National accolade for green students

To make up for some of my recent criticism of students, which prompted a few critical comments, I’d like to congratulate Nottingham Trent University on being named the most environmentally-friendly university in the country.

Already one of the country’s most popular universities, Nottingham Trent has been named top of a list of 150 educational establishments in the People and Planet League on the basis of their positive impact on the environment. The university has risen to the pinnacle of the league after being only 18th last year; a remarkable achievement.

The university is the home of the EcoCampus project, an environmental management system and award scheme for the higher education sector and recently won the EcoCampus Silver Award for its commitment to managing its impact on the planet.

With four combined heat and power units operating on the campus, an award-winning bus service connecting the city and Clifton campuses (used by over a million passengers in its first three years), Fairtrade status for its catering services and a recycling rate of almost 50%, the university is justly proud of its environmental credentials.

But, far from resting on its laurels, Nottingham Trent is to invest a further £1m in even more environmental initiatives over the coming year with a target to cut total carbon emissions by 10% by the 2012/13 academic year.

Well done Nottingham Trent, you’re an example to us all.

Nottinghamshire police in eco protest training with MoD

It appears that Nottinghamshire police officers have recently been involved in a major exercise with the Ministry of Defence aimed at training officers in how to deal with major public order offences.

More than 300 police officers from ten different forces were involved in what is described on the Ministry of Defence’s web site as being: “the largest public order exercise ever to have taken place at the MDP’s headquarters in Wethersfield, Essex.”

It was the first time that the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) had been asked to host the exercise which is held annually by the members of the Eastern Region Public Order Working Group which consists of police forces from Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and the MDP. Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire police officers also attended.

Chief Inspector Chris Yates, of the Operational Support Unit (South), said: “Each year a planning team with representatives from each force identifies and agrees a topical theme for the exercise and venue for the exercise to take place. This year the theme was based around climate change and the associated protest activity. The fundamental objectives of the event were to test and evaluate the interoperability of common public order tactics between forces and to test the resilience of the command structure and of individual commanders.” (whatever that means…)

The role of the 150 protesters for the event was taken by MDP recruits, staff at the MOD Police and Guarding Agency Headquarters and further education students from Essex.

So why, I wonder, was the Nottinghamshire police force invited to take part in such an exercise. An acknowledgement of the growing strength of the environmental protest movement in the county or because someone felt they needed the extra practice?

UPDATE: Just picked up this story from yesterday’s Evening Post, that the police have charged one person with conspiracy following their heavy-handed arrest of 114 people in Sneinton in April of this year. Having already said that they will bring no charges against over half of those picked up at the Iona School, they are clearly looking to get a better result when Climate Camp protestors target Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station on October 16th and 17th.

So that’s what they’ve been practising for.

Weekend in Tenerife or future of the planet?

Forgive me if I don’t get too excited about the news that budget airline Jet2.com will soon be operating from East Midlands airport.

Of course the creation of 250 jobs is good for the region (assuming they go to people in the region and that the new staff don’t commute from elsewhere) but the arrival of yet another budget airline which will doubtless encourage  more people to fly further or more often (or both) is a disaster for our struggling environment. 

With flights to Tenerife for £60 and to Sharm El Sheikh for around £80, we could see the advent of stag and hen weekends moving from Europe to sunnier climes and I’m sure many people who have endured the summer in the UK this year (probably on the Nottingham Riviera) will be tempted to run for the sun if the price is right.

But  I couldn’t disagree more with Penny Coates, managing director at East Midlands Airport, when she says: “The news that Jet2.com will open a brand new operation from East Midlands Airport next year is extremely encouraging for the airport and the region as a whole”, and that the news is “a positive indicator for the future”.

Commercially, of course, she is right (and this is obviously all she’s paid to think about) but in terms of the extra CO2 these new flights will generate – joining the emissions from Ryanair, BMI Baby and Easy Jet who already fly from EMA – and the contribution these make to accelerating climate change, this development is not a positive indicator but a very negative one.

At some point, we have to bite the bullet and accept that short term economic gain that brings long term environmental damage in its wake is something the planet can no longer afford.

West Bridgford in transition

Want to do something about global warming but don’t know your photo-voltaics from your ground source heat pump or your CHP from your LCD? Well this could be the event for you then…

Transition West Bridgford, in association with Transition Nottingham, will be holding a free exhibition of renewable and sustainable technologies on the Croquet Lawn in Central Avenue, West Bridgford on Saturday 29th August from 10.00am till 3.00pm.  The aim of the exhibition is to help you reduce your domestic carbon footprint and your energy bills. 

Technologies on display will include solar thermal for hot water, solar PV to generate electricity from the sun, air and ground source heat pumps, domestic wind turbines and domestic combined heat and power as well as internal and external wall cladding.    Information and advice will also be on hand to explain grants that are available as well as an opportunity to calculate your personal carbon footprint. 

One not to be missed if you really do take climate change seriously. But, if you’re going, travel by foot, cycle or public transport. Don’t turn up in your gas-guzzling 4 x 4, or you could end up as part of someone’s external wall cladding.

Reduce, Reuse, Freecycle

I’m a member of the Nottingham Freecycle network, which is a fabulous way for people to get rid of things that they don’t want, thus preventing them ending up dumped in landfill (or in a lay-by) and, at the same time, helping people to get stuff which they probably don’t have the money to buy. It’s an economic and environmental system that reduces waste and allows goods to change hands without a single penny being involved. I’d advise anyone and everyone to sign up.

However, amongst the flood of e-mails that I receive offering or asking for things, are some gems that are more noteworthy for their amusement value than for anything else. I’ve reproduced a few below (I’ve kept the original spelling and grammar for obvious reasons).  I’m not intending to ridicule the people who posted these messages (and the serious side of Freecycle is the extent of poverty in Nottinghamshire that it seems to suggest) but they are funny.

WANTED:

Shell paddling pool/sandpit

Has anyone got one of these laying unused/unwanted? I only need one half, to use as bath for tortoise.

Book: Boy in Striped Pyjamas

Hi, has anyone got a copy of the boys in striped pyjamas they have read, i would really like to read it. Thanks

Washing machine

Washing machine in working order. This is for my auntie who’s died recently. She is currently having to beg steal or borrow whoever’s washing machine isn’t being used when she needs clean clothes! Good working order please, thanks soooo much…

Portable TV aerial and booster

Has anyone got either a portable tv aerial or booster (both if possible) that they no longer need or use as our daughter broke ours yesterday (after us having it for nearly 5 years) :’( We need both if possible due to our younger daughter sometimes waking up late (we get her back to sleep by having the portable tv on upstairs and her dropping off slowly in the middle of me and her daddy, last night we really had a bad night with her and i think its due to the fact we cant put the telly on for her to settle again, she likes tv noise in the background)

King-sized bed sheets and duvet covers

looing for king size fitted bedsheets and a duvet cover or pillow covers. a duvet would also be accepted! going through quite a few of these at the moment as i still dont have a washing machine. can collect from anywhere in the evenings on weekdays.

Car

hi everyone i no this is a big ask but i was laid off recently and lost
my car because of it, i am in desperate need of any kind of car as long
as it is driveable/road worthy and pos mot’d, thank you for reading

 Alanadale’s note: I thought this was a hopelessly unrealistic request, but then I got this…

1992 Ford Fiesta 

After being flooded with many requests, we have now gifted this car, I am sorry to not reply to you all individually but there were just so many people asking! I feel bad that I can’t help you all

 Stair gate

Looking for a stair gate as the dog is about to have an operation and need to stop her going upstairs for a few weeks. Will then pass on to someone else.

OFFER:

Vintage car magazines

 A carrier bag of vintage car magazines from the 70’s.

 Roll of brown plastic-baked material

Roll of material with a plastic backing, possibly some kind of wallcovering,
slightly crinkly along the edges but theres a good few metres and would prob be useful for craft project.

A pallet

1 Travis Perkins pallet.

 And finally, the message that must have brought crushing disappointment to so many…

The chocolate fountain has been promised , sorry to all those who were unlucky this time.