London neighbors create 'instant' permaculture gardens for each other

I've gotta say, I've been loving the Living with the Land video series from Permaculture Magazine.

Whether it's showing us vegan organic agriculture, mature forest gardens, no-dig market gardening or regenerative agriculture through holistic grazing, the series has introduced some wonderful ways to manage land that don't just "do less harm," but actually heal the soil and renew biodiversity too.

But most of the examples so far have been rural.

Given that more and more of us are living in the city, how can we rethink our relationship with the soil? One answer, I think, is to rethink our relationship with each other. That's the idea behind Permablitz—a concept that started out in Australia before catching on in London—and which involves neighbors getting together to carry out one-day garden makeovers using permaculture design as the guiding vision.

Read more here.

Traffic in central London moves at the same speed as horse-drawn carriages

The 1800s have called...

The theoretical maximum speed of all kinds of things is constantly going up; cars, trains, planes, boats... But in practice, we don't always get anywhere near those speeds. A good example of this is how, despite a century of technological progress, vehicles in London's city center are moving at average speeds comparable to the horse drawn carriages of yore (which also caused traffic jams), or about the same as a running chicken...

And that 10 MPH average is after a 1.5 MPH bump caused by the implementation of the congestion charge in 2003 (which is a 15% improvement -- nothing to sneeze at).

Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/cars/traffic-central-london-moves-same-speed-horse-drawn-carriages.html

London New Year Fireworks for the rich only

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

For the first time in its history the New Year's fireworks in London were a ticket only affair and anyone without a ticket was not welcome.

Not only do they wish to keep the poor away from London altogether as in living there; the poorer classes – the riff-raff – are also no longer welcome at events for which taxpayers' money is being used. Can you say social cleansing?

There was a time, during the GLC under Ken Livingstone especially, when such events were absolutely free and everyone was welcome. Under Boris Johnson things have changed quite a lot and not just as far as such events are concerned.

London, ever since the arrival of the London docklands Destructions Corporation, is intended to be an enclave for the rich only with everyone else to be pushed out of the capital. While not by force, as yet, it is done by inflating the housing and living costs and also by deliberately destroying the social housing stock, the housing estates, and what is left of them, when they are refurbished, after the people have been moved out of the capital, as has happened with the Ocean and the Robin Hood Estates, will be sold off to the elite who can afford them.

Not only are former working class areas of London, such as the Docklands and other East End Boroughs being gentrified; they are deliberately made too expensive for those of the working class to be able to continue living there. And where are they rehoused to? Well outside of London so they do not end up mingling with the rich. In the process also old established communities are deliberately broken up and dispersed just in case the Red disease could have taken root there.

By dispersing the working class in such a way they hope that any social “unrest” will not take place as they no longer have their friends and family and their comrades near them with who to cooperate. And no, comrades, the Labour Party, as it is at present, the Red Tories, would not do it any differently, as that party too is but a party of the establishment and will work for the elite and not against it.

© 2015

London is too rich, and too expensive, for its own good

‘Capital of the world’ means nothing if only the wealthy can afford to live in it

A group of us, mostly metropolitan types, found ourselves in a public house in Hull city centre last weekend. I ordered a round of drinks: two pints of bitter, a pint of lager, a large glass of white wine and a pint of lime juice and soda. I got out £30 from my wallet, as I'm used to London prices. The barmaid leaned over to me and asked me for £9.40. No, you've made a mistake, I told her. She hadn't. That's what this round of drinks costs in a very nice pub in Hull, with a pool table, cheese cubes and crackers on the bar, and where they play an eclectic mix of relatively obscure Ian Dury songs and country and western standards on the sound system.

Back in the capital, I went to the pub next to my office in Soho and asked how much that round of drinks would cost. Guess what the answer was. £20.60! Yes, more than twice what I'd paid in Hull.

It came as no great surprise to me, therefore, to learn the next day that, according to a reputable survey, London is now the world's most expensive city, taking over that dubious mantle from Hong Kong. It is now twice as pricey to live in as Sydney and four times more than Rio de Janeiro. Hull, sadly, doesn't figure in the list of comparisons.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/london-is-too-rich-and-too-expensive-for-its-own-good-9769868.html

Staff of London's City Hall told to roll up their sleeves for the environment

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

London City hall staff are being urged to spend more time out of the office helping to "green and clean" the Capital.

The volunteering scheme aims set an example to other Londoners and to encourage them to spend at least one day a year doing their bit for organisations that try to protect and enhance the capital's environment.

Mayor Boris Johnson also pledged that he and his senior advisers will roll up their own sleeves and volunteer.

The Environment Trust, the London Wildlife Trust and Spitalfields City Farm are among a list of organisations that staff are being encouraged to sign up for.

"There are an army of marvellous people that are doing a fantastic job to make our local neighbourhoods and green spaces cleaner and more pleasant," Mr Johnson said.

"I want to see even more Londoners getting involved in those organisations helping to make their environment better,” he said, “and it is only right that me and my senior staff lead by example."

The London Mayor is rather correct that there are many deserving environmental causes in and around the capital that all could do with some help from volunteers, I am sure. I am also sure than any and all of such help will be greatly appreciated, whether it comes from staff of the Greater London Authority, from staff of other borough councils or generally from other people per se.

The Environment Trust, which works on social and environmental projects across London, welcomed the announcement, and Jon Aldenton, its chief executive, said that the Trust does welcome all types of active citizenship and that therefore the announcement by the Mayor is great news.

The Environment Trust's chief executive further said that it is good to hear that the trust's efforts will be aided by this push for even more volunteers. “We have a wide range of exciting hands-on activities for Londoners to get involved with,” he concluded.

Greater London Authority staff - which does not include those working Transport for London and the London Development Agency - can request up to three days annually to undertake work for voluntary and charitable schemes under an existing scheme.

If I would not know better and be definitely certain that Mr. Johnson is of the Conservative Party, the Tories, one might think him to be a very left wing politician, as this is nigh on a idea for what was once called “Subtonik”. “Subotnik” was the kind of unpaid community labor that all Soviet citizens were required to perform. Having said that, however, I agree that this is a great idea.

I am just wondering as to the three days annually that members of staff of the Greater London Authority can claim for doing work for voluntary and charitable schemes. Are we here talking about three days of additional leave so they can do that voluntary work? That is not really volunteering then, is it now?

However, let's get down to doing things and toll up them sleeves...

© M Smith (Veshengro), August 2008
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London's Low Emission Zone Welcomed

London Mayor Ken Livingstone's introduction of a capital-wide Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has been welcomed by Friends of the Earth.

The environmental campaign group urged the Mayor to strengthen the initiative and to also drop major road building plans - such as the Thames Gateway Bridge - so that Londoners do not suffer from unacceptable air pollution caused by road traffic. Effects of air pollution include ill health, extra hospital admissions and premature deaths.

London's single largest source of air pollution is road traffic. The LEZ will only reduce air pollution to below European Union (EU) air quality legal limits in some areas of London, leaving parts of the capital still dangerously polluted. Friends of the Earth called on the Mayor to ensure that the whole of London is brought within legal limits.

Friends of the Earth London Campaigns Co-ordinator, Jenny Bates said:

"We congratulate Ken Livingstone on this initiative. The LEZ is exactly the kind of initiative Londoners need to end decades of needless threat to their health from dirty vehicles. But to protect the health of all Londoners the whole of the capital must be brought within legal air quality limits."

The environmental group argued that the LEZ could be strengthened by the inclusion of emissions from cars. At present only emissions from lorries, buses, coaches, heavier vans and minibuses are included.

The Mayor could also improve air quality by abandoning large road building schemes. Traffic generated from the proposed Thames Gateway road bridge in east London would mean worse air quality - with one site in Newham exceeding an EU legal limit when it would not if the bridge was not built - something the Inspector at the public inquiry into the scheme said was unacceptable [1].

Bates added: "The Mayor's road building schemes undermine his efforts to improve air quality in the capital. Building the Thames Gateway bridge would only worsen air quality and traffic congestion there. It's the poorer communities living close to these areas who are set to suffer most. The Mayor has a duty to tackle health inequalities and preventing new building schemes would help to achieve that aim." [2]

Notes

[1] The Thames Gateway bridge public inquiry Inspector said in his report, which recommended that planning permission for the scheme be refused, "in an area in which air quality has historically been low, and where it is identified as a current problem, I do not regard that as acceptable"

More information on the Thames Gateway Bridge

[2] For information on the Mayor's new powers and duties to tackle health inequalities, gained in the GLA Act 2007
www.london.gov.uk/mayor/health/strategy/reducing.jsp and
www.london.gov.uk/mayor/powers/index.jsp

[3] The London Air Quality Network

Friends of the Earth

LONDON AWARE 08 - Event - Advert

London's New Year Firework Extravaganza Definitely NOT Green

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who wants to basically force every Londoner into a green, environmentally friendly lifestyle (something, that one must applaud in a way) allows, nevertheless, the use of fireworks to the tune of more than one million pound sterling (US$ 2,000,000 plus) to pollute, with smoke and noise, the London environment on the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2008.

This definitely is not green nor environmentally friendly. The impact on the London environment will have been enormous with one explosion per second. One can just about imagine the stench of gunpowder that will have been lying over London for hours to come.

No, I am not a spoilsport nor a killjoy but, aside from the environmental impact a lot of good – for the environment and for other needy causes – could have been done with this over one million pound sterling of, so one can only assume, London Council Tax Payers' money. Am I glad I am no Londoner.

Just like the annual waste of money for the same things, namely extravagant fireworks, at the occasion of the Thames Day each year, in the days of the GLC. The jump from Red Ken to Green Ken does not appear to have worked that well. Or is it that Mr. Livingstone hopes to go out with a bang, seeing that his job is up for grabs, I understand, this year. Maybe the London electorate will let him know how they fell about the waste of funds that went up in smoke.
I sure would not vote for him (again) if I were a London voter; for someone who is a “do as I tell you but not as I do” politician. Then again, are not most politicians like that?

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), January 2008