Deal With It Today

New York gets Tidal Power

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000Z

From Green Business
Start spreading the news, New York could see a tidal energy array deployed in the East River by the end of next year, after the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) awarded its first pilot project license for a tidal energy project to developer Verdant Power Inc.
The company confirmed yesterday that it has been granted a 10 year license that will allow it to "demonstrate the commercial viability" of its tidal stream turbine technology.

The project, known as the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, will boast 1,050-kilowatts of capacity provided by a series of tidal turbines deployed on the bed of the East River.
Trey Taylor, co-founder and president of Verdant Power, told news agency Bloomberg that the company will now aim to deploy five turbines at the site by the end of next year, with a further 30 generators scheduled to be installed by 2015.
Under the terms of the pilot license, the company will undertake an environmental analysis to measure the impact of the project on local habitats and wildlife. If the project proves to have minimal impact the company will then be able to apply for a longer commercial license, allowing it to sell power to local utilities.
FERC chairman Jon Wellinghoff hailed the project as a leap forward for tidal energy technologies in the US.
"Issuing a pilot license for an innovative technology is a major step in the effort to help our country meet our renewable energy goals," he said in a statement. "FERC's pilot process is doing what it should: allow for exploration of new renewable technologies while protecting the environment."
The project could prove to be the first in a wave of new marine energy projects in the US. FERC said that it had already issued 100 preliminary permits allowing firms to study the feasibility of developing specific projects, while another nine organisations are in the pre-filing stages of developing license applications, and three have filed license applications that are currently being considered.

Victoria's Green Matters - 26th Jan 2012

2012-01-26T09:41:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:
Our future is renewable energy. Whichever way you approach the problem of energy supplies for the coming years, the answer comes up the same. We have two difficulties to counteract – climate change and peak oil. If you are a climate change denier, the continuing increase in the price of ever decreasing supplies of cheap oil must be a cause for concern.

While there is a chance that there could be a new ‘golden age’ for gas, which countries hooked on energy supplied by coal see as an easy substitute, gas is a fossil fuel. It produces half the carbon dioxide that coal produces but its continued use spells disaster for the climate with a 3.5ºC temperature rise by 2035 when the maximum rise of 2ºC is all the climate will tolerate.

Renewable energy showed strong growth last year despite the global financial crisis. Developing countries such as China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, amongst others, invested a third more than previously, reaching £136 billion in 2010. Governments in the developed world need to put firm targets in place for renewable energy so that gas does not overcome development.

Renewable energy has many benefits other than just environmental. Job creation is the most important in the present situation with 3 million unemployed and many young people included in this figure. Security of energy supply is also vital.

A comprehensive mix of wind, wave, solar, hydropower, and biomass, with many technical innovations, will give us both these goals.

The SW gets Tidal & Wave energy

2012-01-25T13:00:00.000Z

From Green Energy

Greg Barker to name region as the first of a series of parks designed to acclerate development of wave and tidal technology

A huge area running from Bristol to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will today be named as the UK's first designated zone for the development of marine energy.

Climate change minister Greg Baker will announce the South West Marine Energy Park (MEP) and launch a prospectus outlining how the public and private sectors will work together on the project during a visit to Bristol.

The prospectus says the South West MEP will make it a priority to secure additional incentives for business investment including, business rate reductions, higher levels of capital allowances, Regional Growth Fund and other enterprise grants, inward investment, and access to the Green Investment Bank.

It will also look to coordinate port and infrastructure development to support the industry's growth.
As well as national and local government, the Crown Estate, local enterprise partnership Regen SW, the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter, and marine energy testing site Wave Hub will all be involved in the marine park.

"This is a real milestone for the marine industry and for the South West region in securing its place in renewables history as the first official marine energy park," Barker said in a statement. "The UK is already a world leader in wave and tidal power, so we should capitalise on this leadership to make marine power a real contender in the future energy market."

The government has earmarked marine energy as having the potential to deliver between 150MW and 300MW of installed capacity by 2020, contributing £15bn to the economy by 2050 as well as creating thousands of jobs and providing a predictable source of low carbon electricity.
Over the last year it has brought in a series of measures to encourage the nascent industry, including invested £20m to scale up prototypes and upping the levels of support under the Renewables Obligation subsidy scheme from two tradable renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) per MWh to five ROCS per MWh.

Further parks are also envisaged in Scotland at the Pentland Firth and Orkney Islands.
Johnny Gowdy, programme director at Regen SW, said the region's marine business base, strong manufacturing sector, and world leading research and demonstration facilities meant it was uniquely placed to accelerate the development of the technology.

"The launch of the South West Marine Energy Park is a recognition of the great resources, research facilities and businesses we have in the region," he said. "It also puts the South West in a position to attract future investment, and to be at the forefront of the new global marine energy industry."

DWI Meeting 24th Jan 2012 - DWI goes European

2012-01-25T03:30:00.000Z

Good start to the Green New Year in Deal with a great meeting led by Alan Grieve on 'a postcard from detmold'.

This was a climate protection conference for towns linked to Detmold (in Germany) which took place in Oct 2011.

Deal's representatives were Alan Grieve from DealWith IT and Cllr Eileen Rowbotham from the Town Council. Basically it was chance to share experiences in making their communities more sustainable with a diverse set of linked towns including Deal's Twin in France St Omer, Hasselt in Belgium, Zeitz in East Germany, Oraiokastro in Greece and Kaunas in Lithuania.

Alan presentation showed how local community and local government working together had introduced bio-mass plant in Detmold and electric transit system in Hasselt.

Sarah gave a intro on our plans for 2012 and this was the highlights: Plastic Bag meeting Feb, Energy Fair at the Town Hall in March, Beach Cleans, Schools Green Projects, Tree wardens, 2nd year of Garden Share, Guerrillia Gardening group, Canterbury Climate Fair, Energy Coop, Green Village at Smugglers Fest, perhaps some chickens, Autumn Local Food Fair ... and thats only what I could scribble down. Please get involved and don't be shy if you have an idea you have got to make Deal greener.

Many thanks for Alan & Sarah's work for tonights meeting.

We will try to Alan's report and presentation on the documents area and will add a link back on this posting

Deal With It on BBC Inside-out on #Fracking

2012-01-24T21:28:00.000Z

Just in case you missed the BBC SE 'Inside-out' programme on moves to exploit Shale and other unconventional gases in Kent and the rest of the country by the discredited 'Fracking' method it is now on Iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01b94c2/Inside_Out_South_East_23_01_2012/

Well done our Rosie.....

Permaculture in East Kent

2012-01-23T20:03:00.001Z

Kent Permaculture Courses 2012

The Ultimate training for Transition!

There are lots of brilliant courses happening in Canterbury, Faversham and Deal by trained and experienced teachers.
Learn sustainable living skills, feel empowered to live more abundantly living more ecolologically.

For All courses look at the Permaculture association website.
http://www.permaculture.org.uk/courses

Canterbury- Manor Barn. Centre for Peace and Personal Development
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 12/13th May Manor Barn
Permaculture Design Course 12th May to 11th November
Part 1 Core theory, tools and applications. May 12th to 18th
Part 2 Permaculture in Action. Tour to Centre of Alternative Technology and other established projects
Part 3 Design weekends Sept 7/9th and Nov 9-11th
PDC : www.designedvisions.com
All other courses: www.livingincircles.com / www.dynamic-equilibrium.co.uk

Faversham- Rifleman Cottage
Permaculture Design Course 7-21st July
www.designedvisions.com

Deal - Rippledown Environmental Centre
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 12-13th March
Introduction to Permaculture Weekend 18-20th May
Family Permaculture Design Course 4-19th August
Permaculture Design Course Sept 7-9th , Oct 12-14th, Nov9-11th, Dec7-9th
www.rippledown.com

Jo Barker Dip Perm Des
Permaculture & Life Tracking
.....Love your Life, Love your Land.....

www.dynamic-equilibrium.co.uk / 01227 832569

Coastal Oil & Gas to do a presentation to Sandwich Town Council on Monday 23

2012-01-21T13:36:00.001Z

Fracking company, Coastal Oil & Gas is doing a presentation to Sandwich Town Council at the Guildhall on Monday 23rd Jan from 6pm.

The Company got their proposal for a test bore at Woodnesborough through the inital planning at KCC in December 2011.

We are not sure whether this will be public or if members of the public will be able to address the council as it is not part of the main agenda for the meeting

If you are are around on monday please turn up around 5:45pm to see what is going on.. lets know if you can make it by emailing dealwithittoday@yahoo.co.uk

Government may let FiT levels run to March

2012-01-19T21:28:00.001Z

From Green Business

Barker addresses uncertainty over solar feed-in tariffs with March cut-off date

I know that the uncertainty while we await the court's decision is difficult for the industry

By James Murray

19 Jan 2012

CAB Big Energy Week

2012-01-19T21:20:00.001Z

Lots of advice of how to make the most of home heating and lighting and reduce your energy bills

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/bigenergyweek.htm

Join the Great HedgeHog Survey !

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000Z

HodgeHog Hibernation Survey

A study was conducted 40 years ago which suggested a link between climate and when hedgehogs come out of hibernation.We are now repeating the study to see if climate change has affected hedgehog hibernation patterns.

We therefore need your help to collect hedgehog records from 1st February until 31st August 2012.

Simply tell us every time you see a hedgehog, noting its location and whether it is alive or dead. Please don't forget to stay on the look out until the end of August when all hedgehogs should be awake.
To enter sightings you will need a username and password.

Once you have signed up you can record a sighting at any time by clicking on "ENTER YOUR RECORD".

Full details at http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/pages/hibernation-survey.html

Victoria's Green Matters - 19th Jan 2012

2012-01-18T21:16:00.001Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:
It was a very sad day indeed when we learned that Dover District Council had passed the planning application for two housing developments at Sholden. It is difficult to understand why the plans were passed when Deal Town Council had turned them down and there had been so many objections over so many years.

The whole concept of building on Grade 1 agricultural land is a complete anathema. Our country is going to need all its agricultural land to feed our population over the coming years and the short-sightedness of this decision is breathtaking.

We could ask the question of just who is going to buy and live in these houses? There are already over 1,000 houses for sale in and around Deal. Where are these people going to work? When the reduction in the Pfizer workforce is complete, there will be far fewer jobs in the area and even more empty houses.

Despite traffic surveys, we all know that Deal roads are clogged with traffic during the morning and evening busy periods but avowal from frequent users of the roads around Sholden of traffic queues counted for nothing.

There are more than 2,000 empty houses in the Dover District Council area. What a scandal this is! Why is the council not concentrating on getting empty homes back into use and re-using brown field sites for new homes? Why are the unfinished houses opposite Walmer station not an indication to the council of what can happen in the present economic climate?

Boris Island back on the agenda in Kent?

2012-01-18T21:10:00.001Z

Government to consult on Thames Estuary airport

18 January 2012

Commenting on reports that the Government is to hold a formal consultation on controversial plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

"A new airport in the Thames estuary would have a devastating impact on local communities and the environment - and all for pie-in-the sky economics that simply don't add up.

"London doesn't need another hub airport - the capital already has more flights to the world's main business destinations than our European neighbours.

"David Cameron's pledge to lead the greenest Government ever will ring hollow if he gives the green light to a huge expansion in air travel."

ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. A Friends of the Earth briefing, Heathrow Expansion - Its True Costs, exposes many of the misleading arguments about the financial benefits of aviation growth.

Dungeness under threat from shingle quarry

2012-01-16T22:23:00.000Z

Support the Love Dungeness campaign
"Dungeness – an area of outstanding natural beauty – is at risk. An application has been submitted to Kent County Council seeking consent to excavate shingle from this precious corner of the coast for use in flood defenses in neighbouring counties.

A quarry at Dungeness:

Will have a significant and adverse effect on the environment
Will contravene government policy and regulations
Will not result in better coastal defenses
Will present a significant health and safety hazard
Will have a devastating effect on the local community

Read more about the issues or add your voice to our campaign
Excavating shingle from Dungeness would damage this internationally important and environmentally diverse habitat for generations to come. Whether you love Dungeness as a resident or a visitor, you will see this breathtakingly wild stretch of coast change beyond recognition when the lorries, dump trucks and diggers roll in – and the proposed flood defenses will not deliver high-value and reliable flood protection to residents in return.
There are other options.

Please help us!

If you love Dungeness as much as we do then please add your voice to our campaign. Together we will get residents the flood protection they need without devastating the 'ness."

Full details at http://www.lovedungeness.org/

DWI meeting 24th Jan

2012-01-15T14:02:00.001Z

DDC Public Consultation of Future of Deal

2012-01-15T12:44:00.004Z

Dover District Council Public Consultation on the future of Deal

Residents and organisations who would like to have their say on the future plan for Middle and North Deal are invited to a workshop at The Golf Road Centre on Wednesday 25 January 2012 at 6pm.
The purpose of this event is to gather valuable input from local people through table based discussions. The Council and its consultants would like to use the event to understand your views in order to inform the final recommendations of this stage of the study.

Please note that due to the capacity of the venue attendance is limited, so please ensure you RSVP to book your place before Tuesday 24 January 2012 by email to: regenerationdelivery@dover.gov.uk or telephone (01304) 872477.

Tea and light refreshments will be provided.

This could be your last chance to have a say on the future development of Deal!

Unsustainable Fishing raid in Deal today

2012-01-14T14:11:00.000Z

There was a great view of seven trawlers parading in front of the pier today in Deal.

It reminded us what a thriving local fishery looks like and what we used to have here in Deal. Unfortunately, in this case its appears that the spectacle is only only skin deep.

This was not not an 'Hugh's Fish Fight' example of a local fishing fleet responding to a local seasonal abundance but a commercial fleet from Kings Lyn literally hovering the mussel beds systematically in the Channel for foreign export.

According to local fishermen on Deal beach this fleet have been doing this for the past two months in the Channel.

We need a sustainable fishery here in East Kent and it is available - You can buy locally fished Sprats this weekend straight off Deal Beach and in our two fishmongers you will find fish caught around the Kent Coast.

Discounts for Deal & Dover Cyclists

2012-01-11T19:41:00.003Z

Last night at a well-attended Dover Cycle Forum meeting, we looked at a new discount scheme being set up by SPOKES the East Kent cycling campaign.

They are asking bike shops and others who currently distribute their Newsletter to offer discounts to SPOKES membership card holders, which will be promoted to all SPOKES members, on their website, and also by a sticker in the shop's window.

Attached is a list of all those on the list in Dover District.

Please let me know asap if there should be any changes, or if you can suggest any one else to be approached?

I'll pass them on to SPOKES, who want to get their final list together by the ned of January,

best wishes,

Ian

Ian Killbery earlystart@me.com
Chair, Dover District Cycle Forum
representing everyone interested in cycling in Dover District
affiliated to SPOKES East Kent Cycle Campaign http://www.spokeseastkent.org.uk

Locks of Sandwich
28, King Street
Sandwich
CT13 9BT
01394 617161

Curwens Cycles
194 High Street
Deal
CT14 6BL
01304 365823

Cyclelife
15 Bench Street
Dover
CT16 1JW
01304 207582

Halfords
Unit 2, Granville Street
Dover
CT16 2LG
01304 212515

Fowlmead Country Park
Att. Mark Kilmurray
Sandwich Road
Sholden
Deal
CT14 0BF

Edmund Guest House
26 Gilford Road
Deal
CT14 7DJ

Gardeners Rest
Nemesis
Queensdown Road
Kingsdown
CT14 8EF

V's Emporium
30 Mill Hill
Deal
CT14 9EW

DWI Meeting Jan 24th - Start of Green New Year

2012-01-10T18:46:00.001Z

Starting a green new year !

An evening of Feedback, Feedforward and Discussion with Deal With It

Tuesday 24th January 7.30p.m. – 9ish

Dealability, 43 Victoria Road, Deal CT14 7AY.

We will have feedback from Alan Gleave about a climate protection conference in Detmold, Germany (Demold is in the same European Twinning group as St Omer & Deal);

an open discussion on the opportunities of the Deal With It partnership with Deal Town Council and a look at how other low carbon communities are building their resilience to cope future challenges.

Refreshments available, all welcome.

Rough Guide to Community Energy

2012-01-09T21:08:00.001Z

The Rough Guide to Community Energy
free book by timprobert

Rough Guides has published a new book titled The Rough Guide to Community Energy.

With financial backing from retailer Marks & Spencer and distribution by energy efficiency pressure group 10:10, the new book is being distributed for free to encourage Britons to launch carbon-cutting and renewable-energy projects in their local communities.

The Rough Guide to Community Energy covers is a 'how-to' guide for community energy projects, covering eveything from setting up a group to picking a renewable technology, as well as providing advice on finances and governance. The book features many case studies of community energy projects, including wind, solar PV, solar thermal, heat pumps, biomass, hydro, CHP and energy efficiency.

The book can be downloaded here: The Rough Guide to Community Energy (2.74 MB PDF; right click and select 'Save target as...' to download)

Printed copies are also available for the price of two first-class stamps and an A5 envelope. To receive a printed copy, simply send a self-addressed A5 envelope with two first-class stamps to the following address:

Community Energy book

10:10

8A Delancey Passage

Camden Town

London NW1 7NN

Guerrilla Gardening in Deal

2012-01-08T15:48:00.002Z

Fancy a bit of Guerrilla Gardening in Deal - Alan & Steve are doing a bit on Sat 21st Jan.

Its a great way to turn those unloved parts of the town into a freedom zone bursting with subversive flowers & veg.

If you are interested please email guerrilla@dealwithit.org

New Flood defenses for Deal to go to planning in Feb

2012-01-07T19:07:00.002Z

Example earlier design

The Environment Agency announced before xmas its progress in the investment to protect Deal from sea flooding

Now that the project is starting the detailed design phase, it is working with the landowner, Kent Highway Services, and Dover District Council to finalise the design.

The EA will present the final design to the original working group shortly to ensure it is usable and functional in a public space. It is expect to submit its planning application to Dover District Council in February 2012.

The £10-million flood defence scheme at Deal will reduce the risk of coastal flooding to 626 homes and 44 commercial properties in Deal. The scheme will also protect other key assets including the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site, the Sandwich Bay Special Area of Conservation, the railway line between Ramsgate and Dover, and Scheduled Monuments and listed buildings in North Deal.

The EA proposals include:

construction of a new 650m wave wall along the promenade between the Royal Hotel and Deal Castle. We expect the height of the wall to range from 0.4m to 0.9m - the exact heights will be confirmed during the detailed design phase.
250m of improved rock protection along the existing embankment, to strengthen the beach just north of Sandown Castle.
increasing the volume of shingle on the beach from the northern part of the extended rock revetment to Deal Castle. The shingle will be delivered to the beach by a barge just off the coast. In the future the beach profile will be maintained by recycling the shingle (periodic re-shaping of the beach using bulldozers, diggers and trucks as required following storm events).

Map of proposed changes can be found here

The EA has a special page for this project here

Energy coops report

2012-01-06T21:19:00.001Z

Co-operative Renewable Energy in the UK
Co-operatively-owned energy generation is a vibrant and growing sector in the UK. The first co-operatively-owned wind turbines, Baywind in Cumbria, started turning in 1997. Since then, over 7,000 individual investors have ploughed over £16 million into community-owned renewable energy.

This report summarises insights gained from visits to five co-operatively owned energy projects during the summer of 2011.
http://energybulletin.net/stories/2012-01-05/co-operative-renewable-energy-uk-guide-growing-sector

'Deal Times'

2012-01-05T18:38:00.000Z

Deal With It is featured in the first issue of Deal's bi-monthly community magazine 'The Deal Times' which is launched this month.

The magazine is distributed freely in the town and full of local information.

In the first issue there is even a feature by DWI's secretary Vicki.

We wish Caroline every success with her venture

http://www.thedealtimes.co.uk/

Victoria's Green Matters - 5th January 2011

2012-01-05T09:01:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

It was good to read in the Mercury that we are now recycling more rubbish since the introduction of the new bins. Figures for October 2011 showed a recycling rate of 45% as compared with 36% for the same month in 2010 and this was before all households had received their bins.

There has been much criticism of the scheme, made obvious by the letters page in the Mercury, but as people have had time to get used to the new ideas, it seems as if the system has been accepted and is working well.

We still have a long way to go to do as well as the Japanese who recycle as much as 77% of their plastic waste. This rate has been encouraged by the government passing several laws to address the problems of waste disposal in a country that is running out of space for landfill, as is the UK. Japan has been separating out its plastic waste since 1997 and recycling it or burning it to convert it to useful chemicals or to generate energy.

It is thought that there is 265 million tonnes of plastic produced in the world each year and two thirds of this huge amount is used in packaging. As we know, much of this packaging is totally unnecessary and while we can now recycle so much more of our waste, we must still try to avoid over-packaged goods in the first place.

Dover & Deal Cycle Forum - 10th Jan 7:30pm

2012-01-04T21:15:00.001Z

AGENDA:

1. Notes of the last meeting on 13th October 2011

2.Cycling news

- Update on Dour Greenway project

- proposed SPOKES discount scheme with local cycle shops, etc.

- new bike stands at local hospitals in East Kent University Hospital Trust

- Sky Ride Local - call for people to train as ride leaders (1 day training Jan/Feb)

- news from local clubs and SPOKES

3. Planning approval of Sholden housing developments - the developers' final Travel Plan (including proposed cycle paths) and implications for local cycling and sustainable transport. Possibilities for new cycle routes and 20 limits?

The Deal Transportation Study (Consultation meeting 5th October 2011) also looks at potential transport developments likely to be funded by the developers. (see https://www.dover.gov.uk/pdf/A%20Final%20Exhibition%20Boards.pdf ) It recommends Scenarios 2 or 3, which include specific mention of cyclists and pedestrians: "Upgrades to current network and introduction of small set of new routes

4. Ongoing campaign for town-wide 20 mph speed limits

(report of actions so far, and next steps)

5. "The end of foot passenger and cyclist facilities on the Channel Ferries?"

-developments since last meeting

6. Dates and places for the other THREE meetings for 2012, including AGM.(we had agreed to hold 4 meetings each year)

7. Meeting ends at 9pm

10th Jan 2012 - 7:30pm - at 1, North St Deal at Cavendish House, 1 North St, Deal CT14 6NA in the corner of Alfred Square

Ian Killbery earlystart@me.com

Chair, Dover District Cycle Forum
11 Western Road, DEAL, Kent CT14 6RX

Tel: 01304-362569

Deal Recycling centre to expand ?

2012-01-03T20:00:00.001Z

The future of the household waste and recycling centres service provided by Kent County Council is under review.

The KCC says it wants to identify the "right level" of the waste tip service at the "right cost" so it is fit for purpose and for the future. Before any decisions are made, the council is carrying out a public consultation so everyone in Kent has an opportunity to contribute to the process.

One suggestion is that the Deal and Margate waste tips are underused and that the current Richborough tip might be closed to boost their use. For details and the survey form, see http://www.kent.gov.uk/environment_and_planning/recycling_and_rubbish/ways_to_recycle/waste_and_recycling_centres/hwrc_consultation.aspx .

The consultation will close on Thursday, 9 February.

Thank you Harold for the posting

Victoria's Green Matters 29th December 2011

2011-12-30T18:50:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

There has been some good news from the law this week in twocases. Firstly, the courts upheld a challenge from Friends of the Earth to thegovernment’s decision to reduce the feed-in-tariffs for electricity generatedby solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Reduced feed-in-tariffs were due to come intoforce on 12 December 2011 rather than the original April date, before theconsultation process had come to an end and forcing many intended installationsof PV cells to be abandoned.

This was not only bad news for individual householders and community groups who wanted to reduce their carbon footprint and invest in the future but for those new businesses that had trained personnel ready to install PVs. To lose these jobs at this time was clearly devastating.

The European Union (EU) has ruled that airlines based outside the EU should pay for their carbon emissions when they fly to or from an EU country. This is a crucial test for climate change regulation. It is being resisted in particular by the US and Chinese governments but numerous other international airlines are also fighting this ruling. Airlines have little incentive to cut their carbon emissions and pay no tax on aviation fuel.

Airlines have protested that this new regulation will cost them billions of euros over the coming years. Research puts the cost to all airlines at about €1.1billion next year.

A Very Merry and Green Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

FOE win legal case over PV FiT

2011-12-21T19:34:00.003Z

Friends of the Earth has won its legal challenge against the Government in High Court.

Along with two solar companies we took the Government to court over their plans to slash support for solar energy.
After two days in court the Judge ruled in our favour calling the Government's plans "legally flawed".

These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs.
We hope this ruling will prevent ministers rushing through damaging changes to clean energy subsidies - giving solar firms a much-needed confidence boost.

Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director

Illegal and unfair

Government proposed cutting the amount of cash-back - known as feed-in tariffs - for solar projects installed after 12 December.
But this date was 11 days before the official consultation on the plans closed.
The Judge agreed with Friends of the Earth that this approach was illegal.

Real-world impact

The Government's proposals have already caused thousands of planned or unfinished solar projects to be shelved.

Government must act

Following today's ruling the Government must act now to get solar back on track by:

Providing more money for feed-in tariffs.
Supporting solar projects in schools and social housing.

Take our Christmas action

Please send your MP a Christmas message asking them to help put solar back on track.

Victoria's Green Matters - 22nd December 2011

2011-12-20T19:07:00.003Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

The Durban climate conference ended with a legally binding agreement from all nations to limit carbon emissions. Even China, India, USA and Canada were included. The only drawback is that it will be 2015 before action needs to be taken.

A shock decision by Canada to pull out of the Kyoto climate treaty has been condemned by all the other nations as reckless and irresponsible. The Kyoto protocol was a commitment by nations to reduce their carbon emissions by 6% by 2012 compared with 1990 levels. No surprise really that Canada pulled out because their greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 30% over the last two decades!

Canada has a highly lucrative tar sands operation which it is at pains to protect but which, of course, is highly polluting. This process not only damages surrounding areas but also takes as much energy to extract oil from the sands as burning the oil would produce. The Canadian government is fighting hard against international restrictions on this fuel that produces more carbon emissions than conventional oil. It is deadly for the environment whichever way you look at it.

It is regrettable that the Canadian government finds it more important to protect industries that pollute the world than it does to protect island nations at risk from rising sea levels.

The world cannot afford to continue burning fossil fuels at the rate at which it burns them now. We cannot afford the carbon dioxide it produces that warms the climate.

Solar Panels fitted on East Kent Housing homes in Dover

2011-12-17T03:00:00.000Z

A CAMPAIGN to install solar panels to more than 100 homes in Dover successfully concluded this week just hours before government support for the scheme came to an end.

Dover District Council and East Kent Housing agreed a deal with Carillion Energy Services to offer tenants living in a pilot area of St Radigund's the chance to have solar panels fitted to their homes.

full story at Dover Express here

DDC vote for 460 homes in Sholden

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000Z

From This is Kent:
RESIDENTS in Sholden have reacted furiously to a Dover District Council decision to allow 460 new homes to be built in their village.

After ten years of battles with developers Hillreed Homes, Ward Homes and the council, Sholden parish council chairman Phillip Marsh described the decision last night as "absolutely gutting."

The authority's planning committee voted through the proposal by the narrowest of margins, with committee chairman Councillor Bernard Butcher using his chairman's vote to decide the outcome.

Hillreed will be building 230 homes north-west of Church Lane, and Ward will be creating a sprawl on land next to the A258 and Sholden New Road.

read in full here

DDC new recycling scheme success

2011-12-15T19:22:00.000Z

Households Recycle More As New Service Is RolledOut

Dover District Council is welcoming the success of the major newrecycling service that continues to roll out across the area - andis thanking householders for their support as recycling rates havealready hit a fantastic 45%.

Results show that October saw recycling rates at 45% - that’s a9% increase on the total for the same month last year (36%), and an11% increase on the total for October 2009 (34%).

Some interesting points from the roll out include:

Around 30,000 properties are now able to recycle under the newscheme
The cost of the new containers and wheeled bins is being fundedby Kent County Council out of the savings made from householdsrecycling more
New things residents can recycle include – beverage cartons(Tetra Pak), batteries, empty aerosols, and all types of plasticpackaging (pots, tubs and trays), (but not plastic bags)
175 tonnes of food waste was collected in October fromapproximately 15,000 properties. If it was not recycled intocompost it would have been thrown away
Storing and putting waste out in bins stops it being attackedby seagulls and foxes, leaving less rubbish on the street aftercollections
The joint service arrangements between Dover DC, Shepway DC andKCC are projected to save the partnership around £4m a year.

Cllr Nicholas Kenton, DDC Cabinet Member for Environment andWaste said: “These are fantastic results, and we thank all thehouseholders who are helping us to protect the environment andrecycle more. A recycling rate of 45%, while we are stillrolling out the new service, is great news and shows we are ontarget for 50% or more. We look forward to continuing to workwith residents to recycle even more for the future.”

The new service includes the introduction of a weekly collectionof food waste and an improved recycling collection. DDC isproviding residents with new containers for food waste, and wheeledbins for the collection of a greater range of recyclables and forthe fortnightly collection of the waste that householders have notbeen able to recycle.

If you have not received your new bins, don’t worry as the newscheme will be rolling out to properties up to January 2012. For more information, please call 01304 872428 or see the waste and recycling pages.

Date:28/11/2011
Contact: AndySteele
Telephone: 01304872020
Fax: 01304872300
Press Office Direct Line: 01304 872020

Ecobuild conference March 2012

2011-12-15T19:14:00.001Z

Register now for your free ticket to the world’s biggest event for sustainable
design, construction and the built environment which takes place at
London’s ExCeL on Tuesday 20 – Thursday 22 March 2012.
Your free ticket gives you access to
• over 1,500 exhibitors – the biggest showcase of sustainable construction
products anywhere
• free conference – hear from renowned commentators including
Sir John Beddington,Angela Brady, Greg Dyke, Monty Don, Stephen Bayley
and more
• more than 130 free seminars covering Sustainable by design to Installer
connect and Olympics learning legacy to Better through BIM
• dozens of interactive attractions including Solar hub, Fabric first,
Renewable heat focus and Natural, traditional...sustainable

Victoria's Green Matters - 15th Dec 2011

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

If you have been watching the magnificent ‘Frozen Planet’you cannot fail to have been disturbed by the wonderful filming of meltingglaciers and the terrifying power of the melt water.

As David Attenborough so eloquently explained, this meltedice has serious repercussions for the rest of the earth, not just the polar icecaps. Sceptics will tell you that this is just a natural phenomenon, that it’sall happened before but they do not consider the speed at which the change istaking place. This can only be the result of our carbon intensive society sincethe industrial revolution.

Our so-called ‘green government’ is doing its level best toscupper any attempts to go forward with policies that will try to limit ourcarbon emissions or to prepare us for the changed world our children willinhabit. George Osborne has failed to take responsibility for making ourindustries less polluting, citing loss of jobs and businesses instead ofencouraging energy and money saving processes and job creation in new, clean,renewable industries. Chris Huhne, our climate and energy secretary, continuesbravely with his plans for emission reduction and energy saving but to noavail.

It is extremely depressing to realise that it is thefinancial services that are the true rulers of the world. Even though theworld’s banks are running out of cash they still managed to invest twice asmuch in coal-fired electricity last year than they did in 2005.

Report from Kent Low Carbon Community Partnership

2011-12-14T18:59:00.004Z

Just a quick update for this edition to let you know about some exciting new funding initiatives that have been launched this month, as well as a roundup of some interesting developments happening across the UK.

Obviously we were all disappointed to hear about the sudden cuts to the Feed In Tariff and hope that it hasn’t scuppered too many local community projects. However, if you are still considering solar or wind projects, or want to know more about the implications of the proposed cuts, then please visit the Energy Saving Trust's webpages, which have a very good summary of the changes and their potential impact.

Around Kent

Call for Kent case studies

Many thanks to those of you who have already submitted your case studies, we have had a good response, with examples from churches, transition towns, parish councils, community groups and campaign groups. It is great to hear about such a wide range of work going on across the county and hope that more of you will be able to share your stories and successes, no matter their size. I have attached a copy of the template to this email, please complete and return to climate.change@kent.gov.uk if you would like to submit your story.

We are currently in the process of putting all your case studies online and they will be linked via an interactive map, to allow you to see what is going on in your area. We expect the site to go live in January.

Elham residents discuss renewable future

On 7th October Elham Environment Group held a public meeting to explore renewable energy at home and in the community. The purpose of the evening was to present possible energy solutions and hear the views of the community about the best way forward. Presentations on solar, wind, heat pump and biomass energy were made by group members, together with Matthew Morris from the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The team was also joined by Rachel Coxcoon, from the Centre of Sustainable Energy and Richard Knox-Johnston, from Protect Kent, for a question and answer session chaired by the local County Councillor. Subjects included the sustainability of government incentives, how to convert warm air into heating and how to include the community in joint ventures. Wind turbines were the most debated issue of the evening and the chair gave extra time for this discussion. There was wide agreement that the event was well worth the effort and the debate has well and truly begun! For more information, email sylvia.scott@supawoman.plus.com.

Remember, if you have any good news about projects you are working on, or want to promote a community event you are running please email climate.change@kent.gov.uk and we will include you in the next update. Deadline for submissions is 3^rd February 2012.

National News

Climate Change Week: 12th - 18th March 2012

Climate Week is a national campaign designed to inspire a new wave of action on climate change. It culminates with thousands of events and activities taking place throughout the week of 12th to 18th March 2012, planned by organisations from every part of society. Showcasing real, practical ways to combat climate change, the campaign aims to motivate people to create a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

The Climate Week Challenge in 2011 was Britain's biggest ever environmental competition, with over 145,000 people participating in the one day and one-hour versions. You can register now for the 2012 Climate Week Challenge, which will be revealed on Monday 12 March at 9am. Entries are also open for the prestigious Climate Week Awards, recognising the most inspirational and impressive actions taking place in every sector. To find out more about Climate Week go to climateweek.com, email info@climateweek.com or telephone on 020 3397 2601.

New advice on how to set up and run a community buying group

There are many benefits to joining together with other consumers and combining your buying power to get better deals from shops and other suppliers. By buying in bulk, you should be able to get discounts on prices, saving everyone money. Typical examples of things that groups buy in bulk include food, heating oil, insulation and solar panels. The ‘Guide for Community Buying Groups', offers general advice for groups of consumers wishing to set up and run a buying group on a not-for-profit basis, it also aims to raise awareness of legislation and highlights the R Shop Bulk Buying Project, started in 2009 with the support of the Social Innovation Lab Kent.

Planning for climate change

A new resource for local communities has been produced by Climate East Midlands, to enable them to make informed decisions and provide meaningful input into planning consultations, especially for renewable energy, low carbon and adaptation work. The resources are part of a Climate Change Skills programme for the East Midlands; however most of the information is useful for communities across the UK. For further information, visit www.planningforclimatechange.org.uk.

Updates to Community Energy Online

The Department of Energy and Climate Change have recently updated their Community Energy Portal, which is aimed at community groups looking to develop community energy projects. The website currently offers community groups links to video training on the different stages of project development, such as choosing a technology and finding an installer. It also offers information on funding, best practice, feasibility, planning, land ownership and case studies.

New Funding Initiatives

Local Energy Assessment Fund

This new £10m scheme from the Department of Energy and Climate Change is designed to help communities prepare for, and benefit from, the Green Deal, feed-in tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive. The funding can be used for a range of activities, for example, to commission assessments of the energy efficiency of homes and buildings in the community, to run demonstration projects of the type that will shortly be available through the Green Deal (e.g. solid wall insulation), to carry out feasibility studies for community renewable energy projects, or to run public awareness-raising and engagement events.

Around £50,000 is available to each successful group (up to a maximum of £130,000). Applicants can be any legally incorporated not-for-profit group, such as a voluntary organisations, parish council, community-interest company or cooperative. The deadline for Phase 1 is the 22nd December 2011 and for Phase 2 the deadline is the 20th January 2012. For further information visit www.greencommunitiescc.org.uk

EDF Green Fund

The EDF Green Fund has been in existence since 2001, and was set up to provide a source of funding for non-profit organisations who wish to install small scale, renewable energy on their sites, who otherwise would not have been able to afford to do so. Grants of up to £30,000 are available to help cover the cost of renewable energy technology that can be used to produce green energy from the sun, wind, water, wood and other renewable sources. The next deadline for bids is the 28^th February 2012. Visit the Green Fund website for further information.

For more information on community funding opportunities visit Kent4Community or for support on developing funding bids visit the Funding Buddies website.

This partnership bulletin is produced by Kent County Council, on behalf of the Kent Low Carbon Community Partnership.

Please forward this bulletin to others who may find it of interest, or ask them to join the partnership by emailing climate.change@kent.gov.uk

This email is available in alternative formats and can be explained in a range of languages. Please call 01622 221919 for details.

Stop fuel poverty - FOE

2011-12-12T20:30:00.001Z

Letter from FOE

This Christmas around 150.000 households in The South East will be in Fuel Poverty that is why politicians are being urged to get tough on the big 6 energy companies.

90% of Brits are backing our call for a public inquiry into their power bills and half believing the main reasons for bills doubling since 2004 is energy company greed. According to the recent Friends Of The Earth Survey.

Martin Lewis, creator of moneysavingsexpert.com has joined our calls for politicians and regulators to make "radical changes" to the energy system following Octobers summit where The Government failed to tackle the energy rip-off.

Friends Of The Earths Final Demand Campaign is challenging The Government to launch a Public Inqury into the power of the big 6 who are making billions in profits while at least 1 in 4
households are struggling to afford their energy bills following recent price rises. Also recent figures show complaint about the big 6 have risen by 25%.

FOE are asking people to sign our petition at www.foe.co.uk/final demand. The Government is cosying up to the energy companies instead of calling time on the big 6 market stitch-up. The big 6 are making billions by keeping The UK hooked on expensive imported fuels instead of setting us on a path to more affordable clean British energy to afford
Stuart Cox
Group Coordinator
East Kent FOE

Petition on Canterbury Air Quality

2011-12-10T19:43:00.001Z

From our colleagues from Canterbury Greenpeace - sign the petition for Canterbury Council to do something about air quality and to honour its obligations to fight climate change:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/climate-change-mitigation-and-air-pollution-reduction-i.html

Sholden Plans at DDC 14th Dec

2011-12-10T15:54:00.001Z

From: EAST KENT FRIENDS OF THE EARTH GROUP.

Planning Applications for new housing for both Sides of Sholden Village near Deal will be considered by The Dover District Council Planning Committee at The Council Offices at Whitfield on Wednesday Night from 6pm.

The plans include a revised appication for up to 230 residential dwellings on land between Sholden New Road and LondonRoad (A258).

The other application is for outline permission for up to 230 residential dwellings from Hancocks Field, Hunters Walk and Hyton Drive Sholden. The land includes The area between Sholden Village and Deal including Court Lodge Farm, North West of Church Lane Sholden/Deal.

A lot of residents from Sholden will be attending so please get there early if you can.

Victoria's Green Matters - 8th Dec 2011

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

Canada has the second largest store of carbon in the world after Saudi Arabia. These are tar or oil sands from which oil can be extracted. The process by which this oil is extracted is extremely polluting, being very energy intensive with high greenhouse gas emissions, the destruction of forests and the contamination of air and water.

The European Union (EU) proposes to designate transport fuel from tar sands as producing 22% more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fuels, thus discouraging suppliers who need to reduce their emissions by 10% by 2020, from using it. This would also label the fuel as ‘dirtier’.

Canada has been running a campaign against the EU proposals and the UK government has been lobbied by oil giants Shell and BP, which both have large tar sands projects in Canada. Embarrassingly for the UK, David Cameron has discussed the issue with his Canadian counterpart, stating that he wanted to find a way forward. The opposition to the EU proposal puts the UK in the minority in Europe and will cause great concern at the climate change talks in Durban.

At a time when we need to be reducing our use of fossil fuels and cutting our carbon emissions, the UK government is actively involved in trying to avoid probable EU sanctions against tar sand oil. Far from being the ‘greenest government ever’ it is guilty of putting big business first over the needs of the planet.

Local Deal Author's 'Eating Flowers' cookbook

2011-12-03T17:55:00.001Z

Local Deal Writer, Lucia Stuart, has written a beautiful hand illustrated nature cookbook 'Eating Flowers'.

Lucia speaking about her book "Eating Flowers is a truly original book encouraging adults and children to enjoy nature and its properties. Colour photographs and lively illustrations show how to source and identify the plants throughout the months and then use them in simple and delicious recipes.

As a professional cook, artist and nature lover I have combined my skills to inspire readers to understand and engage with nature’s bounty.

To name something is to love something and if it is of practical use to us, we will love it even more.

Both wild and garden plants have boundless culinary and medicinal properties. I see my book as a pretty, ‘manual’ "

full details at http://www.eatingflowers.com - price £7.99 - Book Launch at the Black Douglas on Sunday 4th Sunday 3-5pm

No Fracking in Deal High Street

2011-12-03T12:39:00.001Z

Following the the front page of the Mercury from last week's leafletting We had a very successful morning in Deal High St leafletting and talking to people about the threaten 'Fracking' coming to East Kent.

We handed out over 200 leaflets and a stall explaining what the test bore hole in Woodnesborough could led to. Many people signed up for the Campaign as well.

Many thanks to Sarah, Charles, Rosie, Pam, Elaise and Steve plus Vicki & Helen for organising the leaflets.

There is a Facbook page 'No Fracking in East Kent' for the campaign here and you Email us at fracking@dealwithit.org

CPRE Food Mapping reports

2011-12-02T08:33:00.000Z

Mapping local food webs
enewsletter | November 2010
New mapping reports coming soon
We will shortly be publishing reports for Shrewsbury, Ledbury, Haslemere and Faversham. This next batch of reports comes with a new section on what local policy makers could be doing to help support your local food webs and our ‘spotlight on local’ case studies showcasing foods that are a speciality of each individual web.

Reports for Hexham, Darlington, Yeovil and Otley will be published in early 2012 followed by Burnley, Ely, Norwich, Newark and Penrith.
The national report is scheduled for March 2012 and will include recommendations for businesses, policy makers and consumers.The six pilot location reports are still available to download.

Support our Schools Green Mini- Projects

2011-12-01T16:32:00.000Z

Deal With It - Deal’s Local Community Green Group is selling copies of ‘Seagulls’ Photo (featured in this year’s East Kent Mercury Calendar) to fund a series of ‘Green Acorns Mini Projects’ in the District’s schools.

The idea is raise some literal seed money to setup a school veg garden, start an orchard, get someone in to talk about bee keeping or our wonderful Kent countryside and coastline.

Prints 40x50cm £20 direct from Deal With IT email press@dealwithit.org or larger 1m + 500cm mounted Foamex Boards from Burning Bush Galley (Opposite Library)

Victoria's Green Matters - 1st Dec 2011

2011-12-01T06:05:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

The damage wrought by discarded plastic was brought to the fore again recently on one of our most loved television programmes. ‘Autumn Watch’ on Friday, 18 November showed us a gannet nesting colony beset by the remains of plastic fishing nets and containers. There were also the distressing pictures of seabirds, trapped at their nest sites, unable to feed and which had starved to death. Other, luckier ones were able to be freed by the wardens just in the nick of time. This scene, so far away from our everyday lives, brought home to us the dangers of a substance that we use thoughtlessly, and sometimes carelessly, in our everyday lives.

The plastic bags that we use at the supermarket cost millions of pounds to produce and can be the cause of the untimely death of many creatures on land and sea when disposed of incorrectly. If all shops and supermarkets could agree not to provide plastic bags, the problem would solve itself. Our government will not take the step of banning the bags as in other countries – who knows why? The reason of removing freedom of choice seems a remarkably stupid one when plastic causes so many problems.

There are many ways in which we can help. Do not discard rubbish carelessly and now that we have our new recycling bins we can recycle most of our plastic waste. Always take shopping bags with you. Join our campaign; go to PlasticBags@dealwithit.org and sign the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12786.

KCC Planning Committee on Fracking 6th Dec

2011-11-28T20:21:00.001Z

We finally have a date for the hearing of the application to drill a test bore hole at Woodnesborough. It will be heard at Sessions House, County Hall Maidstone on Tuesday 6^th December, starting at 10 am.

It would be great to have as much support as possible at what will be the beginning of what may be a long process in the possible exploitation of Shale Gas by means of fracking in our district, and a show of strength at this point would help to persuade the members of the Planning Committee that is not a good idea to open the way to an industrial procedure that could contaminate our water,degrade our environment, cause long term health problems, and distract us from the need to develop renewable energy and preserve our lovely countryside to grow our food on.

If you are free to come with us on Tuesday, and need a lift, or can offer one please email us at fracking@dealwithit.org

We will be leafleting again in Deal outside M&S on Saturday morning from 10.15 am ,please join us if you can!

The planning committee report can be found here

Transition Partnership meeting Deal Town Council

2011-11-27T14:07:00.000Z

Our Third Transition Partnerhip meeting took place on Saturday with representatives from Deal Town Council.

We are looking at joint project to promote Tree and Pond Wardens and series of events in highlight green initatives on local energy and food.

We had a useful discussion on sustainable alternatives to fencing such as reintroducing hedges and jubliee trees for schools. Next meeting will be in early 2012.

No Plastic Bags in Deal

2011-11-26T13:45:00.001Z

The local campaign to banish the plastic bag in Deal was on the streets today handling out leaflets.

The Dover & Deal Coop party gave a donation of £25 towards the campaign.

More acitivity is planned with the build up to Xmas.

Interested in joining in email PlasticBags@dealwithit.org

Have you signed the petition yet - http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12786

DWI - Bio-Diversity meeting

2011-11-23T20:46:00.001Z

Really cracking meeting on Tuesday - I certainly learnt a lot from Mel Wrigley from the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership which promotes and protects our lovely Chalk grasslands and habitats. http://www.whitecliffscountryside.org.uk/

Clive Grant from Walmer Parish Council and the Freedown Hawkshill Volunteers spoke about the fantastic work they do trying to keep the Freedown grassland and their 10 year plan.

Thanks to Sarah for organising and chairing.

Green space is good for you... its offical

2011-11-23T20:16:00.001Z

From Neighbourhoods Green

Greenspace is good ... fact!

Research into the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of green space demonstrate value for money.

Greenspace Scotland has published the largest single set of Social Return on Investment (SROI) reports to prove that green space is good for our health, our communities and our quality of life. Ten SROI reports have revealed that every pound invested in environmental community activities in greenspace delivered between £2 and £17 in benefits. That represents good value for money.
Green space is good - so prove it! was a two year research programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund. Greenspace Scotland worked with 10 community groups using an SROI approach to show the social, economic and environmental value of their green space activities.

All of the projects made a positive contribution to their local communities and generated a good return on investment. The individual SROI analyses undertaken covered a wide range of activities including: community growing; diversionary use of greenspace; community engagement; youth volunteering; health walks and environmental competitions.

Speaking on the launch of the reports Julie Procter, Chief Executive of Greenspace Scotland said:
"By using a Social Return on Investment approach community greenspace groups have been able to show the real of value of their projects. At first glance, a community growing project has obviously delivered benefits through turning derelict ground into a productive growing space. But taking a closer look through these studies, we see that volunteers have improved their health through increased physical activity and eating the vegetables they produce; they've learned new horticultural and environmental skills; increased their social contacts and built their self-confidence - for some this has been a key part of their journey back to employment. That's just one example of the multiple benefits that the groups delivered as a result of their green space activities.

Collectively these studies provide powerful evidence that investing in greenspace represents good value for money - and that's becoming increasingly important in these very challenging times. We've shown that relatively small investments lever very real benefits in terms of preventative spend, with community greenspaces delivering big returns by improving people's health and wellbeing; building confidence and skills; reducing anti-social behaviour and creating safer, stronger and more vibrant communities."

Speaking about the experience of being involved in the programme, Helen Trainor of Gorbals Healthy Living Network said:
"The SROI project is proving invaluable to us. We are expected to be able to put a monetary value on the work we do. However, due to the nature of the service we provide and the groups and individuals we serve, it was always difficult for us to show this. Now thanks to SROI programme we are able to do this. We are also finding that being involved with Greenspace Scotland and the SROI programme has enabled us to present a more professional case, which has assisted us in achieving funding."

A summary of the report can be found here.
Further information can be found here.

Victoria's Green Matters - 23rd Nov 2011

2011-11-23T17:32:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

The time is rapidly approaching for the next world summit on climate change in Durban. The International Energy Agency has already warned all nations that we are a long way away from avoiding dangerous climate change. The Kyoto Protocol inspired the world to take steps towards a carbon neutral energy system but now greater steps are required to consolidate and surpass this achievement.

The failure of the last summit in Copenhagen to bring nations together on a definite agreement to limit carbon emissions has left the world with ‘ voluntary agreements’. A voluntary framework will not keep climate change within the 2°C temperature rise limit that we need to insure us against the collapse of our food and water systems.

All major industrialised countries have adopted the ‘we must all do it or it’s no good’ approach, leading to most doing very little at all. The world has shown that international agreements are possible – the multilateral trade system, the international criminal court, the European single market for example – and this international agreement is the most vital because it affects us all.

We are in a time of global economic crisis and we are rapidly approaching the point of no return where climate change is concerned. Most countries have higher unemployment than is healthy for growing economies so why not agree to invest as much as we can in clean, renewable technologies of every kind around the world, creating jobs and limiting our carbon emissions.

Trains4Deal report

2011-11-18T19:25:00.001Z

Trains4deal was at last week's Southeastern Stakeholders' Forum in Gillingham, along with a contingent from Dover District Council.

We spoke about the results of our spot surveys of passenger usage of the new HS service for Deal and Sandwich (see latest updates on http://www.trains4deal.com ). Southeastern MD, Charles Horton, commented that Trains4deal probably know more about the figures than he did, and could we pass them on!

Our questions established that consultations on the level of service under new franchise (starting March 2014) will start in the new year. Southeastern said there was no prospect of any additional HS services to either Maidstone or Deal and Sandwich before then.

All Trains4deal supporters who are interested are invited to the next meeting of the the Kent branch of RAILFUTURE, which campaigns for better rail services and is a good supporter of our cause. It's this Saturday, 2pm at the Alma pub in West St. If you're thinking of attending, an RSVP would be appreciated and will be passed on to the organisers to help them prepare. The meeting will discuss rail issues generally in Kent, and Deal and Sandwich are certain to come up!

best wishes,

Tom Rowland / Ian Killbery admin@trains4deal.com

Join the rail-users' group for the Deal area

Campaigning for High Speed trains to Deal - NOW!

http://www.trains4deal.com

Join the trains4deal group on Facebook

Victoria's Green Matters - 17th Nov 2011

2011-11-17T21:06:00.001Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

Our government has pledged to be the ‘greenest governmentever’ but has this last week scored an own goal when it comes to feed-intariffs (Fits) with regard to energygeneration from solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels.

Fits are theamount of money paid per unit of electricity generated by a PV installation andthis is 43p until 12 December when it becomes 21p. We have known all along thatthey would be reduced from next April but for some reason the government hasbrought this day forward to December 12 this year and has announced that itwill cut the level by half.

An even greater, and much less publicised, change that willtake place from next April is that homes will have to comply with energyefficiency measures to qualify for payment of Fits. The level of qualification is set so high that manyhomeowners will find the cost prohibitive.

Many schemes for social housing to have PV panels fitted,paid for by the local council who then receive the Fits to reinvest with the householder benefiting from the freeelectricity generated will no longer be viable.

Probablythe worst result of this short-term thinking will be the effect on theburgeoning solar industry. Our country needs good, long-term jobs in new, cleanindustries and just as the solar industry was building up speed and employing25,000 people, these cuts have been announced. Let us hope that proposed legalchallenges and protests have the desired effect.

Kent Marine Conservation Zones at risk

2011-11-16T23:25:00.000Z

From Kent Wildlife Trust

Marine Conservation Zones at risk

Big Society has spoken up for our seas – but will Government listen?

The wildlife in England’s seas is facing a serious threat, warns Kent Wildlife Trust.

The long-awaited network of marine protected areas, promised by Government for 2012, is in danger, according to the largest voluntary conservation organisation for Kent and Medway, which has been instrumental in marine campaigning and research. Kent Wildlife Trust is urging the public to write to Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, Richard Benyon MP, in support of Marine Conservation Zones.

After years of pressure from NGOs, and with huge public support, the Marine and Coastal Access Act of 2009 promised a coherent network of protection around the coasts by 2012. Now 127 marine sites around England’s coast, including eleven around Kent*, have been recommended by four regional stakeholder groups to become Marine Conservation Zones next year.

The recommendations are the result of two years of consultation with more than one million stakeholders involved including fishermen, conservationists and businesses. This has been the first ‘Big Society’ experiment where local stakeholders have decided together which areas of the sea should be protected.

There is concern that the Government will only progress a fraction of the 127 recommended sites to designation. This would result in an ineffective network of Marine Conservation Zones, leaving vulnerable and precious areas unprotected.

Bryony Chapman, Marine Policy Officer at Kent Wildlife Trust, said:

“A huge amount of work has been done to get a broad agreement on this network of sites needed for the health and future productivity of our marine environment. Now, however, in the final stages the Government has lost its direction and is proposing to over-ride the recommendations of local stakeholders and cut the 127 sites down to a fraction of this number, in contradiction with the aims of the new Marine and Coastal Access Act.”

*The recommended sites around Kent are:
Thames Estuary, a hugely important ecological corridor supporting fish spawning and nursery grounds.
Medway Estuary with its rich muddy sediments full of small creatures which provide food for fish and birds, and home to the very scarce tentacled lagoon worm.
Swale Estuary, with its channels and creeks providing very important fish spawning and nursery grounds.

Thanet Coast, with its wonderful chalk reefs extending across the shore and out to sea, rich with mussel beds, rossworm reefs, colourful seaweeds and fish, and supporting special species such as stalked jellyfish. Outer Kentish Knock, an impressive sediment bank where mussels and rossworm reefs provide habitat shelter for other species.
Goodwin Sands, the famous sand banks where grey and common seals can forage for fish, and haul out to rest, and where some even have their pups.
Deal to Dover Reef, with its colourful chalk gullies and boulders which abound with special plants and animals, including stalked jellyfish, elegant anemones and tompot blennies.

Dover to Folkestone Reefs, where the chalk, clay and greensand outcrops provide home to seahorses and other varied animal and plant life, while rossworms build reefs on the sediment in between.
Folkestone Pomerania Ross Coral Holes, large seabed bowls where delicate and colourful sponges, ross corals, fan worms and anemones live on the rocky ledges.

Hythe Bay, with its specialised community including spoonworms, square crabs and molluscs that burrow in the soft muddy seafloor.

Offshore Foreland, an area of high biological diversity on the rock and sand seabed in the middle of the Dover Strait.

John Bennett, Kent Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive added:

“Kent Wildlife Trust’s Marine Officer, backed by a large body of volunteers, has for years been recording the marine animals and plants we find off the Kentish coast, and on our shores. Now, with other Wildlife Trusts all around the UK, we are lobbying hard for the successful completion of a process that will make the difference between the life or death of our seas. We know there is great public support for Marine Conservation Zones. This is a once in a lifetime chance. The Government can’t afford to let it slip away.”

Kent Wildlife Trust is urging people to write to Richard Benyon and ask for Government to create the proposed network of 127 zones in England. Guidance on writing to the Minister can be found at www.wildlifetrusts.org/saveourmczs.

We are looking for Tree Warden for Deal

2011-11-13T14:05:00.000Z

One of Deal With It's local initatives is find volunteers to act as Tree Wardens in Deal and Walmer.

Tree Wardens are a national force of local tree champions and a key part of The Tree Council's community action programme.

The Tree Council, which launched the Tree Warden Scheme in 1990, co-ordinated it nationally. It works with local authorities, voluntary organisation, parish councils and local partnerships to set up and develop Tree Warden networks - in towns, city and countryside.
Today there are around 8,000 Tree Wardens in over 150 local networks throughout the UK, forming a volunteer force of immense value to the environment.

The Kent Tree Warden network is co-ordinated by BTCV

All Tree Wardens are required to attend a series of 1 day training courses organised by BTCV. These courses are free of charge and provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about tree issues and meet fellow wardens. The courses cover tree identification, laws and grants, coppice ecology, hazardous trees and hedgerow ecology and management. In addition to this BTCV also provide a selection of reference materials and a regular newsletter to keep you up to date with events. Existing wardens have assisted with conducting surveys of trees and woodlands, offering advice to communities on suitable species to plant, how to manage a habitat and from where to obtain project funding, notifying the relevant person of hazardous trees and organising public events such as tree planting days and guided walks. There is also the opportunity to get involved with publicising the scheme through parish newsletters or distributing leaflet.

Becoming a Tree Warden is simple. Just contact the Kent BTCV Tree Warden Network Co-ordinator
Due to the community work involved in being a Tree Warden, we would recommend you also contact your local parish council or conservation group. This will ensure they are aware of you and can also act as valuable support.

Contact us at dealwithittoday@yahoo.co.uk

Free Trees from KCC

2011-11-12T14:00:00.001Z

Kent Free Trees scheme 2011

This year more than 20,000 trees are available to communitygroups, schools, parish councils and charities across Kent to‘green’ their spaces.
The 2011 scheme is focusing its attention on localcommunity groups and the spaces they use and maintain.
Groups are being offered free-of-charge packs of 25 trees. Thereare five different types of pack, including a Hedgerow mix,Woodland mix, Foragers mix, Wildlife mix and Schools mix. All ofthese contain native species suited to Kent.

More details at WCCP & KCC

SeaCafe on Green for Community events

2011-11-12T13:04:00.001Z

Pete St Ange continues to keep the Sea Cafe on the Green at Walmer focussed on the local community. He is now making the Cafe available for community use in the evenings.

Contact him at the Cafe or at seacafecommunityspace@hotmail.co.uk and see his Facebook site

Great initative Pete!

Sandwich Pfizer recycling site

2011-11-10T10:12:00.001Z

From ThisIsKent:

PART of Pfizer's Sandwich site could be used for waste disposal and recycling.
A three-hectare plot at the pharmaceutical firm's facility is one of nine additional areas being looked at by Kent County Council for its mineral and waste sites development plan.

The authority called on businesses and landowners to put forward possible sites for waste treatment and mineral extraction last year. In response, 96 existing and potential sites were put forward for consideration.
The public were asked for views on the sites during a consultation between May and August this year. Now KCC has opened a new eight-week consultation to look at the nine additional sites.
In February Pfizer announced plans to shut down its operation but has pledged to retain a small workforce as an anchor for the sale of its site.

The Great Stonar site is being put forward because of the ability to use its waste-water plant, combined heat and power station, its high temperature incineration facility and the ability to expand to take in recycling.

In the consultation document KCC says: "The site would handle hazardous, non-hazardous and commercial wastes. The proposal is to continue to import locally-sourced waste and waste from within the EU in line with the site's current waste licence.

"The proposal is to allow for the importation of waste from the region. It also has the potential to retain employment in the local area."

The Pfizer site, renamed Discovery Park, has been on the market since June and was given Enterprise Zone status, which brings tax and business rate breaks, by the Government in August.
The aim is to keep the site as a life sciences hub to draw in 190 new companies and provide 2,500 new jobs

Comments will be used by KCC as part of the assessment process.
David Brazier, KCC Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, said: "Preparing the minerals and waste plans is a complex and lengthy process.
" We have to get it right, therefore it is only proper that we consult on these additional sites in the same way.
"This means it will take longer to prepare the plans. We are still taking less time than neighbouring counties."
The consultation closes at 5pm on December 19. If the government agrees to KCC's plan it will be adopted in 2014 following a full public examination in front of an independent inspector.
To view the proposals, and for more details about the consultation, go to www.kent.gov.uk/mwdf, email mwdf@kent.gov.uk, or call 01622 696815.
Sites in the first round of consultation include, Thanet Waste Services, which is to extend its to include green waste services. BFL Management has plans for a green energy park at Richborough Power Station. Ovenden Plant Hire has put in plans for Tilmanstone in Pike Road, Eythorne.

Victoria's Green Matters - 10th Nov 2011

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000Z

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

The recent report into the cause of the earth tremors in Lancashire earlier this year has concluded that they were very probably caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Operations were halted after the tremors occurred until after the report has been sent to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the British Geological Survey.

The process of fracking unlocks gas that is stored underground in cracks in rocks and this is achieved by injecting water and chemicals into the ground, under high pressure, to force the gas out. The process itself is fraught with dangers. Regardless of the possible structural damage, the chemicals used can contaminate ground water, large amounts of greenhouse gases can be released to the atmosphere and vast quantities of water are needed for the process.

Much is being made of the large amounts of gas that are to be found in several areas around the UK. Companies set to make large amounts of money out of the process try to tell us that this gas is a ‘green’ option as burning gas releases only half of the greenhouse emissions that coal produces. Together with the gases released during fracking this is clearly not so.

The possibility of this process coming to Woodnesborough rests on the outcome of a planning application for an exploratory borehole due to be considered by Kent County Council next month. Please write to your MP and your local councillor objecting to this application - KCC/DO/0069/2011 – and please do it now!

Letter from East Kent FOE

2011-11-09T20:12:00.002Z

90% OF BRITS WANT PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO FIRMS - NEW SURVEY.

Politicians are being urged to get tough on the Big 6 energy companies with 90% of Brits backing a call for a Public Inquiry into their power and half believing the main
reasons for bills doubling since 2004 is energy company greed according to a new survey released by Friends of The Earth.

Martin Lewis, Creator of Moneysavingsexpert.com joined calls for politicians and regulators to make "radical changes" to the energy system following a summit last month where The Government failed to tackle the energy company rip-off.

Friends of The Earths new Final Demand Campaign is challenging The Government to launch a Public Inquiry into the power of the big 6 who are making billions in profits while an estimated 1 in 4 households are unable to afford their energy bills following recent price hikes.

FOE are asking people to sign its Petition calling on David Cameron to set up a Public Inquiry into the big 6 at -www.foe.uk/finaldemand

Stuart Cox from East Kent Friends of The Earth Group said:

"The Government is cozying up to the energy companies instead of calling time on the big energy market stitch-up.

The Big Six are making billions by keeping The UK hooked on expensive imported fuels instead of setting us on a path to affordable, clean British energy.

Were making a Final Demand to David Cameron on behalf of families in Britain - launch an urgent Public Inquiry into the big six and give us a fair energy system."

End Fit sinks Social housing PV schemes

2011-11-07T15:16:00.000Z

One of the bright spots in the last 18months has been the number of social housing bodies fitting PV - benefitting the social landload, planet and tenants in fuel poverty...

Tariff cut leaves solar plans on the scrapheap

04/11/2011 | By Nick Duxbury from Inside Housing

The sun set on landlords’ solar ambitions this week as an unexpectedly savage cut to a subsidy payment for solar photovoltaic panels left the majority of social housing PV schemes unviable.

On Monday, the feed-in tariff, which is paid to producers of renewable electricity, was halved from 43.3p to 21p - but in a shock move, the government hacked back the FIT for multiple, or ‘aggregated’, installations of solar photovoltaic panels to just 16.8p.

Solar providers, landlords and consultants said the cut will render the majority of social housing PV schemes unworkable - and warned that social tenants, who pay for the FIT through their energy bills, will not benefit from it.

Public tenders worth an estimated £2.5 billion for social housing PV could fall by the wayside, and, according to law firm Trowers & Hamlins, landlords face a collective bill of around £5 million of ‘abortive costs’.

The cut has been viewed by some as the final nail in the coffin for rent-a-roof deals, whereby PV is installed free of charge in exchange for the FIT. Not a single rent-a-roof deal has been completed as a result of landlords failing to obtain lenders’ consent to install PV. Landlords now face a deadline of 12 December before the cut is instigated.

John Swinney, strategy director at Carillion, said: ‘So many [rent-a-roof] schemes just won’t happen. The sector has hardly put any PV on its roofs - and now it doesn’t make economic sense to try to at 16.8p/kWh. We don’t know if we can do it. We are seeing if we can adjust our offer.’

Matt Roberts, head of investment and maintenance at Salford-based Salix homes, part of the government’s green deal trailblazer project, said the cut to the FIT had ‘kyboshed’ plans to form a consortium of up to eight Manchester-based landlords to install PV.

For self-financed schemes, councils and associations around the country are holding crisis meetings to try to make their schemes stack up.

Birmingham Council said it would continue with its plans to install PV across 1,200 social homes, while Brighton and Hove which planned to install PV on 1,200 homes, said the new tariff would make this ‘very difficult’.

Experts are now warning that the move has shattered investor confidence and that this could undermine the prospects of other government carbon reduction schemes, such as the green deal which is reliant on billions of pounds of private sector finance.

Rob Beiley, partner at law firm Trowers & Hamlins, said: ‘Convincing the private sector to finance green deal will be hard - investor confidence is shot.’

Alex Grayson, managing partner of Empower Community which has seen its £175 million social housing PV investment deal derailed, warned of ‘very negative consequences for renewable heat incentive and green deal investments’ as a result of the cut.

Climate change minister Greg Barker said the FIT reduction was necessary because the popularity of the scheme meant it was unsustainable and would cost £980 million a year by 2014/15 without the cuts.

Dumped: how the feed-in tariff has fallen for social landlords

43.3p/kWh
Feed-in tariff rate for social landlords until 12 December 2011
16.8p/kWh
Feed-in tariff rate for social landlords from 12 December 2011
61 per cent
The percentage by which potential feed-in tariff income has fallen

Ban the Plastic bag ... Kent News Report

2011-11-06T14:54:00.001Z

A Walmer teenager has launched a government e-petition calling for a nationwide ban on plastic bags.

From Kent News. Dover Grammar School for Girls pupil, Amber Bytheway, launched a campaign with help from local environmental group Deal With It.

Over the next 10 months, the 16-year-old needs to get 100,000 signatures to force a debate in the House of Commons.

Her e-petition calls to banish plastic bags, explaining the detrimental impact they are having on the world’s oceans and marine life and the need to cut the amount of waste sent to landfill.
“Approximately one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die from ingestion or entanglement in plastics every single year,” she said.

“Not only that, but the littering of plastic bags spoils our beautiful environment.
“Plastic bags are made from polyethylene, known as polythene which is toxic and seeing as plastic bags cannot biodegrade, the pieces photodegrade, only getting smaller and smaller and smaller contaminating our waterways, soils and oceans - even entering the food chain, including human beings’.”

She added that the bags were made using precious finite oil resources which were becoming scarce.

“I think it is really sad what is happening to our planet so I decided I would try and do something about it,” she said.

“We have to change our ways now, because our planet cannot sustain our way of living.
“The number of plastic bags consumed in the past year rose by 333 million and it is time the Government knuckled down and made a change.”
To sign go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12786

Petition against end of FiT

2011-11-06T14:46:00.002Z

As you may have heard, the government announced this week it was going
to not only halve the feed in tariff but also bring forward the
deadline for eligible installations to 12 December.

Today I learned that the government also intends to make it a
condition that all FiT households have an energy efficiency rating
over C or higher (which a quick look at the particulars of houses for
sale shows most existing homes can't hope to achieve).

In effect, the solar industry has been killed stone dead in two days.
Not only will it cost the South West more than 2000 jobs, it has also
dashed the hopes of thousands of people who hoped to invest in their
home and in their environmental future.

http://www.oursolarfuture.org.uk/

The link above is a petition set up by the solar industry to protest
at the extraordinary nature of the cuts and to call for the government
to adopt instead a more measured approach. Please pass it on to anyone
else you feel may be interested in signing it.

DWI Meeting 22/11 Biodiversity & CC

2011-11-05T16:00:00.000Z

Deal With it's Nov meeting is on 22nd at 7.30pm at Dealability on Victoria Rd.

We have speakers from the White Cliffs Countryside partnership and Hawkshill Freedown Volunteers.

All Welcome