Entries tagged with “environmental campaigning” from Working For Walthamstow

• To see if where you live is included in this scheme, or to see the documents, go to http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/transport/road-safety-home/traffic-schemes.htm.
• To raise any issues, or to ask for a pack if you haven't received one yet, email Tom Wright.
• You can also email Cllr Bob Belam, the Cabinet Member within the Council who has responsibility for parking schemes.

I promised to pass on the responses I received from the local council to the points residents raised at our recent community meeting with Ed Miliband MP. I've now received this first response, from Cllr Marie Pye:

If you're a regular reader, you'll know how concerned I am that the UK Government negotiates a deal at the Copenhagen climate change summit in December. The reality of the damage climate change is doing to our world is already becoming apparent. If we don't act now to cut our carbon emissions, countries such as Bangladesh will disappear. A third of animal and plant species will become extinct. Life here in Britain will change forever too. Whether we're facing extreme weather, food shortages or flooding, no area of our lives will be immune from the impact of climate change if it is left unchecked. If we adapt our lifestyles to meet this challenge, we can create a cleaner and greener future for our children.

These issues affect every person on this planet. That's why I think it's vital we come together as a local community and decide how we want our government and our local council to act to stop climate change, and talk about what we can do ourselves. With the help of other local residents, I've organised a special public meeting to help us start this discussion. It's taking place between 7.30pm and 9.30pm on Thursday 26^th November at Willowfield School on Clifton Avenue. It's open to all local residents. 

I'm delighted to say that joining us at the meeting will be Ed Miliband MP, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Ed has been leading the Government's work on building a low carbon future for Britain. He'll be leading the UK's push for a deal at Copenhagen, along with the Prime Minister. Because of their work through the Climate Change Act, Britain is the first country in the world to introduce legally binding carbon budgets. These commit us to carbon savings of 34% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050.

If you have questions or concerns about what the Government is doing to tackle climate change then this event is your chance to put them directly to Ed.

But this event isn't just about Ed. It's about us, as residents of Walthamstow. So also joining us at the meeting will be representatives from a number of organisations including development charities Oxfam and Action Aid, and our local Waltham Forest Transition Towns movement.

The event will be a deliberative forum. That means it's a chance for us all to talk together and share ideas, tips and plans for building a more environmentally sustainable future for Walthamstow. It also means you can turn up and contribute at any point during the two hours, and you can stay for as much or as little of the meeting as you like!

There will also be stalls and information about climate change and there'll be plenty of refreshments. I'm extremely grateful to the students and staff of Willowfield for hosting this community meeting. If you would like to attend, please email me or join this group on Facebook so that we can let the school know how many people to expect.

I hope you will join us. And I hope that together we can all play our part in tackling climate change and building a more sustainable future for Walthamstow and ultimately the world. Why not start by checking your own carbon footprint and what you can do to lower it? Or you can sign up to the 10:10 campaign and pledge to cut your own carbon footprint by 10% by next year.

In 2012, the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate change and global warming runs out. On 7 December 2009, the UN Climate Conference will open in Copenhagen. This week scientific projections about global warming were published showing that by 2080, even at a low emissions scenario temperature increases in southern England could be around 3 degrees. If we follow a high emissions path, the increase could be 5 degrees.  That means we're likely to see hotter drier summers and warmer wetter winters in the UK, coupled with increased frequency of extreme weather such as heatwaves, dry spells, heavy rain and flooding. Furthermore, the world's poorest communities suffer the most from climate change; without a strong agreement, our capacity to end world poverty is also at risk.

The messages from these projections are stark.  Firstly, cutting global greenhouse gas emissions is vital- the more successfully we move to a low carbon economy the less climate change to which we will need to adapt.  Secondly, however, cutting emissions is not enough. We need to adapt to the inevitable climate change we will face and plan accordingly. The 2008 Climate Change Act made Britain the first country in the world to set legally binding 'carbon budgets', aiming to cut UK emissions by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.  The Government will also set out shortly its aims for Copenhagen and in July there will be a white paper on how we can as a country meet our carbon budget targets.

But I believe that Government alone cannot tackle this issue. All of us will have to work together to change the way in which we live if we want a safer, more sustainable and more socially just society for every human being. That's why as well as seeking to support local environmental action organisations, I'm also working with other local residents to develop a range of activities on the "road to Copenhagen" to encourage everyone here to support action on climate change. This group is now planning activities for the months ahead including a visit by Ed Miliband MP, the Secretary of State for Climate Change to Walthamstow. He will be leading the efforts of the Government to achieve a new international climate agreement at Copenhagen in December. If you would like to be part of this discussion and help we're meeting this Saturday in Daisy's Café in Hoe Street at 11.30am.

In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. On 7th December 2009 the UN Climate Conference will open in Copenhagen and the world community will try to agree a solution to the gravest threat it has ever faced; global warming.Up to 15,000 officials, advisers, diplomats, campaigners and media personnel from nearly 200 countries, joined by limousine-loads of heads of state and government from America's President Barack Obama down, are expected to meet in the Danish capital in one of the most significant gatherings in history.

This summit isn't just a matter for those who are concerned about the environment. The world's poorest communities suffer the most from climate change, and unless we act as a world community our capacity not only to tackle climate change but also world poverty is at risk.

As citizens we need action in Copenhagen to agree tough new targets on cutting CO2 emissions. And as consumers we also need to act ourselves. Over the course of the next year in the run up to Copenhagen 2009 let us work together not only to lobby Government for change but also ask how we can support each other to make choices in our everyday lives about how we use resources. Government cannot act alone to address these challenges. We must act together to all contribute to securing a safer, more sustainable and more socially just society for every human being. 

This process of making choices doesn't have to happen overseas. We can start it here too in Walthamstow for the sake of our families, our friends, our community, our fellow citizens across the world and our climate. If you would like to be part of activities to support this work over the course of the year ahead please get in touch.

Previous posts have mentioned the ongoing discussions about our waste management in North London. As part of those debates I thought many readers might be interested in figures released this week. These show England is making real progress in improving recycling rates across the country. The Government has pledged to get people to recycle 40 per cent of household waste by 2010 and the figures show that on average we recycle 34.5 per cent, up from 30 per cent last year or an extra 700,000 tonnes in one year. At the same time landfill waste has fallen by more than a million tonnes in the last year, from 16.9m tonnes in 2006/7 to 15.5m tonnes in 2007/8.  However, there are big regional variations in recycling and London has the lowest level of any English Region - just 25 per cent of our household rubbish was recycled this year compared to 42 per cent in the East Midlands and 40 per cent in the South West. Measures such as the landfill tax escalator have helped encourage local authorities to recycle more as has Government support to improve recycling facilities. However, there is clearly much more to do, especially in our region, to help us both cut the amount of waste we create and ensure we reuse and recycle where we can. If you would like to know the full regional breakdown in recycling rates across England please get in touch.

You may have seen some of the press coverage this week about a piece of legislation that will drive fundamental change in the way in which we as a nation use energy and our resources. The Climate Change Bill, which had its third reading in the House of Commons this week, will be of interest to many local residents who share my concern about the devastating consequences of global warming. The Bill makes the UK the first country to sign up to legally binding national targets for reducing the emissions that lead to climate change. Setting up an independent committee to monitor progress, it commits the UK to ambitious targets of at least 26 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020, and at least 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050 - I'm particularly pleased to see a recognition of the need to include aviation and shipping emissions. Coupled with the new Government Department for Energy and Climate Change to oversee these issues, I believe these measures reflect a renewed commitment by Labour to make Britain take responsibility for our part in global warming and also offer leadership on the need to act internationally as well. I also recognise addressing climate change will require more work being done at a national level so I look forward to the outcomes of our transition town discussions at a local level and to hearing your views on how we can support action to address climate change here in Walthamstow.

I've recently dealt with a number of concerns raised by readers about dog fouling on local streets. Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 it is an offence for owners to allow their dogs to foul on the public
highway or in other public places to which a Dog Control Order applies and carries a £75 fine. You can find out more about which areas are subject to a Dog Control Order (including our local parks) here. One of the difficulties in dealing with this is enforcement; put simply catching irresponsible dog owners in the act of failing to clean up after their animals. If this is something that concerns you, you can help by reporting back to police and council officers if you do see someone behaving in this way so they can monitor the situation. If you wish to know the
direct contact details for your local ward police team for non-emergency issues please get in touch.

On Saturday 7 June there will be a daylong celebration of cycling in Walthamstow at the Hornbeam Centre (458 Hoe Street near the Bakers Arms). "Small Revolutions" will feature a range of activities throughout the day for all ages including free cycle training lessons, second hand bikes for sale, bike repairs, information stalls and opportunities to pimp your bike. The day will culminate at 5.30pm with a celebration bike ride through the streets of Walthamstow and the Hornbeam Cafe will be open all day for refreshments. For more details visit www.wfcycling.org.uk and www.1lesscar.org.uk.

There will be a meeting on how to make Waltham Forest a plastic bag free zone at the Hornbeam Centre (453 Lea Bridge Road) on Wednesday 16 April at 7pm. This is open to all and will include a discussion on how we might promote the use of carrier bags made from sustainable materials in our area as well as how to end the use of plastic ones. If you can't make it but would like to help to make this a reality please do get in touch with Tom Wright (020 8923 5036).

This weekend there will be an "apple day" at the Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow Village organised by the East London Organic Gardeners. Apple Day is a national event organised in local communities to celebrate and preserve our local environment and healthy, nutritious, high quality local produce. If you've not been before it's a great day out with lots of fun things for kids as well as adults. This time attractions at our local event will include a 70 year old bonsai apple tree and locally produced honey as well as homemade apple cakes, juices and chutneys. The event will run from 11am until 4pm and there's a suggested donation towards the costs of £1 per person. I'll be going along so hope to see some of you there.