South Beds FoE, Previous Actions

		Previous Actions


Town's Improved Cycling Facilities On Monday 14th July South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous cut the ribbon to declare new cycling facilities at Leighton Buzzard railway station officially open. The £51,500 improvements involved nearly tripling cycle parking from 24 to 64 spaces and providing covered parking for motorcycles, CCTV and new shelters. It is hoped the facilities will reduce congestion in the town. They have been funded by £7million worth of cash secured from central Government, Bedfordshire County Council and developers Arnold White by South Beds Friends of the Earth and Leighton Linslade Cycling Forum
South Beds Friends of the Earth 'Say NO to plastic' demonstration took place outside Tesco, Leighton Buzzard, on Saturday 7 June. There was a great turn out of group members, dressed in various outfits with banners and leaflets to raise awareness of the damage that plastic bags cause to the environment and wildlife. More information press article: Leighton Buzzard Observer/Citizen
Climate Change Airport Protest Saturday 5^th April saw thousands of campaigners around the country take action on Climate Change issues and South Beds Friends of the Earth was no exception here for more
Climate Change display Nature's Harvest August 2007		The biggest threat to Leighton Buzzard's future is climate change That's the message from a special display put on by South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth and local health store Nature's Harvest. Following the recent disastrous flooding, the environmental day held at the North Street shop highlighted the simple and practical ways in which everyone can make a difference to the crisis of climate change, some of them as simple as buying a re-useable shopping bag rather than using throwaway plastic bags. Members of South Beds FoE and Linslade resident Paul Brown, who is the former environment correspondent for the Guardian newspaper and author of a book on climate change, were present to answer questions and raise awareness of this pressing issue. Read full article in The Citizen
Wendy Fair Market		- Verdict: GUILTY (Hemel Gazette) - Call for action follows conviction (LB Citizen/Observer) - Market contract could be torn up (LB Citizen/Observer)
	d	Children's Activity afternoon New Linslade Wood, Weds 26th July On a baking hot Summer's afternoon we were pleased so many people made the effort to come along and many with very welcome contributions too. Esther Milne from the Greensand Trust occupied some of the children with a nature trail & tree naming activity whilst others among the group decided to stay put in the shade and create some wonderful nature collages. Refreshments were provided and thanks to small contributions we almost broke-even on the costs. Thanks to everyone who attended. Palm Oil, Leighton Buzzard 18th April 2006 Dressed in Tiger costumes and Orang-utan masks we gallantly congregated in the rain on the main road outside Tesco (Leighton Buzzard), waving placards once more to raise public awareness of the destruction caused by use of palm oil. Tesco and many other big companies still refuse to trace where the palm oil comes from. Pages Field - Saved! See local press release Following a protest on 19th February, which saw more than 200 people show their objections to plans to residential development on Pages Field, planning officers made the decision at a meeting at South Beds District Council (on Wednesday 8th March) to object to planning permission. There were several reasons given, one of those being that the field is within an area of archaeological interest. There were also concerns about the increased amount of traffic development would generate. Congratulations to all involved, but beware that the town council could appeal against the decision.... Call Victoria: 01525 385097 Palm Oil, Dunstable 29th October 2005 Dressed in Tiger costumes or Orang-utan masks we asked shoppers in Dunstable to prevent supermarkets destroying these animal's homes and driving them to extinction. Demand for palm oil is the most significant cause of rainforest loss in Malaysia and Indonesia. Palm oil plantations are also associated with human rights violations, low wages and appalling living conditions. Tesco and many other big companies have refused to trace where the palm oil comes from. So South Beds Friends of the Earth are asking shoppers to sign a postcard requesting their MP Andrew Selous to join with other MPs in stopping big business from destroying the environment. Climate Change, Houghton Regis 9th July 2005 We gathered together a fine display and handed out leaflets promoting awareness of Climate Change and The Big Ask. Make Poverty History 2nd July 2005 As the leaders of the world's richest countries gathered in Scotland for the G8 Summit, we joined many other campaigners around the world in sending a clear message demanding trade justice, debt cancellation, and more & better aid for the world's poorest countries. 'Birds not Planes' Demo, Leighton Buzzard April 2005: There was a great turn out & lots of support on a busy Saturday morning when we held a demonstration against Prescott's housing plans for the area. As the expansion in this area is based on Luton Airport expanding from 7 million to 30 million passengers a year, we had children dressed as birds with many aeroplanes to illustrate our message that the new housing will mean there is no space for wildlife. poster Waste Meeting, Leighton Buzzard January 2005: SBFoE organised a Waste Meeting open to the public, with specific reference to a new Green Waste Scheme being introduced to the area. Every household in South Bedfordshire have or will soon receive a wheelie bin exclusively for garden waste. A council representative gave a very informative talk and there followed a Q&A session. For further details and enquiries about the scheme contact South Beds. Waste Day of Action, Dunstable *September 2004:* The group organised a Waste Day of Action to promote Recycling, Reuse, Repair & Reduce. We were fortunate enough to get a good pitch on a sunny market day (Saturday) and local TV station Anglia Look East covered the story in the weekends' news bulletins. Children were involved in promoting the importance of recycling by being buried up to their necks with bin bags and demanding that people stop throwing recyclable items away. We produced a two-sided leaflet to hand out to members of the public - here in PDF format; leaflet A puzzle sheet was on-hand to keep children occupied whilst adults stopped to talk or sign a postcard petition requesting the council to start a kerbside collection of glass. (see article) Pond Dipping and Climate Change, Soulbury *August 2004:* We arranged a Pond Dipping activity to get families involved and to educate children on Climate Change through talks and various activities. We were fortunate enough to have an expert environmentalist to guide us around the Soulbury Millenium Green and who had prepared lots of material to help identify our findings. We also produced identity sheets so that everyone could record their findings. Small groups of children took it in turns to inspect the pond and used the identification sheets to collect information. The activities following the climate change talks were to illustrate the effect that we have on a daily basis, and how to make small changes in the home to help make a difference. There was a sorting activity for older children, and make a pinwheel for younger members (to demonstrate the power of a natural resource - wind!)
		home back to top