City of the Future - 1 week to go

One of the most exciting parts of my job is to see a plan come together and an event take place.

Next Tuesday will see our City of the Future public debate on a better economy for Birmingham take place in the Council House, Birmingham. The number of people registered for it has been rising steadily since the web page went live and we are confident of getting to capacity, so please make sure you book your place if you haven't already.
Last year we did a debate on HS2, which went really well and attracted a lot of attention, but that was a very hot, very controversial issue on which passions run very high (and still is). This time, we are hoping to generate some really positive ideas and inspire people on a topic that used to be considered a bit dull and abstract to many, but is now starting to gain more attention - economics.

I've admired the work of the New Economics Foundation for a long time, so am very much looking forward to seeing what three ideas Julia Slay will put forward.

The idea that economic growth is what makes people more prosperous and therefore people's lives better has not been challenged enough in the mainstream media. We are very much looking forward to hearing the argument for a successful economy without growth from Oliver Bettis from the Centre for the Advancement of a Steady State economy.

Dr Helen Borland from Aston Business School has her main research interest in Strategic Business Sustainability, which focuses on how firms can adopt an ecologically sustainable approach to their strategic decision-making, senior management and leadership activities. She will provide the local academic perspective and expertise.

Also, we have David Powell from Friends of the Earth's economics team. His knowledge is integral to how we can campaign on issues such as Feed-in-Tariffs, green investment and the value that is put on the natural environment. He also writes some very readable blog posts on the Friends of the Earth website.

I have also been busy writing articles for local press and blogs on the event. Firstly, was a big piece in the Birmingham Post (whose editor, Alun Thorne is chairing the event for us). Then I wrote a short piece for my local (hyperlocal) blog B31 Voices. I was also asked to contribute a piece for the Chamberlain Files, a new political blog for Birmingham run by former journalists of the Birmingham Post.

Now I have 7 days to wait and see what comes out of this event, but luckily I'm so busy the time should pass very quickly. Bring it on.

Joe Peacock

Positive Money is coming to the City of the Future

I am keen for people to grasp what Positive Money is saying; i.e. that banks create almost all of our nation's money supply and that it is a big problem.

Most people seem to think that the government creates our money and that we all deal in it for the things we need for our daily lives. Unfortunately, this is not so.

Almost all the money in circulation apart from the tiny amount that is bank notes and coins is money created by commercial banks when they issue loans. This makes banks the owners of almost all our money and they get to decide where it goes in the economy. They put it into raising the price of houses which hurts people.

Instead, new money should be created in measured amounts, that won't cause inflation, by the Bank of England, as an asset of the nation. Then the Bank of England (I personally think) should give it to the elected government who should spend it on things that help us run a lively export economy and earn our living in the world by doing stuff that actually makes the world better for people; i.e. infrastructure, university and technical education, science, research, product development and power generation research etc.

It is a crucial change that could actually take place to take the power to create money from the banks and give it to public authority i.e. the Bank of England. Then we'd stand a chance of getting on our feet as a nation and having a good influence on the world. There would be good satisfying jobs and a point to getting a good education so as to be useful players in such a great and honourable endeavour.

I'm really glad that Birmingham Friends of the Earth are putting on the "City of the Future" event where ideas like this can be discussed and there will be plenty more on this at our stall on 20th March at the Council House in Birmingham. See you there.


Dick Rogers

City of the Future

Recently we've all been a little miffed about the current economic situation, with a circulating question of:

Can we shift to a healthier economy? If so, what would it look like?

At Birmingham FOE, we are organising an eye-opening event which aims to
capture the current economic debate, discussing what it currently provides for us and identifying the real-life tools which would be required to have a better, more sustainable economy.


I was excited enough about this to volunteer to help organise it.

The Idea:
A panel of four economic experts will each present three ideas that would inspire new hope for young people and their chances
for future employment and a better environment.
…
A second panel of representatives from local  groups, cross-examine the presented cases.
…
Discussion will be opened up to the audience. ← this is your part!

The Date:
Tuesday 20th March 2012 is the time and the place to stop being miffed and start being active!

Pop it in your diaries and I hope to see you there (keep an eye out for details of our amazing panel).

Rachel Tyson

Edit: Registration is now open on our website:  http://www.birminghamfoe.org.uk/other/city-of-the-future

Reasons to join a bike train #3

“A penny saved is a penny earned”, Benjamin Franklin said. It's almost as if he was speaking with the knowledge that petrol prices have reached an incredible £1.45 per litre in some parts of Birmingham. Cycling on the other hand is environmentally friendly, keeps you healthy and is absolutely FREE... Read on for all the financial reasons why you should join us on 22^nd September and make cycling part of your everyday routine.

• If you are currently a car driver, cycling to work would save you £5 per day for a five-mile journey. If you do it regularly, that's £25 a week that you could spend on language classes, re-decorating the house, or a train trip to somewhere exciting... It's worth exploring all the possibilities and thinking big.
• Doing the Banners Gate to Victoria Square commute could save you a whopping £40 a week (£160 a month); going from Quinton to town and back on a daily basis would save you about £1,222 a year! Think of all the things that money would cover: Bills. Taking your family out for a meal every month. You could even get a cleaner or gardener to help you around the house or earn yourself a weekend at a luxury eco-hotel.
• Train and bus commuters: switching to cycling would save you a minimum of £30 a month (that's £360 a year) in travel passes.
• Joining a Bike Train would give you the opportunity to see what cycling to work would be like and to see just how enjoyable and easy it is. You could then make the decision whether or not you want to make it a regular feature in your day!
• At a time when so many people are bemoaning the state of the economy, the grey skies/anti-social behaviour, and the approach of GMT, you could make a resolution to get fit, put a bit of extra money in your pocket and get to know your colleagues/meet new people. All of these things will put a smile on your face!
  By cycling to work, you could put that aside and focus instead on getting fit, meeting new people and putting a bit of extra money in your pocket in time for Christmas. At the very least, by joining your local Bike Train you could have a fun day out and meet new people (maybe even find a cycle buddy for every day!). Why wait for the New Year to make positive resolutions and change your life around? If you swap driving for cycling, you could easily save £200 that could go towards Christmas presents or a meal with your family for example.

"Money will come when you are doing the right thing." - Mike Phillips