Nottinghamshire Ecology Feature Archive

Nottingham university students have been campaigning tirelessly over the last few weeks to get their University to get Starbucks off campus, and stop them selling their unethical beverages in the Hallward Library. Students were shocked when, a few weeks ago, their café in the main library on campus suddenly started serving Starbucks coffee. In a move that has upset a large part of the student body the university decided to change coffee supplier without any sort of student consultation and now the students are up in arms.

For the last two weeks students have manned an ‘anti-Starbucks’ stall outside the Hallward Library where the Starbucks coffee is being served (at nearly double its pre-Starbucks price). The movement against the corporatisation of our educational facilities has been swift; nearly 700 people have joined the Facebook group against Starbucks, hundreds of people have signed the petition and loads of cups of tea and coffee have been sold from a makehift stall outside the library to students who don’t want to pay £1.45 for a coffee.

Notts: Telling Starbucks to 'Buck Off' at Nottingham Uni. | Amnesty Protest in Nottingham City Centre - Close Guantanamo Bay [Please] | Starbucks national day of action, 18th August

UK: Whitechapel Knees Up against Starbucks | Sheffield IWW - Starbucks skanked to death | Anti-Starbucks picket in Cardiff | Chiapas Solidarity picket of Starbuck, Edinburgh

Links: IWW Starbucks Workers Union | Boycott Starbucks | Starbucks continues to Greenwash with Weak Environmental Policy | Starbucks Social Responsibility Newsletter

Protestors oppose the Government sham consultation on nuclear power. Gagged protestors handed out briefings to delegates attending one of the Government’s nuclear power consultation events on Wednesday September 12th, at the Hilton Hotel in Nottingham.

Local representatives from Friends of the Earth demonstrated outside the East Midlands consultation event to highlight the fact that the Government’s consultation on nuclear power is a sham. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF-UK, CND and the Green Alliance have withdrawn from the Government's public consultation on nuclear power because it is seriously flawed.

Campaigners representing “Planning Disaster” [1], a coalition of Britain's leading environment organisations, today drew up a spoof planning notice for a new nuclear power station to be developed on the current site of Nottingham Forest Football Club. The action was to highlight the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system.

The current planning system allows people to be part of the decision making process. They can have their say on proposals for major developments such as new roads or nuclear power stations. But reforms proposed in the Government's White Paper on planning will remove the public's democratic right to challenge projects at public inquiry. Planning decisions will also be taken out of the hands of accountable politicians and handed over to an unelected, unaccountable new body called the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Links: Planning Disaster Coalition | Nottingham FOE | Planning for a Sustainable Future: White Paper: website or PDF | House of Commons debate on the issue on 21 May 2007

Protesters take action at Derby nuclear plant on the 21st anniversary of Chernobyl, in solidarity with Faslane365 Environmentalist blockade. Twenty-one years ago today, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster caused large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia to be badly contaminated with radioactive material, resulting in the evacuation and resettlement of over 336,000 people. To mark the anniversary of this environmental and a humanitarian catastrophe, protesters today disrupted work at Rolls Royce Raynesway near Derby, which makes and tests the enriched uranium fuel rods that power Britain's Trident nuclear submarines.

The protest was timed to coincide with a blockade being carried out by a group of environmentalists at Faslane in Scotland, where the Trident submarines are based. One of the protesters, James Evans aged 24, said: "With the government intending to replace it's illegal Trident system, and to build more nuclear power stations in the UK, it's vital that ordinary people take a stand to prevent future nuclear disasters."

Previously on the newswire: Rolls-Royce Raynesway, Derby. Action, Protest, Blockade | Rolls Royce Blockade- Rainsway, Derby | Derbyshire police go over the top again - Rolls Royce

The work to widen the M1 has started today near Sheffield. The M1 is due to be widened from Luton along Nottingham and Sheffield to Leeds, costing a total of £3.74 billion. Many people believe the widening will allow traffic to grow and cause more CO2 emissions. Road transport currently accounts for 21% of emissions in the UK and rises every year. The work started today is to widen a 2km stretch to four lanes between junction 31-32 near Sheffield. The contractors, Jacksons Civil Engineering, expect that the work will last for a year. Work on a stretch around Nottingham is due to start this summer.

The No Widening M1 Alliance has been rallying local residents and local groups currently exist in Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Sheffield. Ever since the campaign launch and the first bannerdrop on motorway bridges around Sheffield it has been busy. Various promotional exhibitions by the Highways Agency have been picketed and distrupted by activists in Long Eaton (reports: 1 | 2 ), Kegworth, Selston and Sheffield (reports: 1 | 2 ) Various public meetings and benefit gigs have been organised and at the end of October a mass bannerdrop from Luton to Sheffield coincided with the publication of the Government's 'Stern Report' on Climate Change.

Links: No Widening M1 Alliance | The Highway Agency | Jackson Civils Engineering

Articles: Sheffield M1 widening starts! | M1 widening contract announced | Banner drops along M1 link roads to climate chaos | No M1 Widening Protest | The reality of M1 Motorway noise | Anti M1 campaign gains momentum | M1 widening opposition | No M1 widening visit Kegworth | Anti M1 widening group visit Selston | No M1 widening visit Long Eaton | M1 Widening? Multi occupational bridges! | No Widening M1 Campaign Launch

Nottingham used to run a vast network of trolleybusses. The first trolley was introduced in 1927 and in 1930 it had the largest fleet in the country. The last trolley bus operated in Nottingham until June 1966. Recently a new book was launched on the history of Nottingham’s Trolleybusses, and it does raise the question if bringing them back might become the way forward in making our public transport system ready in the face of climate catastrophy.

Some cities in Europe are upgrading their trolley bus networks and some are even planning the construction of new ones. With Britain having such as vast history on the ‘old trolley’, wouldn’t it be worth looking into the possibility of returning to this potential zero-emission way of transport?

On Friday, Loughborough Magistrates Court rejected calls from the Crown Prosecution Service to slap ASBOs on the 24 Plane Stupid activists who they described as “highly organised extremists” that were arrested in connection with the shut down of Nottingham East Midlands short haul airport in September. In an apparent move aimed to avoid having the case heard by a jury, the charge of public nuisance was dropped, as was the charge relating to an alleged breach of the aviation and security act.

Plane Stupid lawyer, Mike Schwarz, described the action to the court as a “classic piece of civil disobedience” and reminded the court that “Tony Blair himself has described climate change as the greatest threat facing mankind.” Campaigner for Plane Stupid, Ellen Rickford, said, “The same day that we learn the government is pushing ahead with its airport expansion proposals, they try to use ASBOs to stamp out peaceful protest. Well, it seems their plans for that were as doomed as the aviation industry.”

Feature articles: Protesters occupy runway at East Midlands Airport | Plane Stupid's Day of Action

On the newswire: Court rejects ASBOS for airport activists | Climate activists shut airport in taxiway occupation

Links: Plane Stupid website | East Midlands Airport (EMA) website | Climate Chaos topic page | Indymedia Climate | Wikipedia on Climate Change

On 9 October I was hopeful and optimistic as I set off to the Nottingham City Council's climate change debate held in the council house. Unfortunately my optimisum faded rapidly.

My day started late as the bus didn't turn up as usual. I could have cycled but there's nowhere in the city to safely leave my bike. I eventually got in by bus which cost me considerably more than the using the more polluting option of driving by car. I then walked over the refurbished area in front of the council house covered in slabs imported from Spain and China. I passed two gas-guzzling chauffeur driven Bentley's for the Lord Mayor and his deputy.

Audio of the Climate Change debate at Broadway Cinema 4.6Mb [16kbps] - mp3 4.5M

Links: Economist claims Nottingham City’s climate protection strategy is too little, too late | Nottingham city council climate protection strategy | An Inconvenient Truth: Film & regional decision makers response at the Broadway

At 07:55am on 24 September, 2006, a group of protesters 'breached security' at the East Midlands Airport and occupied one of the operational taxi-runways. The 21 activists from Plane Stupid said they "wanted to see airport expansion plans scrapped, a tax on aviation fuel and plane tickets, and an end to short haul flights."

The method of the occupation was chaining themselves to each other, having set up tents saying 'Climate Camp 2'. Baptist minister Malcolm Carroll, who lead a memorial service for the victims of the effects of climate change, also took part in the action. Spokesman of the group, Joss Garman, said: "an estimated 150.000 people die of the effects of climate change each year. That's the equivelant of a 9-11 every week."

At midday, armed police, dog units, firebrigade and helicopter arrived and cleared the runway. 24 people were arrested for 'suspected offences under the Aviation Security Act'. Contrary to what the BBC reported, some flights leaving the airport were delayed.

Various sources have reported that most of the protesters' houses were raided by armed police while in custody. Officers have confiscated clothes, computers, diaries and other personal items, in some cases without giving out receipts for them. Some of the protesters are due in court on Friday 6th October at Loughborough Magistrates Court.

Update: Plane Stupid in court on Friday - solidarity support planned

Other media coverage: Earth First! | This Is London | BBC | Leicestershire police | UK Airport News

Links: Plane Stupid website | East Midlands Airport (EMA) website | Climate Camp 2006 on UK Indymedia

Background Info: Press release of the activists | PLANE STUPID Newsletter #4 | Goverment's Aviation White Paper | 10 Reasons to Ground the Plane… | Airport Environment Federation | Airport Watch | Climate Concern UK | Earth First! (UK) | Rising Tide | Stop Climate Chaos!

Today the Development Control Committee of Nottingham City Council unanimous agreed on rejecting the application to expand Eastcroft Incinerator, which burns most of Nottingham's waste. At the moment 150.000 tonnes of waste goes through the incinerator owned by waste giant Waste Recycling Group (WRG) each year. The expansion would bring in waste from neighbouring counties and bring capacity up to 250.000 tonnes.

Local residents who for the last year have campaigned under the banner of NAIL (Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill) are now celebrating this massive victory. Owner WRG could appeal the decision, but the council stands a strong case that they seem to be willing to defend. Aside from stopping the expansion, NAIL is continuing its struggle to close down the facility and campaign for better management of waste and recycling facilities in the city.

Video: The NAIL film (10 min. various formats) | NAIL Slideshow (avi 9M)

Audio: NAIL Public meeting and debate (1hr 20mins - 32kbs, 19Mb) | You can't do that here! NAIL banner drop (mp3 911K)

Photo: Photos from the incinerator protest at Council House before the vote

Links: NAIL Website | View planning application | Nottingham Friends of the Earth | The Mischief Makers | Notts Indymedia health topic page | Wikipedia on Incineration

Previous feature articles: Planning Officer Recommends Rejections of Incinerator Expansion | Council backs off from incinerator expansion decision | Incinerator Public Meeting - Public Bodies pull out! | Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill campaigners hand in petition | Planning Officer insists on wider public consultation for incinerator expansion | Campaigners meet Environment Agency over incinerator | Sneinton's Rubbish Day Out 1 - The Days Events | NAIL campaign 'banner drop' at Sneinton Boulevard | NAIL campaign hammers on... | The air that we breathe...

Today the Planning Officer made public the report and recommendations on the proposed expansion of Nottingham's controversial waste incinerator.

The report recommends rejection!!

Today the Planning Officer made public his report and recommendations into the plans to expand Eastcroft incinerator. This report will go to the Development Control Committee on the 20th September, when the report will be considered and the application voted on.

The Planning Officer is recommending that the Committee REFUSE PERMISSION on several grounds, mainly in that the proposals go against the City's plans for the River Side development and concerns on the commutative effect on emissions on people living near by.

As the vote is still very crucial, we will continue with our protest outside Nottingham council House on 20th September from 12:30am. We will greet the Councillors as they arrive and hope they vote for democracy, vote for the residents of Nottingham and vote NO.

This summer, the Camp for Climate Action will be held in ‘Megawatt Valley’ near Leeds, one of the most industrialised areas of the UK and home to the Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge coal-fired power stations.

From 26th August - 4th September, the camp promises education about climate change and sustainable living, with around 150 workshops scheduled, ranging from practical building and permaculture activities to the advanced science behind climate change. Workshops include analysis of the problems and causes of climate change and strategies on how to confront it - both practically on a grassroots level and politically. Those holding the workshops range from grassroots community activists to internationally-known academics, and from MPs to representatives of environmental NGOs.

During the time of the camp there will also be a Reclaim Power mass direct action against Drax power station (the UK's largest single emitter of CO2 emissions) on August 31st, as well as opportunitites to discuss resistance to nuclear power, the aviation industry, mining and road building schemes and corporate sponsored damage to the environment. The camp will be held on a legally occupied site, and aims to demonstrate practical solutions in action. Power usage will be minimised and the site will be powered by alternative energy sources.

Recently on 18th July climate change activists occupied a lighting tower at Didcot power station in Oxfordshire. Three climbers scaled the tower and unfurled a 50-foot orange and black banner with the words 'Climate Crime' [see pics]. Just prior to that, July 15th was an 'International Day of Direct Action for Climate Justice, against Climate Change and the G8' [see action roundups 1 | 2 | 3 | 4] which coincided with the G8 Summit in Russia. In London, Tulchan Communications, a public relations firm that works for Drax power station, was forced to deny it had been sacked by Drax for failing to make it look good, after a spoof press release was circulated [report]. See also: Climate Action News Sheet: June 06 | July 06 | Social Centers meeting at the climate camp

Mass callout to help build the climate camp

Links: Camp for Climate Action website | IMC Climate | Download programme PDF

Also Upcoming:
- Call for Action against G8 + 5 Climate Summit: Oct 3-4, Mexico [background]
- UK Climate Change Bill - 'Big Ask' Lobby (12 Sept - 11 Oct)
- International Climate Change Demonstrations: 4 Nov, prior to UN Climate Talks (COP 12/ MOP 2) in Nairobi (6-17 Nov). See National Climate March, London (4th Nov) | "I-Count"

Nottingham City Council has again put off the decision on weather to grant WRG a planning application to expand Nottingham's Eastcroft incinerator. The political opposition has also joined the fight to prevent the expansion of the UK's most polluting incinerator, here in the City centre. The decision on the planning application to expand Eastcroft incinerator will not now be made on 19 July and therefore NAIL's protest on this date has been cancelled. NAIL will however be present this Monday 17 July from 12 noon to 2 pm in front of the Council House to greet Councillors as they arrive for a Council meeting.

Links: Incinerator Public Meeting - Public Bodies pull out! | Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill campaigners hand in petition | Planning Officer insists on wider public consultation for incinerator expansion | Campaigners meet Environment Agency over incinerator | Sneinton's Rubbish Day Out 1 - The Days Events | NAIL campaign 'banner drop' at Sneinton Boulevard | NAIL campaign hammers on... | The air that we breathe...

This week see’s a workweek at eco-works allotments to continue with the straw bale building that is under construction up there. The first few days were spent rendering the bale walls that were constructed over autumn and winter and preparing the foundations for the next lot of bales to go up on the second weekend. The space when finished will house the harvest café and be a space for running various workshops and courses as well as just being a place for eco-works volunteers to chill out on a hot day.

For this weeks reports see links 1 + 2 +

For Tash's Pictures of the progress of the project, see:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

Also, for Karl's pictures of the building, see:
1 | 2 |

Nottingham Green Festival in the Arboretum

Nottingham Arboretum celebrates with a Green Festival embracing all things green. Live bands, fun for children and sustainable produce. Stalls, including crafts, plants, local produce, energy conservation demonstrations, wind and solar power, social struggles and human rights issues etc and plenty of other organic, eco-friendly activities.

Event photos 1 + 2

Earlier events

Nottingham Green Festival, 2003 | Nottingham Green Festival, 2005 | Arboretum Festival Weekend [May Bank Holiday 2006]

| Nottingham Live Music Festival 1 | Nottingham Live Music Festival 2 | Nottingham Live Music Festival 3 | Nottingham Live Music Festival 4

The campaign to save Sharp Hill is stepping up this weekend with live music and a fresh call for support. A group of activists - with strong support from the community - have been camping at the site near Edwalton for a month in protest against Rushcliffe Borough Council's plan to build 1200 houses. They have pledged to stay at least until June 15 when the council makes its final decision, and encourage everyone to join them. A central government inspector's report opposed the council's plan. Read it (Sharphill from page 14), with the council's response.

Site photos: BBC 'Politics Show' visit | Camp Piccys | What's going to be lost, Landscape Piccys | Activist in Market Sq Photos | Hands Across the Hill Pictures | Bus Living at Wilford Hill [an earlier site]

Aerial Views Sharphill Woods Satellite view

Audio Interview: Tash's podcast of the BBC interview [6:26mins 2.6Mb]

Public Debate: Public Meeting and debate at Edwalton Village Hall[56mins 49Mb]

Links: Campaigners' response to planning document | Activists' statement | Announcement, directions and map | BBC Politics Show | BBC Politics Show watch again [RM from 14:30mins] | Rushcliffe Council: Response to Inspector's Report and Proposed Modifications | 'Savesharphill' a NEW website

The No M1 Widening campaign is picking up momentum as it comes to the end of its first stage. Supporters have been lobbying the Highways Agency's tour of exhibitions promoting the proposals. They have informed and dicussed their views with residents in the towns and villages that will be effected. The consequences of climate change, effects on people and the planet and the link between more roads and more cars have been major topics of debate.

The Highways Agency's own data shows that without widening traffic is forecast to increase by 27%, with widening the figures show 42% up on current levels. Nowhere in the literature does it say what would happen if they made decent investments in public transport.

Reports: Selston with letter to minister | Kegworth: Report with bus times for Selson Report 2 | Long Eaton: Report Pics | City campaign launch

Other links: Country-wide multi-occupational bridges | Contractors bidding for expansion work | No Widening in South Yorkshire

NAIL - Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill were invited to speak at a Radio Nottingham Groundswell debate, chaired by the presenter John Holmes on Tuesday 11 April. Although the Public meeting still happened, the two public bodies, the Environment Agency and the City Council pulled out. We feel that it is extremely sad state of affairs when in a democracy, two Public Bodies who should be answerable to the public, won't even meet them to listen to their views and concerns!

Event photos
Listen to thefull debate (1hr 20mins - 32kbs, 19Mb)
See poster | previous article

The building of 10 new nuclear power stations, the replacing of the Trident nuclear submarinesa and recently Tony Blair announcing the governments new nuclear power policy at Nottingham University, all sparked protests and this week has been no exception. A protest took place in Derby where campaigners handed a letter to Mrs Beckett, head of DEFRA, outside Derby City Council about the dangers of nuclear powerstations.

In both Nottingham and Derby pickets took place. In Nottingham on the Market Square people from Nottingham CND informed passers-by about the controversial replacement of Trident, UK's largest nuclear submarine project and asked people to sign the petition. You can sign the petition here.

From the newswire: No To Nuclear Power Protest - Derby | The Nottingham Thingy just growed | No Trident Replacement protest March 25th | Anti Nuclear Power Protest - Derby 25th March | Day of action as Tony Blair sets out new nuclear power policy in Nottingham

Links: Nottingham CND | New Nuclear Power, no thanks | Documentary on fifty crows on Chernobyl reactor disaster | Map of nuclear reactors

On Monday (6th March) people from the Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill (NAIL) campaign handed over 3019 signatures to councillors at the Council House, Market Square at 12.30 - 1pm. Many came in support, to show that people in Nottingham prefer clean air and recycling to waste turned into pollution.

Full article and pictures

Photo's and audio bannerdrop: 1 | 2

>> The NAIL Film

Video 'Slide-Shows': 1

Links: Planning Officer insists on wider public consultation for incinerator expansion | Campaigners meet Environment Agency over incinerator | Sneinton's Rubbish Day Out 1 - The Days Events | NAIL campaign 'banner drop' at Sneinton Boulevard | NAIL campaign hammers on...