Cumbria News

St John the Evangelist Church, Levens Awarded Eco Congregation Status
  (photo Tony Richards)

St. John the Evangelist became an Eco Congregation in April 2010

 

 

How Bad Are Bananas?

Kendal resident and leading carbon footprint expert Mike Berners-Lee has just finished his new book: How Bad Are Bananas?  The carbon footprint of everything:  Packed full of information yet always entertaining. From text messages and plastic bags to wars and volcanoes, How Bad Are Bananas? has the carbon answers we need.  The book was published in May 2010 by Profile Books:ISBN: 9781846688911

 

 

Cumbria Community-Owned Renewables Trust (CCORT)

An exciting opportunity is being explored to set up an independent Trust, focusing on community investment in renewable energy schemes in Cumbria, using the tried and tested Industrial and Provident Society (IPS) legal framework.  Its aims and objectives include reducing carbon emissions in Cumbria by increasing the number of energy projects part or fully owned by Cumbrian residents, and increasing opportunities for Cumbrians to invest in renewable energy scheme

Some action you can take - Cumbria County Council Local Transport Plan

Have your say on the future of transport policy in Cumbria by responding to the council's consultation on the new Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2011-2026. Don't let the car lobby dominate – we need to speak up for better public transport provision and walking and cycling provision. The LTP will lay out the objectives the council has in place for Cumbria's roads and transport system over the next 15 years so we need to make our collective voice heard.  The consultation document is available from all libraries in the county and can be viewed at the web address above. You can respond online at the link above or by emailing Allan McNicoll on allan.mcnicoll@cumbriacc.gov.uk The closing date for responses is 3rd September 2010

Ambleside Climate Change Forum's New Website and Latest Newsletter:

Read the latest news here.

Friends of the Earth, Cumbria Latest Action

Ask the Government to stop wasting money on incineration.
End subsidies for biofuel power stations using palm oil
Support the Robin Hood tax to raise billions to tackle poverty and climate change
Call on Cameron to put planet before profits and say no to bullying by big business lobby groups  

Lancaster gives go-ahead for groundbreaking eco-homes

Members of a local community group in Lancaster are celebrating after receiving planning permission to develop 40 new eco-homes, as well as shared indoor and outdoor space and managed business space. 

National News

Get a Free “Grow Your Own Food” Guide from BTCV

A FREE guide to help you get the best from food and reduce the impact on our environment. This colourful, handy booklet is crammed with tips and advice on:
Growing your own tasty fruit and vegetables
Eating with the seasons
Reducing waste
Buying locally produced food
Foraging for wild food in the hedgerows and woods
Joining local community food growing projects

Eco Diocese

The Church of England has recently launched the Ecodiocese Award. Three Dioceses have already committed to working towards the award.

Climate change campaigners can take heart

Climate change campaigners can take heart this summer, after what has been a difficult few months, but should not take their eyes off the ball. Three independent reviews have now clearly supported the science of the Climate Research Unit, based at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, whose email exchanges were illegally released into the media earlier this year

£34 million in solar cash could help Britain’s churches and other religious buildings

Britain's churches and other religious buildings could raise £34 million a year for their coffers by installing solar panels, according to new figures from the British Gas Green Streets programme, which are unveiled today.

CPRE wins battle to have energy policy re-evaluated

The Campaign to Protect Rural England welcomed the announcement that the coalition Government has heeded its call to take another look at the draft Energy National Policy Statements (NPSs). CPRE gave evidence to the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee which focused on the need to redraft the Energy NPSs to ensure sustainable development in the countryside.

Carbon cuts are the ones we really need

A new report says Britain could cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2030, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs and regaining energy security at the heart of a radically revamped economy.

Building a low carbon economy

The Government Committee on Climate Change published on 19th July a 32 page document entitled ‘Building a low carbon economy – the UK’s innovation challenge.’

Are GM Crops necessary?

Dr. Martin J. Hodson, John Ray Initiative Operations Manager, has spoken on “Are GM crops necessary to secure global food supplies at affordable prices?”

Integrity – letter in Science 

Climate Change and the Integrity of Science. In May a letter was published in Science signed by over two hundred climate scientists about the integrity of climate change science.

JRI Newsletter No 23 

Read the latest news from the John Ray Initiative.

Green Christians show the way to sustainable food

Victor Barry is a farmer whose idyllic Coastal Heritage Farm overlooks the sea in Cornwall. He says his Catholic faith has inspired him to combine Christian living with caring for the planet, and he has a passion for small-scale, organic, low-carbon footprint farming.

United Reformed Church Assembly debate on Nestle

(photo URC)  The General Assembly of the URC adopted two resolutions related to the investment and product boycott of Nestle after an engaging debate at their recent gathering in Loughborough. The first recognises that investment decisions in Nestle (and all other companies) now need to be governed by the revised ethical investment statement adopted by Assembly, and the second recommended that the existing boycott of Nestle products be maintained until such time as Nestle attains listing on the FTSE4Good Index Events.

NEW! Fairtrade Towns Website

Fairtrade Towns new website!  Share ideas and inspiration with supporters and community groups from around the world.  Visit the website

 

New Website: Churches in Transition (CiT)

Visit and join the new interactive website where you can read and add your contribution.
Transition Towns involve the whole community (or aim to) - of which the local churches are just one part. CEL resources can be used in Transition Town Activities.
A good number of CEL members are involved in Transition Towns where they live, including:  make live links to the town websites below 
Andover
Bishops Cleeve
Bradford
Brixton www.site.transitiontownbrixton.org
Buxton
Cheltenham,
Croydon,
Coventry,
Earlsdon
Exeter
Hackbridge
Lancaster, (tt-lancaster.doc) and www.transitioncitylancaster.org/index.html
Ottery St Mary
Redhill
Todmorden
Scarborough, www.sustainablescarborough.org.uk
Tavistock
Tring
Tunbridge Wells www.tunbridgewells.co.nr
Wolverton www.transitionwolverton.org.uk  (Wolverton is a a constituent town of Milton Keynes
Visit the website for Transition Towns
We encourage everyone to read Rob Hopkins book The Transition Town Handbook. ISBN 978-1-900322-18-8. Even better ask your local library for it.
To be put in touch with other CEL involved with Transition towns please contact Jo Abbess our Information officer . We have a group of CEL members involved in transition towns that meets by "telephone conference" twice a year. But the main means of communication is intended to be by the Ning group: CELnet: Churches in Transition  live link to:  

Global News

Go green, environmental activist tells India’s churches 

Churches in India have been urged to promote “earth citizenship” by Vandana Shiva, an Indian environmentalist honoured for placing women and ecology at the heart of development discourse.

Europe’s ‘two faced’ approach to Kyoto, ‘condemning it to death’

Europe is behaving in a dangerously two-faced way when it comes to protecting the world’s climate, Christian Aid warned as the UN climate talks in Bonn draw to a close.

UN climate change chief hails role of NGOs and faith groups

In an interview with the respected Catholic overseas aid agency CAFOD, Yvo de Boer, the outgoing Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has spoken of the “incredible” work of NGOs during the climate change talks and highlighted the input of faith-based organisations.

Bonn calling

Pascale Palmer, CAFOD’s advocacy media officer, reflects on the Copenhagen Accord and the talks in Bonn.

Losing paradise: climate change in Fiji

Approaching the boat landing of the fishing village on Viwa Island off the coast of Suva, Fiji, it is hard to imagine a more idyllic setting than this South Pacific paradise filled with one stunning island view after another.

Keep Up To Date: 'Habitat' - Daily Environmental and Climate Change News:

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