Herefordshire Green Network

I know – you’ve heard it before. I’ve written it before. But it is so so important, that we have to keep talking and sharing and helping people fill out the form. The information provided by the council is not easy to navigate, so let’s talk to people, answer their questions and get them writing! The plans have been designed by people who do not walk, cycle or use public transport. We need a bigger vision and better ideas to make this city workable for all. The transport hub is a bus stop. That is not enough! We need park and ride spots where people can leave their cars and walk, or hop on an (affordable) bus or hop on a bike. We need better public transport to serve our rural community. We need this to reduce congestion, pollution and improve the health and well being of all!

Lots of information in the Wye Ruin it? website – please share it!

Hundreds of people came together in front of Herefordshire Town Hall to show our councillors how much the planet’s future means to us and our children. We were soon joined by a large group of students from both the sixth form and Art College, carrying home made placards and chanting in one voice in a huge call to action. The mood was happy and united but not overly hopeful that we would get the declaration we all sought. However, I am delighted to be able to tell you that Herefordshire Council have indeed declared a climate emergency! This is fantastic news! But our work is not yet done. Councillors went on to tell the Hereford Times that this would not stop them from building the bypass that they have been working on for over 10 years (and we thought they were consulting the public on this!). Let’s celebrate a little bit but onwards we must go! There is much to be done.

If anybody would like to hear the beautiful song by Blythe Pepino called “Emergency” that was sung today, here is a link!

A company which uses plastic waste to surface roads has opened its first factory in Dumfries and Galloway.

The MacRebur plant in Lockerbie will take rubbish which would have gone to landfill to help produce asphalt.

A one-kilometre stretch of road made with its mix would use the equivalent of about 684,000 plastic bottles or 1.8m single-use plastic bags.

The granules are mixed with an activator to make the plastic bind and it is then bagged ready to be distributed to asphalt producers.

The company said its mix allowed the bitumen used in the production of asphalt to be extended and enhanced, reducing the amount of fossil fuel used.

If the company’s claims are right about the robustness of its product, plastic roads could be a game changer.

We all know what a nuisance potholes can be. If we can reduce them while putting waste plastic to good use it’s a double whammy.

Conventional roads use crude oil to make bitumen which binds the rocks, limestone and sand. This new process replaces some of that oil with plastic. And there’s apparently a “secret ingredient” in there too.

MacRebur say they are also working with Tesco to fix some of their car parks. And they have just agreed a £1.6m deal with the Department of Transport to test the technology in Cumbria.

“Our technology also means there are no plastic micro beads present in the mix and we can even recycle the road at the end of its lifespan, creating a circular economy that is sustainable and cost effective.”

MacRebur roads have already been laid around the world from Australia to Yorkshire using plastic waste processed by waste companies.

The new factory, which has created 12 jobs, brings the processing in-house with the hope of building further factories across Europe.

This piece first appeared in the Caplor Energy blog.

Almost 2,000 locations across the England, Wales and Northern Ireland have levels of air pollution that exceed safety limits, according to a pollution map released by campaigners.

In 2017, the worst location for nitrogen dioxide pollution was Kensington and Chelsea, followed by Leeds and Doncaster.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the most harmful pollutant gases, irritating the lungs and potentially causing breathing difficulties. Road traffic is a leading source.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said high levels of particulate matter in the air were also recorded in the past few days in the East and West Midlands. Other regions were also expected to experience localised pollution in hotspots, carrying on at least into Wednesday.

The new map of nitrogen dioxide pollution limit breaches for recent years shows that Earl’s Court station in London was worst overall, with a recording of 129.5 micrograms per cubic metre, compared with the 40μg/m3 limit set out in the government’s air quality objectives.

Simon Bowens, a clean air campaigner at FoE, said: “It’s unforgivable that across the UK there are nearly 2,000 locations over air quality limits, leaving millions of us breathing dangerously polluted air. The government needs to step up and do more to help deal with this air pollution crisis. They can’t just carry on leaving the difficult decisions with local authorities, many of which are severely under-resourced.”

He said the map showed that air pollution was not just a problem for big cities. “Unacceptably toxic air can be found across much of the UK, even in smaller towns,” he said. “It is harming the health of people across the country and is especially bad for young children whose lungs are still developing.”

Air pollution is known to shorten lives and reduce the quality of life for tens of thousands of people, and in recent studies it has also been linked to health problems from dementia to heart disease and miscarriage. Children are most at risk: exposure to air pollution when young can have lifelong effects as it can stunt the lungs and affect intelligence.

The data used for the map was taken from the most recent annual air quality status reports that have been submitted to government, most of them from last year, with the results adjusted for distance and other factors.

This article first appeared in Caplor Energy’s blog

Kington Council unanimously declared a Climate Emergency at their very well attended meeting on the 4th of March! There will be other actions to follow this, so watch this space. Kington joins 35 other councils across the UK that have done the same. Will Herefordshire Council be next? We certainly hope so. Join us on Friday morning (March 8th) for a peaceful demonstration alongside other organisations such as XR Hereford and the Labour Party, who have both encouraged supporters to turn up to the council offices. Write to your councillor too, to ensure that the declaration is made!

Meet us there from 8.45 onwards!