Next EAP

The next Environmental Advisory Panel will take place next Tuesday, 12th April.  The agenda and papers are all available on the EAP page.

Manchester Superhomes Open to Visit!

Three Manchester ‘superhomes’ are having open days soon as part of the Sustainable Energy Academy spring openings programme.  All the homes demonstrate how traditional Victorian and Edwardian houses can be retrofitted to a high standard reducing CO2 emissions by between 60-80%.  Two of the homes are in Chorlton and the other is the Council’s Eco-House in Miles Platting.

Details of times and dates here (you may need to book):

• Miles Platting Eco-House
• Chorlton, Corkland Road
• The Thorns, Chorltonville

 

Renewable Heat Incentive launched

Press release from the DECC website:

• £860m government scheme expected to increase green capital investment by £4.5 billion up to 2020, stimulating a new market in renewable heat;
• Incentive to increase number of industrial, commercial and public sector installations by seven times to 2020
• A full system of RHI payments will be available to households from October 2012;
• In the interim, more than a quarter of the first year’s budget to be guaranteed for up to 25,000 household installations through a “RHI Premium Payment” to encourage take-up;
• 150,000 existing manufacturing, supply chain and installer jobs to be supported

The world’s first financial incentive of its kind to revolutionise the way heat is generated and used in buildings has been launched by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne.

Government’s Carbon Plan launched

The Carbon Plan launched yesterday (8th March) by David Cameron, Nick Clegg, and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, is a government-wide plan on climate change, which sets out actions and deadlines for the next five years that are aimed at helping the Government live up to its claim of being ‘the greenest government ever’.

However, looking through the plan you probably won’t see anything you haven’t already come across. Rather, it sets out climate change initiatives that for the most part have already been announced – for instance, the Green Deal, funding for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), introduction of SMART meters and grid, and the establishment of the Green Investment Bank.  Caroline Lucas, Green Party Leader and MP for Brighton Pavilion, has said the the plan is a ‘shallow compilation’ of the government’s policies and ‘offers little that is new.’

ESPB Minutes

Draft minutes from January’s Environmental Strategy Programme Board are now available to download from the ESPB page.  Any queries drop me a line.  I’ve also written some a briefing paper for SNAG groups which I can send you can request by dropping me an e-mail.

Local United community energy resources

Local United is a new project from the National Energy Foundation that aims to bring together climate change groups dedicated to sharing their experience of working on climate change issues at the community level as social enterprises.  Their website states that:

“Local United brings together and supports community activists who are setting up social enterprises to address the challenges of peak oil and climate change. It aims to speed up the rate at which good ideas are adopted by community groups motivated to build low-carbon economies.”

Their first piece of work (funded by NESTA) has been to co-develop a series of information packs to share their experience and knowledge in a variety of areas.  You can download the packs from their website.

Further update on the Natural Environment White Paper

Summaries of all the responses to the ‘Invitation to Shape the Nature of England’ consultation from Defra are now available to download from their website.  These responses will feed into the Natural Environment White Paper which is due to be published in the spring.

MPs publish report on the revised draft National Policy Statements on Energy

From the Parliament website:

The Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee warn that proposed energy rules could lead to new ‘dash for gas’.

• Report: The revised draft National Policy Statements on Energy
• Energy and Climate Change Committee

New Government rules on energy policy could lead to a second ‘dash for gas’, delaying critical investment in renewables and other low carbon technologies and making the UK’s climate change targets impossible to achieve – MPs on the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee warn in a report published today.

Briefing on energy efficiency in private rented homes

Today the House of Lords will debate the Government’s clauses setting out their legislation on energy efficiency in the private rented sector as part of the Energy Bill.  Friends of the Earth and the Association for the Conservation of Energy have spent the past few weeks developing amendments to the Energy Bill, and meeting peers to ensure these amendments are tabled in time to be debated.

They have produced a very useful briefing which explains the government’s proposals and their agreed critique of them. It includes amendments to strengthen and bring forward the government’s proposed measures and to add a minimum energy efficiency standard from 2016 to the Bill.

Environmental Strategy Programme Board update

The ESPB will be meeting tomorrow morning.  This is not an open meeting but as usual I will do my best to raise issues on your behalf.  The agenda and all available papers are on the ESPB page for you to download.

Environmental Advisory Panel minutes

Draft minutes form the last Environmental Advisory Panel are now available to download on the EAP page.

Polly Higgins report back from COP 16

Thanks to everyone who came down to MERCi for the Polly Higgins talk last night at such short notice.  We were lucky enough to have Polly come speak as part of the Future Manchester celebration of sustainability that MERCi organised back in November, and she returned to Bridge 5 Mill to report back from her trip to the COP 16 climate negotiations in Cancun that took place in December, and give us a bit of info on what happens now.

Polly was in Cancun to continue lobbying politicians and negotiators on the issue of making ecocide a crime and she was also one of the lawyers advising participants on their legal rights and how to deal with police in the big march that took place in Cancun.  She described the march as being incredibly peaceful and fun, and put the fact that there were no arrests down to the extensive legal advice participants were given prior to the march and also working closely with the police.

Microgeneration Strategy Consultation

The Government has recently published a consultation document on a Microgeneration Strategy. This consultation document explores a range of non-financial barriers that have the potential to prevent the microgeneration sector from realising its full potential. It summarises the issues, presents the evidence, makes specific proposals and seeks responses to a range of questions.

The Microgeneration Strategy consultation document looks forward to 2020 and covers England only. It seeks views on four key areas that can help decarbonise the way we heat our homes and businesses, reducing the UK’s CO2 emissions and contributing to our target of sourcing 20% of all EU energy from renewables by 2020.

A Call to Make Ecocide a Crime – Report back from COP 16

Monday 10th January, 6.30pm-9pm (refreshments from 6pm), Bridge 5 Mill, 22a Beswick St

Polly Higgins Reports back from COP 16 in Cancun this Monday in Manchester.

The Cancun climate negotiations were politically and ecologically a disaster. President Evo Morales called it governmental ecocide. It is now clear that where politicians fail, the people become mandated to take action; failure to do so is to be complicit in the destruction of our planet.

Come on Monday 10th, 6.30pm to hear Polly Higgins speak about what can be done by the people to change the political framework, so that governments finally take action on behalf of the people they represent.

For directions see http://www.merci.org.uk/visiting
A walking bus will leave from the bottom of Piccadilly station parade outside NEROs at 5.45pm

Get Toasty Manchester!

Loft and cavity wall insulation can make your home as warm as toast. It’s just like wrapping up your home in a big woolly blanket. And because of the extra warmth you’re keeping in the house, you can turn your heating down and save money on your bills.

The ten local authorities across Greater Manchester have come together to make your home warm and toasty this winter. Working with the Energy Saving Trust, they are offering their residents access to discounted insulation through accredited installers.

It’s cheaper than you think – from as little as £50 and some people are even eligible for free insulation.

To find out more visit the website: http://www.getmetoasty.com/

December e-bulletin

The new e-bulletin is now available to download from the Bulletins page.

Environmental Advisory Panel update

The next Environmental Advisory Panel is taking place this evening.  The agenda is copied below and you can download the papers from the EAP page.  This is not an open meeting, but I will be attending so please let me know if you have any questions, queries or points you would like to raise.  Contact details are all here.

Agenda for the meeting on 14th December:

• Welcome, introductions & apologies
• Minutes of previous EAP meeting
• Minutes of previous ESPB meeting
• MACF Stakeholder Conference – feedback from attendees
• Manchester – A Certain Future Progress Report
• AOB
• Date of Next Meeting

New Community Energy Online resource

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have developed a new online resource to help local authorities and community groups who would like to get started on local low carbon and renewable energy projects.

The website is designed to guide you through the stages of developing a low carbon or renewable energy project by providing information and links to external resources and outlining technology options, issues and solutions related to the procurement, installation and usage of different approaches. There are also links to other useful websites and case studies that provide examples of what other people are doing in their communities all across the UK.  You can also leave comments and share information about how you’re getting on with your project.

The web address is http://ceo.decc.gov.uk/

ESPB minutes

The minutes from last week’s Environmental Strategy Programme Board are now up on the ESPB page, along with several of the papers which have now been released.

Next ESPB

The next Environmental Strategy Programme Board is taking place tomorrow morning.  The agenda is now up on the ESPB page.  Please let me know if there is anything you’d like me to raise on your behalf (please see Contact page for contact details).