Category: Action Reports

Free Shops – easy positive action. A Newcastle story

I did a Free Shop this weekend, and it was brilliant. Free Shops make a positive stand against landfill, consumerism, social isolation and climate change. Let’s have a summer of free shops everywhere – at your local community festival, on your high street and heck, why not, lets have one against the G8 in Auchterarder too!

This weekend I set up a Free Shop at the Newcastle Community Green Festival. By Sunday it was running itself. This report tells you how to do one, and some of the good things you might get out of it.

The resources needed were one small gazebo ( borrowed ), two tables ( borrowed ), a marker pen, a bit of gaffer tape, and a vantrip on saturday morning to deliver the first 10 bags of stuff. All that was left at the end was one bin liner half-full of ripped and muddy binliners and plastic bags – but as many people requested the bags to carry their items away, even that wasn’t too bad.

Amongst the items given away were a guitar, three cameras, 7 beech seedlings, 2 conker trees, 6 ‘teddy bear’ sunflowers, a dozen boardgames, at least 20 pairs of shoes, at least 7 binbags full of clothes ( including swimming costumes, pinstripe suits and bras ), at least 30 books, at least 30 cds, at least 20 videos ( both children’s and adult ), at least 20 computer games and programmes, crockery, frying pans, a dozen mugs, placemats and ornaments, a dozen bags, playing cards, at least a dozen keyrings, at least a dozen cuddly toys, a bag of minature soldiers, 2 water cannons and a water pistol, bags of marbles and bouncy balls, lockets and neat containers, tea from darjeeling, incense from new delhi, fabric from thailand, hippy clothes and so on. All these things were junk to the people in possession of them, and they were all in immediate danger of ending up in landfill.

This was the first time that I’ve known a Free Shop to be not just about giving stuff that we’ve collected away, but for other people to actually bring stuff along and keep replenishing the stock. Taking place on two consecutive days was crucial for this, and it really worked as a participatory exchange system. For example, on Saturday one lass said she was leaving the country in 4 weeks time and needed to get rid of all her stuff, which duly turned up on Sunday. I’d pretty much run out of my collected stuff by Sunday, so the only reason it kept going was cos people kept delivering stuff. I’d wander off for a coffee, only to find another 3 binbags on my return which I could then spread out and shout ‘get your free stuff here’ and draw another crowd. One individual brought along a whole batch of longlife lightbulbs with slightly damaged packaging, maybe 50 of them?, and we split them into individual lots to spread around.

Children picked up things to give to their parents ( I had to be careful the rude books didn’t go to them ), and most pleasing to me, non-hippy local mothers would come along with their kids and fill a plastic bag with the things that appealed to their children. The so-perfect-it-almost-makes-you-retch moment was when a woman appeared with a box of baby clothes. She said ‘i’ve got a load more things in the car. they’re everything you need for a girl from 0 to 2 years old’ ( a bit specialised, i wondered, for the free shop? ). So she asked for a hand to unload them, and whether I thought they’d be of use to anyone. Then a second woman who’d been going thru stock on the other table said ‘well i’m expecting in 5 weeks, and it’s going to be a girl’. So I put the two of them together, they had a chat, and off they went to the car – where I think all the stuff got delivered to the 2nd woman’s home.

Other high-lights:

Having chatted to me on Saturday, a festival volunteer and his daughter brought along their 4 foot high play-kitchen on Sunday, complete with plastic food and utensils. This was possibly the star offer of the weekend and it attracted a lot of attention, but it finally went to the grandparents of a young girl. Although I’d written ‘delivery offered on this item’ on it they said ‘ah no, we just live over there’ and so they carried it off towards the stadium end of the park.

Someone, I forget who, left money on the table so I had great fun shouting out ‘even the money is free’ and it was ages before anyone took it – in the end we had two blokes rummaging thru the clothes racing to find it, with me going ‘warm, warmer, arr your hand almost touched it!’

Several stallholders and performers got really into the free shop too and said it was one of the best things they’ve seen at a festival in ages. On Sunday for example, when a clown was floating bubbles on the lake, he got pushed in by a gang of lads and, he says, got very close to losing his temper. He was soaked, so he came along to the Free Shop and picked himself up a dry set of clothes and was very grateful for it. ( He also donated a bag of trinkets and assorted items ). A couple of our performers who early on Saturday picked up some clothes, then decided to come back every hour or so to donate one pack of batteries and one set of recharger things each time.

Lots of people were challenged by the idea of things being free and had to get over their guilt or disbelief, but once they did they were all very chuffed. One chinese guy in particular had to keep asking the price of the small items he was taking, because his english wasn’t great and he didn’t want to make a mistake. One young girl in a wheelchair who came both days, was so keen that I started to get annoyed with her hanging round the stall and trying to get the best stuff as soon as it arrived. Most people however were unnecessarily polite to each other, a little bewildered and scared of getting told off, and the only scramble for items took place when I got some bouncy balls out of the bag and there happened to be 20-odd kids from a steel band around the stall!

Two of us took turns to man the stall. But by the time we were starting to get tired of it on Sunday, two teenage lads who I hadn’t met before independently took over and had great fun shouting how everything was free and must go. I’d expected at least a couple of binliners of unwanted clothes at the end, but somehow they managed to get rid of every last bit. I found only one skirt left as litter in the park.

I greatly enjoyed the conversations with people, which covered such topics as how to care for sunflowers, why landfill was bad and got dumped next to where people live, consumer culture, the histories and provenance of items, charity shops, what to do with money instead, and so on. Comments included ‘it’s made my day’, ‘all shops should be like this’, ‘it’s not really free is it’ and ‘if only i’d known i’d’ve brought…’

I promised people the free shop would become a regular feature at this festival, and will advertise it more widely next year.

Free Shops can also work on high streets, at gigs and on your neighbourhood street corner. A bit of pre-advertising helps but is not essential.

Protest against G8 climate ministerial, London

Police arrested two protesters at a noisy demonstration protesting the climate policies of G8 ministers meeting today in the City of London.

About 40 activists beat pots and pans and blew whistles to demonstrate their opposition to G8 climate policies, arguing that they served the interests of big business rather than the world’s poor likely to be most affected by global warming.

They were outnumbered by more than 50 police officers behind a metal barricade set up to defend an entrance to The Brewery on Chiswell Street, where the ministerial meeting discussing responses to the climate crisis was being held.

‘The ministerial meeting’s aim was to continue with business as usual while portraying industrialized-country governments as the saviours of the environment. We were here today to say enough is enough. We need true climate justice now,â€? said Matthew Robbins of Rising Tide, a London-based environmental group.

The protesters stressed G8 and World Bank policies of subsidizing oil exploration and extraction, which they said could only make global warming worse.

“This shows how afraid of the truth ministers are, when they have to barricade themselves out of hearing of the public” said Amy Tanner of the G8 Climate Action Group.

The arrests, on public order grounds, were made as protesters paused by another entrance to The Brewery where they had moved preparatory to dispersing.

The protest followed Monday’s Alternative Summit for Climate Justice, held at nearby Toynbee Hall.

The alternative seminar was also watched closely by more than 20 police in what one participant characterized as “the sort of attempt at intimidation that is becoming routine in Blair’s Britain”.

 

In the build-up to the G8 Summit in Scotland in July this year the Labour Government will share its future vision of market environmentalism with 20 countries (including the G8 themselves).

So will they practice what they preach or preach what they practice?

£5.5 billion road-building programme to build 200+ new roads.

Airport expansion (12 new runways across Britain); refuse to tax aviation fuel despite government promises to tax polluting industries

£500 million of public money for export guarantees to the oil and gas sector per year in the last three years via the UK Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD).

Nuclear energy classed as ‘green’ with Labour plans for more reactors

Why leave the future stability of the planet in the hands of these profit-driven megalomaniacs as ecological and social justice is pillaged worldwide.

 

 

 

Anti coal protesters lock on to Solid Energy: support needed, New Zealand/Aotearoa

At 12 noon on Sunday the 6th March 2005, 4 protesters locked themselves on to the entrance way of Solid Energy’s head offices in Christchurch. Supporters pitched tents and held banners, while all are preparing to spend the night at the site.

The activists are opposing Solid Energy’s proposed Cyprus Mine; an open cast coal mine to be situated at Happy Valley, on the West Coast. The Environment Court is set to hear appeals against the mine from tomorrow morning. Those locked on to the building plan to stay throughout the hearing as a constant reminder to Solid Energy that their proposal to mine Happy Valley is strongly opposed, both within and outside the court process.

More info and pictures to come, please come down (clarence st by the train station) and support, especially for Mondays picket!

“Happy Valley is a unique and precious ecosystem, home threaten species such as the Great Spotted Kiwi and giant land snail. Furthermore the mining of this beautiful valley will only add to the problem of climate change. Coal is a totally unsustainable fuel source that only pollutes our local and global environment,” commented Jonathan Oosterman, one of the locked on activists.

A picket is also planned for 8.30am Monday morning outside Solid Energy, although supporters are encouraged to come down at any time, as are those who want to discuss the issues with those locked on.

“We are here to stay! We won’t back down until Solid Energy put a stop to their plans and Happy Valley is saved!”

Linslade Demonstration – Saturday 5th March 9.15 and more trees threatened

On SATURDAY 5th MARCH @ 9.15 a demonstration against the bypass will be held at the Wing Hill roundabout, junction of A418 and A505.

This is where the bypass is intended to end and six magnificent oaks have already been felled, with seven more marked with the cross of death (these could still be defended with a treehouse if anybody is interested). The local (Tory) MP Andrew Selous, will be at the demonstration. Whilst predictably he remains in favour of the bypass, he has agreed to ask some questions in parliament about the way in which it received permission. There is also the possibility of a Samba band coming along.

Transport from Oxford: Details have yet to be finalised but a vehicle should be leaving from Manzil way at 8am and return to Oxford shortly after midday.

This should enable those who want to attend the Azim Anzari demonstration also at 1pm. More details will follow. The only other way to get to Linslade this early from Oxford is by train via London, but this is expensive (£20-£30). The protest site is about a 20-minute walk from the station.
Links:  http://www.linsladeprotest.org.uk or  http://www.roadalert.org.uk/

Whilst sadly it looks as though the road will be built it is still worth protesting.
This bypass is only the start of a four-section road from Aylesbury to Milton Keynes, which could effectively form another motorway parallel to the M1. Continued protest will hopefully make the council think twice about continuing this scheme and further actions / camps on the bypass site will increase security costs.

About two miles north of where Saturday’s demonstration is due to take place the full scale of destruction can be seen. Where 2 weeks ago stood several lovely old trees and the protest camp now is mud, machinery and fencing. Sections of oil pipeline are visible in the field south of the road in preparation for the pipeline diversion.

Climate Change activists STOP London’s oil traders

Thirty-five Greenpeace volunteers halted trading on the global oil market by occupying the International Petroleum Exchange in London. They entered the high security building near Tower Bridge shortly before 2pm, just as the world market in Brent crude was about to switch to London.

They attached distress alarms to helium balloons, blew foghorns and handcuffed themselves to the trading pit, forcing the exchange to shut down. The International Petroleum Exchange does one thousand billion dollars of business each year and trading at the London exchange sets the price for 60 percent of the world’s oil.

The Exchange specialises in so-called ‘open outcry’ trading, where all orders have to be shouted in a clear and audible voice. But the Greenpeace volunteers with their floating alarms and foghorns have made that form of trading impossible.

An IPE spokeswoman said open outcry trading was suspended for an hour but electronic trading continued throughout.”

“I have to say we weren’t listened to by the traders. They were more interested in punching us than listening to us,” Tindale said.

“They pulled a metal bookcase down on our heads. They were trying to use that to push us back out so that was the moment we decided to retreat for everyone’s safety.”

One protester was injured. He was treated at the scene before being taken to a hospital.

“It was to send a message to the oil industry on the day Kyoto comes into force that business as usual is no longer an option,” Tindale told journalists by telephone from the central London building on Wednesday.

“The oil industry has been key to preventing progress on climate change which is why it has taken so long for Kyoto to come into force. But scientists are telling us we are getting dangerously close to the point of no return,” he added.

“To be ramping up production — which the oil industry seems to be doing — on the day Kyoto comes into force is simply irresponsible,” he added.

The Greenpeace raid was one of a number of protests staged across the globe.

Green groups marked the day with protests outside U.S. embassies and consulates, street parades in Japan and by carving fast-melting ice sculptures of kangaroos in Australia.

Today is a day for action. After a long and arduous process the Kyoto Protocol comes into force and business as usual is not an option.

The Kyoto Protocol is designed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels like oil. But Kyoto targets, which are now legally binding, fall well short of what is needed to seriously fight climate change. We are rapidly approaching a point of no return. Tony Blair and other world leaders must use this year’s G8 to move the world onto a different track.

Dangerous climate change is already with us. According to the World Health Organisation 150,000 people are killed every year by climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN body comprising the world’s most eminent climate scientists, predicts temperatures will rise this century by as much a five degrees Celsius.

Tony Blair has said he will put climate change at the top of the agenda for this summer’s G8 meeting in Scotland, but he has thus far failed to push for a strong European position or extract concessions from President Bush, while UK carbon dioxide emissions have not gone down since New Labour came to power.

Protestors NOT evicted at Linslade. The protestors retreated under the cover of darkness as a surprise tactic against the Council

Bucks Council arrived this morning with the heavy mob at Linslade to murder half a dozen more ancient trees. Hundreds of security and police, some on horses, as well as professional climbing baliffs, accompanied the Council goons to evict protestors from the six treehouses.

However the murderous councillors were left with egg on their faces when it emerged that there was nobody in the trees to evict. The protestors had retreated under the cover of darkness as a surprise tactic against the council, who had already paid for police, balliffs, security and climbers.

Nothing was to be gained by fighting a pitched battle on this day. These trees were doomed but the road is far from built and the battle goes on.

Local protestors were on the verge to show their opposition to the destruction. There were no arrests, but the trees are gone and a bit of us has gone with them.

Unlike the trees we are free to fight another day.

http://www.linsladeprotest.org.uk

Greenpeace greenwash lecture guerilla-ed

The 4th Greenpeace Business Lecture took place on Tuesday 25th January 2005 at the Royal Society of Arts and was delivered by Lord Oxburgh, Chairman of Shell. Greenpeace Business said in advance that “The lecture will focus on the future of oil companies in the light of growing evidence on the dangers of climate change.”

Wearing protective radiation suits and wielding top-of-the-range (home-made more like) greenwash detection and clean-up equipment, The Greenwash Guerrillas were on site to declare the event a ‘Toxic Greenwash Hazard’. Passers-by and would-be attendees were advised to move away from the building, while those insisting on entry were warned that direct physical contact with the levels of “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) anticipated could cause long-term damage to spiritual health. Not to mention the likelihood of becoming a bit-player in a Shell-choreographed CSR soap opera. Sadly, none took this advice – perhaps the gas masks made it too hard to decipher.

A banner reading “TOXIC GREENWASH HAZARD” (with the “A” of “GREENWASH” an oil derrick pumping out flames and clouds of CO2) was tied to the railings of the very fancy Royal Society of Arts. One operative detected high levels of greenwash below street level. “They”re smuggling Oxburgh in through the sewer!” cried another, a theory which could not be verified at time of writing.

At one point, who should be seen stepping from a black cab but Dr. Robin Bidwell, Chairman of Environmental Resources Management (about whom, see our spoof website of a few years back at www.erm-concerns.com) He expressed no regrets for his company”s complicity in laundering BP”s Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, and wouldn”t be drawn about the number of contracts with BP had been lost since his offices were occupied in 2002/3.

Soon after, the freezing Guerrillas were thrilled to feel the heat of righteous indignation coursing through their veins as a Shell public relations representative emerged onto the steps and began to instigate a little dialogue. “Oil companies can save the planet, (if their shareholders will let them)”, he declared, before being wrapped in hazard tape…through which he kept spouting top-drawer corp-speak, swearing on his mother”s SUV that Shell was “trying really hard”, and “really, really cared” about the climate. The GG”s were stunned into silence by this bare-faced display – either that or they were smart enough not to be lulled by the prospect of “having their say” at the big mahogany boardroom table of power. (One who was tempted had to be disinfected by a less credulous colleague.)

Rumours that this Shell rep was a plant to create a little frisson of a full and frank exchange of views are a shocking barrel of lies.

Most attendees were drawn from the world of oil companies, renewables companies, big NGOs, media and politics. Almost all accepted a non-toxic leaflet while some stopped to talk through the issues, often implacably opposed to Shell and determined to throw Oxburgh a tough question. One asked if we were Greenpeace picketing Shell, as did an Independent reporter; there”s nothing like a little confusion to get the issues to show up in a clearer light.

As the punters queued to enter the lecture, a few GGs took advantage of their protective clothing to accept a Greenpeace Business offer to come inside and watch the lecture on the live video feed. At first they just checked the room for high but manageable levels of greenwash. But once Oxburgh came on screen, the equipment was under too much pressure, so they beat a swift retreat. This equipment is cutting edge, high-tech prototype stuff on its first outing, and we need it to be in good order for the doubtless large numbers of events which we will have to attend and contribute our unpaid, unsung public service. This is the year of the G8 in the UK after all, so unprecedented levels of climate-related greenwash will be sticking to our shoes all the way to July at least.

For that reason, (nothing at all to do with the biting January wind), we decided to retreat tactically to a nearby hostelry to wash away dangerous internal traces of Shell greenwash that might have evaded our anti-Shell suits earlier on.

MESSAGE FROM THE GREENWASH GUERRILLAS (distributed outside lecture)

Shell vs. planet
WARNING! – you are within choking distance of a serious spillage of ultra-powerful super-sophisticated extra-toxic Shell greenwash. (Greenwash = environmental whitewash.) Tonight, Lord Ron Oxburgh, Shell Chairman, delivers the Greenpeace Business Lecture on “People, Climate and Natural Resources”. We trust you have brought your gas mask & sick bag.

In terms of climate chaos, the solution is simple: LPG (Leave Petroleum in the Ground). And in the battle against greenwash, here”s another simple acronym: DBI – Don”t Buy It. If not, then we will see the gradual selling out of all meaningful opposition to industry and government-peddled fossil fuel madness. You can”t put a price on the atmosphere, and market environmentalism will not prevent market-driven catastrophes.

FOUR EXAMPLES FROM OVER A CENTURY OF PLUNDER:
* Growth at all costs? Shell “has promised to close the growing gap with rivals such as BP and ExxonMobil by finding new reserves equal to 100 per cent of the oil and gas it pulls from the ground on average for the next four years.”
Action aims to restore reserves, FT, 19.1.05.
* Nigerian destruction: 2005 is the 10th anniversary of the Shell-sanctioned murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa; “Shell”s commitment to corporate social responsibility looks shallow in the light of the sustained misery of the people of the Niger Delta.”
Sustained misery – Shell in the Niger Delta;www.christian-aid.org.uk
* Iraqi sell-off: “Oil majors, including Shell and BP, are moving closer to establishing a long-term presence in Iraq…it emerged yesterday.”
Shell advert seeks ‘our man in Iraq’, Gdn 11.8.04.
* Sakhalin sacrificed: “Clean up the oil spill, not just your image, campaigners tell Shell”;www.sakhalin.environment.ru/en/sakhalin2/msakhalin.html

With many civil society groups climbing into bed with rapacious, PR-savvy corporations, it”s a relief to know that Greenpeace will never take corporate cash. But Shell has pulled off an invaluable coup in appearing to have tamed the group best known for anti-oil direct action.
Since Big Oil”s triple bottom line is profit, profit & profit, since it is trained to lie to protect that profit, and since it has no place in a sustainable, socially just future, we look forward eagerly to news of Greenpeace and other direct actions on Shell, (not to mention BP, Exxon, SustainAbility et al) in the future. After all, there”s no such thing as a good oil company.

Let The Greenwash Guerrillas know what you think, c/o
Mal Branded or Jude Boynton from London Rising Tide:
london@risingtide.org.uk c/o 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES
Tel: 07708 794665 londonrisingtide.org.uk See also risingtide.org.uk

Anti Linslade Bypass Protestors go to Road Builders Bucks County Council

Linslade council banner hang

Protestors against the Linslade Bypass today took there protest to the Bucks County Council Offices in Aylesbury, hanging a large banner on a car park opposite the council offices reading Challenge Car Culture. (Oh the irony!)

Challenge Car Culture! – The banner opposite Bucks County Council Offices.

The protest was held to time with Bucks County Councils efforts in the High Court today to get a ruling forbidding further protests on the site, and was also at the same time as head of transportation Garret Emerson was holding a meeting with Bedfordshire County Council regarding the Bypass.

The aim of the protest was to show opposition to the construction of the Linslade bypass and secondly to encourage the council to develop a transport policy based upon increased support for public transport and local facilities. For example new housing (if really necessary) could be based around a reopened east-west rail link and express inter-town bus routes. It is hoped that the protest will also give encouragement to the more Eco-minded members of the Council to put across their views more strongly.

The banner was visible to anybody working within the main council office tower and would have would have been visible to anybody working within the council offices. Unfortunately as the banner was tied to the side of a private car park it was taken down by security within about 20 minutes, however those present felt it was there long enough to make a significant impact. The protest also got good local press and was covered by the Bucks Herald, Mix 96 Radio and BBC local radio.

4 security guys turned up to remove the banner and escorted the two protestors from the car park. Although technically within their rights as the protest was on private property, they were slightly mob handed in their actions. Where as the police on facing a situation like this will usually politely ask what you are doing and give you a chance to take down a banner yourselves, these guys moved in with little preamble and started to tear down the banner. Fortunately pleading with them worked to a small extent, as we were able to rescue the banner from their knives for use on another occasion.
Also to be fair to them they are probably paid very poor wages and are unlikely to be given training as to what to do in such situations.

Watch this space, more protest against the bypass will follow!
More people willing to get involved in action against the road always wanted. See road alert for contact details.http://www.roadalert.org.uk/

Peat processing plant sabotaged, Somerset

At the end of 2004 a peat processing plant near Glastonbury, Somerset, was sabotaged. The Plant processed peat for several companies distributing to Garden Centres. The peat was extracted from areas in and near 5 different Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their ecological value. These sites were within an Area of outstanding Natural Beauty.

Two large bulldozers, and a turbo engined packing machine had their engines destroyed. A catapilar tracked bulldozer and a JCB excavator had their engines sabotaged. All electrical cut outs for the processing plant were switched off and sealed. Over 200 palets of peat sacks for three different companies had their bags slashed (well over 1000 sacks). This action was taked in defence of the wild species of Somerset. Take action!

Solid Energy HQ Lawns Dug Up (Aotearoa/New Zealand)

Solid Energy HQ mined

More than 20 members of the  SHVC and others arrived at the Solid Energy headquarters in Christchurch and proceeded to dig for coal under their front lawn. As a parady of Solid Energy’s mitigation plans, people dressed as kiwi entered the building and attempted to “relocate” Solid Energy staff so that the mining efforts outside could proceed. Everyone managed to get away before the police arrived, and the efforts were replayed on TV3 news that night