NOTTINGHAM FRIENDS OF THE EARTH      (TEXT ONLY)
Down to Earth Number 73  December 2004
For the full Word document with pictures please email    nottinghamfoe@hotmail.com

Welcome to Nottingham Friends of the Earth. We are one of around 250 local Friends of the Earth groups campaigning for a better environment locally as well as nationally and internationally. Friends of the Earth has a reputation for effective campaigns backed up by authoritative research.

Keep Our Fields GM-Free

As the Government starts to consult over GM co-existence and liability which would pave the way for GM crops to be grown, the message going out to communities and politicians all over Britain is a resounding NO to GM contamination.
The Day the Scarecrows Came to Town

On Saturday, 30th October, members of Nottingham FoE participated in a national day of action. Accompanied by a life-size scarecrow, we set up our stall in the Market Square, calling on people to challenge their MPs to defend their right to choose GM-free food. Surveys have shown that almost two-thirds of the public are concerned about GM and we found that, despite the rain, Nottingham’s shoppers were keen to support us and send postcards to their MPs. This action will be followed up by a mass lobby of Parliament in February next year.
FoE believes the UK should stay GM-free. If the Government makes the mistake of allowing GM crops to be grown, tough rules must be designed to eliminate GM contamination, in order to protect consumer and farmer choice for GM-free crops and food.

What You Can Do

•	Buy locally grown or organic food – organic food must be GM-free by law
•	Contact Notts Against GM (see next page)
•	Join the mass lobby of Parliament on 23rd February 2005 and talk to your MP. 

•	For more information see www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/

Make Notts GM free

A new campaign has been set up to make Notts GM free. Called Notts Against GM it will be trying to get local councils to use European rules to declare areas which should be kept GM free. 
The European Commission has recently allowed farmers anywhere in Europe to grow 17 varieties of GM maize. These are not suitable for growing in Britain. But it makes it more likely that GM maize will be imported for both human and animal food. And that will be a contamination threat for maize being grown here. 
Next year the EC will be making decisions on a number of other GM varieties, including oil seed rape which could be grown in Britain. That could be a much more serious contamination threat. 

Although Friends of the Earth and others are campaigning to prevent GM varieties being approved for sale or growing, we are also advising councils to prepare to avoid some of the risks if they are approved. 
The European legislation allows local councils to declare areas which should be kept GM free. But they may only have 30 days after each GM variety is approved to put their case to the Commission. 
That means councils need to start now to identify the organic farms, beekeepers, specialist seed producers, and sensitive ecological areas which could be threatened by GM contamination. 

Notts Against GM will be writing to people who might be concerned about this, and will be asking councils in the New Year to make sure they can defend their areas against the threat of GM contamination. 
Nigel Lee
Turbines in the park

Nottingham company, Iskra Wind Turbines, have installed two of their 5 kW wind turbines at Rushcliffe Country Park, Ruddington.  These provide electricity for the park’s new Environmental Education Centre.  It is anticipated that the twin turbines should produce around 17200 kWh of electricity per year.  If this electricity had been generated by a coal-fired plant, 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide would have been added to the atmosphere.  Another Iskra turbine is being commissioned for Hockerton Housing Project near Southwell.
www.iskrawind.com

Join the McDonalds Protest 

The McDonalds golden arches remain one of the best recognised brands on the planet. They currently have over 31,000 stores helping shape the diets of people the world over. Yet despite their considerable power it seems that cultural tide is turning. 

According to the Guardian newspaper (October 13 2004) its 770 British restaurants saw their profits fall by 71% last year. Fast food it seems is increasingly vulnerable to political intervention and bad publicity. This year’s popular film Super Size Me has brought even further problems for the information sensitive food chain. In the documentary Spurlock spends a month eating only McDonalds. This results in the film maker’s liver turning to pate, a loss of sexual appetite and depression. As a result of this film McDonalds withdrew their Super Size option proving that they are increasingly vulnerable to criticism.

More locally, Asda in West Bridgford recently closed down their café and opened a branch of McDonalds in October 2004. The protest against McDonalds originally sought to persuade Asda to open a café ran by a local catering business committed to supporting local food producers, sustainability and a healthy balanced diet. This protest attracted a considerable amount of media interest from Trent FM, Radio Nottingham and BBC’s East Midlands news.  However by this point the focus of the protest became the fact that many schools are in easy walking distance of the new restaurant. The campaign has so far been successful in persuading the restaurant to ban school children from using McDonalds during school hours. This is a considerable admission from a company who are seeking to rebrand their restaurants in terms of a new healthier image.

If you want to join the protest then please voice your opposition. You can e mail your comments to stop-mcdonalds@fsmail.net or write to Asda themselves at : Customer Services, ASDA House, South Bank, Great Wilson Street, Leeds, LS11 5AD.
The Leaflet
YOU DECIDE ON MCDONALDS/ ASDA
IN  OCTOBER ASDA ARE PLANNING TO OPEN A MACDONALDS WITHIN THE WEST BRIDGFORD STORE. WE BELIEVE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT LOCAL PEOPLE SHOULD BE ALLOWED AN OPINION ON AND IS NOT JUST A PRIVATE MATTER FOR ASDA.

MACDONALDS ALREADY HAS 31,000 STORES THE WORLD OVER.

THE FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY CLAIM THAT BY 2010 OBSEITY COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE ILL HEALTH OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.  FURTHER BRITISH CHILDREN ALREADY EAT LESS THAN HALF THE RECOMMENDED FRUIT AND VEG REQUIRED FOR A HEALTHY DIET.

THERE IS A SIMPLE SOLUTION. ASDA COULD RENT OUT THE SPACE TO A LOCAL CATERING BUSINESS COMMITTED TO THE PROMOTION OF A HEATHY BALENCED DIET AND SUSTAINABILITY. THIS WOULD BOTH PRESERVE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT AND HELP PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR CHILDRENS FUTURE.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?  HAVE YOUR SAY WHATEVER YOUR VIEW!
PHONE ASDA ON: 0113 2435435 OR WRITE TO THEM AT ASDA HOUSE, SOUTH BANK, GREAT WILSON STREET, LEEDS LS11 5AD
For further information on McDonalds, see:		http://www.mcspotlight.org/   
 							http://www.mclibel.com/
http://mwr.org.uk/home.htm
Eastcroft
Campaign group reformed to fight incinerator expansion 
Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill (NAIL) has reformed to oppose a proposal to nearly double the size of Nottingham’s municipal waste incinerator at Eastcroft (next to Notts County’s football ground).

The company which owns the incinerator, WRG (Waste Recycling Group) say they will apply for permission next year to burn 250,000 tonnes of  waste a year compared to 150,000 tonnes now. That is nearly all the municipal waste for the whole of Greater Nottingham.  WRG put out a consultation leaflet to 10,000 houses in October. But they have not explained where the waste will come from.
City Councillor Brian Grocock has said the City supports expansion.  But neither he nor the Council can say where the waste will come from.
The City’s own website says that we could recycle 60% of our waste.  That could mean 150,000 tonnes being imported from further away, or burning much more trade waste.
But trade waste can cause serious problems. There have been a number  of breaches at the Eastcroft incinerator in the past few years where Hydrochloric Acid, Carbon Monoxide and Sulphur Dioxide emissions have exceeded consent levels as a result of burning wastes such as chlorinated plastics (e.g. PVC), tyres, and volatile materials.
Nottingham Friends of the Earth has written to WRG and the City asking for more information – to show where the additional waste will come from and why it can’t be recycled or composted. 
Nigel Lee
ECO TEAMS
Making small changes can make a BIG difference
EcoTeams is an enjoyable way to actively help the environment, meet new people and save money. An EcoTeam is a group of 6-8 people who meet with a coach once a month for four months, to share ideas and adopt simple yet effective actions to ensure they live in a more environmentally friendly way. Each meeting focuses on different topics, which include rubbish and shopping, energy use, transport and water use. An EcoTeam is not simply a discussion group; it is a practical workshop where thoughts are translated into action.
Does it work? Yes.
200 households in Rushcliffe have already taken part and on average significantly reduced their: rubbish by 43%; their gas by 15%, electricity by 9% and water by 21%, not only taking pressure off the environment but also saving money on household bills.
What is involved and how much time will it take?
Team meetings are once a month; also, to see what a difference you are making, we just ask you to take a few simple measurements every week, such as reading your electricity meter. Surprisingly it only takes about 2 hours a month which includes the meeting AND taking your readings.
We are now looking for people to take part in EcoTeams in Rushcliffe and Broxtowe Boroughs and Broxtowe Estate; if you would like to know more please contact:
Julie Pescod or Cindi Miln on 
0115 917 8080 
julie.pescod@globalactionplan.org.uk / cindi.miln@globalactionplan.org.uk

Got something you don’t need anymore but don’t want to throw away?  Need something, but don’t want to waste resources or pay for a new one?  
Try  Nottingham Freecycle at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nottingham_freecycle/

Contacts

All phone numbers are Nottm (0115) or mobile.
Co-ordinator: 
Jeremy Jago (address as below)
Assistant Co-ordinator: 
Bex Pleass, 845 7120
Membership Officer: 
Wendy Johnson, 929 9672
Newsletter Editor: 
Chris Cann, 9559498
Website Editor: 
Nigel Lee, 9788059
Green Partnership: 
Richard Barlow, 987 5230

Campaigns:
Safer Chemicals: 
Bex Pleass (as above)
Real Food: 
Jill Gross 953 8843
Corporate Accountability: Simon Pacey 
Waste & Resources: 
Nigel Lee (as above)
Renewable Energy: 
Tom Crouch
Climate Change: 
John Carter 

For general information, please write with an SAE to Nottingham Friends of the Earth, c/o Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham NG7 6HX.  
For information about joining the group, please mark the envelope “Membership”.  
Our website is http://nottfoe.gn.apc.org/

National Friends of the Earth is at 26-28 Underwood Street, London N1 7JQ (020 7490 1555), or email info@foe.co.uk

See national website www.foe.co.uk for easy online actions – or link from http://nottfoe.gn.apc.org/diary.htm.
We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at the Friends’ Meeting House, Clarendon Street,  Nottingham, between 7.30pm and 9.30pm.  Please come and join us.  You would be very welcome.