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Published in Brighton by Justice? - Brighton's Direct Action collective
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Published in Brighton by Justice? - Brighton's Direct Action collective
ISSUE 283, FRIDAY 17th November, 2000
Flight of Fancies
How far did you have to go for your breakfast this morning?. Or perhaps the question should be how far did your breakfast travel to get to you?
A report out this week from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) highlights the fact that efforts to reduce global warming at this weeks Hague conference will all be in vain unless we halt the growth of global trade by air. Air travel is now the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions - the principal cause of climate change. But these emissions do not figure in any of the plans to cut greenhouse gases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claims that at current rates carbon dioxide emissions from aviation will grow tenfold by 2050. This weeks NEF report claims that unless this growth is controlled it will cancel out any benefits that may be agreed in The Hague. The report identifies the needless transportation of food as one of the main reasons for increases in air travel.
Have you ever thought about where your food comes from? Even a simple meal has travelled the globe before it arrives on your plate, with potatoes from Egypt, apples from New Zealand, and beans from Kenya. Aircraft fuel isn't taxed and costs just 17 pence a litre, making these multinational meals cheaper than food produced in our own country, affecting not only the climate but also this country's farming industry.
Here's just a few examples of crops that we could grow ourselves, yet insist on flying in from around the world. Apples now come from New Zealand and South Africa causing 600 times more nitrogen oxide pollution than if we grew them at home Over the last 30 years 60% of our apple orchards have been destroyed, and although there are 2,300 apple varieties and 550 pear varieties in the National Fruit Collection, just two apple and three pear varieties now dominate UK orchards.
Most of Europe's orange juice comes from Brazil. Demand for orange juice has doubled in the last decade, yet in this country there is a richer source of vitamin C that grows every where - rosehips. During the Second World War when it was impossible to get oranges, children were given days off school to go and pick rosehips - by 1943 450 tonnes were picked a year. (For ways on cooking and preparing them see Richard Mabey's book 'Food for free', which tells you all the free nosh you can get in the UK)
Trucked up
The fuelled up farmers and lorry drivers who've been moaning about fuel costs have missed the key point that fuel is used very inefficiently. One supermarket chain lands its fish at Aberdeen and trucks it down to Cornwall to be smoked. Vegetables being sold in two superstores on the outskirts of Evesham in Worcestershire were grown just one mile from the town. But before they reached the shelves they had been trucked to Hereford, then to Dyfed, then to a distribution depot in Manchester, from where they were sent back to Evesham. A quarter of our road traffic is now transporting food.
Real Growth
When was the last time you saw persimmons, quinces, damsons, or bullaces on the shelves of your local Sainsburys? Forget kiwi fruits, mangoes, and other exotic imports - there are dozens of traditional English fruit varieties which are just as nice but are seldom in the shops. Here's your handy SchNEWS guide on how to turn food miles into food smiles by buying and growing your own local food.
- If possible, buy locally grown apples and pears in season. Buy from your local greengrocer, or ask your supermarket to stock traditional varieties, sourced locally.
- Buy fruit direct from producers. The Soil Association ( 0117 929 0661) has a directory of local food schemes and farmers' markets.
- If you're into growing your own, your local authority can also tell you how to rent an allotment. Even better squat some empty waste land and set up your own city garden!
- Get involved in your local City Farm, Community Garden, or Community Orchard. Not only are they places for growing food, they also provide places for chilling out, a refuge for wild life, and bring the community together. There are 65 City Farms across the UK and more than 500 Community Gardens. Contact The Federation of City Farms (www.farmgarden.org.uk). Common Ground have info on community orchards: 020 7267 2144.
- Plant your own apple or pear trees. Choose a traditional variety from your area. Lists of suppliers are available from Common Ground and the Henry Doubleday Research Association (01203 303517). The Brogdale Horticultural Trust also sell traditional fruit trees (01795 535286).
- Encourage your local school to get free fruit from the Intervention Board (0118 953 1694). For more info on where food comes from check out 'The Food Miles Report: The Dangers of Long Distance Food Transport' £10.00 and 'Food Miles Action Pack: A Guide to Thinking Globally and Eating Locally' £5 both available from Sustain, 0207 83711228. For weird and wonderful food get 'Plants For A Future' by Ken Fern, from PFAF Permanent Publications, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0NG We plucked most of these ideas from two ace websites: www.sustainweb.org and www.commonground.org.uk.
Runaway Runway Profits
Not only is air travel bad for the environment - so are airports. Airports cause loads of noise and traffic and result in vast development in the surrounding area. But the cost of air travel has fallen over the past ten years and the resulting industry boom has created a rush to build more airport capacity. As well as plans to build a fifth terminal at Heathrow and a new runway at Manchester, construction is planned at 19 other sites around the country. New international airports are in the pipeline at well known business and tourist hubs like, er, Doncaster and Ramsgate, as well as expansion of Farnborough Airport. The Farnborough expansion threatens the Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area and will clear 82 acres of trees, 01252 675231.
Oil's well in Chad
The President of Chad has received a $25 million bonus from oil companies for giving the go ahead for the World Bank funded Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline (SchNEWS 277). What a surprise he has spent a lot of the money on the purchase of military equipment.
CRAP ARREST OF THE WEEK
For standing in front of a lorry!
Betty Krawcyzk a 72 year old great-grandmother has been given a year in prison with no parole for standing in front of a logging truck. Letters of support to Betty Krawcyzk, Burnaby Correctional Center for Women, 7900 Fraser Park Dr., Burnaby, C V5J 5H1 Canada.
DAMNING REPORT
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) yesterday released a major report on the pros and cons of large dams, built in the name of 'development' by governments of poor countries under the firm guidance of rich countries and their cronies in the World Bank and IMF. Funnily enough, the WCD, a supposedly independent bunch of experts, funded by the World Bank. Nevertheless, the report shows that dam building has been a spectacular failure as far as development is concerned.
The report shows that large dams have failed to provide as much electricity, irrigation or flood control as promoters claim, and "in many cases dams have led to the irreversible loss of species populations and eco-systems" "Impacts of dam-building on people and livelihoods -both above and below dams- have been...devastating". It's difficult to feel enthusiasm for 'development' when you're left landless and destitute, if your home is covered by tons of water.
The WCD report makes it clear that big dams do nothing for the poor, just the Western construction companies who build them. What began as a trickle of criticism heard in the villages of doomed river valleys, has now become a flood.
SchNEWS wonders what Tony Blair thinks of the WCD Report. He's a keen supporter of the hated Ilisu Dam in Turkey (SchNEWS 259/266) which will displace 78,000 Kurdish people.
Blair is set to give the nod for Britain to underwrite the Ilisu project to the tune of £200 million. Development has undoubtedly been taking place in certain corporate bank balances - first to profit from the Ilisu dam is British construction firm Balfour Beatty, though they stand to make only $200,000 over five years- relatively small beer. More interesting is the host of defence contracts that Britain stands to win by cosying up to the Turkish establishment. Turkey was the fifth biggest purchaser of British bombs n' guns in 1999, with licences worth at least £188 million.
Vested interests are struggling to convince anyone that its anything other than a very crap idea. The south-east branch of the UK construction workers union have issued a 'green ban' asking workers to refuse to work on the Dam. Even the World Bank won't touch it - it's on the Tigris River, which flows into Syria and Iraq, the dam could affect water supplies in these nations and inflame tensions in an area not known for its peaceful atmosphere. The dam also threatens an ancient town and archaeological treasures.
For an edited WCD report, visit www.irn.org/wcd. Ilisu Dam Campaign: www.ilisu.org.uk
* Medha Patkar, one of the WCD commissioners and leader of the Save the Narmada Movement, was part of a thousand strong crowd that recently stormed police barricades in New Delhi, marching up to the offices of the World Bank, and demanding to meet Bank president James Wolfensohn. The Supreme Court recently gave India's Sardar Sarovar dam the green light, and it will displace nearly half a million mainly tribal people. www.narmada.org/
* Next Tuesday (21), Dr. Ravi Kuchimanchi from the Save the Narmada Movement will be speaking at Wadham College, Oxford followed by the film Narmada Valley Rises 8pm Contact Oxford Dambusters nobigdam@email.com
* Not content with drowning Kurds, Balfour Beatty has taken over all of Stoke-on-Trent schools. The deal - under the dodgy 'privatisation by the back door' Private Finance Initiative (see SchNEWS 210) will mean Balfour Beatty runs the schools for 25 years. It's thought to be the biggest PFI in the country.
SchNEWS in brief
- Young, Free and Cuban talk by women from Havana, this Sunday at the Branch Tavern, London Rd., Brighton 7.30 pm.
- On Tuesday there's a public meeting organised by the Don't Fuel Climate Change coalition at St.Peter's Church Hall, Brighton 7.30 pm 01273 298192.
- Class War and Movement Against the Monarchy get their heads around the fuel tax crisis in a public meeting entitled "Anarchist Approaches to the No Fuel Tax Struggle" next Wednesday (22) 7.30pm, Conway Hall, Red Lion Sq, Holborn, London
- Dragomir Olujic, a journalist and trade unionist from Serbia will be talking at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square next Thursday (23) 7.pm 0845 4583100
- Next Friday (24) there's a benefit for Index on Censorship with comedians Mark Thomas, Robert Newman, Navelgazing and Ben'n'Arn @ Brighton Dome, 29 New Rd. Advance tickets: 01273 709709
- Saturday 25 is White Ribbon Day which focuses on efforts to end violence against women, one in four women experience domestic violence at some time during their lives. 020 7588 6099 www.womankind.org.uk
- Same day is another Hackney in Crisis demonstration against council cuts and the wholesale privatisation of council services (see last two weeks SchNEWS) 11.30 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney.
- Unhappy birthday! Close Down Campsfield Detention Centre, on its 7th anniversary. Meet 12 noon - 2 pm outside the gates on Saturday 25th November. www.closecampsfield.org.uk 01865 558145/557282
- And over the whole weekend (24-26) there's a Women speak out conference in Bristol. Workshops speakers and campaign updates. DJ's, band, open mic and theatre in the evenings 0785 588 2385 www.bluekey.co.uk/chaosorder/wso.
Kings of the Hill
- After six and a half years, the 4-acre Kings Hill "bender village" of experimental low-impact dwellings near Shepton Mallet in Somerset has been granted permanent planning permission for 16 eco-dwellings 01749 860660
- For more info on low impact planning applications and policies get Chapter 7 Magazine. Subs are £5 (£3 concessions). 01460-249204
- There's a Straw Bale & Straw Clay Construction Seminar on 20th November near Buckfastleigh, Devon. More info 01364 643267 email hkireland@aol.com
- While low impact dwellers struggle to build a sustainable future the government wants to fast track big planning projects. Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers said "What we should not allow is people to be grit in the system and clog the whole system up". SchNEWS reckons that if all us bits of grit get together we could be a big rock! The Land is Ours produce an Activist Guide to the Planning Process. 01865-722016. www.oneworld.org/tlio
- When bailiffs turned up cheeky squatters in the Newcastle community centre "Ecletic City" (SchNEWS 280) just moved next door! The owners NCP now have to go through the courts to get them evicted again!
Rebel Alliance
After the summer break, the next meeting will be at the Hanover
Community Centre, Southover Street at 7pm on Sunday 26th November. There
will be a showing of the new Zaptista film. Bring your own beer, food and
music. Kids welcome
Inside SchNEWS
- All charges against the 10 Ashingdon protesters arrested for trying to stop a housing development have been dropped. Though Wilcon Homes felt their case was water tight, with 20+ witnesses and their behaviour beyond reproach , they decided it was in the public interest to drop the case. Hooray! Mass invasion of the site planned: December 16th. 020-74503599
- War Resisters International will be publishing a list of imprisoned peace activists on Prisoners for Peace Day, 1st Dec. 020-7278 4040 or www.gn.apc.org/warresisters
- Benefit for prisoners fighting against isolation units in Spain. Nov 24 at the Button Factory: Hardess Street, Herne Hill Road, London. Spanish prisoners are planning hunger strikes next month to demand the closure of the isolation units.
MILAN MILITANTS
It kicked off big stylee in Milan last week during a meeting
of the Trilateral Commission, a lovely group of 335 'distinguished' individuals
from big business that was set up by our friends in the Bilderberg Group.
The neo-nazi Forza Nuova called a demo against what they call "Jewish globalization",
so 3,000 people decided to pay them a visit.
A 3 hour street battle started when police prevented anti-fascists from getting to the disco that the nazis were meeting at. Hundreds of teargas grenades were fired, cars set on fire, 17 people were arrested, and 20 people hospitalised by cops.
PEST
CONTROL
The British Crop Protection Council (BCPC) held their
annual conference at the Brighton Hilton Metropole Hotel this week. 'Crop
protection' sounds harmless, but what it means is the protection of monoculture
crops using chemicals and genetic modification. Not so good, eh? Before
the Conference, spoof letters from the hotel management appeared telling
guests to expect trouble and that income from conferences was more important
than money from ordinary guests!
The night before the conference, people gained access to the hotel (top security there guys!) and conference rooms were graffitied with "No GMOs" and "Corporate Scum" and locks were superglued. The next day. the conference had hardly begun when sound cables were cut, leaving delegates sitting in silence for about 20 minutes. At midday around 40 people turned up for a demo outside and continued to harass delegates and hand out leaflets, with more sabotage inside.
At the end of the day BCPC put out a press release explaining that they were "saddened by these occurences and particularly regret the vandalism to property and theft that took place." SchNEWS wondered if this meant the vanadlism and theft caused by agribusiness, but they continued: "We have had excellent co-operation and understanding from the Sussex police who described the groups as 'The Brighton Anarchists'."
...and finally...
A company exhibiting at the British Crop Protection Conference with the dubious name of Crack Processing offer "facilities for formulating and processing of powders. techniques developed by the company which result in dust free granules with excellent flow properties". Drop them a line, 01483-223501.
disclaimer
SchNEWS warns all hostesses looking for a little flight relief that you must be plane crazy not to use a joystick as then you'll be contented cos the skys the limit. Honest.
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Last updated 17th November 2000
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