How could we improve Finsbury Park streets?

In the US and Canada there is a massive problem in cities caused by an excess of male trees and no females

TL;DR: City authorities find it resource-intensive to clean up fruit and seeds from femaie trees, and so have for many years only planted male trees, whose pollen blows away. This increases the amount of pollen in city air enormously, exacerbating asthma and other breathing-related conditions.

I wonder whether London has the same policy.

https://twitter.com/Flaminhaystack/status/1257648064954761216

Islington BC looking for advice on going carbon-neutral

https://www.islington.media/news/islington-council-wants-your-help-to-tackle-the-climate-and-ecological-emergencies

New Solar Together Project for domestic PV in London

We are also pleased that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is repeating last year’s domestic solar panel installation project as part of his effort and plan to get London to zero carbon by 2050 (that is a late target, but Sadiq is the first Mayor to have a zero carbon target for London). The group-buying scheme for solar panels is running again, to reduce prices as far as possible with bulk-buying, but you need to hurry to get registered (with no commitment at this stage) by 21 October. The more people join in, the cheaper the panels become.

We are particularly pleased that Islington Council is again supporting this effort to reduce carbon emissions. Other participating Boroughs are Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Sutton, and Waltham Forest. Not sure why Haringey has dropped off the list, that’s a bit sad. The website says that residents living in non-participating boroughs can join in as well.

We had solar panels put on our house at the back this time last year under the last scheme. We are very pleased with them, the energy they are saving for us, and the contribution we are now making to the UK’s renewable energy. The installers were charming and efficient.

We hope that lots of Archway and Islington residents (and other Londoners!) will get signed up for this. To register, go to http://www.islington.gov.uk/solartogether

London’s All Electric Bus Routes Come to Archway

We are delighted to read in the newsletter of the Better Archway Forum that we are going to get more electric buses running through the area, cutting out particulates, NOXes, etc., which damage everybody’s health, and CO2 emissions from diesel engines. We do not know whether TfL is going to be using renewable energy to run these new buses – maybe one of our readers could kindly try and establish this.

However, it is certainly good news. London is set to get the biggest electric double-decker bus fleet in Europe with TfL planning for 240 electric buses. Leading the way are routes 43 and 134, as London’s first fully electric, zero-emission double deck services since the trolley buses, the 43 operated by Metroline from the Archway bus garage.

Route 43 will use 37 new BYD electric double deck vehicles while route 134 will use 31 new Optare electric double deck vehicles on services which carry around 18.5 million people across the City annually.

The 10.9m-long electric double deckers are built to TfL’s specification using an Iron-Phosphate battery system which enables the buses to run all day on a single charge using cost effective off-peak electricity.

As well as being pollution free, the new buses should give us all a much quieter and more relaxing ride.

Heathrow Consultation Exercise – Again

Heathrow is pulling out all the stops in another attempt to push through their third runway scheme. Leaflets have been dropped far and wide exhorting – ‘Get involved and have your say’.

The page for online feedback is https://aec.heathrowconsultation.com/topics/responses/ but there are no questions about whether you want expansion or not, just mention of findings that failure to expand would damage the economy.

Other research however shows that the growth in flying is for leisure, not business, and even that use is restricted to a relatively small proportion of the population. Whether that will continue to expand however is moot given an increasingly weakened pound because of Brexit, plus increasing pressure over global warming.

Boris, who like Hunt, is reported to have received large campaign donations from climate change deniers, may wave this through regardless. But given that it will take time to come to fruition, if you don’t think it’s a good idea it may be worth responding and inserting additional comments, just in case there is a judicial review.

Monday 1 July: Council Leader question opportunity

Ask your questions to the council leader (this is a good moment to ask where the Council is on various climate issues, for example).

Islington residents are invited to join council leader Cllr Richard Watts to have their say at Leader’s Question Time, where you can ask questions about local issues that matter to you. The event will be held at Whittington Park Community Association (The Lounge Room), Yerbury Road, N19 4RS, from 6.30pm-8pm on Monday 1 July 2019.

If you would like to submit a question in advance, or if you can’t attend the event, email your question to leadersquestions@islington.gov.uk.

The hashtag #LeadersQT will be used by @IslingtonBC on the night, so that everyone can join the debate on Twitter.

Petition to Islington Council to debate Climate Crisis, Divestment

https://www.change.org/p/islington-council-declare-a-climate-emergency-in-islington-and-target-net-zero-emissisons-by-2030

Petition Against Proposed VAT on Renewable Energy

38 degrees has noticed the government is proposing to add to the cost of installing renewable energy. Their ideas is to add VAT to low carbon energy generation and storage to a rate four times higher than that on polluting coal.

To object sign at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/halt-the-solar-and-storage-vat-hike. 

 

The Benefits of Trees

Yorkshire Tea (owners also of Taylor’s and Betty’s of Harrogate) are to be applauded for  making a major investment in trees both in the UK, and in Kenya where their tea comes from https://www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/yorkshire-tree.

Their publicity notes that:

There are around 3 billion trees in Britain.

The ‘natural capital’ value of services provided by trees in the UK, such as maintaining air and water quality, is £22.5 billion.

The carbon stored by UK forest trees as wood is 150 million tonnes, with a further 640 million tonnes in forest soils.

The ratio of conifers to broadleaf trees in the UK in 2018 was 51:49.

A veteran oak tree takes 300 years to grow, 300 to live and for the final 300 years undergoes gradual retraction, shedding branches until eventually it dies.

Tree cover makes up:

• 10% of England
• 15% of Wales
• 19% of Scotland
• 8 % of Northern Ireland

So plenty of scope for planting more then.