RCCP news: PV Panels for Tackling Fuel Poverty

The Reading Climate Change Partnership (of which the RCEL co-ordinator is a voluntary and community sector member) developed a proposal (presented by the GREN rep on the RCCP) to install pv panels on poor housing (thereby providing free electricity during the day) and to use the revenue from the consequent Feed in Tariff for insulation and other measures to tackle fuel poverty. As it happened the Local Strategic Partnership (of which the RCCP is a part) were looking to spend a performance reward grant they had received on a project that would further some of the principal aims of the council's Sustainable Community Strategy.  This project relates to 'Breaking the Cycle of Poverty' and 'Renewable Energy' (two of the top four priorities) so it was proposed that that money should be spent on the first year of the Feed in Tariff project (which now is to include some community centres and small business premises). Yesterday was the meeting of the LSP board and they agreed to release money to develop the necessary business plan.

PV Panels at Park URC - latest

The planning permission has finally been given for the installation of pv panels on Park URC. This is fantastic news because our plan was something of a challenge to existing planning regulations: these require panels to be unobtrusive (for aesthetic reasons) whereas we wanted them to be highly visible in order to encourage more people to green their lives (and happen to think they're a pleasing sight anyway!).

Work is due to start installing them on Monday 6th June.

More info on the project can be found here.

Fish Fight

Half of all fish caught in the North Sea are thrown back in, dead or dying. 

The Common Fisheries Policy needs to be changed to stop this outrageous waste of food and life.  To find out more visit Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Fish Fight website. Then please take action at the Client Earth website because

THIS WEEK there is going to be a DEBATE in the HOUSE OF COMMONS on discards, Fish Fight, and Common Fisheries Policy reform. It’s going to take place on Thursday 11th May between 3pm and 6pm.