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Did you know that dishwashers typically use a lot less water than washing-up by hand?
So using a dishwasher can be better for the environment, especially if you only run it fully loaded. http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/225
http://www.appliancemagazine.com/zones/supplier/12_metal_fab/editorial.php?article=1292&zone=12&first=1
If you must fly, there is now some new advice for how you can minimise your environmental impact. As well as offsetting your carbon emissions, China Southern Airlines is encouraging passengers to use the toilet before they board. A single flush at 30,000 feet used a litre of fuel – that’s enough to run an economical car at least 10km. For more info click here
This site keeps it real by showing the CO2 emissions of every country in the world, as well as their birth and death rates, all in real time. Definite food for thought.
Ben and I dusted off our hard hats and went up to Huyton, Knowlsey, last night to do a spot of bridge building with members of the Knowsley Schools Council. The bridge illustrates the hard work the young people have been doing on formulating their charter for Participation Standards. One pillar shows what happens when there are no particpation standards, i.e. 'tick box exercises', and the other shows what happens when there are, e.g 'positive engagement', and 'good communication'. The bridge will form the centrepiece of the Knowsley Participation Standards Launch '07 event, which has been designed and organised by young people themselves, and takes place this evening.
According to the British Social Attitudes survey - released this morning - the idea of being British is in decline. In the last 10 years, the numbers of people who feel their national identity is best described as 'British' has fallen from 52% to 44%.
This is the period in which devolution has begun in seriousness, and one would immediately suspect that this change had come about through people in Scotland and Wales feeling they were Scottish or Welsh as a result of this, but surprisingly, the figures paint a different picture. The vast majority of this decrease has been in England (from 63% to 48% in 10 years) - with a corresponding rise in those referring to themselves as English.
One conclusion, that much of the analysis seen today on this seems to have missed, would be that this is simply showing devolution works. People are seeing what is happening, see the benefits it has brought to Wales and Scotland, and want a 'piece of the action'. Many people are unsure as to how they want to achieve this - whether it be an English parliament, Regional assemblies, or simply a recognition of the specifics of English culture - but what this seems to be saying is that people feel their identity is closer to home. And yet, this is not a racist response, but one that simply feels more in touch with those around them - afterall, people are opting for English and not white.
Others (such as Shahid Malik) would argue it is because people are feeling pressured to find a label to attach to themselves in an increasingly multi-cultural society. They would argue that the white working class feels like if everyone else has an identity (in addition to British) that they can feel at home with, then why shouldn't they? Especially as they can feel that resources are handed out along ethnic lines - so they feel they need an 'ethnicity'.
Many people might worry about this, and fear that these attitudes will lead to the break up of Britain - but what needs to be kept in mind that at this period of more people feeling they are Scottish or Welsh (as opposed to British) than any recent period, attitudes towards independence are at their lowest ebb. The SNP may get votes, but when asked, consistently less than a third of Scots have supported independence in recent years. They are happy with the level of autonomy that has been granted - but this hasn't pushed them towards supporting full independence - in fact, quite the opposite. It may be different to what we are used to, and may have particular challenges that have to be faced, but it should not instantly be viewed with suspicion, and perhaps we should welcome the positive potential of such feelings.
Why has this happened, and what does it mean? What values are British as opposed to English? A Scottish Nationalist might claim that there is little real difference between the two, but is this the case? These are the questions that need to be answered before we can have a real analysis of what such trends mean.
Round two of the Union Modernisation fund is now underway and it seems likely that competition for funding will be even keener this time than in 2005 – so applications will need to be particularly relevant and well structured to stand a good chance of success.
The Campaign Company wrote five of the successful bids in round one, securing nearly £300,000 of DTI funding for our trade union clients.
The priority themes are largely unchanged from round one:
Many trade unions are now thinking about submitting an application to round two. Applications have to reach the DTI by 20 April 2007 which does not leave a great deal of time to prepare the detailed submission the DTI guidelines require.
Once again The Campaign Company is offering help and support to unions in identifying innovative areas for development and constructing appropriate bids which meet the very specific guidelines and constraints set by the DTI as well as assisting in the delivery and management of their successful UMF funded projects. We have first hand experience of the pressures and constraints facing trade unions and the context in which they work.
If you would like to discuss the possibility to The Campaign Company providing your union with some additional support please get in touch with kathryn@thecampaigncompany.co.uk
TCC has just designed and delivered a "No More Wasting time! Making the most of Youth Board meetings" module for SKNDC Youth Board. It's basically a training module encompassing leading effective meetings, effective chairing and committee skills training and uses a combination of instruction, individual exercises, scenarios and group action planning.
While it was designed with young people in mind, it can be easily adapted for adults and ideally could be offered as part of a Board induction(for a range of organisations), elected reps training, their induction and team-building.For more information contact aline@thecampaigncompany.co.uk
How can spaghetti and marshmallows contribute to winning an election!?
Well, they make great props for an entertaining quiz round, but more importantly also add to team building over what were two weekends of intense political training and debate for the Croatian SDP that TCC
David Evans Jonathan Upton
This Blog has previously reported of our ongoing work with the SDP and the weekends entitled Pobjeda (Victory) 2007 were a key element of that. Over the first weekend (12-14 January) a team of 5 led by
Both events were held in the winter sports and Olympic training centre at Bjelolasica. Whilst all the pictures of the site, showed it covered in snow, a remarkably mild January meant that you could walk around outside without a jacket for much of the day.
The aim was to support the training of the SDP’s own trainers and thus roll out a wider training programme across the party. In order to implement this, we conducted a range of training activities that included:
There were plenary sessions and practical workshops as well as sessions for those in electoral districts to plan their work over the coming months.
TCC David Evans
These activities illustrate the wide areas of work that
The event also allowed for leading SDP politicians and political experts to present policy papers across a wide range of issues.
As well as the many hours of serious debate, there were five a side football competitions and a quiz night along with the conversations, networking and music, singing and dancing in the bar, showing the best of generous Croatian hospitality.
All of these activities have contributed to team building in what will be a very busy election year. The SDP have told us that early feedback from participants in the training has been positive.
We look forward to continuing our work with the SDP in the coming months.
After a fantastic response to our Christmas e-card we are delighted to announce the winner of our charity prize draw. The £500 donation will go to Diabetes UK, nominated by Sue Ellwood of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). As promised, the first twenty people to submit their choice will also receive a free water-powered alarm clock - all those of you will shortly know who you are!
For the full story go to StreetGames
The launch was reported in The Times and The Press Association and we expect to see it featured in other local and national media soon
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