Check out this great movie and project. But it’s only up to view until 14 June. After this date go to their website and see what is available.

Richard

Home on U Tube Up to 14 June

Home project website

Hallelujah! Raise up your hands in praise, all you lost souls: Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir are coming to London! The veteran pastor of the Church of Life After Shopping has been driving out the demons of consumerism all over the UK as part of his SHOPOCALYPSE tour. Branches of Tesco and Starbucks have already felt his righteous anger, and now Billy is inviting you to join him and nef’s own well-being guru Nic Marks near our capital’s consumer Bablyon (a.k.a. Westfield Shopping Centre) for a very special healing mission and discussion. Assemble at on Shepherd’s Bush Green at 4pm this Saturday 30 May and get ready to be reborn in the good life that exists after shopping

Visit Reverend Billy’s Website.

Tree Warden Meeting Flyer

In cooperation with Havant Borough Tree Wardens Havant FoE is sponsoring a meeting in Havant to recruit tree wardens to those parts of the borough where there are only a few tree wardens - or none at all. This applies to all the borough except for Emsworth and Hayling where there are already flourishing groups. Please print off the above poster and give a copy to anybody who you think may be interested.

Click image for a printer friendly version (PDF)

This excellent book by David JC MacKay comes highhy recomended right across the spectrum of opinion from Tony Juniper to a former chairman of Shell. It is also FREE to download or read on-line.

Tony Juniper writes:

“For anyone with influence on energy policy, whether in government, business or a campaign group, this book should be compulsory reading. This is a technically precise and readable account of the challenges ahead. It will be a core reference on my shelf for many years to come.”

Visit the website today and get up to speed on the energy debate. http://www.withouthotair.com/

Richard

Sally Smith, a senior waste management officer, will be talking about Havant Council’s
strategies which should make for an interesting evening with scope for lots of questions.
A short business meeting at 7.15 will precede the talk.

As the global financial crisis has proven, global economic rules aren’t
working for people or the environment. Unfair trade rules are part of the
problem, and Europe’s policies are making things worse.

The European Union’s destructive ‘Global Europe’ trade strategy
prioritises profits for big European multinational companies over the protection
of the environment and the livelihoods of poor people in the developing world.

Under this strategy, the EU is negotiating a raft of new trade deals with poor
countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These deals will increase
environmental exploitation and bring more problems for the people in the global
South who are already bearing the brunt of the global economic, food and energy
crises, and the impacts of climate change.

The new Global Europe trade deals will:

o Increase exploitation of forests, minerals and other natural resources by and
for big European multinationals
o Destroy jobs in small-scale local industries and undermine the livelihoods of
small farmers, putting further pressure on the environment

2009: A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR TRADE JUSTICE

This year we have a big opportunity to help stop these unfair trade deals and
make Europe’s trade policy work better for people and the environment.

On 4 June 2009 all 27 European member states will elect their new
representatives to the European Parliament for the next 4 years. Then in the
autumn 2009, a new European Commission will be appointed, providing the EU with
an important opportunity to rethink its approach to trade with the global South
and help make this more compatible with bringing about a more just and
sustainable world.

BE A TRADE HERO!

Friends of the Earth is joining with campaigning organisations in the UK www.tjm.org.uk and across Europe www.globaleuropewatch.org to call on
candidates for the European Parliamentary elections in June to support a rethink
of Europe’s trade policy.

Between now and the 4 June we need your help in convincing as many candidates
as possible to sign our ‘Trade Hero’ pledge, which commits them to
taking action on EU trade if they are elected to the European Parliament. This
is a request to you in your personal capacity as a trade and corporates
campaigner and shouldn’t be something for your local group to prioritise
over other priority campaigns.

The European Parliamentary elections are your main opportunity to make your
voices heard in how the European Union is run, and Members of the European
Parliament (MEPs) are accountable to you, the electorate, and must represent
your views and concerns.

If you think you will have a spare 30 minutes to half a day, your time could
really help us make European trade work better for the environment and the
world’s poorest people.

For more information on what you can do and where to go for more information
and advice, download our Trade Hero lobby pack here:
http://www.tjm.org.uk/action/TJMlobby-pack.pdf and visit the Community web page
on Global Europe here:
http://www.foe.co.uk/community/campaigns/economy_index.html.

Stephanie Greig | Campaign Assistant
Corporates and Trade team
Friends of the Earth

The next meeting of Havant Foe will be at New Nirvana at 7.30 PM Wednesday 15 April.

Early versions of the poster show an incorrect date the meeting is on Wednesday 15th April

Click image for printer friendly version. (PDF)

I have just posted the results of this survey Here on the Hants FoE newtwork site

Richard

Follow this link for the monthly climate on line update

Dear Mr. Graham (Havant FOE member),

Thankyou  for your message.  I have indeed had a long conversation with Mr. Cobbett about the issue of air quality at the Park Road / Elm Land junction, adjacent the playground area in Havant Park.   You are right to raise concerns, as the air quality in this region is potentially in breach of the Annual Exposure objective for Nitrogen Dioxide (40µg/m3, as annual average).  This objective is applicable to local residential properties, doctors surgeries & educational establishments (among a limited number of other sensitive land uses deemed to be ‘relevant receptors’).  Oddly, places of employment are expressly excluded from direct comparison with this annual objective, despite potential exposure for 8hrs + per day.

 Playground areas (or public transportation stops, open-air seating areas for pubs café’s etc.), or any other area where people are likely to spend an hour or more are compared with the Hourly Objective for Nitrogen Dioxide (200µg/m3, hourly average).  Havant Borough Council does not currently have the ability to directly monitor concentrations over short (hourly) periods for the assessment this objective using local empirical data. However, comparisons are made with comparable locations where automatic (15 minute average) readings are taken - namely roadside monitoring locations in Brighton, Hove, Portsmouth & Southampton. 

These monitoring locations typically have a greater traffic flow, are a comparable distance from road traffic sources, and are in areas with a higher background contribution to atmospheric NO2.

 Assessments of this ‘surrogate’ data have consistently shown that the hourly mean objective of 200µg/m3 is rarely breached, and I do not recall recording any incidences of the permitted number of breaches being exceeded in any year (at any of the ‘surrogate’ monitoring locations).  This provides strong indication that the hourly objective is very unlikely to have been breached / exceeded at any location in Havant Borough.

 In terms of other pollutants, no direct measurements are currently being taken, as assessments of modelled national data, and data from specific automatic analysers on the network (in a similar fashion to that described above for NO2 hourly objective) have shown that to date, it is very unlikely that concentrations of these pollutants are approaching their respective objectives at any location within the Borough.

This is currently true of PM10, a major component of road traffic pollution; however central government are currently reviewing the objective and considering reducing the level at which action is required.  Similarly, the introduction of new pollutants into the National Air Quality Strategy (namely PM5, and PM2.5) may affect the conclusions of future assessments, as the background levels of particulates in general (PM- 10, 5 & 2.5) is thought to be relatively high.

Nitrogen Dioxide readings on Park road have been higher than usual this year, but I am cautious to draw any conclusion from that anecdotal fact, as I do not currently have available the information required to determine whether that is due to a genuine increase in concentrations, or whether laboratory sampling error levels have increased (as occurred last year).  Validation studies undertaken nationally will help determine this. 

 Nevertheless, Havant Borough Council will be undertaking a detailed assessment of air quality in the region of the Havant Park playground in due course, alongside the mandatory screening assessment required at the end of April.

I appreciate your concern with regard to the monitoring of air quality directly at the park, however given the assessment guidance, and the imminent detailed assessment - the monitoring point at the opposite corner of the Elm Lane / Park Road junction is considered adequate to assess air quality at the park. Indeed, previous assessments have estimated air quality at the boundary of the park (playground area) using official models; and shown that breaches of even the annual objective for Nitrogen Dioxide are unlikely.

I hope that the above summary provides sufficient reassurance that Havant Borough Council are taking local air quality seriously.  If you would like further / more detailed information on local air quality; assessments from 2001-2007 are available to view on the website.  The 2008 assessment is currently under review following some statistical errors being brought to my attention.

Best Regards,

Jonathan Driver

Environmental Control Officer

Address:                Environmental Health (Rm 261), Civic Offices, Civic Centre Road, Havant, PO9 2AX