earthfirst – Page 181

More broken promises and lies as the fight to save Mainshill Wood continues.

The threat from Scottish Coal is growing, just as the front line against new coal looks forward to its one month birthday (complete with picnic). So get down here! Its now or never!

The threat from Scottish Coal is growing, just as the front line against new coal looks forward to its one month birthday (complete with picnic). So get down here! Its now or never! The Mainshill Solidarity Camp is extremely grateful for the continuing support from the local community and will be celebrating its one month birthday on Sunday 19th July with a community picnic at 3pm to which everyone is welcome.

Local residents awoke on Monday morning to the news of yet another application for an extension at Poniel [1], a Scottish Coal mine in the Douglas Valley, something that communities had been assured would not happen, and which new planning policy guards against…

Poniel Open Cast Coal site, a few hundred metres away from Mainshill, will be extended by 100,000 tonnes over a six month period. This broken promise is yet another example of the disregard shown to communities and the environment in the pursuit of profit.

Across the valley at Mainshill, environmental devastation and disastrous health impacts will result from the open casting of the 350ha site to extract 1.7million tonnes of coal which will cause 4.98million tonnes [2] of carbon emissions when burnt, excluding the huge emissions released through the extraction process [3].

Rather than responding to the objections made against these plans, Douglas and Angus Estates and its owner Lord Home (currently being investigated for alleged fraud [4]) prefer instead to make unfounded allegations in a recent media statement against the Mainshill Solidarity Camp [5] and continue to deny communities, through sham consultation, of their health, self determination and environmental justice.

At the public hearing attended by several members of the camp who also live in the local community, only two of the 700 people who objected were allowed to speak against the proposal. To prevent the casting aside of these objections and to obstruct the work already begun on site, the occupation of Mainshill Woods through direct action has been undertaken in solidarity with the local community.

Preparatory work for the mine such as the tree felling and bore sample drilling work undertaken by Apex already has been glossed over by the Estate and contravenes 7 conditions of the planning approval regarding studies to ascertain the presence of certain endangered species such as badgers and bats, which the occupiers know to be present on site.

The Estate has misreported the unearthing of an 11KVA underground power cable accusing the Mainshill Solidarity Camp of almost causing a “major disaster”. It was in fact Apex and Scottish Coal who endangered the lives of those on site and the local community by driving heavy machinery over the shallowly buried and unmarked cable. Any heavy machinery could cause death to the occupiers since the site is now comprehensively defended with treehouses and tunnels.

The Estate and Scottish Coal’s persistent profiteering from coal has been defended with reference to carbon capture and storage technology, however even the industry says that CCS is 20 years away. Only a small percentage of emissions can be captured using CCS technology at present [6]. CCS is a smokescreen for mining new coal, and evades the dramatic reduction in consumption integrated with localised renewable solutions and collective community action which is required given current scientific consensus regarding climate change.

The communites which would suffer the environmental injustice and negative health impacts resulting from coal extraction should have control over their local environment. If the planning system continues to side with the coal industry, futher direct action will be the only reasonable response.

ENDS

For more information please see: http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk or phone
the site for interviews on 07806926040

Notes to Editors
[1]
http://www.douglascommunitycouncil.info/news.asp?intent=viewstory&newsid=18504
[2] Carbon combines with oxygen in the atmosphere during combustion,
producing carbon dioxide, with an atomic weight of (12 + 16 x 2 = 44
kg/kmol). The CO2 released to air for each kilogram of incinerated coal is
therefore 2.93kg.
[3] http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19826520.100-capturing-carbon.html
[4]
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/coutts-bank-chairman-lord-home-named-carroll-trust-case-0
[5] The Mainshill Solidarity Camp has been occupying Mainshill Woods since
18/6/09 in order to resist Scottish Coal’s plans to develop a new open
cast coal mine.
[6] CorporateWatch Technofixes Report downloadable at
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=3126

The View from the Trees – spring & summer in Cascadia, USA,

Humboldt Earth First! Canopy Communique #1
Cutten, South Cascadia, the McKay Tract canopy. The landscape unfolds below us as a patchwork quilt of war. Looking west, one sees the suburb, progress enacting its will upon the occupied countryside. More development is planned, but it is not yet happening. We have primarily met friendly people who live here, and enjoy hanging out in the forest. We asked them if they want their suburb to grow, to continue to “develop,” and they emphatically do not.

Among the second- and third-growth trees to the south lay a few erroneous mini-mansions encroaching upon the landscape, with stumps in their yards wider than any of the three SUVs in their driveways. The residents enjoy a quiet life until one of them starts running powertools.

We look east and see the tops of enormous old-growth redwoods towering above the hundred-year-old second growth. Some friends live here, including spotted owls, ospreys, turkey vultures, black bears, newts, voles, flying squirrels and arboreal humans.

To the north lies a clearcut. Three years ago, Green Diamond (GD), formerly Simpson Timber Company, came in and cut down every last tree in the unit, leaving a few huge burned-out snags. Pampas grass and milkweed grow to human height in the trees’ absence, but this area is dry and getting dryer.

They planted a few baby conifers, redwoods and others after they cut. Those trees are now three years old, meaning they can cut a couple more units and then start re-zoning the land from timberland to residential. More mini-mansions are planned. So it goes.…

However our forest friends disagree with these plans. They want to live, and our solution is to live with them. For the past several months, we’ve been occupying two tree villages in the McKay, tying in as many giant trees as possible with traverses to protect them with our own bodies from being cut down. Tree-sitting has been used to defend forests in Humboldt for decades, and traverses enable a few humans to defend a large number of trees without leaving the canopy.

We chose this grove because the trees stand directly against the march of Leviathan in the form of suburban development, and the neighbors (in house down below) stand with us, and give us love and support. The other grove, (also slated to be clearcut), features an osprey nest, at least one spotted owl nest, flocks of turkey vultures circling overhead, a trail and campsite used frequently by bears, and a creek that serves as watershed for the Humboldt Bay’s healthiest population of Coho salmon. These critters have also shown much love to the treesitters, particularly the flying squirrels who share our food at night and the owls who hang out, provide moral support and watch us climb.

GD, is now the most-active transnational timber corporation remaining in Humboldt. They have clearcuts scheduled every year across the Northwest, and have largely escaped public scrutiny by a process of 21st-century greenwashing and alliances with the state. For example, the GD Habitat Conservation Plan for spotted owls gives the owls a vague, constantly shifting zone of “habitat” on GD land and a few remaining “wildlife trees”, usually of low monetary value, on land that they clearcut. In return, GD gets a bunch of “incidental take” permits for owls, which is a license to kill them at will. The GD plan for the McKay Tract is clearcutting, followed by residential development to double the size of Cutten, California, adding more residents to the near city of Eureka.

So far, no chainsaws have fallen upon the McKay this year. However, Summer operating season is upon us, logging could begin any day of any week. Neighbors are continuing to raise their voices in support. They hike, bike, and ride horses along the logging roads in solidarity with residents of the forest. Treesitters are still needed to live in the canopy, protecting this last refuge of wild creatures from the perpetual war that is human progress. Anyone wishing to spend part or all of the summer up in trees is encouraged to contact Earth First! Humboldt at (707) 834-5170; www.efhumboldt.org.
“May the forest bewitch you,” the canopy ninjas of EF! Humboldt.

——–

********Newsflashes:

Cascadia Summer Continues…
July 13th, 2009

The logging blockade in Oregon’s Elliot State forest was raided by a reported 60+ police accompanied by a bulldozer. 27 people were arrested. This marks only the beginning of Cascadia Summer.

Meanwhile, here in Humboldt we are steadily continuing the occupation of our local rainforest canopy to stop Green Diamond from logging 41 acres of Redwood forest over 100 years old. The grove is home to Spotted Owls, Osprey and Black Bears. It is a refuge that is surrounded by young tree plantations, clearcuts and suburbs.

We have set up multiple tree-sits and a traverse rope network tying up a large area of forest near the Spotted Owl nest. The ropes allow above ground travel and increase the effectiveness of the tree-sits by linking many trees together.

So far the company has held off from logging though the plan has been approved for months. Green Diamond says they won’t send climbers up to take activists out of the trees because it’s “too dangerous”.

If you would like to live and work in the Redwood forest canopy or help support our activities please give us a call or write us an email.

contactefhum@gmail.com

707-834-5170

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Earth First! Blockades Logging Road in Oregon
July 7th, 2009
Early yesterday morning, a large team of activists (including Humboldt EF!ers) skillfully and valiently blockaded a logging road to protect over 70 acres of 100+ year old coastal forest that was being cut down. This kicks off the “Cascadia Summer” campaign to highlight ongoing environmental damage and shut down highly destructive logging activities in the Pacific Northwest. Some of our comrades are locked to the van in the picture as well as barrels full of concrete that block the road. Others are perched high atop structures that have support ropes that are attached to the gate and to the overturned van. Any attempt to move the van or gate and the structures would collapse and harm the activists. They are still there and have put out the call for more to join the effort.

Here are some links to stories about the ongoing action in Cascadia.

Cascadia Summer Blog

FD’s Blog (more pictures)

News story 1

News story 2

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Green Diamond Threatening Tree-sitters With Extraction
June 19th, 2009
Early this morning, tree-sitters in the McKay Tract recieved threats from Green Diamond employees. The GD employees stated that if the activists did not come down that GD would send climbers up to arrest them.

Yesterday, at least 2 GD employees spent nearly the entire day on the ground around the tree-sits and attempted to get ahold of a rope hanging from one of the sits. It was quickly pulled higher by a sitter.

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Rainy Spring Days
May 15th, 2009

Update from the woods: There have been no signs of trucks or heavy machinery as of yet. Well timed spring rains are keeping the roads muddy and undrivable. We are on the lookout for any signs of company activity.

What we have seen lately are Spotted Owls, Osprey, large Black Bear tracks in the mud and a Green Diamond surveyor. The wildness and beauty of this forest is an inspiration. The ongoing assistance from our local supporters is crucial, thanks for all the help!

If you would like to join us in the forest or help from town please do, more tree-sitters and ground crew are always needed.

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Flying Squirrel Discovers Tree-sitters
March 17th, 2009

This Northern Flying Squirrel arrived at the tree-sits last week. It was the first of it’s species to be seen by activists living in the Redwood canopy since the first tree-sit went up in August of last year. The squirrels are nocturnal and are sometimes preyed upon by Spotted Owls. They mate in May and June and live in groups in the cavities of large trees. They have often been seen in the past in tree-sits in old-growth groves.

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Alert- GD Employees In McKay Today
March 13th, 2009

Though logging hasn’t started, Green Diamond is frequently visiting the tree sits, sometimes bringing sherrifs along. Today, two activists were chased through the forest by loggers but safely got away. Ground support is on alert and tree-sitters are prepared to defend the tree-villages in the event that logging begins. If you want to be part of our action alert list please let us know. You don’t necessarily have to trespass to support the tree-sits. There are many things to do in town and one of the sits can be witnessed from Northridge Rd. in Cutten, east of Eureka.

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McKay 09 Update: No Logging Yet
March 6th, 2009

Tree-sitters are maintaining their vigilance as logging could begin any day. More trees have been added to the traverse rope networks, there are now over 20 Redwood and Sitka Spruce trees being defended. They range in age from 70 to over 100 years old. Tree-sitters are requesting camp stoves with re-usable fuel bottles, large tarps, climbing gear, reading material, and most importantly- more people to join them in the defense of this forest and our planet.

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EF! Humboldt Tree-sit Update
February 25th, 2009

* Spotted Owl nesting season protections to begin on March 1st. Green Diamond cannot cut within 1/4 mile of the Owls nest until they determine whether or not the Owls have successfully mated. If they find that the Owls have mated, the so called protection would only last for a matter of months. If not, they can go ahead and log. Green Diamonds findings will most likely be kept secret. The fox is guarding the hen house.
* Earth First!ers are occupying part of this territory to defend not only the Owls habitat but as much of this diverse eco-system as we can.
* The numerous activists occupying trees here are weathering the storms and continuing to expand the defended areas.
* Unidentified persons wearing hard hats have made multiple threats to cut the trees down.
* The defense of this forest continues…

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More Eco-Warriors Ascend Threatened Redwoods in McKay Tract
February 19th, 2009

There are now two tree-sit villages defending areas of forest in the threatened Redwood groves of Ryan Creek. Green Diamond employees and Humbldt County Sheriffs visited both sites yesterday and inspected the situation. Today, different workers appearing to be loggers visited at least one site and also inspected the tree-sits. This escalation of activity by the company may indicate they are preparing to log very soon.

There are multiple traverse lines throughout both of the tree-sit areas. These are not always clearly visible from the ground. Activists have put red DANGER tape around many of the trees that, if cut, pose a deadly threat to the tree-sitters.

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Arboreal Protesters Occupy Threatened Redwoods
December 2nd, 2008

Tree-sitters unfurled a large 30 ft. wide banner this morning on the edge of the great Redwood forest, east of Eureka, Ca. The banner reads “Hey Green Diamond, Stop Clear-cutting -Earth First!”. The sitters remain aloft and are occupying several large second growth trees that are slated for logging. We invite the public to come and see the threatened forest for themselves. (Directions below).

The Green Diamond Resource Company plans to log 60 acres of large second growth and residual old growth Redwoods here in the near future. The two groves represent the oldest remaining forest and best habitat for old-growth dependent species like the Northern Spotted Owl. The owls are nesting in the other grove where trees over 1,000 years old still stand. Green Diamond has a permit to destroy the habitat of this endangered species. The Green Diamond land is located in the “McKay Tract” and totals 7,200 acres. Nearly the entire Tract (and the entire California Redwood range) has been clear-cut once already since the 1800’s and over half of the tract has been logged within the past 20 years. The McKay Tract encompasses the Ryan Creek watershed. Green Diamond also has plans for residential development here, threatening the health and survival of the largest Coho Salmon population in the Humboldt Bay watershed. We’ll have more info and updates on this in the near future.

Directions:

From Arcata go South on 101.

Turn Left on Myrtle Ave.

Turn Right on Harrison.

Harrison turns into Manzanita.

Turn Left on Dolbeer St.

Turn Left onto Walnut Drive at 3 the way intersection.

Stay on Walnut and look for the big green watertanks.

Shortly after that turn Left onto Northridge rd.

The forest will be on your left and the big white banner is visible from the road.

Please be respectful to the neighbors, thanks.

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Mass Extinction – It’s Real – Fight It!
November 20th, 2008

Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Marbled Murrelets and Northern Spotted Owls are just a few of the species that are rapidly declining in our immediate area. Both Northern Spotted Owls and Chinook Salmon are facing assaults from Green Diamond, a company we have been building a campaign against since this spring.

They have an upcoming logging operation in the “McKay Tract”, directly east of Eureka. Green Diamond is planning to clear-cut Spotted Owl nesting groves after February 15th and is working to get Humboldt County planners to set in stone plans for future development of the area. Please contact us to join multilateral grassroots efforts in building a coalition to advocate for protection of this area . EF! Humboldt is actively organizing against the upcoming logging and housing development proposals. We are seeking more participants, any amount of time or material contributions are much appreciated.

Human beings are on the verge of causing a mass extinction of life on Earth. A majority of the world’s biologists now believe that if current trends continue, half of all species of plants and animals living today will be extinct in less than 100 years. The general public, however, is almost entirely unaware of this crisis. – Species Alliance

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Latest EF! Humboldt Action Press Release
August 25th, 2008

For Immediate Release: Monday, August 25th
contact: Jeremy Jensen (707) 834-5170
Earth First! Turns Attention To Green Diamond Resource Co.

Eureka, Ca.- A new Earth First! tree-sit in a Green Diamond Resource logging plan east of Eureka ended as suddenly as it began.

With the new owners of the former Pacific Lumber Company pledging to not log Old-Growth trees, a proposal by Green Diamond Resource Company to log Ancient Redwoods grabbed the attention of Earth First! Humboldt.

Most of the trees range from 80-100 years old but in one of the two groves there are numerous scattered Old-Growth trees that were not cut during the original logging of the area in the late 1800’

s. The company is also proposing residential development in the same area under Option B of the Humboldt County General Plan Update.

“Clearcutting and Old-Growth logging are crimes against nature and humanity,” said Jeremy Jensen of EF! Humboldt, “Development is the nail in the coffin.”

Activists conducted multiple searches of the area and made several discoveries. The locations of several Old-Growth redwoods that were slated to be cut, and the presence of at least three Northern Spotted Owls in the threatened forest.

Days after stealthily establishing a tree-sit in a giant Old-Growth Redwood that was clearly marked to be cut, the sitters worried that they had been prematurely discovered when field surveyors were heard walking around on the forest floor.

Though no words were exchanged, a dangling cluster of white 5 gallon buckets made the tree-sit highly visible.

Three days later, a Green Diamond employee returned to mark the occupied tree and at least two other imperiled Old-Growth Redwoods as “Wildlife Leave Trees”, seeming to indicate that they won’t be cut.

This surprised EF! Humboldt activists because the California Department of Forestry had already approved the logging plan.

While the activists suspected it was a deceptive move to trick the tree-sitters into coming down, another piece of information came to light.

An Earth First!er reviewing the logging plan document discovered that GDRC would not be allowed to log the area until next February 19th at the earliest. This is due to the fact that lumber companies are required by California law to allow trees in adjacent clearcuts to reach three years of age before logging neighboring forests.

The Earth First!ers decided to remove the platform and gear from the tree, assess the new situation and re-calibrate the defensive strategy for the threatened groves.

“At least now they know we’re serious,” said a tree-sitter by the name of “Crossroads”.

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Breaking News: EF!H Tree-sit in the McKay Tract
August 22nd, 2008

Earth First! tree-sitters have been discovered in a gargantuan Ancient Redwood by a Green Diamond Resource Company employee just east of Cutten in the “McKay Tract”. Green Diamond is planning for residential development of large sections of the McKay Tract after they log all they can. This is a classic cut-and run strategy, make money by taking the trees and then sell the land to developers.

The Ancient Redwood was located a few weeks ago by EF! Humboldt activists during exploratory searches of the area, triggered when the plans to log two Redwood groves in the Tract were made public. The tree bore the blue paint designating it for cutting and was quickly occupied. Most of the 60 acre logging plan is to be clear-cut under Green Diamonds plan. The Green Diamond employee has now reportedly marked the tree as a “Wildlife Tree” and it’s possible that it will not be cut. Strangely, this logging plan has already been approved and we are not assuming that the company is sincerely planning to leave the tree.

This may be a tactic to get the sitters to come down. There was company activity in the area several days ago but no contact was made. The tree-sit may have been spotted at that time and this could be a direct response by the company.

The tree, named “Millennia” by activists, appears to be well over 200 ft. tall. It is countless hundreds, if not over one thousand, years old.

The sitters vow to remain in the tree until it is definitely protected. Though the sitters occupy only one giant tree, both of the groves are defacto wildlife refuges and need be protected in their entirety. The mature stands harbor many animals that have no where else to go in the logging-ravaged landscape east of Eureka, Ca.

During the initial search of the area, the activists were visited by a Northern Spotted Owl. The California Dept. of Forestry refuses to protect this area as Owl habitat even though the Spotted Owls are endangered and still in decline. We suspect that the Owls are nesting here because of the frequent visits from them, the large number of owl pellets on the ground, and the fact that this is one of only 2 or 3 isolated groves in the McKay Tract where dense stands of large trees remain standing.

The grove where this tree stands is comprised mainly of 100 year old Redwoods that grew following the original logging of the area around the turn of the century. This was one of the first places logged due to it’s close proximity to Humboldt Bay. The Ancient Redwoods that remain here were left standing due to either an undesirable shaped trunk, tree caves, or the steepness and instability of the ground around the tree.

The trees in the clear-cutting zone are not marked for logging, in those areas only the scattered trees to be left are given a distinguishing mark. This tree is within a geologically unstable area next to a creek were the company is limited to only selection logging. This type of logging requires that the trees selected for the cut be marked.

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For more info & photos, visit http://efhumboldt.org

Two climate activists lock on to Bluewaters powerplant in Australia

26th June 2009
Bluewater Coal-fired power station protest: lock-ons shut-down and arrests

The following is the media release for yesterday’s action at Bluewaters coal-fired power station near Collie.

26th June 2009
Bluewater Coal-fired power station protest: lock-ons shut-down and arrests

The following is the media release for yesterday’s action at Bluewaters coal-fired power station near Collie.

Two activists locked onto a conveyor belt at Bluewaters coal-fired power station near Collie, Western Australia.
The action is to protest Griffin Energy’s decision to burn wood from WA native forests for energy production. The two activists were arrested and later removed from the conveyor belt by police, after more than six hours of preventing coal from being fed into the power station. A third activist has also been arrested at the site.

Bluewaters Coal-fired Power Station brought to a halt by forest activists

Early this morning, two activists locked onto a conveyor belt at Bluewaters coal-fired power station near Collie. The action is to protest Griffin Energy’s decision to burn wood from WA native forests for energy production. The two activists were arrested and later removed from the conveyor belt by police, after more than six hours of preventing coal from being fed into the power station. A third activist has also been arrested at the site.

“Griffin Energy is one of WA’s worst contributors to climate change. The company has recently opened yet another coal-fired power station and is constructing another three,” said Ms Jael Johnson, spokesperson for the action. “To add insult to injury, it now proposes to burn wood from our precious native forests as fuel and count this as renewable energy.”

“The WA public has a right to renewable energy. Here we have an abundance of wind, solar and wave energy. CETO, a wave energy company, has chosen to be a part of this renewable revolution. Griffin also has the opportunity to join Western Australian businesses committed to sustainable solutions. There is no place for coal-fired power station or native forest logging in a sustainable WA,” said Ms Johnson.

Griffin Energy recently won a tender from the Forest Products Commission (FPC) to buy between 250,000 and 400,000 tonnes of native forest logs a year.

Our native forests provide the WA community with clean air and water, biodiversity, and homes for unique WA plants and wildlife. Native Forests also store huge amounts of carbon. After logging and burning, the carbon is released into the atmosphere. Globally, deforestation and logging contribute about 27% of all climate change-causing greenhouse gases.

“Research in the eastern states shows that if native forests are left undisturbed, they can play a vital role in storing carbon and contributing to a climate change solution.

“Instead of protecting them for their vital role in reducing climate change, Forestry Minister Terry Redman proposes to allow Griffin to burn native forest logs, thereby releasing massive amounts of GHG and accelerating run-away climate change. This is an atrocious distortion of a system that should be leading us towards a zero-carbon economy, not further away from it.

“The people of WA will have to pay for Griffin’s reckless corporate behaviour long after its shareholders are done lining their pockets. So we will continue to disrupt the operations of organisations like Griffin for as long as they continue to display such corporate recklessness and short-sightedness.

“At the same time we support the calls from the Australian Manufacturers Workers Union and the Australian Council of Trade Unions for a just transition to a renewable society that leaves no worker or community behind,” said Ms Johnson.

MEDIA CONTACTS ON SITE
Ms Jael Johnson: Mbl: 0438 856 981
Ms Emma McIntyre: Mbl: 0415 258 301

Kew Bridge Eco Village

“On June 6th 2009, nearly a hundred activists converged on a piece of derelict land at Kew Bridge in south west London to create an eco-village community based entirely on sustainable technology and construction techniques.”

From the Eco Village facebook group

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?sid=5ed8b99539a428b28f9abf3dc54ec246&gid=88020757939&ref=search

Last Saturday (the 13th of June) we went to check out the Kew Eco Village…we arrived and were welcomed in…some people had come to work and others to just check it out.

The site, about an acre, has apparently been empty for over two decades and used to house a Scottish Widows building. All that remains is a small out house and a large pile of rubble close to the entrance on Kew Bridge Road. We climed the mound which included large sheets of metal and an old pub sign (immediatly next door is a pub) to survey the site. Behind us was a caravan and a wood pile. Ahead towards the river and Bridge, is mostly like a medow with a plastic covered structure where people can relax and sosialise and behind that scattered tents amidst the meadow. To the right is the kitchen and washing up area (All water has to be bought from off-site) and the remaining concrete building that people seem to sleep in and is to be the ‘safe’ for food and tools and such-like. We elected to muck in and were put on road-building duty which included a disabled access ramp (slightly narrower than planned due to a surprise unidentified pipe).

We also dug some garden planters in using old beds. This included smashing down rocks and sifting rubble to make usable soil. Others were using rocks and bricks to outline other guardens. Locals came to chat, find out what was going on and to have a look around. Kids turned up to help and hang out and to decorate the shelter with graffitti. There were tons of bees also in the yellow wildflowers. We were offered food froom the kitchen and there was water and, of course, tea .

“Come, be a part of this eco-village community!

This eco-village occupation is inspired by campaigns like The Land is Ours which campaigns peacefully for access to the land, its resources, and the decision-making processes affecting them, for everyone, irrespective of race, gender or age. for more information, please visit:

We now have a media website – http://ecocamp.info/ Its in its early stages but check out the fantastic video episodes of our first few days!

Please post any seeds or postcards or anything you like to:

The Eco Village
2 Kew Bridge Rd
Brentford
TW8 0JF

telephone: 07967864370″

New Cambridge Social Centre Opened

Occupy Cambridge is proud to announce the opening of the new cambridge social centre.

Occupy Cambridge, a (rather brilliant) group of squatters, anarchists, revolutionists, land rights types and general social misfits, last night “reclaimed” the disused bingo hall on hobson street .

The building will now be used as a social centre of some kind, although this is very much a blank canvas.

Occupy Cambridge is proud to announce the opening of the new cambridge social centre.

The building will now be used as a social centre of some kind, although this is very much a blank canvas.

It a large space and is kitted out well for film showings.

The building is the old bingo hall on hobson street cambridge.
Come down and visit.

any questions contact us on 07779051894
—
There was a cinema on the site of the old Gala Bingo Hall on Hobson Street from 1921 called The Central Cinema(it was rebuilt in 1930 to give the current building probably after a fire). The first talkie in Cambridge was screened at The Central Cinema in 1929 and that talkie was “The Broadway Melody”
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3656/2200/1600/talkie.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broadway_Melody .
By 1972 (this date is disputed), the then Odeon, was shut down and converted into a bingo hall.

Mainshill Solidarity Camp latest

11th July 2009
We’ve made it to the weekend without being evicted and we’ve been rebuilding the defences which were dismantled by Scottish Coal and the police. We’ve been inventing new creative fortifications to dupe the cops and stop the destruction of Mainshill. The support from the local community has continued to be fantastic – we’d like to say a big thank you.

Now is the time to come to Mainshill – we need to be prepared for eviction and need more people to come and stay in our treehouses. Here are some pics from the last couple of days – there’s something for everyone!

Also, we’re celebrating our one month birthday on Sunday 19th July with another community picnic – all are welcome.

Update from Rossport Solidarity Camp

10th July 09
Rossport Solidarity Camp remains strong at Glengad with people taking action and planning for ongoing resistance to Shell’s gas pipeline in Erris, both offshore and onshore.

A recent national meeting of Shell to Sea groups at the camp last weekend saw people motivated to continue with the fight. The camp on the clifftops at Glengad will continue over the coming months and, despite heavy-handed bail conditions which have banned people from Mayo, a steady stream of visitors to the camp keeps spirits high.

The focal point of the camp for a long time has been the arrival of the pipe-laying ship the Solitaire. The ship is now far out into the bay laying pipeline on its way to the well-head. The navy have also left the bay, still leaving a heavy security presence guarding the dredgers as they back-fill over the pipe. The most recent action has focused on the supply ships which go out regularly from Killlibegs in Donegal, to support the Solitaire and the well head construction.

Attention is now also turning to the onshore section of the pipeline which would run from Broadhaven bay for 9km to the refinery under construction at Bellenaboy. Shell have yet to be granted planning permission, although a decision is expected soon. Granting permission would open the way for drilling and construction work across pristine river estuary, peat bogland and heavily contested farmland and commonage.

This remains a very important time to come to the camp to take action against the building of the pipeline at all stages. There are many and varied ways to make a significant contribution. Support is invaluable to sustain the solidarity camp, which has been a target for legal repression, and the local community who have also recently faced traumatic acts of violence.

Whether it is for a few days or a few weeks this summer come and be in this beautiful place and join the solidarity camp in a fight against corporate greed, the arrogance of the state, and environmental and community devastation.

Scottish Coal break through barricades at Mainshill Solidarity Camp with support

8th July 2009
Scottish Coal break through barricades at Mainshill Solidarity Camp with support from Police

The residents of the Mainshill Solidarity Camp (1) were rudely awoken this morning at around 06.30am by members of Strathclyde police who forced their way on to the site. Local police, accompanied by the V division from Glasgow, representatives from Scottish Coal and Apex workers (2) entered the site using a JCB to demolish barricades that had been built by the occupiers. Flat-bed lorries were then brought on site in order to remove all machinery and property of Apex and Scottish Coal including two drilling rigs, a dump truck and two portacabins. More than 5 vans of police officers waited down the A70 to offer reinforcement.

The site near Douglas in South Lanarkshire is one of 20 new open cast coal mines to have been granted planning permission in Scotland, and the development of the Mainshill site will make South Lanarkshire one of the most heavily mined areas of Europe. Scottish Coal’s plans to mine 1.7 million tons of coal from Mainshill makes a mockery of the local community’s objections to the mine and the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle climate change (3). Lord Home, the landowner who is set to make a tidy profit from the lease of is land to Scottish Coal, is currently being investigated by the FBI and UK authorities for fraud (4).

Anna Key of the camp said “Apex and Scottish Coal have taken this action because they realise that we’re here to stay. We have prevented Apex from undertaking bore sample drilling work for 3 weeks because this work is essential to the development of the mine which the local community does not want and which will have a devastating environmental impact. Coming onto site with such force demonstrates their desperation and the fact that we have been effective in preventing work from happening. They may have their machines but we’re staying here until we win.”

The use of heavy machinery by police this morning was highly irresponsible since tunnels have been dug which can be occupied to defend the site. Luckily nobody was hurt on this occasion but the Chief Inspector has agreed in principle to a safety meeting with the occupiers who have built up multiple defences including tree houses, walkways and nets in the trees. Nick Fuery one of the occupiers, said the camp was defiant: “We’ll be awaiting the arrival of the National Eviction Team by rebuilding barricades and digging in. The residents of Douglas deserve better than Scottish Coal’s plans for the area and we will continue to resist this environmental and social injustice alongside the community for as long as it takes.”

Update (18:15): Drilling has restarted on the site, with security and fencing around the rig. The Scottish coal technical director is endangering the lives of tunnellers. People still needed to come and stop the illegal work!

For interviews on site please ring: 07806926040
For more information please see www.mainshill.noflag.org.uk and http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/

Notes to Editors:

(1) The Mainshill Solidarity Camp has been occupying Mainshill Woods since 18/6/09 in order to resist Scottish Coal’s plans to develop a new open cast coal mine.
(2) Apex, a Wales-based company, has been contracted by Scottish Coal to carry out bore sample drilling work on the site in order to assess where the coal seams lie.
(3) The plans for Mainshill received over 700 formal objections by local residents from a population of 1000. These objections have been farcically dismissed and disregarded. Recent research suggests that mining coal using the open cast method may in fact produce even more carbon emissions than the burning of coal. See http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/?p=386
(4) See http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/?p=542 for more information about the allegations of fraud committed by Lord Home.

Pitched battles over open refuse dump outside Athens

8th July

Pitched battles between locals of Grammatico, outside Athens, and riot police forces over the construction of an open refuse damp with locals digging trenches, building barricades and torching bulldozers; scores have been wounded as battles continue amidst spreading fires.

8th July

More than 1500 locals of the Black Mountain village of Grammatico, outside Athens, have erected barricades and dug trenches in order to stop the beginning of an open refuse damp (XYTA) construction in their area. The locals torched the company’s bulldozers after riot police forces arrested and beat the resisting mayor, refusing to take him to the hospital to treat his wounds.

One of the local council members has been declared: “There are fires everywhere and strong police forces. We are afraid of a massacre. The police is using brutal force and we have scores of wounded citizens. The riot police forces (MAT) have reached our last barricade. If they manage to cross it, then the situation will be out of control. However this will prove hard, as it is our strongest barricade. We have dug the earth planting tractors and bulldozers in it. All the village is here and is ready to fight”. Many people have been arrested during the clashes, and several policemen have been wounded by projectiles. The fire brigade has deployed 3 airplane, 3 helicopters and over 15 fire engines in order to fight the fires caused by the riot police mindless use of tear gas and “blast and flash” grenades and are threatening a children summer camp nearby.

The construction of XYTA around the country has created a chain of violent environmental struggles, whose prototype is Lefkimmi, a Corfu village which has been resisting State plans for 18 months, losing one comrade in the battles with the police.

Strike for Climate Justice! December 11th 2009

Environmental activist & political prisoner Jeff ‘Free’ Luers wrote a prison dispatch in which he made a call out for an International General Strike on December 11 2009 in solidarity with the International Demonstrations on Climate Change during the Copenhagen Climate Summit.

Around the world people are beginning to feel the heat of global warming, entire nations to tiny communities are suffering the effects of climate change.

Earlier this year deadly wildfires raged across a drought stricken Australia where the continent continues to suffer through one of the worst droughts in its history. In South America, the accelerated melting of Andean glaciers is threatening water supplies in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In Tanzania 85% of Mt. Kilimanjaro’s glaciers have already melted, severely affecting the availability of water in this African nation. A recent study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (based in Colorado, USA) has found that global warming has had a much more significant and damaging impact on the world’s rivers than previously realized. The discovery now underscores a growing threat to food and water supplies for millions of people living in some of the world’s poorest regions. Meanwhile an Oxfam report has warned that by 2015 the number of people affected by climate related crises will raise by 54% to 375 million people.

The impact of global warming will not just be felt by the poorer nations who are less able to respond to the crisis. In March some of the world’s top climate scientists warned the U.S. Congresss that severe drought in the western portion of the United States could make tracts of land from California to Oklahoma a waste land, with heat waves in northern cities that could make life impossible.

Recent studies in the Arctic have shown that the melting of Arctic ice is happening faster than any climate models predicted. The rapid melt is threatening to leave the Arctic ice free as early as 2013. The looming crisis is threatening to create millions of climate refugees. As people flee drought plagued regions in search of water, others retreat from coastal regions in order to escape rising flood waters. The impending catastrophe demands immediate action on the part of both industrial and developing countries. However, we need more than just political action, the world needs action from the carbon emitting industries themselves.

Yet, despite the ever growing wealth of scientific evidence that the planet is warming at a disastrous rate due to human activity, industry continues to resist caps on CO2 emmissions. This resistance by the most powerful multinationals is making strict government action and regulation on climate change difficult. Particularly for leaders who fear losing corporate support and money.

The state of California, however, is demonstrating that combating climate change is not only necessary but can be good for the economy. If California were to be ranked as a nation it would be the 7th largest economy in the world. The state, under Governor Schwarzenegger, has signed laws making it mandatory to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 85% of 1990 levels by 2050. More over, these cuts are expected to create an estimated one million jobs.

While most of the world’s governments struggle with what, if any, demands to make toward forcing immediate and strict reductions in carbon emissions, the world’s poor continue to suffer the effects of a warming world. Even the wealthiest nations are unable to avoid the heat, and many industrial countries are beginning to suffer its effects. In early May scientists at Oxford University concluded a study that revealed the world has already burned half of the carbon necessary to bring about a catastrophic rise of 2 degrees celsius (3.6 F) in average global temperature. At this temperature nearly half of the world’s plants and animals will be threatened by extinction. The scientists say that half a trillion tonnes of carbon have been consumed since the Industrial Revolution. In order to avoid a 2 degree celsius rise in temperature, the total amount of carbon burned must be kept below one trillion tonnes. At current rates of consumption that figure will be reached in forty years. Myles Allen, the climate scientist who led the study, had this to say about the threat of climate change. “Mother Nature doesn’t care about dates. To avoid dangerous climate change we will have to limit the total amount of carbon we inject into the atmosphere, not just the emission rate in any given year.”

The world needs to begin the shift toward a non-carbon based economy. Scientists in every nation have reached the same conclusion and are warning that we must take action now to reduce CO2 emissions and invest in clean energy if we are to prevent a nearing global environmental crisis. In nations around the globe the public have demanded action on climate change. Yet, all too often their voices go unheard. There is a growing campaign to change that; reaching across borders and beyond political lines and affiliations in an effort to bring those who will be most affected by climate change together in one powerful voice.

In every nation the working class is the beating heart. It is the workers who keep society running smoothly. But, it is the working class and the working poor who will be hit the hardest by a warmer world. Which means we must harness the power at our finger tips and demand immediate action to be taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions. We need climate justice today, not tomorrow. We need deeds and not promises.

On December 11th in response to the international climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, we ask that everyone concerned with global warming and climate change to join us in an International General Strike demanding Climate Action. Our work stoppage can have a global impact. Together, in a show of solidarity and unity, we can demonstrate to world leaders that the global consensus is for action to stop climate change. They can not ignore our voices when we strike.

For one day we will shut the system down and demand that our governments work together to act in our best interests. On December 11th Strike for Climate Justice, Demand Action!