Season's Greetings,

Welcome to the London Community Resource Network's enews bulletin, your weekly source of resource and sustainability news.

In LCRN news: LCRN would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and thank all those who attended our recent Christmas networking event. We have also been informed of an opportunity for coffee reuse, should anyone want free coffee grounds.

In members news: The London Bike Hub is promoting bike maintenance courses across London, Vauxhall City Farm have welcomed some turkeys to the farm in time for Christmas, there is a chance to invest in community renewable energy generation with Organiclea, while SEED Foundation would appreciate any volunteers for their Maiden Lane food waste recycling programme.

In London News: LWaRB has announced a new efficiences programme for waste authorities, the geese aren't getting fat in East London, while MPs clash over plans for 'Boris Island'.

In National News: The Government has indicated it will not ban food waste from landfill, while a new report has been released studying the recent rises in household energy bills.

All this and more in the Environment and Third Sector news. 

And finally... Snow and ice return to the UK...
 

• LCRN NEWS
• MEMBERS NEWS
• MEMBERS EVENTS
• MEMBERS JOBS
• LONDON RESOURCE NEWS
• NATIONAL RESOURCE NEWS
• ENVIRONMENT SECTOR NEWS
• THIRD SECTOR NEWS
• CONSULTATIONS, FUNDING & TENDERS
• AND FINALLY…

LCRN NEWS

* Deck The Halls With Grounds Of Coffee

Starting in February, a recycling company, Red Bag Recycling, will be able to distribute over 100kg of coffee grounds every day. The coffee grounds are sourced from sustainably-grown, fair trade coffee. They are looking for city farms or community gardens across the London area who might be able to provide a new home for the coffee grounds collected. There is no charge, and it will be delivered free in and around London. As the programme expands, the amount of coffee available every day will increase. If you are interested in this offer, you can contact Red Bag Recycling directly by e-mailing info@redbagrecycling.com. 
  
* Become an LCRN Member today
 
Join the network that’s innovating away London’s waste, the grassroots way. LCRN is proud to present our new membership scheme, open to organisations, charities, community groups and social enterprises in London dedicated to responsible resource management. Our new tiered system is based on both income and services so that you get the most bang for your buck. We strive to bring your organisation the right balance of business, organisational and communications support. Our free membership is still available, but come have a gander at what we’ve got on offer. Our rates are incredibly reasonable and our services can only be a boost for you in this economic climate. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Julian between on 020 7324 4708 or email julian@lcrn.org.uk.
…for LCRN’s new membership scheme
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MEMBERS NEWS

* A Bike Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas

The London Bike Hub based in west London has been running bicycle maintenance courses for all abilities for a number of years now, and next year will be no different, with more courses for more people planned; from absolute beginners, Brompton bicycle owners, bike touring sessions and full weekend courses covering everything you need to keep your bike running. The Hub is a not-for-profit partner of LCRN and works closely with community groups across London, particularly in the west, hiring out smoothie-makers and pedal powered generators, as well as recycling bikes with the London Re-use Network and working with the REalise programme. Next year will see a dedicated programme being launched, partly funded by the Skills Agency, providing bike maintenance skills and confidence training to west London residents and will be looking for LCRN members as students. For further queries please e-mail info@londonbikehub.com.
For more information. 

* Turkeys Vote For Christmas

Two new turkeys have arrived at Vauxhall City Farm, just prior to the Christmas period. Two Norfolk bronze turkeys made their way from a smallholding in Surrey, and have been named Lambeth and Red, in honour of the Lambeth Fire Brigade who kindly refilled Vauxhall City Farm's duckpond in September. Vauxhall City Farm is open all year round from 10.30am - 4pm, from Wednesdays to Sundays, and entry is free.
For more information.

* Organiclea - Solar Investment Opportunity

Organiclea are excited to announce the launch of a new share offer providing the opportunity to invest in small-scale renewable energy. As previously mentioned here, this is a new initiative to create a community fund for investing in such projects, the first of which is the installation of solar panels at Organiclea's Hawkswood Plant Nursery. The project will benefit from the Government's feed-in-tariff for solar photovoltaic installations and will provide a financial and social return on the investment. The share offer is from GREEN (Growing Resilient Energy Efficient Neighbourhoods), the new corporate society that Organiclea has helped to set up along with other local partner organisations. The share offer document and information on Organiclea's website provide detailed information about the invitation to invest, but do get in touch directly if you have any further questions after reading the documents - contact Nicole on nicole@organiclea.org.uk. Please note the closing date of 20th January 2012 so that you do not miss out on this opportunity to support the long-term development of local food and other community projects. 
For more information. 

* SEED Foundation - Volunteers Needed!

As a result of council funding coming to an end, the food-waste recycling programme is due to finish on Maiden Lane Estate in Camden Town (near King's Cross) at the end of November. SEED Foundation, which has been working with residents to improve the service, has created a plan to help the estate's own social enterprise take over the system. However, much-needed start-up funding has not yet been secured, and volunteers are needed to bridge the funding gap between now and the end of March, in order to get the new system up and running. If you are interested, and would be able to dedicate three hours per month of your time helping out with collections, composting, machine management or marketing, please contact Clare Brass at clare.brass@seedfoundation.org.uk or call 07773 768 184. A really rich soil improver will be offered as a thank you for your time.
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MEMBERS EVENTS

 Visit our friends at Project Dirt for more events across London.

* Talk Action - Consensus Decision Making

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MEMBERS JOBS

* London Wildlife Trust - London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI) Manager

The London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI) is now recruiting for a manager. The role will be hosted by Greenspace Information for Greater London, the capital's environmental record's centre, and based at London Wildlife Trust's HQ in Southwark. This 4-year post will involve the promotion of the prevention, early detection and control of invasive non-native species across London, with a focus on wetland and aquatic species. To be successful you must have knowledge of and demonstrable experience of invasive non-native species issues and control methods, as well as experience of managing budgets and attracting project funding. As an excellent communicator, you will have the ability to work in partnership with and influence a range of organisations, as well as managing projects. The project is funded by Defra, and the LISI manager's work programme will be overseen by the LISI Steering Group, chaired by the Environment Agency. Remuneration will be from £27,000 p.a. - £31,000 p.a. with the entry point likely to be £28,500 depending on experience. The closing date for applications is Thursday 22nd December at 9.30am. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 4th January. For further queries please call 020 7261 0447 or e-mail recruitment@wildlondon.org.uk.
For more information.

* TRAID - Freelance Sitefinders

Do you enjoy getting out and about, talking to people and helping the environment? Textiles recycling charity TRAID is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join their team of dedicated recycling bank finders across Greater London. It's a crucial role, helping develop TRAID's network of reuse banks and allowing them to support even more inspirational international development projects and groundbreaking environmental education. With a payment of £100 for every bank successfully installed, it is also a great way of earning a bit of extra cash. There will be regional training days held in mid-January, and the deadline for applications is the 31st December 2011. If you are interested in this opportunity, please send a CV and covering letter to Mike Webster at mike@traid.org.uk. 

* Community Land Advisor - Bristol

This post is part of the Community Land Advisory Service (currently being developed by FCFCG) which is intended to help bring more land into productive community use for activities such as gardening and food growing. The Advisory Service offers detailed, one-to-one advice and support to community groups or landowners looking for help accessing/releasing land for community growing, as well as providing online information resources and guidance to specialist services. The postholder will facilitate access to land for community use in England, primarily through: the provision of specialist advice and support to community groups and landowners, focusing on finding and negotiating for sites, leases and licences, site suitability and land management; liaison with local authorities, other public and private landowners and community groups and networks; contributing to the development of a web-based brokerage facility. Ideal candidates will have a solid understanding of land transfer (leases, negotiation and legal issues) and of the community growing sector. This is a fixed-term contract until 31st December 2013, with extension subject to funding. The post is 22.5 hours (3 days) per week and the salary is £24,646 pro rata. The closing date for applications is 5th January 2012. To obtain a job pack, either visit the Community Land Advisory Service website or e-mail admin@farmgarden.org.uk.
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LONDON RESOURCE NEWS

* Once In Royal London City

The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) has unveiled a £6.4m efficiencies programme for London's waste authorities, set up in response to the increasing pressure on councils to make savings where possible, with waste management listed as the third highest spend area for most. Waste authorities will be offered support to to help deliver time and cost savings. Split into seven 'workstreams', the programme offers joint procurement of recycling materials contracts and waste equipment, efficiency reviews, development of service sharing, best practice tools and creation of model service specifications. In addition, a £3m recycling and reuse centre (RRC) fund has been set up, which will see LWaRB work in partnership with WRAP, to assist councils in the implementation of business waste services. This will provide small businesses with access to RRCs for the first time. Support for the programme will also be offered by Defra, Improvement and Efficiency South East, Local Partnerships and London Councils.
From Edie.net.

* It Came Upon The Midday Clear

A mystery goose-eating creature is lurking in waters next to the Olympic Park in east London, according to local reports. Mike Wells, a local resident, told the Hackney Citizen that he had seen a 16lb Canada goose being grabbed and pulled under the water: 'It was about midday. We were sat on the deck of my boat watching the goose. Suddenly the bird just went vertically down into the water. I was absolutely gobsmacked. Whatever took it didn't come back up again. There was no sign of it whatsoever, but it was obviously pretty big.' In 2005 boat trippers on the River Lea also reported a Canada goose vanishing 'almost instantaneously' in the same way. At the time the incidents were linked to a giant turtle or an alligator, but the mystery predator disappeared before it could be discovered. Local resident (and zoology graduate) Michael Allen believes the creature to be a python, though a British Waterways spokesman assured people that if an invasive species was found in the river, swift action would be taken.
From the Guardian.

* I Saw Three Planes (Come Flying In)

Transport secretary Justine Greening has clashed with MPs over plans for a new airport for London, dubbed 'Boris Island' due to the Mayor's backing. She was asked by a transport select committee whether she backed a plan for an airport in the Thames Estuary - but responded by saying that MPs had not appeared to understand Mr Johnson's stance and had 'no detail' behind the questions. When asked whether she was going to 'explore the Boris Island idea', Ms Greening responded by asking the cross-party committee whether they had read witness statements compiled by Boris Johnson as part of a 'call for evidence' on airport capacity in London. However Labour MP Louise Ellman, chair of the committee, said that Ms Greening's remarks were 'out of order', pointing out that only the committee was to ask questions. Tory MP Kwasi Kwarteng, whose constituency includes Heathrow Airport, said that the Transport secretary had failed to address the issue. The Government has ruled out building a new runway at Heathrow, and there are restrictions on further expansion at Gatwick and Stansted. Business groups have warned that London may lose out to European countries if airport capacity is not increased. Though Ms Greening said she was looking at other ways of boosting existing capacity and said that it would be wrong to draw conclusions on future plans at this stage.
From the BBC. 
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NATIONAL RESOURCE NEWS

* Landfill Bans Aren't Coming To Town

The Government has goven a clear indication that it is not prepared to ban food waste from landfill. Underlining the Coalition's commitment to the anerobic digestion (AD) industry, DECC minister Charles Hendry said that ministers recognise the need to provide operators with greater clarity over policy in future to help the sector grow. As a key feedstock for the AD industry, food waste should not end up in landfill. When questioned on a landfill ban, Hendry argues that raising landfill tax to £80 per tonne in 2014/15 would be enough of a deterrent to divert food waste from landfill without the need for a ban. However Dr Stephen Wise, technical director for Shanks Waste Management, said that a landfill ban on food waste would 'send out a clear message to the marketplace'. Though Andy Olie, business development manager for May Gurney, urged caution, pointing out the difficulties with the enforcement of a ban on any material to landfill.
From Edie.net. 

* When A Poor Man Came In Sight, Gath'ring Winter Fuel

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published its first comprehensive analysis of the impact of meeting carbon budgets on household energy bills. In the report the committee finds that that recent bill increases are 'primarily' due to increased wholesale gas costs. It goes on to say that until 2020 energy policies to achieve a low-carbon economy will add around £110 to bills with scope to offset this if energy efficiency can be improved. It also found that further increases may be necessary to support grid investment and may also be required depending on gas price movements. However, there is room for bills to come down, compared with 2010, both because this was a cold year and because much of the UK's boiler stock will be replaced by modern, much more efficient boilers over the next decade.
From Edie.net.
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ENVIRONMENT SECTOR NEWS

* All I Want For Christmas Is A Judicial Review
 
The High Court has given leave for a judicial review over the Government's decision to cut feed-in-tariffs for solar power. This is good news for Friends of the Earth (FoE) and two renewable energy companies, who brought the legal challenge to the court. The High Court had ruled on the 5th December that there was no need for an immediate review, however Mr Justice Mitting said that given the 'economic risk' to companies involved there was a need for urgency. The DECC said afterwards that it would be defending its position. The department launched a review of feed-in-tariffs in October which included a change to the scheme two weeks before the consultation ended. Renewables companies HomeSun and SolarCentury, as well as Friends of the Earth argued that this premature decision was unlawful and has already led to unfinished or planned projects being abandoned. 
From the Guardian.

* While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night

Police investigating the theft of 'Climategate' e-mails from the University of East Anglia have seized computer equipment from the home of a climate-sceptic blogger in West Yorkshire, known as 'TallBloke'. Norfolk Constabulary have stated that nobody was arrested during the night's raid. A spokeswoman refused to say whether this the first time that computers had been seized during the two-year investigation. The first batch of hacked e-mails was released on the internet through a server in Russia in 2009, just before the climate change summit in Copenhagen. A second tranche of e-mails was released before the recent climate conference in Durban. The blogger, real name Roger Tattersall, denied that he had anything to do with the hacking of e-mails from the university, then went on to describe the investigations that took place in the UK following the original scandal as 'a joke'.
From the Independent.
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THIRD SECTOR NEWS

* Value Of Big Lottery Fund Applications Almost Trebles

The total value of Big Lottery Fund applications almost trebled from 2009/10 to 2010/11 - with total value of all grant requests rising from £1bn to £2.8bn. The value of applications in 2010/11 included six applications worth a total of £1.2bn to deliver the Big Local Trust, according to BIG's latest annual report, meaning that the total value of applications excluding the Big Local Trust rose from £1bn to £1.6bn. However over the same period the value of grants awarded fell from £406m to £357m. A large proportion of the rise in applications was due to requests for funding from the Reaching Communities programme, awarding grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 for projects in deprived areas. 
From Third Sector magazine.

* In The Bleak Midwinter (According To NCVO Survey)

NCVO's final Charity Forecast Survey for 2011 suggests charity leaders face a bleak 2012, with nearly two-thirds expecting their financial situation to worsen over the next 12 months. The quarterly survey, which involved 100 charity leaders, found that 55% felt that thier general situation would worsen over the next year, while this increased to 65% for their respective financial situation. 67% of respondents expected to collaborate more over the coming year while the same number believed that they would have to compete more. Furthermore, 30% of leaders questioned said that they plan to increase the extent of the services that they offer over the next three months, while 27% may have to reduce the number of paid staff over the next three months.
From the Office for Civil Society.
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CONSULTATIONS, FUNDING & TENDERS

* Big Lottery Fund - £10m To Kick Start Sustainable Living Across England

Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is investing £10m in good causes funding to jump start more sustainable living across the country and communities in London are invited to apply for a slice of the funding. Spiralling food costs and fuel poverty are just some of the issues being addressed through BIG's Communities Living Sustainably programme which aims to inspire people to adapt the way they live, work and engage with each other to reap financial, environmental, and health gains. BIG will invest in up to 10 communities by providing: access to expert support and advice to help communities develop skills, knowledge and abilities and build on best practice; up to £10,000 to develop a project delivery plan that details the environmental, economic, and social challenges affecting the community and how they can be addressed; and grants of between £500,000 and £1m for up to five years - this funding will provide an opportunity for communities to work together to access further resources and support to ensure their communities are sustainable and resilient after BIG funding ends. The closing date for an expression of interest is Tuesday 31st January 2012. For more information please contact the Big Advice Line on 0845 4 10 20 30, or alternatively, visit BIG's website.
  
* Capital Growth Funding

The programme is administered by Capital Growth at London Food Link. It is intended to enable Londoners to benefit from a higher availability of affordable local food by maximising the use of land for food growing activities across the London area. Funding is available to help community groups develop new food growing schemes that will be sustainable and of benefit to communities in London. In particular, the scheme is eager to fund training and skills support to develop new sustainable projects. Projects should be focused on bringing more food to market in London, and be involved with a new food-growing space (not established before 1st January 2009) or an extension of a current food-growing project. It should be for wider community benefit, not solely for private or commercial gain. The next grant funding round has now opened and will close on 16th January 2012. The maximum grant available is £1,500.
For more information. 
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AND FINALLY…

* I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Snow and ice has hit Britain this week, with weather forecasters predicting that it will persist. Heavy rain is expected to turn into snow, and massive transport disruption is predicted. However it does mean there are some pretty pictures...
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