The dedication and hard work of our campaigners is really paying off in all our busy action groups and in the success of all the amazing events we’re putting on.
Transport 
In Town Without My Car Day has been the focus of a lot of our efforts over the summer to see if we can really get the issue of sustainable transport up the agenda. Panna and all the other volunteers have done great work in reaching out to the biggest employers in the city to try to get them on board. All the details of how they did will be published in a league table after the 22nd September.
We are now starting to put some effort into ensuring that coalition cuts do not mean that sustainable transport suffers. Bus services have suffered enough and we must ensure they don’t become even more expensive with worse coverage of the city.
We also continue to work on the 20’s Plenty Campaign to ensure safer streets for all and encourage more people to walk and cycle.
It now looks like the runway extension is going to be built at Birmingham International Airport, which is hugely disappointing for anyone concerned with protecting the environment and local residents who want to ensure the Council don’t use taxpayers’ money to fund environmentally-damaging private companies. If you wish to help campaign against it, please get in touch.
Energy and Climate Change
The group are engaged with responding, on an ongoing basis, to the Council’s ideas on how to cut Birmingham’s carbon footprint by 60%. A meeting was arranged with the Deputy Leader of the Council for 30th September where we could put our ideas and a report back from that will be available shortly.
A party to celebrate 10:10:10 as the global day of action on cutting CO2 has also been arranged (see article for details) to promote the idea of behaviour change being fun and positive, too, as many perceptions are about how hard it is.
Local Shops and Food
The group has been making some great links with local food producers and other organisations involved with food in Birmingham. This has resulted in a really great event to celebrate growing food locally and sustainably in Kings Heath (Edible Birmingham) on 2nd October – apologies if this doesn’t arrive in time to alert you for that, but we’ll put a report in the next newsletter.
Also, of great importance is the work we’re doing lobbying MPs to ensure they turn up and vote for the private member’s bill (the Sustainable Livestock Bill) on 12th November. You may have had an email from us asking for help with this already but, if you can help us by getting your MP to promise their attendance to get this historic legislation passed, that will make a huge difference to the impact farming has on the environment.
Waste – Swap Shop and Crafting
The Moseley Swap Shop continues to provide a free service to happy punters and we are seeing more and more people copying the idea, which is good (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). There was a break from crafting over the summer while people were away, but there’s still plenty of rubbish to be made into wonderful things, so please come along on the 3rd Monday of the month.
Faith and Climate Change
This project is now entering a new stage of development: an exciting new initiative called EARTH (Environment and Religions Transformation Hub) has been proposed to develop and take forward the innovate work that the Faith and Climate Change Group has produced. We look forward to telling you all about it in future newsletters.
Coming up we have 2 events:
3rd November, 1.30-3pm – What a Waste! (part of Islamic Awareness Week) Venue TBC
Sunday 28th November, 2pm-5pm – Playing with Justice (part of Interfaith Week); Venue TBC – see our website for details
