Consultations and campaigning

Sometimes I think that my job consists of taking part in one massive great big never-ending consultation. This week we've submitted over 30 pages of work on the National Planning Policy Framework and the Framework for Sustainable Aviation.
I am very lucky to have some great volunteers to call on within our group who have put together some really excellent in-depth work to help in this, but sometimes you wonder whether it's all worth it and whether anybody actually reads what you've spent all those hours working on.
Wouldn't it be better to join the direct action of occupying some public space to make your points, being part of some exciting revolution?
We recently got a quote in the Daily Mail about the biofuels flight at Birmingham airport, but that was probably because of the Plane Stupid protestors who stripped off to make their point.

It brings me to ask "is our campaigning most effective when we're providing detailed evidence in consultations,

or when we're out making a visual point on the streets?"

I guess that you can't do one without the other. If we didn't have the evidence to back up what we're calling for, we couldn't be confident in dressing up to make the point.
I really enjoyed Just Do It but came out of it thinking, "I still don't feel that is the best way of achieving change and I don't want to spend all that time being arrested". Friends of the Earth don't do direct action that breaks the law in this country, but do recognise the value of fun visual street campaigning.
To keep our volunteers engaged, we have to make sure we do some of the fun stuff as well as the in-depth research and engaging with consultations. We just need to find the gaps to fit it in between them all.

Joe Peacock

Being negative all the time?

Yesterday I was at a conference and when I said I had to rush off to do some media work setting up interviews about today's biofuel flight was asked ((I don't remember the exact words) something about being negative and fighting against things all the time.

I was slightly taken aback, because I see Friends of the Earth as a solutions organisation that has a clear idea of a better way to do things and fights for that. The previous high profile media story we had was about Bike Trains which was one of the most positive things we've done and created lots of smiles as well as highlighting some serious issues about Birmingham's road system.

We have also done some really positive work that's gone into the "What a Waste" report that we put together along with the Chamberlain Forum. We have to combine that with pointing out the problems with the way things are done currently and particularly with the Tyseley Incinerator, but there would be no point in fighting against the incinerator and current refuse collection service if we had no idea what would be better to go in its place.

With airlines and countering their greenwash it is a bit more difficult, though, as apart from not flying in the first place, there is no real green alternative. Does that mean we should stay silent and stop campaigning against airport expansion?

Certainly not. It may not be the most fun, rewarding and successful bit of the campaigning we do, but highlighting the extreme stupidity in claiming biofuels are a green solution for aviation really has to be done, because if we don't who will protect the people who need the land for growing food and the species whose habitat is being lost to massive monoculture plantations to feed the West's addiction to flying?

Highlighting the small amount of good practice in sustainability is important to encourage more of it, but stopping the stupidest, worst practice happening is even more important, because the effects of that can be truly devastating on people's lives and the health of the whole planet.

Joe Peacock