The Co-operative has launched Plan Bee, a campaign and 10-point plan to help save the bee. Worried about the disappearance of bee colonies in recent years the campaign aims to get research going on the causes of the losses and to get people involved in saving bees.

As part of the Campaign the Dukes Cinema is showing the film The Vanishing of Bees on Thursday 21st of Jan at 6.30pm

The Plan BEE website has suggestions on what people can do to help including:

Local Green Party member and peace activist Ian Chamberlain has spent the new year under virtual house arrest in they Egyptian town of Arish. Ian, who works for the Pomocna Dlon (Helping Hand) project with the Polish community in Morecambe , joined  1,400 volunteers from 42 countries in Egypt on 23rd December en route to Palestine to show solidarity with the  impoverished and isolated Palestinian people.
For more info see the Ian in Gaza Blog

As the worlds eyes were focused on the international climate change talks in Copenhagen Lancaster City Council agreed to cut its CO2 emmisions by 10% next year. A motion proposed by Green Cabinet member Cllr Jon Barry, that committed the council to supporting the 10:10 campaign, was passed at the recent meeting of the Full Council.

Cllr Barry said after the meeting ” Given the huge task that faces us in tackling climate change everyone has to do thier bit. Local councils should be leading by example.”

The 10:10 campaign was started by The Age of Stupid film director Franny Armstrong to build on support sparked by the film. The campaign can be joined by individuals and businesses as well as local councils.

For further information, or to join up see the 10:10 campaign website.

Lancaster District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) welcomed the famous peace activist Bruce Kent at the Friends Meeting House on Thursday 3rd December for a talk entitled “Abolishing War in the 21st Century”.  Bruce is the honorary Vice-President of CND and has been campaigning against nuclear weapons for the last 5 decades.  His audience were inspired by his energy and optimism for the future. 

Gina Dowding, the Green Party parlimentary candidate for Lancaster & Fleetwood, said after chatting to Bruce Kent at the end of the meeting. ” I agree with much of what Bruce said – particularly the waste of money on the replacement of the Trident Nuclear submarines – they really are expensive white elephants .”

More than 60 people attended the event, including the Lancaster and Fleetwood Green Party parliamentary candidate Gina Dowding, who expressed her support for CND’s campaign against nuclear weapons. The evening was a great success, with an enthusiastic audience participating in the question-and-answer session following the talk.  Lancaster District CND is now looking forward to the 2010 General Election with the intent of challenging other parliamentary candidates during hustings on whether they oppose Trident replacement.

Betting website Paddy Power now has Green Party leader Caroline Lucas as 5/4 favourite to win the Brighton Pavillion seat at the general Election Next year. The website that allows punter to place bets on the outcome of all seats at the election also has Lancaster & Fleetwood Candidate Gina Dowding climbing into third place at 20/1 way ahead of  the Libdems who are trailing as 100/1 outsiders.

Green County Councillor Chris Coates has called for ‘Green Jobs’ to be a priority for Lancashire. The call came as North Lancashire Green Party launched a report on what a Green New Deal for the County could look like.

The report includes suggestions for a County wide Green Skills Network, help to improve energy efficiency in the areas housing stock and help for those in fuel poverty as well as measures to support local business.

The local report is based on the national document published last year by the New Economic Foundation.

New Green Councillor for Lancaster East Sam Riches addressed the crowds who had gathered outside County Hall in Preston to protest as Sharon Wilkinson of the British National Party arrived for the first meeting of the new County Council.

Cllr Riches said ” We will make sure that the BNP knows that there is opposition to thier ideas whenever they try to put them forward inside County Hall.”

For further info on oposition to the BNP see the Stop The BNP website or for local info see Lancaster Unity.

British Energy/EDF intend to put forward Heysham to the government as a possible site for a new reactor by the end of March. If you wish to comment on the proposal you can do this via: www.nuclearpowersiting.decc.gov.uk

Green Cllr Chris Coates who attended the meeting said ” This was a very slick PR exercise – presented as a public consultation. The panel of experts were unable to give assurances that they are taking issues such as sea-level rise seriously. A new reactor at Heysham would be a huge waste of money. Money that would be better spent on reducing electricty demand and energy efficiency measures.”
See here for information on Green Party alternative energy policys.

Councillors representing wards across the City have argued that:

• The development will damage retailing in Lancaster City centre, Morecambe and Carnforth.
• The job creation claims are not credible and do not take into account job loss amongst existing retail and service sectors of the local economy.
• It will generate significant amounts of extra traffic on an already congested highway system and the proposed highway measures do not deliver a fundamental solution and will add to the volume of rat-running and environmentally damaging traffic impacts on Derwent Rd and Ullswater Rd.
• The proposals will worsen air quality and add to the health problems of local residents in direct contravention of European and Uk requirements to improve air quality to protect health.
• It is contrary to planning policy at national level and to the Lancaster Local Plan
• The applications will result in a development that will generate considerable amounts of extra greenhouse gases and this is inconsistent with Planning Policy Supplement PPS1 “Planning and Climate Change” and the binding CO2 reductions in the Climate Change Bill currently completing its parliamentary progress. 

For the Full details of the objections to the scheme see;public-inquiry-canal-corridor-objection-march-2009.pdf

Last weekend  an open day was held at the field for the Heathrow locals who will be affected by the planned expansion. Greenpeace hired a skittles alley, had face painting, a polar bear playing football, and plenty of tea and cake. The Greenpeace crew got roundly beaten at skittles by the villagers.

In January Lancasters Green Councillors all joined the Airplot campaign.