We have had a great time campaigning over the past few months with a couple of events thrown in, such as a ‘Thank You Party’ for our volunteers and supporters which we held on 31 October (have a read of Jodie’s article to find out more).
In this article, apart from catching up with what we have been campaigning on, we will be taking a look at some of the environmental campaigning that has been taking place around the West Midlands with guest articles from; Wolverhampton FOE, Shrewsbury FOE and the Green Shropshire Exchange. We will also be taking a look at the Metro Mayor with an article by regional FOE campaigner, Chris Creen.
Air Pollution
We have been doing quite a bit of campaigning around air pollution lately. We responded to the Clean Air Zones consultation in December, and in January, we submitted evidence for an inquiry into the impacts of air pollution on health and the environment. Take a look at Jana’s article for a roundup of our air pollution campaigning.
Economics
The Birmingham Pound campaign group have been busy behind the scenes and organised a workshop at The Impact Hub. It was great to hear from those around the country who have already set up a local currency.
Energy and Climate Change
It’s been a busy time for the Divestment team over the winter. They got in the Halloween spirit with a Trick or Treat stall in the City Centre in October and gave a talk at the Footsteps Faith for a Low Carbon Future event in November. Take a look at Poppy’s article on how you can divest from fossil fuels.
Also, Elin in her article entitled ‘The Ups and Downs of November 2016’ takes a look at climate campaigning during a turbulent November!
Nature
At the beginning of December we celebrated the 3rd anniversary of the UK neonics ban with a week-long celebration. Have a read of Elin’s article to catch up on our happy BEE week celebrations.
Despite the cold weather, Digbeth Community Garden volunteers have been busy planting and clearing the garden ready for the spring. Read all about it in Adam’s article.
Transport
At the end of October we celebrated the installation of the public use bike pump at New Street Station which we fundraised for through a comedy gig. We got up extra early for the photo stunt!
There are many different ways you can get involved with our campaigns and we always welcome new people. Whether you have a little time or a lot please get in touch or come along to any of our weekly Monday night meetings (Check out the diary page for contact details).
Follow us on Twitter (@Bham_FOE) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/birminghamfoe) to keep up to date with what we are doing. For more indepth information on our campaigns take a look at our website (www.birminghamfoe.org.uk)
