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PCS Wales Green Newsletter no.2 Summer 2009

Hello and welcome to the second PCS Wales Green newsletter!

Thanks for your positive comments about the first newsletter, these were much appreciated and show there is a real understanding of green issues out there and an appetite to get involved. Thanks also to John McDonald, of our Fujitsu branch, who came up with the newsletter’s title. A bottle of Fairtrade wine is on its way to him.

It is interesting that at a time of recession the environment is not off the agenda. The Greens’ “Green New Deal'' is gaining interest.

It makes sense that with the twin threats of recession and environmental degradation, we can deal with both by investing in environmental solutions such as solar panels, lagging, etc and at the same time creating thousands of jobs.

This got us thinking that as government still presses on with its proposed 100k job cuts in the civil service can we identify areas of work that could be expanded or created within the civil service that would positively contribute to the environment? Let’s have your ideas and see if we can’t mount a campaign in Wales around it.

It’s not impossible. The inspiring example of workers at Visteon has shown the way. Faced with the loss of their jobs in the car industry the workers fought back in a brilliant how of strength. Rather than a strike, they occupied the factories!!!

Moreover, rather than then producing more cars that couldn’t be sold, they started to plan around how production could be moved over, using their skills, to manufacture environmentally sound products. It seems their union has now intervened so we wish them luck and hope that their ideas come to fruition.

All told, this example again demonstrates that the answer to dealing with both climate change and the recession rests with workers themselves coming up and self managing the solutions.

Government has its place but we need to keep up the pressure on them.

In the meantime, for inspiration we recommend:

• The campaign against Climate Change:
• Climate Camp - one in Wales soon, get involved!!
• Centre for Alternative Technology - all you need to know, right here in Wales!!!
• And the TUC Green Camp at Tolpuddle!
Steve Ryan  

Community Action in Wrexham 

Local councillor, Marc Jones, celebrates a successful community allotment scheme.

The huge rise in demand for allotments isn't surprising in the current economic climate - people want to grow their own for health, fitness and to save money. That was the driving motivation behind one self-managed community allotment that's just started in Caia Park, Wrexham's largest council estate.

Some council officers dismissed the idea, saying there was no demand in Caia Park and that the council had no land that wasn't contaminated. But we persevered and found suitable land owned by a community association, who gave us their backing.

The group decided that, rather than be run as a traditional council allotment, we'd run it ourselves. We'd be organic, provide allotments for community groups and try to encourage bio-diversity. Slowly but surely we got 45 people interested enough to put down the first year's rent - £20 for a 8m by 5m plot. So much for "no demand in Caia Park"! Many are youngsters who are keen to provide nutritious food for their families and we've accessed some expertise from a local horticultural college that provides a basic gardening course for us beginners.

We also became very good at accessing grants to pay for fencing, planning permission, a disability access path, water supplies and tools - raising a total of £11,000 in just six months.

Bureaucratic delays, and some sniping from political opponents, have held up the project until now. By the time you read this, we're expecting to be on site and planting our first crops. One plot holder has asked to keep bees and some want to keep chickens. We all want to bring the community - which has been quite fractured - closer together. What better way than growing and nurturing a new project?

Plans are already afoot to plant fruit trees and even produce cider... Caia Cider. It's got a ring to it!

For me, as a life-long socialist and community activist, the most pleasing aspect has been that we've done it all ourselves - along with the fantastic support of a few council officers who did back the scheme. Rather than rely on "the council" to do it for us, as has so often been the case, people have taken it upon themselves and worked together. It's been a bigger effort and more work but everyone's pulled together to get where we are.

Even better, other communities are now starting to get in touch from around the borough because they've heard about this new venture. We tell them - go out and do it, it's easy, it's fun.

Marc represents the Whitegate ward on Wrexham County Borough Council. For more information, please contact him at marcvjones@gmail.com

1st PCS Green Course a Huge Success!

In March, the first ever PCS green course ran in Wales. The course ran over 3 days and covered a wide range of issues that affect PCS members, from office recycling schemes and greening the workplace to a history of green action within the trade union movement and idea pooling on how PCS reps and members can support local community green initiatives. An action plan was produced by the attendees, which gives a clear way forward for the union in Wales and has been referred to the PCS Wales Committee for consideration: 

Proposed Action Points:

  • Funding bid for next year from PCS Wales to national union for the green agenda.
  • Project team to look at raising the bar at Welsh Assembly level for statutory rights for green reps – will require some strategy planning at Wales Committee level – could be cross union (would raise PCS Wales’ profile).
  • Aim for a green rep in every branch – carry out mapping to ascertain where green reps are at present – support & encouragement to branches to get involved.
  • Annual/ bi-yearly Green Forum – akin to the current ULR forum.
  • Quarterly newsletter plus monthly updates: ‘Did you know?’ briefs, etc (these could be a resource on the internet for branches to use where they see fit – our new green reps had enough ideas for 12 months worth off the top of their heads)
  • Keep website up to date – which should include guidance on:
    • collating evidence & local negotiation
    • sustainability information
    • employer policy
    • model MP/ AM letters
    • model letters to employers
    • joint climate change agreement from each workplace as example
       

Other actions that could be taken:
 

  • Workplace environmental waste reports – would need a central point for collation.
  • Trade councils affiliation to forward green agenda on a wider level – need to issue guidance to PCS trades council members.
  • Lobby PCS negotiators to ensure green awareness
  • Motions to Wales TUC
  • Run course at least annually – look at a follow-up Stage 2 course (there currently isn’t one) – work with WTUC?
  • Pressure on local authorities re: recycling, green spaces, transport etc (e.g. bus to work schemes).
  • Pressure on employers – transport & recycling.
  • Raise green agenda in workplaces via ULR / Learning at Work Day
  • Build links with local community action groups such as community gardens/ recycling schemes/ local anti-road campaigns etc.

The course was attended by 17 PCS reps from around Wales, all of whom went away enthused with lots of ideas for projects within their own workplaces. As one example of the work that has already been done, Shelley Parker, who is a rep in HMRC in Cardiff, has already started to take action in her workplace by approaching her management with a business case for using local recycling schemes in the office (see below).
 

Introduction of Recycling bins within the Contact Centres

After recently paying a visit to the Court Service in Cardiff and meeting with Green Reps for the WAG, I realised just how far behind the contact centre is in terms of recycling.
We currently do not have any recycling facilities on the 12th floor and the amount of plastic, non confidential waste and glass that is ending up on Landfill sites directly from the 12th floor is astronomical.
All I have to do is look in one of the household waste bins in the rest area and there is at least 70% of its contents that can be recycled with little or no cost to HMRC.
Therefore, I pledge that HMRC support our campaign to make the contact centre an environmentally friendly place and therefore setting a precedent for all staff to follow.
I enclose a copy of the Refuse Collection Costs that I requested from Cardiff Council and I think you would agree that the costs are surprisingly low.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you in the future to ensure we all play our part in maintaining the environment as a whole.


Transition Towns

In the first instalment of a two-part article, Chris Hall describes a growing movement dedicated to building sustainable communities

In recent years Western society has focussed upon production and consumption as a means to growth, jobs and private wealth.

To be accurate, that could be characterised as over-production, over-consumption and massive waste, placing us on the brink of a climate change catastrophe, which will be difficult to prevent. Quite simply we will need the resources of 2.5 planets to cope with current levels of consumer consumption.

Will we get (can we wait for?) a political solution from the governments across the world? Time is clearly running out so we must start to plan for our own solutions to the impending ecological crisis. Hence the idea of ‘Transition Towns’, designed to prepare for the end of our North Sea oil supply, which is fast running out. These towns are facing the challenge of working toward carbon-neutral communities.

The first Transition town was Totnes in Devon in 2006, quickly followed by a number of other English towns, especially in the south-west, along with Kinsale in Ireland. There is now a network of 185 transition towns, stretching across Europe, North America, Japan and Australasia and including eleven towns in Wales.

Individuals within their communities needn’t feel isolated, overwhelmed and powerless faced with the size of the task. By working together these small, enthusiastic “eco” groups can make a real difference empowering other groups within the local community to find sustainable/green solutions to their own problems.

Transition towns have their own plan, based upon twelve steps beginning with the creation of a ‘steering group’, to undertake initial environmental planning. Next follows an ‘awareness-raising’ process within the town, using talks and films.
Engagement takes place with any interested existing community groups; schools, colleges, local businesses, allotment groups, local co-ops renewal projects, faith groups etc. There follows a launch event to an inquisitive public, followed by working groups which focus on areas such as transport, food, energy, arts, medicine, health and even a ‘heart and soul’ group.

Each strand will seek to have an impact upon the local community, be it through tree planting, food production or local transport strategies, etc. This process will include re-skilling on a massive scale, so that people learn about wild food, natural living and local resources. In these later stages, links should be made with the local council and elders within the community, who have experience or knowledge which can make a valuable contribution to the transition town project.

The benefit of starting now is the time gained; which allows for the transition and people to adjust to less extravagant, more sustainable lifestyles.
 

(Part 2 will follow in the next newsletter)
 

 

Contact Points

If you have any feedback or questions about this newsletter or other green issues relevant to PCS, or anything that you’d like to contribute to a future issue, please contact one of the following: