VREN E-NEWS –all manner of environmental issues!
Issue 513, 1/1/15 If you don’t want to be on the mailing list for e-newsletters, please email us at vren[at]hotmail.co.uk
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CONTENTS
Congleton Allotments Public Meeting
Jobs: Waste Reduction Project Coordinator, Conservation Communications, Reserves Manager, Trainee Ecologist, Ecologist, Assistant Ecologist, Heritage Trees Engagement, Remote Sensing Consultant, Consultant Scientist, Office Admin, Cycling Instructors, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Ecologist
Rail Protest
Awards for Tackling Fuel Poverty
Courses: Workers' Education Association courses, Communicating Renewable Energy, Nature Conservation Planning, Butterfly Ecology, Amphibian and Reptiles, Amphibians, Bats
Christmas Tree Collection
Frodsham Transition Initiative meetings and Birthday
Draft North West River Basin Management Plan
Open Day at National Waterways Museum
Europe Gathering on Climate Actions
No-TTIP train to Brussels
HS2 Bonfires and Beacons
Volunteering: Local Waterway Partnership Member, Sustrans Ranger in Stockport
Flora and Fauna International Dates
Marple Potato Day
Hearts of Northwich Community Festival
Take Back Our World
An Evening with Bill Oddie
The Mammal Society Student Conference
New Neighbourhood Planning Grants
Nature Walks at Anderton & Marbury
An Evening with Bob Flowerdew
Nurturing Nature Bee Boxes
Woodland Trust News
Animals that George Monbiot would like reintroduced
Badger Vaccinations
RSPB advice on festive avian treats
Grebe Online
Wybunbury Moss and Rostherne Mere
How to make old buildings energy efficient
Green Deal Home Improvement Fund
The Home Heat Helpline
Hempcrete vs Straw Bale
*Free* Online Building Fabric Retrofit Masterclass
Talk on Energy in the Future
Political Chemistry of Oil
Resources and inspiration
Behaviour change
Less Science, more Positive Examples
Prof Sir David King speaks for renewables
Campaign against subsidies for Hinkley
Should Japan restart its Nuclear Power plants?
Rusty Barrels of Nuclear Waste in Germany
Eon’s switch to renewables
Bishops call for an end to fossil fuels
Ellesmere Port against fracking
Naomi Klein on capitalism versus the climate
Arctic losing ice faster than Antarctic gaining it
Infrastructure Bill
Brownfield Land
Gladman Developments
Green Bullet
Seed saving
How to make a bamboo (or hazel) polytunnel
Guerilla fruit tree grafters
Toxicity of Neonics
Co-op sells its Farms
Food on Contaminated Land?
GM bananas
How spare food can reach the poor
Six novel bike safety items
Sustrans’ Stewart Walsh’s job ends
Discover The Mersey Forest
Cheshire East Cycling Seminar
Money for Community Minibuses
How we travel now
More Roads, more traffic
Shorts: Mid-Cheshire rail, Leicester Street roundabout, Seafarer Subway
Sat 3rd Jan
Vale Allotments Public Meeting, Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Waggs Road, Congleton, 10-11am. To raise awareness and support for keeping Vale Allotments as green space for Congleton in perpetuity. Congleton Sustainability group event on Facebook.
Jobs
Project Coordinator - Cheshire Waste Reduction Volunteer Scheme, Keep Britain Tidy, Crewe and Winsford, £21,000 pro rata pa (3 days/wk) until 31st March 2016. To recruit and train volunteers, identify community events for the volunteers to attend, and support volunteers to deliver events. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 8am 5th Jan
Conservation Communications Officer, Chester Zoo, £21,015 pa, full time, permanent. To spread the word about the huge range of conservation activities the zoo is engaged in. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 7th Jan
Reserves Manager, NEWWildlife, Rhydymwyn - Mold, £24,000 pa, full time, permanent. Responsible for management of all reserves in the control of NEWWildlife but at Rhydymwyn in particular, surveying and practical management. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 8th Jan
Graduate Trainee Ecologist, Cheshire Ecological Services, Bickley, Cheshire (within Cheshire Wildlife Trust HQ). £15,300 per annum plus training budget, 1 year contract, + guaranteed interview for Graduate Ecologist position starting Jan 2016. To assist with survey and mitigation projects and undergo training to increase their skills. See CWT website. Closes 9th Jan
Ecologist, Atkins, Warrington, Competitive + Benefits, full time, permanent, to lead ecology technical input on a wide range of infrastructure projects. See EnvironmentJob website. Posted 15th Dec
Assistant Ecologist / Ecologist, Atkins, Warrington, Competitive + Benefits, full time, permanent, to provide technical input into a wide range of infrastructure projects. See EnvironmentJob website. Posted 15th Dec
Heritage Trees Engagement Officer, Red Rose Forest, Salford, £24,892 pa, 36 h/wk, 4 year project. To engage a wide range of audiences in natural heritage and develop an interactive website. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 16th Jan
Principal Remote Sensing Consultant, APEM Limited, Chester, £Commensurate with experience. To set and deliver business strategies for your team. APEM use survey aircraft and remote sensing equipment. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 16th Jan
Consultant Scientist, APEM Limited, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Cambridge, Commensurate with experience. To work in a team of aquatic scientists with cross-cutting expertise in ecology and hydro/geomorphology. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 16th Jan
Office Administrator, Bikerite, Manchester £16.5k, full time inc some weekends. To provide a professional administrative and reception service for all customers, staff and visitors; office a short bike/bus ride from Piccadilly Station. See Bikerite website. Closes 19th Jan
Cycling Instructors, Bikerite, various especially Merseyside. Preferably fully accredited and experienced National Standard Cycle Instructor. Part time, term time, short term and freelance contracts are available. Initially fixed term until end of March 2015. See Bikerite website. Closing date unknown.
Regional Project Officer x4, Freshwater Habitats Trust, inc North England and Wales, £25,000 - £28,000 pa, 3 year contracts. Should have at least a 2:1 in ecology/conservation and 4 years’ relevant practical experience. Will be involving people in monitoring and managing water bodies. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 26th Jan
Ecologist, Atkins, Warrington (but ideally Midlands), £Competitive + Benefits. Should have at least a relevant degree. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 31st Jan
Mon 5th Jan
Rail Protest, calling for fair fares and a return to public ownership of railways. They say “We already have some of the most expensive fares in Europe….. During its period of public ownership the East Coast mainline was strikingly successful in both customer satisfaction and returns to the Treasury - yet it is being re-privatised.” At Manchester Oxford Road, 4.30 – 6pm, Liverpool Lime Street 7.30-9am, and other stations. Details on The People’s Assembly website.
Tackling Fuel Poverty In Your Local Area? Then apply for the Community Action Awards for the chance to win a £1,500 project development prize. There are 4 rounds of grants: the next closes 7th Jan 2015. See National Energy Action website. Project Dirt
Courses
Workers' Education Association: all sorts of courses on their North-west branch site, in Cheshire and north. Includes bread-making, eco-therapy, forest schools, woodland management, natural dyes, forest gardening, horticulture, organic gardening and permaculture. See or tel 0151 243 5340
Communicating Renewable Energy, 1 day course, Wed 28th Jan, London. From £180. See Talk Action website.
Management Planning for Nature Conservation (introductory course), Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Parc Slip, Bridgend. Sat 7th March, £60. See EnvironmentJob website.
Butterflies: interaction with other species, with habitat and with climate change, David Tomlinson, Saturday 21st March, 11am – 3pm, £15 including lunch, tea and coffee. WEA Disley. Pre-paid booking is essential: send cheques payable to ‘WEA Disley’, with a SAE for receipt/ticket, to Pat Orchard, 60 Meadway, Poynton, Stockport SK12 1DZ. Enquiries to Rosemary Broadhurst 01625 877 255.
Amphibian and Reptile Ecology and Survey Skills (two days), Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Parc Slip, Bridgend. 11+12 April, £110. See EnvironmentJob website.
Amphibian ID and Surveying Techniques, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Doncaster. 5-9.30pm, Sat 18th April, £35. See EnvironmentJob website.
Bats for Beginners and Intermediates, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Doncaster. Ecology, habitat, surveying techniques – indoors and out. Sun 19th April, £55. See EnvironmentJob website.
Christmas Tree Collection from most of south and mid-Cheshire, weekend 10+11 January, donations to St Luke’s Hospice. See
Tree collection from CW12, SK9, SK10, SK11, SK12 and WA16, weekend 10+11 January; donations to East Cheshire Hospice. See
Volunteers wanted for the weekend: hands-on, coordination, also lorries and refreshments! See
Frodsham Transition Initiative meeting and social, 7.30pm, Queen's Head, Frodsham: Wednesdays 14th Jan and 11th Feb.
Frodsham Transition Initiative Second Birthday Celebration, Wed 18th March, with two experts on energy issues, stalls from FTI initiatives and Frodsham Sings! entertaining. See FTI newsletter on VREN website (pdf).
Wed 21st Jan
Draft North West River Basin Management Plan, workshop and guide to answering the consultation (Update to the Draft River Basin Management Plans, closes 10th April: priorities for the Environment Agency, re drinking water, shellfish, bathing, removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from sewage, nitrate farm runoff, and nature conservation) questions. 2-5pm Cuddington & Sandiway Village Hall. More info on VREN website
Sat 24th Jan
Open Day at National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, 10am – 4pm, free. See Canal and River Trust website.
30th Jan - 1st Feb
Europe Gathering on Climate Actions 2015, Brussels. Campaign planning towards the COP21 talks in Paris later in the year. See VREN website
3+4 Feb
Take the no-TTIP train to Brussels. Join World Development Movement in Brussels to lobby against TTIP. £150 inc Eurostar and hotel. See WDM website.
Sat 31st Jan
Bonfires and Beacons, HS2 campaigners highlighting the burning of money through HS2. This is the second anniversary of the announcement of phase two of HS2. Report of the Banners and Bikes event. Mid-Cheshire against HS2 on Facebook.
Volunteering
Local Waterway Partnership Member, Canal and River Trust, North Wales and Borders Waterway; home based. They are looking for “team players, able to engage and inspire, including talking to community groups and businesses, at public meetings and with the media.” See Canal River Trust website, call Wendy Capelle on 0303 040 4040 or email wendy.capelle{at]canalrivertrust.org.uk. More opportunities. Closes 31st Jan.
Volunteer Ranger – Stockport, Sustrans. Existing volunteers in Stockport could do with an extra pair of hands helping them look after the National Cycle Network/Trans Pennine Trail. That’s looking after signs, mileposts and artwork, tidying and cutting back vegetation, reporting major issues. See EnvironmentJob website. Closes 17th March
Flora and Fauna International Dates
Meetings are held at Chester Zoo:
Tues 3rd Feb - Sticking your neck out for giraffe - before it is too late!
with Julian Fennessy, Executive Director – Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Fri 20th Feb - Pigeons in the pink? A conservation success story from Mauritius’
with Lianne Concannon, Conservation Scientist – Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
Fri 27th March - ‘Scaling Up Conservation: How Reptiles Can Win Friends And Influence People’
with Jenny Daltry, Senior Conservation Biologist – Fauna & Flora International
More details on VREN website.
Sun 8th Feb
Marple Potato Day, over 90 potato varieties, veg seeds, onion and garlic sets, fruit trees and bushes, herbs from Woodruff Nursery, Wincham, summer flowering bulbs and more. 10am – 3pm, Marple Senior Citizens’ Hall. See Marple Allotments website. (no news yet of other regular potato days in Hulme or Mold)
Sat 14th Feb
Hearts of Northwich Community Festival, St Helen’s Church. See GoNorthwich website. On facebook. heartsofnorthwich[at]gmail.com
Sat 21st Feb
Take Back Our World, public conference with World Development Movement (soon to be called Global Justice Now). 10-6, London, free. Crèche hoped for. See WDM website.
Thurs 5th March
An Evening with Bill Oddie, Chester Racecourse, 7.30pm. £16.50, proceeds going to Cheshire Wildlife Trust projects. See CWT website.
Fri 27th March
The Mammal Society Student Conference 2015, Lancaster University. Connect with other students and mammal experts. £20. See EnvironmentJob website.
New Neighbourhood Planning Grants
The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced some additional funding to support communities with Neighbourhood Planning. The funding is available from now until the end of March 2015. Details can be found at:
Mondays 13 April, 18 May and 29 June 2015
Nature Walks at Anderton & Marbury: meet at Marbury Park Rangers' Office at 10am (each walk lasts approximately two hours). A chance to see flowers, insects, birds and mammals, and visit areas of Anderton and Marbury not normally open to the public. The WEA Northwich Branch is pleased to be associated with these walks. No charge. Info: WEA Regional Office, 0151 243 5340
Fri 15th May
An Evening with Bob Flowerdew, Nantwich Civic Centre, £12.50 (proceeds to conservation projects). Details and booking on Cheshire Wildlife Trust website.
Nurturing Nature is providing an award-winning Solitary Bee nest box (worth £64.95) that you could win if you pledge £30 or more towards a project run by the Urban Pollinators Team. George Pilkington has a stock ofsolitary beeandbumblebee nest boxes, both of which have improvements. See Nurturing Naturewebsite.
Woodland Trust News
Airport expansion plans for Heathrow and Gatwick will knock ancient woods.
A wood has been saved from a quarry developer.
Photography competition winners and entries.
England’s tree of the year
Woodland birds in decline
Very Important Trees campaign
See Woodland Trust mailing.
Animals that George Monbiot would like reintroduced
Wolves, pelicans, beavers, lynx, grey whales. See his article on the FoE website, with a link to their campaign to allow Devon’s beavers to remain wild. Latest news on beavers – they’re being tested, and are expected to be released if clear of Echinococcus multilocularis. News article 15/11/14
Badger Vaccinations
The final report on CWT’s 2014 badger TB vaccination season recorded 99 individual badgers treated across nine separate farms in 2014 - the highest number in one year of the project to date. Over 200 trap deployments took place, with the largest farm involved - some 350ha - seeing 27 badgers successfully treated. We also undertook microchipping on some sites - the first time ever in mainland Britain. On a roadkill study, 1 in 4 badgers were carrying the disease. See more on CWT’s website.
RSPB advice on festive avian treats
No! No turkey fat (too greasy, can uninsulate their feathers), no other fat (may have salt in, which is toxic to birds). Hard fats like lard and dripping only. Full article.
You can also sign up for their regular newsletter, free to anyone; and for farmers there’s a quarterly newsletter. See
Grebe Online
You can browse all editions of The Grebe magazine online via a screen reader. Scroll down to see it -
Information on Wybunbury Moss and Rostherne Mere.
How to make old buildings energy efficient, article in the Guardian -
Green Deal Home Improvement Fund
You can now apply for the to get financial help to improve your home's energy efficiency. Visit to apply.
Keep warm this winter -
The Home Heat Helpline advises people worried about paying their energy bills and keeping warm during the winter. It also gives advice to low-income households in urgent need of heating help and advice. It is free to call and is open 9am-5.30pm Monday to Fridays.
More information about Home Heat Helpline. G Evans
Hempcrete vs Straw Bale
Structural properties, skill to erect, embodied carbon, thermal qualities, deterioration:
*Free* Online Building Fabric Retrofit Masterclass from Passivhaus Architect Mark Elton
Earlier in 2014 CoRE’s Mark Elton ( provided a stunning overview of best practice in building fabric retrofit for domestic properties. This hour-long masterclass provides a taste of the expert-led training that candidates experience in the Retrofit Coordinator Diploma that CoRE offers. To view the video in full, click
CoRE's Diploma in Retrofit Coordination is an intensive 10-day training programme run by the UK's leading experts in domestic refurbishment. It equips professionals with the skills and knowledge to effectively lead and project manage retrofit projects, coordinate project teams and provide quality assurance to retrofit clients. And what is more, the Diploma is heavily subsidised by government and is available for just £1,000 plus VAT (subject to eligibility). Booking for the winter programme is now on:
Four programmes are running from Winter 2015 in Stoke, London, Birmingham and Manchester – they cover eight topics on separate dates, from January to March. See Core-skills website. To book you place or to ask any questions contact stephanie.reeves[at]core-skills.com or call 07800 845 649.
From AECB newsletter, Dec 2014
Talk on Energy in the Future
Anyone interested in the future of our energy economy, this is an optimistic look at where wind, solar and increasing efficiency are taking us. In short, the speaker expects renewables to undercut the price of fossil fuels which will phase out fossil fuels because it will become uneconomic to extract them from the ground.
Andrew Osborne
Political Chemistry of Oil
“Interesting stuff, I like the idea of co-operative ventures, municipal companies etc.
This TED Talk discusses the political chemistry of oil; the ways in which we feel dependent on the stuff.” Andy Osborne. And a pdf on the politics of energy. Viv
Resources and inspiration for councils and businesses, focussing on emissions reduction and adapting to climate change -
Behaviour change will go hand in hand with a low carbon future – and it’s important to catch people early. Schools are playing their role, and are finding that a range of partners are happy to step in to lend a helping hand.
Less Science, more Positive Examples
Dr Adam Corner, COIN’s Research Director, has been sharing his thoughts in the Guardian on why science isn't enough to win over climate skeptics (“you don’t have to be a climate policy expert to be inspired by positive examples of low-carbon solutions”).