UK Ecology Feature Archive
An Eventful Spring Bank Holiday in London
03-06-2005 15:32
Friday 27 was one of the hottest days in May for decades, and the start of a busy Bank Holiday in London. The same as in every last Friday of the month, several hundred cyclists gathered at the South Bank for the evening’s Critical Mass that has now entered its 12 years of monthly cycle rides through central London. [Report and photos 1 | 2 | 3 and videos 1 | 2 | 3]
On the same evening the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination, together with the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army and the Church of the Immaculate Consumption arrived in the East End for the London's date of their UK wide G8 touring show. This included a two day intensive Clown Army training to prepare for this summer’s G8 Mobilisations in Scotland, as well as a show, films and free food [Report and Photos 1 | 2 | 3]
Saturday 28 also saw the London date of the 2012 Show; "a seven year trip that aims to create a creative space for change before it is too late”. In the event, this was an all nighter with music, poetry, performance, visuals and info stalls.
On Monday Bank holiday the annual Kingston Green Fair took place; a one day festival organised by local environmental activists that began in 1987 [Report and Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 and videos]. The event offered a broad programme of music as well as art and info stalls, cafes, community groups spaces and more, all powered by renewable sources.
Transport minister pied for support of Heathrow expansion lobby
25-05-2005 13:21
A climate change activist gained access to the high security event and as the first speaker welcomed all the suits to their exclusive little back slapping event, she sprang up and planted the carrot and cream cake firmly in the face of the Minister. As she did so, she said "Future Heathrow stinks, your bogus economics stink, Alistair Darling being here stinks, and your vision for this planet stinks". She ejected by security guards but not arrested.
Meanwhile over 100 local residents took time off work to demonstrate outside the CBI HQ launch event, with a huge banner reading 'Future Heathrow Stinks', and a new report that concludes that Heathrow contributes little to the national or local economy, but simply lines the pockets of the aviation industry.
For full details see - newswire report
History: [ 'lobbying' of Darling by anti-roads veterans | Heathrow protesters do rush hour leafleting | Crane occupied ]
Links to campaign websites : [ HACAN Clearskies | NOTRAG (No Third Runway Action Group) ]
Environmental Rock in Southampton
12-05-2005 09:00
Local Residents Fight Parkwood Landfill Expansion Proposals
04-05-2005 20:37
Proposals are being put before the council for a massive enlargement of the Parkwood Landfill site, allowing a substantial increase in capacity from just 266,000 tonnes a year to a staggering 1 million tonnes. The Parkwood Landfill site is on the edge of Shirecliffe and overlooks many areas including Hillsborough, Upperthorpe and Walkley. Local residents are fighting these proposals and demanding a public consultation. However, their on going investigation into the proposals is raising more questions than answers. Residents are beginning to see a possible link emerging between the new massive incinerator in Sheffield, which is nearing completion, and the proposals for the enlargement of the Parkwood Landfill Site. If under these proposals the Parkwood landfill site was to have its suspended special waste licence reinstated, the expansion of the landfill site would enable the ash from the new Bernard Roads incinerator to be dumped there.
Planning application info: September 2005
Spodden Valley: Developers Ignore Local Concerns
04-05-2005 18:34
'Dear Deputy Prime Minister, The SPODDEN VALLEY was the birthplace of the asbestos industry. Many people have been poorly or DIED from asbestos. A Planning application has been made to put 600+ homes and a CHILDREN'S NURSERY there. Please could you "call-in" the Spodden Valley plans so that SAFE decisions can be made.' Laura Livsey, age 11
Rochdale. In Rochdale’s Spodden Valley a huge quantity of asbestos may lie buried on the land where the world’s largest asbestos factory once processed the killer fibres. There are no plans to clear up this hazard, but there is a lot of interest in digging up the site. Developers Countryside Properties want to build on it. However, their controversial planning application has been put on hold.
Concern has already been raised about the way large piles of crushed rubble are being disturbed by a JCB digger and driven through Rochdale in open wagons.
Campaigners are now asking that the plans be "called-in" to the ODPM. Meanwhile, in an apparent bid to sabotage the campaign to save Spodden Valley, Countryside Properties have bought up internet domain names that include combinations of the words “save” “spodden” and “valley”.
Reports and links: www.spodden-valley.co.uk | Councillors Vote Against Road Closure | Crushed Asbestos: Locals Pray for Rain | Criticisms Voiced in Parliament | How to make brass out of muck | Piles of crushed asbestos | “Fake” websites exposed | Prescott gets the message | Candlelit vigil
Whatever the Weather
26-04-2005 19:23
Update 28/04/05: BP tree sit enters third day. Support requested throughout the day, and a noise demo has been called for today at 4pm
According to the UN, climate change kills 150,000 people every year. Tony Blair has described the threat as the gravest we face, but does nothing to address the issue. In an attempt to put climate change and energy policy on the public agenda, tuesday saw not one but two actions.
Four women and four men scaled the Deputy Prime Minsiter house in Hull at dawn, erecting solar panels. A banner read, 'Hi, 2 Jags! Hit targets not voters'. Their statement said that John Prescott's is putting Britain's climate change targets at risk by failing to make UK homes more energy efficient.
"The Deputy PM's got a reputation for straight-talking, but since the election kicked off we've heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him... Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency.", said one of the protesters from the roof.
Meanwhile in London, protesters from London Rising Tide climbed two huge trees opposite the head office of British Petroleum in St James Square. They unfurled a huge banner reading 'BP fuels climate chaos' while others leafleted passers-by, BP workers and member of the press. Earlier this month, the BP AGM was targetted by the 'Greenwash Guerrillas'.
Tuesdays actions coincided with BP announcing record profits (£1.3m per hour this quarter) as they reap the rewards of surging oil prices since the invasion of Iraq. Some of the protesters stayed up the trees overnight and greeted workers as they arrived in the morning.
- BP action : press release, leaflet, photo story, more photos. detailed account
Note: There will be a day of action against climate change on the 8th July as part of the mobilisations against the G8 summit.
The joy of seeds
25-04-2005 14:34
The importance of saving seeds has never been more relevant as the erosion of our genetic heritage continues, not just here but all over the world, and with potentially disasterous consequences. Please read the following links, and remember 'Think Global, Act Local'.
report + video | Our Vegetable Heritage | Brighton group website
Traditional Seed Saving Made Illegal in Iraq | Seedswapping at LARC
4000km of New Roads Planned as Controversial M74 Approved for Glasgow
02-04-2005 11:21
Meanwhile the Scottish Executive has given the green light to the controversial £500 million M74 in east Glasgow. This is particularly significant becasue the M74 approval goes directly against the findings of a Public Inquiry Report published in March 2004. The 188-page report of the public inquiry savaged the scheme, criticising both the plan and much of the transport policy that lay behind it. The report was written by Richard Hickman CBE - one of the Executive’s own most senior and respected planners. The motorway he concluded should not be built as it would have potentially devastating effects on the local and wider economy, the local community, and would be of little actual benefit.
The announcement of the approval going against the public enquiry has drawn a storm of protest - with groups looking at legal challenges and activists gearing up for a massive campaign of direct action to oppose the motorway. Joint Action against the M74 (JAM74) a campaign network opposed to the M74 motorway has launched a beat the bulldozers pledge. Will Jess, Chair of JAM74 said “The Executive and the City Council have condemned Glaswegians to a legacy of air pollution and chromium contamination."
Comparisons are already being drawn with the M77 campaign, which saw thousands of protesters occupying trees in Pollok in 1994 and 1995. The M74 will be a six-lane motorway on concrete stilts cutting into the Glasgow - so not many trees this time, however campaigners point to the M11 protests in London as a model for how house occupations can be used to obstruct road building.
The next JAM74 meetings are 5 + 19 April, 7:30pm, Govanhill Community Centre, Daisy St, Glasgow.
Also see Road Alert Website | Road Rage Links | SchNEWS on New Roads
Protests At G8 Ministerial Meetings
10-03-2005 00:01
Derby G8 Protests Go Ahead Amidst Massive Policing Operation
March 17th: Despite extraordinary measures approved by the Home Secretary to Ban all Marches in Derby [see pics of orders] and set up exclusion zones, the Derby G8 protests went ahead. A Critical Mass bicycle protest took place in the morning with around 40 people taking part - police arrested 12 cyclists [see pics], who were released on bail that night, however their bicycles have been kept 'as evidence'. Later amidst a militarised Derby with riot police [pics] stationed across the city, and several police surveillance units filming protestors, around 100 people gathered in the Town Square to protest against the G8.
See: Breaking News Reports from Derby M17 Protests
Pics: Bush + Blair Pied + General Photos
Pics: G8: Derby M17 Picture Collection
Pics: Derby Photo Report PtII
Friends of the Earth Interview at Derby M17
In the run up to the this summer's July G8 Summit in Gleneagles (Scotland), ministers from the eight more powerul economies have been holding 'mini-summits' around the country.
14-15th March: Coinciding with the International Energy and Environment Ministers' Roundtable meeting in London (see DEFRA link) a Climate Change Noise Protest was held on Tuesday 15th. Amidst heavy police security there were two arrests - including one person who was filming and whose film was seized. See Reports 1 | 2 | 3 and Pictures.
11th March: While the Employment Ministers of the G8 nations were meeting in London, activists staged a protest outside the Department of Trade and Industry and other locations [see report and pics 1 | 2 | 3]. Also see www.nodeal.org.uk for background and press release.
On Monday an Alternative Summit for Climate Justice called Moving Beyond the Greenwash was also held in London.
Other planned G8 Ministerial meetings include the G8 Finance Ministers in London (June 10-11th), the G8 Justice & Interior Ministers in Sheffield (June 16-17th), and the G8 Pre-Summit Foreign Ministers meeting in London (23rd June). For more protests and events follow the 'read more' link...
Greenwash Guerrillas Tackle Polluters Again
27-02-2005 00:02
They timed their entry into the Swiss Cottage Marriott Hotel to coincide with a co-presentation by BP and Flora & Fauna International, but were soon ejected by the energetic hotel security and police.
The Greenwash Guerrillas say that leading corporate polluters, such as Rio Tinto, BP and Shell - to name just a few - are using events lsuch as this to try asnd hide their environmentally devastating activities behind a phony environmental and social facade. See report.
For more information, visit London Rising Tide
Protests Against London Olympics 2012
26-02-2005 00:05
The network NoLondon2012 is concerned about the environmental implications of a London games, the loss of emenities and housing during construction and the diversion of funds from grassroots projects.
The protests follow previous actions in London and the long running campaign against the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Oil Trading Exchange Occupied As Kyoto Becomes Law
19-02-2005 09:50
The Kyoto treaty was agreed in 1997, but has since been watered down by special provisions and has been often criticised as being too little, too late, and for promoting potentially damaging practices.
Later in the evening more activists blockaded and disrupted the oil industry's most prestigious annual gathering in a Park Lane hotel in London, complete with a banner reading "Climate Change Kills - Oil Industry Parties". There were also actions and events around the world - see global reports and pics. Recently (on 25th January) the Greenpeace Business Lecture itself a target of climate campaigners when the 'Greenwash Guerrillas' from London Rising Tide protested against what they called they Greenwash of Shell's Chairman, Lord Oxburgh [see report and pics].
Burning Planet March to US Embassy
On Saturday 12th February, hundreds of people marched to the US Embassy in London as part of the annual Campaign Against Climate Change Kyoto March [see full report and pictures]. Carrying all 141 national flags representing the current signatories to the Kyoto Protocol, together with costumes and bicycle powered sound systems, the march passed by the ExxonMobil offices [see exxonsecrets.org] and the Australian Embassy (Australia is the only major developed country not to have ratified Kyoto apart from the US), before arriving at the US embassy for speeches from many campaigners. There was also a critical mass bicycle protest starting from the Thames Flood Barrier [pics]. The event was also part of an International camapaign that saw events scheduled around the world, including Edinburgh in Scotland.
The next big mobilisations on Climate are expected to be at the G8 Summit in Scotland, with the last day of the summit, Friday 8th July, set aside as an International Day of Action Against Climate Change [draft call], and at the 'MOP' climate talks later in November.
See also: AUDIO: Speeches from Campaign against Climate Change Tour (london 3rd Feb) | Rising Tide | SchNEWS on Kyoto and Oil | Oilwatch Interview
Toxic Greenwash Hazard in Greenpeace Business Lecture
01-02-2005 11:30
The 4th Greenpeace Business Conference took place on Tuesday 25th January 2005 at the Royal Society of Arts and was delivered by Lord Oxburgh, Chairman of Shell.
Wearing protective radiation suits and wielding home-made greenwash detection and clean-up equipment, The Greenwash Guerrillas were on site to declare the event a 'Toxic Greenwash Hazard', whilst passers-by and would-be attendees were advised to move away from the building. Those insisting on entry were warned that direct physical contact with the levels of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) anticipated could cause long-term damage to spiritual health. Not to mention the likelihood of becoming a bit-player in a Shell-choreographed CSR soap opera. Full Report and Photos
See also: London Rising Tide | Corporate Watch - Shell Archive
Bulldoze Prescott's plans not Linslade's countryside
20-01-2005 13:07
Local residents near Linslade in Bedfordshire have been disrupting work on the Stoke Hammond to Linslade Bypass, a new £50m road which is the first part of John Prescott's "development" plans for the region, including a massive expansion of Luton airport. The 5 mile planned route cuts across some beautiful open countryside and includes the destruction of several groups of trees.
[ Main Campaign Website (with latest updates) | Road Alert | Road Block ]
Embassy Action Against Icelandic Dam
08-12-2004 16:27
On Friday 26 of November, a dozen people visited the Icelandic embassy in Knightsbridge, London, to disrupt its operation and express opposition to the Karahnjukar Hydropower Project in Iceland's Eastern Highlands. This scheme is the largest dam project in Iceland. It will be located near Vatnajoekull, Europe's largest glacier, and will dam and divert several glacial rivers. If constructed, it will consist of nine dams, three reservoirs, seven channels and 16 tunnels.
Four activists got into the building, while others hung a banner and leafleted passers by. All the activists who entered the embassy where finally ejected and arrested along with another activist who locked on to the doors [Report].
Sherwood Forest Camp Evicted
03-12-2004 14:01
After over 14 months spent protecting a village green from illegal destruction protesters in Sherwood forest were evicted on 6th December 2004 after the Police turned up without warning at 8am.
They had been protesting against the unnecessary destruction of an area of woodland and grassland, which is recognised for its conservation importance; the developers (Bellway Homes) and the Mansfield District Council are seeking to build an unnecessary, and ill-placed, road junction across the Green.
The trees were evicted quite fast [photos], and the tunnels were also evicted by the end of the day.
No notice was given that the evictions were to take place and the Under-Sheriff of Nottingham (whose ultimately in charge of evictions in the area) told the protesters only last week, that there would not be an eviction while legal cases were still outstanding.
For background info: www.sherwoodgreen.net
Previous stories on Sherwood camp with photos: 1 | 2 | 3
Direct Action Against Environmental Destruction
21-11-2004 11:53
Ship Blocked Against Marine Quarrying: Ministers are planning to give the go-ahead to strip clean a vitally important area of the English Channel (the Median Deep - halfway between the Sussex coast and northern France) by mining nearly 200 million tonnes of gravel from the seabed to satisfy the house-building boom on the Southeast. The good news is that residents of Sussex are not taking this lying down. On 11th November, the latest in a series of actions against the dredging saw people using bicycle locks to close the Newhaven Swing Bridge on the A259 in East Sussex, blocking the departure of a Hanson dredging ship at high tide on Sunday.
Morecambe Bay Bridge Project - Directors Resign After Protests: Two directors of a company planning to build a bridge across one of Britain's last wildernesses, and most protected wildlife area, have resigned after local protests. English Nature have expressed their opposition to the Bay Bridge scheme, which is nevertheless being spun as a 'green bridge' because of wave turbines that may be built at the same time. On 4th November, local people with banners and drums stopped work at Renewables Northwest - the General Manager there, Julian Carter was also a Director of BABC, the company behind the bridge project - he resigned later that day [see report and background]. Protests also took place at the Lancaster Environment Centre, whose Director Bill Davies was also a Director of BABC [see report and background] - he resigned a few days later.
Hastings Bypass Turns in Link Road: Anti-roads campaigners had thought they had seen off the Hastings Bypass, but now part of the route has been resurrected as the Bexhill Link Road. This scheme has some of the worst environmental aspects of the original scheme cutting through ancient woodland and endangering wetland bird species. There’s a route walk on Sunday 21st Nov [see SchNEWS | related news at Road Alert]
Save Coate Water Country Park from Development: On Saturday 13 November, local campaigners surrounded the lake at Coate Water Country Park in Swindon with a chain of over a thousand cardboard cut-out hands, each with someone's personal message of why Coate Water is special to them. The campaigners are trying to save the park (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) from the development plans of the local council [see report and pics | Save Coate Campaign]
Residents Oppose Illegal Tree Felling: On Saturday 30th October hundreds of local residents demonstrated in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, against illegal tree felling at the Millpond site that took place on 19th October - then many residents tried to obstruct the chainsaws - several residents were assaulted, and although they stopped the chainsaws, many of the trees had been cut down [see Pics 1, 2 | Background]
See also: Barnstaple Western Bypass Gets Go Ahead
Scotland: Dump protesters take direct action against landfill company
Oxford Friends of the Earth oppose county rubbish incineration plans
Manchester Uni students protest against tree trashing
"Esso-sponsored" Scientists @ the Campaign Against Climate Change march
Activist Killed in Anti-nuke Protest.
07-11-2004 19:25
A train carrying "Castors" of nuclear waste from France to Germany ran over a protestor who had chained himself to the tracks, severing one of his legs. Paramedics offered him emergency treatment and tried to get him to surgery, but he died before reaching hospital. The 23-year-old lay down and chained himself to the track as the train passed near the town of Avricourt, eastern France [Timeline of Events]. The train was carrying nuclear waste being sent back to Germany after reprocessing in northern France, and had already been delayed for two hours while police cut free two other protesters who had chained themselves to a section of track.
Thousands of demonstrators have been gathering since the train set off on Saturday from the La Hague reprocessing plant in Valognes, north-western France, on its journey to the German town of Dannenberg. From Dannenberg the trains' 12 containers - holding 175 metric tons of atomic waste - are due to be shipped to a nearby dump at Gorleben, 12km away. The French protests followed a protest by 10,000 people at the Gorleben site in Saturday.
Background to Castor protests | Rage and mourning across Germany
IMC-Germany | Radio Free Wendland (live stream)
Corporate Wreckers Trash Woodland
27-10-2004 17:30
A valuable piece of urban woodland, a former millpond in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire is under threat from development, ironically as a site for 10 alleged 'eco homes'. On the 19th October security guards and a chainsaw crew descended on the site, owned by a called Green Tops Ltd, in an assault which has been dubbed by locals 'Chainsaw Tuesday'.
Many trees on the site are covered by a tree preservation order. This did not prevent a chainsaw massacre taking place when the developer arrived with tree surgeons and security to take out as many trees as possible to clear the site for development. No planning application has yet been submitted.
Report on Cambridge Forum 'The Rise and Rise of Corporate Power'
23-10-2004 23:25
This is a report on the Cambridge Forum from 19 October 2004 on the Rise and Rise of Corporate Power. The discussion was held in the CB1 Cafe on Mill Road on Tuesday, 19 October 2004 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm. About thirty people listened to the three speakers. Before the forum started, two people from the audience recounted their experience at the European Social Forum which just took place in London the weekend prior.
