LCRN NEWS

* LCRN Summer Social - Weds 18 August 2010, 6 - 8pm, Freightliners City Farm N7 8PF

Here’s hoping the weather holds! Join us at the lovely Freightliners City Farm for nibbles, wine and chat about what the rest of the year holds for the community resource sector in London and beyond. Members from the new London Reuse Network will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. This event is free to attend for LCRN members, friends, associates and anyone else who has an interest in what we do! RSVP: jennifer@lcrn.org.uk

* New LCRN Membership Scheme

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 Stephanie between 2 – 5pm on 020 7324 4705 or email stephanie@lcrn.org.uk.
…for LCRN’s new membership scheme

* Free business training and environmental audits for London businesses

LCRN’s Opening New Markets training workshops are created with London SMEs in mind. If you are in need of tender writing assistance, strategic business and consortium planning, environmental auditing and policy writing support, we’ve got a workshop for you:

August 25th / 1st September – Be in it to win it! Writing a winning tender
September 8th / 15th – Be in it to win it! Writing a winning tender
September 13th / 20th – Stand & Deliver - Strategic business and consortia planning
September 17th – Get Smart, Carbon Smart – environmental policy workshop
October 5th/6th – Ready, Set, Grow – Business Growth Event

For more information and to register your attendance (workshops are free to London SMEs that qualify) contact Julian Halse on 020 7324 4641 or email Julian@lcrn.org.uk.

* LCRN welcomes new members to the fold

A warm willkommen to our latest additions to the network:

Clothes Aid - Raises funds for charity through the collection and sale of waste textiles
Organic Lea - Engages in and encourage sustainable food production and consumption in east and north London communities
We All Reuse - Promotes and shares best practice in reuse, and uses new technologies to directly enable it
ECOcomputers – Works towards as much reuse in IT equipment and office furniture as possible
Pulp Faction Recycling - Creates work from office waste

* Next steps for the London Reuse Network and the Western Riverside Waste Authority

A new £850,000 collection service for reusable household items is set to inspire the borough’s residents to live greener lives. The Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) was awarded the cash to set up the service after the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) announced £8m funding to create the world's largest ‘reuse network’. Under the scheme, the WRWA will target unwanted objects in Wandsworth, like old televisions or furniture, which can be fixed up and re-sold. The aim is to increase the amount of waste put back into use.

Councillor Tim Ahern, WRWA chairman, said: “This is an exciting and innovative project that will move material up the waste hierarchy and make a significant social contribution by offering job opportunities and training in these difficult economic times. The Mayor of London wants us to regard waste as a resource and this project together with the authority's recycling initiatives will help achieve behavioural change leading to residents asking ‘what can I do with this’ rather than ‘how do I get rid of this’.” Anyone with a reusable item will soon be able to call a telephone hotline to arrange for the goods to be taken to a workshop in Smugglers Way, where they will be repaired and made ready for resale. The workshop will double as a training centre where unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds can gain experience and new qualifications. By 2015 the network aims to be diverting over a million items from the waste stream every year.
...for more on this story from the Wandsworth Guardian

MEMBERS’ NEWS

* Mudchute Association Membership

Mudchute Park and Farm is chasing a target of 500 members. You could help us reach that. For a mere £5 per annum (£2 for senior citizens), you’d receive a fabulous newsletter and be invited to join in our volunteer programmes to assist in the running and development of Mudchute. As a member, you may even get elected to our Board of Trustees. So come on down to the farm and show your support by signing up.
...for more information and to apply

* ScrapstoresUK makes child’s play of business waste

ScrapstoresUK is keen to see parents swap the board room for the playroom in the park; in London and around the UK, where literally lorry loads of scrap materials are being provided to bring out the big kid in all of us. Hundreds of businesses already save money and improve their “green credentials” by donating their clean scrap business waste to Scrapstores and with over 100 of them covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland they’re always keen to hear from potential business donors.

One the charity’s main priorities is to ensure sustainability for Scrapstores who are increasingly facing challenges from funding cuts both directly and indirectly from the community groups they serve. National Coordintaor Nikki DiGiovanni said, “We are contacting all MP’s to ensure that they are aware of the value and support provided by Scrapstores to the grassroots community groups so prominently featured in the coalition government’s published agreements for voluntary and community organisations, charities and social enterprises, which form the backbone of the ‘Big Society’ vision. We need recognition that these great value services exist, are valued and supported so that they can thrive without being at risk from further cuts in funding.”
...for more about ScrapstoresUK

LONDON RESOURCE NEWS

* Stansted airport launches food waste recycling service

Stansted has launched a food compositing initiative to divert its 5,000 tonnes of food waste a year from landfill. Launched in May, the initiative encourages the airport’s catering companies and food retailers to put their food waste into biodegradable bags, which are then collected by cleaners and sent by a contractor to an in-vessel composting facility in Huntingdon. The programme diverted more than 60 tonnes of food waste between May and July following an incentive scheme which introduced lower fees for the collection of food composting bags for retailers and caterers. Stanstead environmental compliance manager Kathy Morrissey said: “Most of the caterers are on board. I think it’s a learning curve for us in that, when we started, we only had 13 tonnes collected but as more firms have come on board, they are doing better in terms of segregating out food into the biodegradable bags. Ultimately we would like to get as much food as possible out.”
...for more on this story from MRW

AND FINALLY…

* Herpes Virus Strikes UK Oyster Beds, Could Wipe Out Local Stocks

Oysters worldwide have been faring badly. From pollution levels in filthy bays to now a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the populations of the popular shellfish have been hit hard. But now a new problem has hit the oysters of Whitstable -- a herpes virus is spreading among the Pacific variety. While not transferable to humans or even native oysters, the disease could wipe out what little harvesting is still done in the area once famed for its oyster catches.
...for more on this story from TreeHugger