Current activities and campaigns
DUNDEE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN CONSULTATION
This is taking up most of our attention currently - see the "Events" page for more details. Close of the consultation period is 2 December.
NATIONAL
Scottish Elections
In the run-up to the Scottish Parliamentary Elections on 5 May 2011, we held a successful hustings event on 7 April. Candidates for four of the main parties came along for an informal grilling over soup in the West Church Hall Cafe, followed by a more formal presentation session and Q&A. This was organised in conjunction with People and Planet, and Transition Town Dundee. Questions ranged widely from transport issues to the proposed biomass plant and the future of economic growth in a world of finite resources. The images below show (left) Joe Fitzpatrick (SNP, in the centre) discussing election issues over a bowl of soup and (right) Richard McReady (Labour) speaking at the hustings whilst the other candidates look on.
Climate change
We continue to work with FoE Scotland in their national campaigns against climate change and to promote renewable energy. Our most recent AGM on 24 November 2010 was preceded by a well-attended Open Meeting where Duncan McLaren, Chief Executive of FoE Scotland (until recently), presented the findings from a new report into "The Power of Scotland Secured" showing how renewables could meet all of Scotland's electricity requirements by 2030. To find out more:
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See the video of Duncan's presentation on YouTube here
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The presentation slides can be seen here.
It's not just about Climate Change. Our planet, including our patch of it in Scotland, is being polluted, poisoned and misused. Here in Scotland, air pollution kills 2,000 people a year; most of our waste is dumped, not recycled; and one in twelve homes is at risk of flooding.
In the wider world, large corporations are working with little regard for our planet's or people's environmental needs. Massive tracts of rainforest are still being cut down and industrial development has contaminated every environment from the Arctic ice fields to the deepest oceans.
No to massive biomass plants in Scotland
We are campaigning strongly against the proposal by Forth Energy (a partnership between Forth Ports and Scottish & Southern Energy) to develop four massive biomass plants at ports in the east of Scotland, including Dundee. Whilst we agree with the Scottish Government policy favouring smaller biomass plants fuelled by timber from Scotland and northern Europe, which have a high ratio of heat output in relation to electricity generated, we are opposed to much larger facilities which are dependent on importing virtually all the timber. There is clearly a big risk that if there are several of these developments in the UK and elsewhere they will result in more land being diverted from food production to forestry, more virgin forests being cleared and more poor communities losing their livelihoods. The proposed biomass plant at Dundee would produce 100MW of electricity but only 30MW of heat, making it highly inefficient compared to industry best practice. It would dominate the Dundee waterfront close to the prestigious V&A museum which is due to be built there. And far from reducing Scotland's carbon emissions, it would actually result in a big INCREASE in CO2 emissions for several decades before replacement trees can take up equivalent amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Yet the company and its investors would still be able to take massive subsidies from government because it would technically be a renewable energy plant. A decision is likely by the Scottish Government later this year (2011), so the more support we can attract to this campaign the better our chances of stopping these dangerous and misguided proposals.
No to Nuclear
The UK Government is inviting companies to build the first new nuclear power stations in the country for over 2 decades. Although some "environmentalists" have come round in support of nuclear power as the only way to tackle climate change in time, we in Friends of the Earth remain opposed. Nuclear power is dangerous, expensive and too late to solve the problems of carbon emissions from fossil fuels. It is also unnecessary, given Scotland’s huge potential for wind, solar and water generated renewable power, and the Scottish Government recognises this. In 2006 we were active in bringing FoE Scotland's "White Elephant" campaign to Dundee. We are continuing that campaign and continuing to press for more renewable energy generation locally.
No to Nuclear – FoET members campaigning in Dundee
Nuclear power may be carbon-free, but mining of uranium, construction of the power stations and processing fuel all produce enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. We cannot dispose of nuclear waste, and we have as yet found no means of safe storage.
Also, it is the waste products of nuclear power production that fuel nuclear weapons.
LOCAL
Promotion and Fundraising
On a cold spring day in 2011, Anne Stuart and June Braithwaite ran a stall as part of a Plant Sale at Forfar (pictured below). They raised some useful funds, although the main intention was to encourage the sharing of surplus produce, rather than good plants being put on the compost heap. It's all part of the "Reduce, reuse, recycle" message to cut back on unnecessary waste in our society - and anyway, it's good to share.
Local and Regional Plans
We try to bring a greener dimension to planning decisions, including local and structure plans, and would like to do more. We are currently preparing a submission for the Dundee Local Plan which is at the Main Issues Report stage. In previous years we addressed the Angus Local Plan Hearing to campaign for a stronger wind energy policy.
Climate Change
Our local councils are making commendable efforts in some ways but could do more. We are always trying to campaign for an environmentally friendly agenda where we can. In the past we have given a briefing to Dundee City Councillors to put the case for renewable instead of nuclear energy generation. We are also very interested in the "green" credentials of Dundee House, the replacement for Tayside House (see events listing).
Local Public Transport Services
Lack of integration between train and bus services in Dundee has been a serious concern for many years, since pleas to turn the site next to train station into a bus interchange were turned down in favour of office blocks. During spring and summer 2010 FoE Tayside consulted other local organisations on their concerns and in September a delegation met the Council's Head of Transportation, Neil Gellatly. It was a productive meeting with several possibilities discussed, including provision of a Tay Estuary commuter train service between Perth, Dundee and Arbroath, and inclusion of bus stops in plans for an upgrade to Dundee Train Station. However both these developments seem to be several years away. The Council is planning more immediate improvements to signage at the train station and elsewhere to help visitors find their way around town.
This is no comfort to those arriving by train wanting to connect with buses, who have to carry their luggage across busy streets to try and find the appropriate bus stop. FoE Tayside members were joined by members of the Dundee Green Party and Greenpeace in a demonstration walk through the city from the train station to the bus station on 25 September. Even Desperate Dan joined the protesters in the City Square, as can be seen in the photo below.
Wind Turbines
We have campaigned in favour of well-sited local wind farms, including those proposed at Ark Hill, Angus and Drumderg, Perth. Both of these now have planning permission to go ahead.
Waste recycling
We have worked with Dundee City Council in the preparation of waste recycling booklets for householders – ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’. We are currently campigning for more widely available recycling facilities for the widely used tetrapacks
When are "renewables" sustainable? - Forth Ports' proposed Biomass Energy Plant.
In September 2010 we submitted an objection to the application by Forth Ports to develop a Biomass "Renewable Energy Plant" at Dundee harbour, based on our concerns about the source of the timber and other biomass and the impact of harvesting massive quantities of biomass on other types of landuse, food production and the remaining virgin forests around the globe. We are also concerned about the cumulative effects of air pollution on the city where pollution levels are already high, and the impact of releasing hot water into the aquatic environment. What's more, the plant is supposed to provide "combined heat and power" yet there is no evidence of how heat will be supplied, or to whom, in the absence of the necessary infrastructure.
Committee involvement
We are currently represented on the Dundee Partnership for the Environment, and the Angus Transport Forum. See ‘Links’ for contact details We support and work with other local organisations campaigning for a greener and a fairer world – see links page for contact details. We are members of Solar Cities Scotland (locally Dundee Sun City), Sustainable Communities Initiatives and Dundee Voluntary Action.
BeachWatch
We survey and clean local beaches once a year as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch Campaign – gloves and bags provided! Weather not guaranteed!
The latest cleanup took place over the weekend of 18/19 September 2010 and attracted many volunteers including staff members from Blair Drummond Safari Park near Doune, Perthshire. There was the usual wide range of rubbish which has been carelessly discarded, particularly plastic drinks bottles and cans and fast food containers, but also a surprising number of dog poo bags. There were several tyres, a kitchen worktop, parts of children's bikes and kids' pushchairs. But the worst sight was the discovery of thousands of small bits of polystyrene that had been released from cushioning bags used by the construction industry. Even as the cleanup continues, investigations are under way to find out how this happened, whether SEPA should have taken firmer action when a load of bags were released onto the Dighty Burn in February 2010, and whether new regulations are required to help avoid this happening again.
FoET, along with beach cleanup partners Tayside Recyclers, in July 2010 received a grant of £1000 to support this year's beach clean activities and we plan to share our experience with other groups around Scotland.
Beachwatch – FoET in Action in Angus Beachwatch 2010 team ready to start collecting at Broughty Ferry
photo courtesy of Nicola McCleery, Blair Drummond Safari Park
Other activities
We organise trips for members – e.g. to the Kinghorn Earthship and Jamesfield organic restaurant and shop.
From time to time we allocate part of the regular meeting to a speaker or to a film presentation.