These pages display the information we have on various campaigns in the UK. If you have further information on these and other campaigns not yet listed please contact the Environment Pages Co-ordinator.
Disclaimer: The views put forward within these pages are voices of individuals within the Druid community and those who touch it. They do not represent the entirety of Druidry, nor do they necessarily represent the views of The Druid Network, its members or staff.
No Open Cast Mining
The proposed mining of an area of the Wrekin, Shrophire would destroy an area of outstanding beauty, historical and environmentally importance. It is also suspected that once the open cast mining has finished, the large hole left would be designated a site for future landfill!!!
Wild open spaces are becoming increasingly threatened (by various factions) these days, and no matter what your political views or religious beliefs, we all have the right to them as part of the heritage of human kind.
Please sign even if you do not live in the area, as if allowed to go ahead, this sort of thing well could happen on your door step too...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NoOpencast/
More details and updates on the campaign can be found on the Friends of Ericall Myspace page at(copy and paste into your browser):http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=313931229&MyToken=b19fbe67-520f-4b32-bf12-3893f0dc8668
Manifesto For the respect and protection of ancestral sacred places
Confronted with the increasingly frequent defacements of places that are sacred for us, we have decided to lead an action group to claim for the protection of these places. (The value of the biodiversity together with recognition of the spiritual, cultural and historical importance)
Being aware that the problems are not only limited to France we also consider European and global facts, both to consider similar problems (Brocéliande, Tara) and to celebrate successes in these areas (recognition of ancients beliefs, conservation of places of ancestral heritage) Then, we will produce two versions of our manifesto, in French and in English.
The main English text of the manifesto is on our Blog.
This text will include examples of damaged sites and protected sites in Europe and the wider world. This will be presented to the following offices:
French government
- Internal Affairs Minister, cults and traditions office
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- - Culture and communication minister, Administration of architecture and heritage
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- - Ecology minister, administration of nature and landscapes
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Council of Europe
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- - Protection of heritage department
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- - Service of cultural policies and actions
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- (Why not send it to your government too?)
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As a Group, Order or Association, you can sign the manifesto for the protection of sacred places. http://terre.sacree.over-blog.com/
As an individual person you can also sign the Petition
(the text of the petition is in French and in English)
http://terre.sacree.over-blog.com/
For further details, feel free to contact us at
manifeste.terresacree[at]yahoo.fr
For the protection of Sacred Places,
Cercle des Enfants de la Terre
http://cercle.over-blog.fr/
manifeste.terresacree[at]yahoo.fr
Help Brede High Woods
The Woodland Trust have just launched an appeal to raise funds to buy Brede High woods, a large complex of ancient woodland and heathland located in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The wood contains lots of rare stuff, including a beetle that had been thought extinct. They have 12 weeks to raise the £750,000 needed to buy the wood outright and stop it being sold in lots to the highest bidders.
More information can be found by following the link at http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/
Save Hatfield Forest
Hatfield Forest is under threat from the Government and British Airports Authority's (BAA) plans to expand both the capacity and physical size of neighbouring Stansted Airport. The Forest is already affected by noise and pollution connected with the airport. With the proposed changes in planning laws to fast-track these sort of projects (see campaign below) it is going to be increasingly difficult to protest against these sorts of developments.
Hatfield Forest has been a vital habitat since the last ice age and has almost 2,000 trees that are over 600 years old. Henry I declared it a royal hunting forest in the 12th century. This ancient living part of our landscape is under threat in the name of economic expansion and short term profit.
The National Trust have an online petition on their site here http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-hatfieldforest/w-hatfieldforest-save.htm
A recent article from the independent outlines the details here http://environment.independent.co.uk/wildlife/article2591470.ece
A website for a campaign to stop the expansion of Stanstead airport. http://www.stopstanstedexpansion.com/
Woodland Trust Capagin agaist changes to Planning Permission
Changes looming on planning permission could take us all out of the loop and allow business and government to walk right over us. Sign and send the pettition to help try and stop this. http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaigns/planningdisaster/
Save Cardigan Bay
Save this wonderful place from oil and gas drillers!
The Department for Trade and Industry is considering selling licenses for oil and gas exploration, in an area which has a resident bottlenose dolphin population and is therefore protected by law. Further information and campaign updates on our website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/G1762
Sign the petition at https://owa.eu.fishersci.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SOS-SAC/
Save Radley Lakes
Save Radley Lakes was formed on 20th May 2005 by local people to prevent the destruction, by RWE NPower, of a priceless wildlife area in Radley known as Thrupp Lake and Bullfield Lake.
Radley Lakes is a fantastic nature reserve (although not designated as such) in south Oxfordshire where Didcot Power station want to dump their waste ash, filled with toxic heavy metals.
There is a petition at:
http://www.saveradleylakes.org.uk/documents/SaveRadleyLakesPetition.htm
or send a letter or donation to:
RLLF,
Sandles,
Thrupp Lane,
Radley (Lower),
Oxfordshire,
OX14 3NG.
They will welcome support to maintain the field centre and stop the destruction of the lakes.
Contact Oxford Action Resource Centre on 01865 243121
or Squirrel on 07792 352920
For more information, visit the website at:
http://www.saveradleylakes.org.uk/
From the website:
This website has been set up to try and prevent the destruction of a 12 hectare site located between Radley and Abingdon. RWE NPower and Oxfordshire County Council between them have concocted a scheme which, if approved by the Secretary of State, will destroy a beautiful lake and deprive the community of an essential part of the landscape. The area is rich in bio-diversity and should be protected. Instead 500,000 tonnes of waste fuel ash (PFA) will be dumped here to the detriment of the wildlife and the environment.
ONE MILLION EUROPEANS DEMAND: PHASE OUT NUCLEAR POWER!
Sign the petition against nuclear power in Europe. http://www.million-against-nuclear.net
Europe's energy policy is at the crossroads: Triggered by fears over supply security or climate change, the nuclear energy industry hopes for a comeback. But nuclear energy remains the most dangerous form of energy, the problem of waste treatment and storage remains unsolved, leaving a dirty and dangerous legacy behind for thousands of years. And nuclear power is financially insane and no solution for the global warming crisis. Instead, we need massive investments into energy efficiency and renewable energies.
Please sign the European Petition against Nuclear Energy: http://www.million-against-nuclear.net
THANK YOU!
STOP BADGER CULLING: TAKE ACTION!
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have consulted on whether badger culling should be a part of the control strategy for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in high risk areas of England, for example the South West.
The consultation is heavily weighted in favour of culling (question 1 asks 'should we cull badgers?' and questions 2-24 ask for more detail about how badgers should be killed). The action is being demanded by the farming unions and Defra seem to be listening to them in spite of the science. There is currently no scientific evidence to support the view that badgers are the main source of bTB transmission, or that small-scale culling of badgers will be an effective way of controlling TB entering the cattle population from wildlife sources. Many farmers and vets are calling for large-scale culling – i.e. eradication of badgers from large areas of the country.
In the meantime there is no overall strategy to look at addressing all causes of bTB in cattle – which could look at stress caused to animals by intensive farming practices, cattle movements and antibiotics. By playing down these factors, the badger is effectively being used as a scapegoat by Defra and the farming sector to mask a wider problem; badgers can't speak up for themselves.
There are many reasons that you might choose to justify action on this issue, including:
Eradication of badger populations over wide areas is unacceptable on species protection and moral grounds. Killing of badgers by snaring and gassing will be cruel and cause suffering and pain to animals. Badgers, while not endangered, are one of the most protected species in the UK. The science doesn't add up, and is being ignored. Culling will be a waste of taxpayers' (your) money. Culling will be a waste of farmers' time. There is a lack of a wider strategy to look at other issues around bTB.
The consultation has now closed. Defra is currently reviewing all of the responses to the consultation.
Links to websites of other organisations, with more information, views and advice on letter writing, can be found here:
http://www.badger.org.ukhttp://www.wildlifetrusts.orghttp://www.rspca.org.ukFrom Friends of the Earth: Radiohead front man Thom Yorke is calling for thousands of people across the country to back The Big Ask, a new national climate change campaign to make the UK Government legally responsible for reducing the UK's impact on global warming. It comes as a NOP survey shows that nearly three quarters of the public believes the Government is not doing enough to tackle climate change.
The UK is failing to meet its climate change targets and The Big Ask campaign, launched by Friends of the Earth, challenges the Government to bring in a new climate change law. The law would force the Government to take responsibility for the UK's contribution to global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by three per cent every year. The public can back the campaign through the website http://www.thebigask.com/.
A NOP survey for Friends of the Earth, published today, confirms that the public wants the Government to show leadership on climate change. The poll revealed that 73 per cent do not think that the Government is doing enough to tackle climate change; 55 per cent think that the Government should be taking the lead on climate change 26 per cent said individuals; 13 per cent lumped for business.
In the UK you can fax your MP through http://writetothem.com/.
Trees under Threat
A Woodland Trust website that details woods currently under threat from development. They know of 100s of woods currently under threat. It provides lots of useful information on how to campaign against this loss of a valuable national resource.
More info on the website http://www.woodsunderthreat.info.
This site offers the opportunity to pledge that you will take direct action to oppose airport expansion in the UK - might we also be plegding to reduce our use of air transport? More information
