as possible in shaping up to the task ahead of us. We have over a million homes in the city region in need of retrofit works if we are going to get near the 80% reductions in CO2 we need. We’re trying to engage and energise as many people as possible and give them a stake in what’s happening.”

You can vote for the Carbon Co-op here: www.energyshare.com/voting

Posted in Energy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Youtube: Executive of MCC in 84 seconds

Posted on November 17, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

A bluffer’s guide to the Executive of Manchester City Council, in less than a minute and a half. No animals were harmed in the making of this video, but some dodos would be offended…

Forthcoming videos:
* Top 10 reasons you should subscribe to Manchester Climate Monthly
* Bluffer’s guide to the Oversight and Scrutiny Committees of Manchester City Council (don’t worry, we’ll throw in some cats playing piano or whatever)
* Top 10(ish) reasons you should volunteer your time and energy and brains with Manchester Climate Monthly

And we are open to suggestions. What don’t you know about Manchester and climate change that a) you would like to and/or b) you think other people should know.

Posted in Democratic deficit | Leave a comment

City Council To Explore Sustainable Economic Strategies

Posted on November 16, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Open letter prompts council decision to produce a report looking into the implications of various sustainable economic strategies for Manchester

16 November: Manchester City Council has vowed to work together with environmental campaigners, academics and organisations to produce a report looking into sustainable economic strategies for Manchester. The decision was made at the council’s Economy, Employment and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting that took place this morning.

It follows a commitment made by Manchester City Council’s Green City Team to produce a report on a steady state economy (SSE) for Manchester back in November 2010. The commitment was later downscaled to a ‘summary of the research on a steady state economy’ and the council produced a two and half-page summary this week. Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester City Council | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Chorlton’s “U Decide” Event To Allocate £7,500 of Funding

Posted on November 14, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Chorlton residents are being invited along to a ‘U Decide’ event this Thursday to help allocate £7,500 of council funding to local community projects.

At the event, which takes place Thursday 17th November, community groups will present their proposals to Chorlton residents who will then get to vote on which ones get the go-ahead. Fifteen groups have put in bids including ones from organisations such as Cracking Good Food, a tree planting project, a group which wants to grow food at a local school as well as bid to support an allotment’s bee keeping activities. Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester City Council | Tagged , | Leave a comment

MCFly climate bulletin #2, Nov 14 2011

Posted on November 14, 2011 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Hi all,
it’s now just under 45 days till the first Manchester Climate Monthly (dead tree format) hits the streets (on January 2nd, 2012). Please encourage your climate-concerned friends to take out a (free!!) subscription – via our subscribe page. Here’s a 40 second video explaining the top ten reasons folks should subscribe…
And follow us on twitter (@mcr_climate).

This Wednesday, at 10am, a committee of Manchester councillors is discussing the concept of a “Steady-State Economy.”  We will be there, and will tweet and report it.  For more information, see our Friday 11th November blog post.

Training opportunities.
Media training day, run by the Mule Sat 19 November 11-5, £10pm

“Greening the Green Deal”, Sun Dec 4th, 12.30 to 4.30, at Manchester Town Hall. Free, but you need to book, which you can do via this page.

New Paid Gigs
In Swindon – NERC internships.
Local and Regional News
Wheeldon Brothers, a family owned farm is working with the Stobart Group to developp a “£1.4m plant to create environmentally-friendly fuel out of rubbish collected from local businesses.” (See MEN 8 Nov. Wheeldon seals green fuel plant deal for Stobart, by James Ferguson. page 42)

Peel Energy is hoping to double the size of the Scout Moor wind farm near Rochdale. There’ll be public consultation events in Spotland, Rochdale Exchange and Heywood later this year, and a second and third round of consultation next year. (Report in MEN, 9 Nov “£70m wind farm plan)

On Thurs 10th the planning committee of Trafford Council rejected Peel Energy’s plans for a biomass incinerator to be built in Davyhulme, overturning a recommendation from their own officers.

On Thursday 17th November, various groups in Chorlton will compete X-factor style for (up to) £750 grants.

Reading
On the impending Durban talks – Insanity, Death and Climate Change

International Energy Agency warns “world headed for irreversible climate change in 5 years” (Guardian, 9 Nov)

Discussion on “How to be the greenest council ever”

Campaigning tools
Brilliant 40 minute presentation from a recovered climate skeptic called Dr Barry Blickmore, at Skeptical Science.

Posted in Weekly bulletins | Leave a comment