Aston University's Go Green Week, part of the national People and Planet, initiative is to take place from the 6th to the 10th February 2012 at their city centre campus. All events are free of charge and open to the general public, so come along and get involved! Highlights include:

- 'Capitalism or a habitable planet' talk with comedian, author and environmental activist Robert Newman- Friends of Earth, Greenpeace and Digbeth-based walkit.com to feature in Eco-Marketplace
- Second-hand bicycle sale from Birmingham-based social enterprise Cycle Chain
- Aston University Chaplaincy faith and climate change debate, 'Safeguarding the planet'
- The Co-operative's highly acclaimed 'Tarnished Earth' exhibition on campus

For the full programme, check out their webpage: www.aston.ac.uk/go-green-week

You can also keep up to date on twitter and facebook.

Aston University Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia King, who is the UK's Low Carbon Business Ambassador and a member of the Government's Committee on Climate Change, said "We hope that our diverse programme of events and our convenient campus location in central Birmingham will help to make this year's Go Green Week our most successful yet, attracting visitors from the wider community and local businesses as well as increasing awareness of sustainability issues amongst the University's staff and students."

Aston University ranked within the top 10 of People and Planet's award winning Green League for the past two years. As a recognised leader in the field of sustainability, Aston University already has a number of technologies on campus, such as a Combined Heat and Power plant, a wind turbine and green roof on the recently built student residences, and an electric car and charging points, as well as ambitious targets to further reduce carbon emissions by 48% by 2020.

Past Go Green Week events at Aston University have included a World Food Market, a fuel efficient driving simulator and live webcam footage of Kestrels nesting within the main building on campus.

Aston University Environment and Sustainability Assistant Kathy Hopkin said, "Following on from the success of Go Green Weeks 2010 and 2011, we've put together the most varied programme of events yet, designed to appeal to students and staff alike as well as reaching out to the wider community. Visitors can receive advice on reducing energy use and costs in the home, explore alternative travel options or simply learn more about environmental issues."

Listings:

"Green"
6.00pm Monday 6th February 2012
Main Building Room 155, Aston University
The story of a female orang-utan in the Indonesian rainforest, struggling for survival against the devastating impacts of logging and land clearance for palm oil plantations.

Eco-Marketplace
11.30am - 2.30pm Tuesday 7th February 2012
Student's Guild Hall, Aston University
Exhibitors include: Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Student Switch Off, The Co-operative, Globally Local, Office Depot, walkit.com, Riverford Organic Veg, Change Agents, Traidcraft, Fair-trade Design and The Body Shop.

"Safeguarding the planet"
6.00pm, Tuesday 7th February 2012
Martin Luther King Multi-Faith Centre, Aston University
Aston University Chaplaincy faith and climate change discussion evening.

Bicycle Sale, managed by Cycle Chain
9.00am to 1.00pm Wednesday 8th February 2012
Main Building Reception, Aston University
Cycle Chain is a social enterprise working in Birmingham and the West Midlands to refurbish unwanted bicycles for re-sale. Cycle Chain works with people with visual impairment and those recovering from mental health problems and gives them training in bicycle maintenance.

RSPB city centre wildlife walk
1.00pm - 2.00pm Friday 10th February 2012
Meeting point: Main Building Reception, Aston University

"Capitalism or a habitable planet"
6.00pm. Friday 10th February 2012Main Building Room G8, Aston University.
Interactive talk from stand-up comedian turned environmental activist Robert Newman.

Further enquiries:
Victoria Johnsen / Kathy Hopkin
Environment and Sustainability Officer / Environment and Sustainability Assistant
E. v.johnsen1@aston.ac.uk / k.hopkin@aston.ac.uk
T. 0121 204 4970 / 0121 204 4961

Over two hundred people attended the Low Carbon Communities Network conference in Oxford on 14 January. The mood of the conference was upbeat despite the cuts in the feed in tariff, showing that the will of ordinary people to move towards a low carbon society is unstoppable.

Opening presentations included Rebecca Willis from Co-operatives UK talking about research she had done into community energy co-operatives - a subject close to our hearts in Birmingham as CORE50 has recently come into being and as Birmingham Churches Green Group look to set up a co-operative to bulk buy energy.

Rebecca said that many energy co-operatives suffer from 'heroic amateurism'. This struck a chord with me because I have long argued that community energy groups can learn from social enterprises in having leadership and management skills on a par with the private sector without compromising on our values. I often think we need to spend at least as much time on honing our learning and management skills as we do discussing the location of bike parking stands. Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had eight hours to cut down a tree, he would spend the first six sharpening his axe. The low carbon movement attracts a lot of people who are younger than I, which is excellent. I learned most of my leadership skills from being an activist, not from a textbook. The low carbon movement needs to become an academy of leadership skills for green leaders. It will make our edge a lot sharper if we can become more professional without losing sight of our values.

It was a busy conference for those of us from SusMo and other organisations in Birmingham such as Localise West Midlands, Balsall Heath is our Planet, Energywise and CORE50, with Kathy Hopkin and myself delivering sessions on Communities and Green Deal, and how Social Enterprises can work with the private sector.
One of the attendees at our workshop on Green Deal suggested that LCCN should play a role nationally in helping low carbon and transition groups to 'meet the buyer' - i.e. to negotiate with Green Deal providers over how we work with them, and at what price. This is an excellent idea. Birmingham Social Enterprise Energy Network has played this role very well in Birmingham and has helped low carbon groups and social enterprises to bid together instead of in competition with each other. This has led to a situation where third sector organisations are the providers of choice in Birmingham City Council's 'Stay Warm, Stay Well in Birmingham' fuel poverty programme, delivering energy and income maximisation advice to vulnerable people whose health is at risk due to cold, damp homes.

The conference ended with Jonathan Porritt, who as always, was provocative and challenged the thinking of everyone present, to remind us that we continually need to question ourselves about whether we are doing the right thing. He also mocked Greg Barker MP, much to the amusement of the audience, and also criticised him politically, which I thought was far preferable. There was a lively debate over working with the private sector, with some delegates thinking that we can have nothing to do with them whatsoever. There is a 'small elite group' mentality among some people in the Transition movement, who given a choice between compromise and irrelevance, would seemingly choose irrelevance.

The conference took place as the results of the DECC LEAF fund were announced. We were delighted to learn that two bids from Birmingham - a south Birmingham consortium bid led by Balsall Heath Is Our Planet, and a Northfield Ecocentre bid - had been successful.

The unusually warm new year means that new year resolutions to lose weight, get fitter and save the planet can begin at once.

Support for new cyclists, and those who have not cycled for many years, is widely available. In Birmingham you can get encouragement and support from the local campaigning group - contact Graham Hankins - secretary@pushbikes.org.uk - for details.

Don't fall into the trap of putting off using a bike for the short journeys that you usually make in the car, or heading out for a longer ride when the sun is shining, because you think
<> "it is too dangerous";
<> "there is no secure cycle parking there";
<> "there are no cycle tracks near my home".

If you wait until other people improve cycle conditions for you, then before this happens
<> global warming may cause irreversible problems;
<> the price of diminishing fossil fuels may make current prices seem unbelievably cheap;
<> you may become too frail to cycle.

Conditions for cycling are not likely to be perfect, but in most places you can find routes that are good enough
1 - to improve your fitness and general wellbeing;
2 - to save you a considerable amount of money;
3 - to help your area to reach the required CO₂ savings;
4 - to conserve the remaining reserves of fossil fuels.

OK your contribution from riding a bike instead of driving a car won't make a significant difference to the last two points, but your enthusiasm about the first two points may change the behaviour of people you know, and their enthusiasm may affect others and eventually a large group of people can make a significant difference in your area.

I have quoted Margaret Mead before: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

In 2012 you can make a difference!

Happy New Year! We at SusMo have been taking a break to enjoy the festivities and see our families, but we are back now and ready to face the challenges of the New Year.

Last year was a big year for us, we completed the Green Streets project which has dominated the majority of our time, but also encouraged new members and made some real CO2 savings. We have also been actively promoting our Imeasure group, hoping to track energy saving across Moseley, and encourage healthy competition. We have been working on our future too, which is something we will be focusing on this next few months.

If you want to speak to us, please do! We are at the Moseley farmers market every month hoping to meet people and get some fresh thoughts and ideas. You can also contact us via email.

We have all been noticing what lovely weather we have been having the last couple of months (as I type I can see the wind blustering outside, perhaps not for much longer!), here are some pictures of the lovely foliage we have been seeing, sent in by John Newson.

Thanks,
Sarah Napier

In common with Muslims and Jews in this country, in public worship Christians traditionally face eastwards. Each faith has different reasons for doing this. Muslims to face Mecca, Jews to face Jerusalem, and I am fascinated to learn from the website of the Orthodox Christian seminary in Kerala, India, (http://www.ots.org.in/main/Articles/whyturn.asp) that Christians turn to face the rising sun, which is a rich symbol for us. I had, until now, assumed we too were facing Jerusalem, but it seems that those east of Jerusalem still face east, not west, as would be the case if they were facing Jerusalem.
What, you might be asking, has this got to do with 'Lighter Footprints'? Well, traditionally designed church buildings, have a short wall that faces east, across the width of the building, which is the front of the church where the altar is found, then the walls that make up the length of the building face south and north, with a short west wall at the back. So most churches have long south-facing pitched roofs, and these are currently of great significance as they are ideal sites for photovoltaic solar panels. The Birmingham Churches Green Network is very conscious of this fact and recently held a seminar in Balsall Heath, called 'Power from Above' when about 35 people from different church traditions met together to discuss how churches might be encouraged to make the most of this great resource.

As you may be aware there are some churches already ahead of the game. The seminar began by hearing the stories of the church buildings in Balsall Heath and Moseley from John Newson and Prof. John Dowell. John Newson explained to us how our host church, Balsall Heath Church Centre's roof is covered with the UK's first installation of 'Flexilight' panels. An annual output of 6,000kwh is expected from these panels, giving the church a Feed in Tariff income of around £4,000pa. Interestingly, this is a church building that doesn't have an eastward orientation, and the panels on the long roof actually face east, but the Flexilight panels are suitable for flat roofs, and are not so dependent on a southwards pitch. St Mary's Moseley, in contrast, as John Dowell told us, is a traditional east-facing church and now has an array of panels on frames on its south-facing pitch. The panels have an expected output of 7,000kwh pa and a saving of 4 tonnes of CO2 pa.

After hearing these stories, we then had presentations from Mark Clemson of New World Solar, Phil Beardmore of CoRE 50, and Brough Skindley of the Diocesan Advisory Committee. Mark talked of the impact of the changes in the Feed in Tariff, which have been implemented in such a hasty manner they have caused chaos in the industry. However, despite these problems, it still makes sense for churches to go ahead, as the capital costs of the installations are also falling. Phil talked to us about the value of working co-operatively to raise the finance and for procurement. Brough reminded us that on listed buildings (as many churches are) there are planning restrictions. The discussions were then continued in a question and answer panel format, where we learnt, among other things, that it probably takes about five years of using a solar panel for it to become zero-carbon, due to the energy consumed during its manufacture.

There are hundreds of churches in the West Midlands area, each one with its own story and its own particular issues. Some are new buildings with few planning issues; others are listed and in conservation areas. Some have very visible south-facing pitches, others are hidden behind parapets; some have old timbers that have to be protected from water ingress; others have roofs in need of repair and insulation before PV panels can be contemplated. Some have congregations who understand the significance of renewable energy, others do not. While there aren't any 'one- size- fits- all' solutions, each of us left the seminar resolved in our commitment to pursue these ideas further. The next opportunity for us to meet up again will be on 21st January, when our follow-on seminar 'Better Together' will look in more detail at how we can work co-operatively to make our aspirations a reality.

Margaret Healey Pollett

The Government have announced that feed-in tariffs (FiT) are to be slashed, increasing the payback time for customers.

The purpose of the FiT was to provide a much needed incentive for homeowners and businesses to install renewable energy sources on their properties.  The increase in demand would lead to a reduction in production costs due to economies of scale. The plan has always been to progressively reduce the feed-in tariff, in line with savings in upfront costs, but this sudden reduction will surely have a negative effect on a market which has not yet found its feet.

In Birmingham, a number of local companies have started installing solar panels, competing with much larger installers, such as British Gas and Eon. In an already competitive market, how will it be possible for smaller companies to compete with these giants, who will still be able to take advantage of discounts offered for bulk-buys? There are many stories of people getting solar panels through their energy company and finding that the installers have travelled from another part of the country, a baffling decision when promoting sustainability but doing little to support our local economy.

What does all this mean for those who would have considered getting the panels? Well, this depends on motivation. Those getting renewable energy sources because they want to reduce their carbon footprint will not be deterred. However, for most people there does need to be a financial incentive does, and as always, the fuel-poor will be hit hardest. In Birmingham we are lucky in that the council are currently working on rolling out a plan to enable homeowners to benefit from renewable energy with no upfront cost; see Birmingham Energy Savers for more details.

SusMo have spent a lot of time on the Green Streets project, which has enabled solar panels to be installed on Moseley CofE school, the allotments clubhouse, St. Mary's Church and Church Road Mosque. Ten percent of the FiT is going to go to CoRE, which will distribute the profit in community projects across Moseley and surrounding areas.  The review has meant the financial model originally developed has had to be revised, and less renewable can be distributed.

Sarah Napier

Whenever I mention that I am involved with SusMo, the first question I get asked is "How can I save money on my bills?" It's a big issue at the moment, with private and public sector seeking initiatives to provide renewable energy measures on privately or council owned homes. Unfortunately, for my friends and I, we don't live in either type of home. So what can you do if, like us, you rent a house? Where is the incentive for private landlords to improve the efficiency of their own homes? And what can you do as a tenant to save energy? For most tenants the bills are not included in the rent, so it doesn't make a difference for the landlord and therefore, there is no urgency to save energy/money.

Firstly, if you have (as I do) an amenable landlord who is interested in the welfare of their tenants, then a few suggestions could prompt changes. I have asked for draft proofing of both our back door and front door, secondary glazing films on all windows, thermal curtains to cover the large living room window and roof insulation. He has done each of these things, which have saved us a substantial amount of money and kept us both happy and settled.

In addition to this, I have put radiator panels, which I received through SusMo, on each of our external radiators. Although the cash savings are not particularly high, the main advantage is the feeling of warmth in the rooms. My bedroom used to be a pitiful place to be, now it is a cosy, warm room. I have hung thick curtains and put a large rug over the attractive, yet inefficient original wood flooring. I have standby savers in the living room and in each of my housemates' bedrooms, and I monitor my energy use through Imeasure.. 

All of these small changes make for a generally warmer house. I am constantly turning things off at the plug, which is helped by my excessively safety conscious housemate, who gets there before me most times! 

I have discussed the subject of the Green Deal and Birmingham Energy Savers , and I think that when the time comes my landlord will be supportive and enthusiastic about it. It is important to remember that Energy Performance Certificates are an influencing factor for people looking for rented accommodation, and the reduced bill costs that go along with renewable energy sources are also an attractive incentive for potential tenants.  

Private rented accommodation is the last and most difficult section of housing to be tackled. I hope that with the help of understanding landlords and the tenacity of persistent tenants, we can co-operate to reduce CO2 emissions in Birmingham. 

Try to plant the seed early, be as energy efficient as you can now and hope that your landlord responds by supporting and encouraging you to make these changes, which will be beneficial to the neighbourhood as a whole.

Sarah Napier

In Moseley this Saturday, in addition to:

> the wonderful produce at the Moseley Farmers' Market,

> the art and craft work at the Moseley Arts Market,

> "freetail" at the Moseley Swap Shop at the Prince of Wales,

there will be the chance to talk to SusMo members at

> the SusMo stall near the steps to St Mary's Church in St Mary's Row.

At the SusMo stall you may receive free "Heatkeeper" radiator panels, get your questions answered about living more sustainably and hear about new opportunities for reducing fuel bills in your home.

SusMo members work with local residents and organisations to reduce our CO₂ emissions in homes and community buildings in Moseley and by using low carbon transport options where possible.

Read Birmingham City Council's consultation document "Low Carbon Transport Strategy 2011+" and send your comments by Friday 18th November 2011.

Did anyone follow the floral trail http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/floraltrail around Birmingham this summer? I must admit that amidst my flitting round the city I picked up on several of the displays individually before realising at the end of the summer that they were all part of the trail. Now I wonder how many I missed...

What really drew my attention to the trail was the rather impressive green wall on the borders of the works for the new library in Centenary Square. This is a good example of a modular green wall, in other words it consists of a lot of panels that can be stacked along a wall, with little pockets into which different plants can be arranged, linked to an integrated irrigation system. Even towards the end of September there was a good variety of colours and textures. Anyone familiar with the Rhubarb building in Digbeth will already appreciate the dramatic effect off an artistic display of plants integrated into the building envelope.

These kind of green walls have been used for dramatic impact for several years, particularly in Paris where Patrick Blanc established himself as a world expert in the craft. They are now popping up more frequently in the UK, and can be appreciated for more than their aesthetic qualities. Although there is not a great tradition of research into the benefits of green walls, this is currently changing and the extent to which green walls help clean the air of pollutants and provide shelter and food for wildlife will soon be much better understood.

As a society we have started to realise that people cannot thrive in urban greyness without plants, and technology is helping us find clever ways to bring them back in. But it's always worth remembering at the same time that plants have their own little tricks to get a foothold. As a cheaper and less water-intensive idea, green walls can be naturally encouraged very easily with a simple trellis frame, and there are many attractive climbers which, in a little soil, will do a fabulous job all by themselves without damaging your building.

"Never doubt that a small number of committed citizens can change the world", wrote Margaret Mead. But what are the characteristics and attributes that those committed individuals need to have in order to do so?

A recent report for Defra by Brooke Lyndhurst investigated the role of influential individuals in spreading pro-environmental behaviour, and their relationships to issues of identity, trust and social norms. These individuals are known by a variety of overlapping terms - catalysts, early adopters, opinion formers, influencers, persuaders, protagonists, connectors, change agents, boundary spanners and even 'mavens' - all of whom have certain characteristics or attributes in common. These terms are interchangeable, and I use them as such.

Being catalysts is a part of their personality. It isn't something they learned at school or on a training course, it's just something they like to do. The crucial thing about them is that they are able to play a special role in spreading new ideas and behaviours. Gregarious, sociable, opinionated, positive, altruistic are the terms used to describe them. How many of those describe you? (I am definitely the last three and sometimes the first two). Their influence derives largely from 'internal consistency' - they mean what they say; do as they say; persuade people directly and also indirectly because people want to be like them. They 'get things done' and if a suitable network doesn't exist, then create one.

Defra's research interviewed twenty-two catalytic individuals - not specifically environmental influencers, but 'general' influencers from all walks of life. They told the interviewers that pro-environmental behaviour could be appended to other behaviours, such as health and money saving.

There is no tick-box approach to finding influential individuals. They cannot be identified through market research questionnaires in the way one might identify people from a random sample of shoppers who are most likely to use a new variety of soap powder, sign a petition to save Birmingham's markets or vote for a particular political party. Our experience confirms that catalysts don't put themselves forward in this way. Finding them is time-consuming but ultimately cost-effective. A sociometric approach needs to be used to find them. 'Snowballing' is the sociometric technique that Brooke Lyndhurst used, which involves researchers hanging around school gates and shopping centres (in the nicest possible way) - without a questionnaire - and asking people a series of questions about who does what in the local community. Eventually they will find the right person.
Influential individuals are creative, thoughtful and idiosyncratic (who, me?) and don't like being told what to do. They don't just pass on information or innovations, they use their own judgement, they think laterally to adapt and modify it to suit them and the people they wish to help.

There are ten critical dynamics in spreading innovation, and influential individuals will use as many as are necessary. The ten dynamics, as listed in the Brooke Lyndhurst report, are:

1. Relative advantage: the more potential value or benefit is anticipated from an innovation, the faster it will diffuse;

2. Trialability: the ability to try an innovation improves the prospects for adoption and diffusion;

3. Observability: the extent to which potential adopters can "see‟ the benefits of the innovation (and, indeed, physically see the innovation) improves the prospects for adoption and diffusion;

4. Communication channels: the paths chosen by opinion leaders to communicate an innovation affect the pace and pattern of diffusion;

5. Homophilous groups: innovations spread faster amongst homophilous [roughly, "like-minded‟] groups;

6. Pace of innovation/reinvention: some innovations tend to evolve and are altered along the way of diffusion whilst others remain stable; the former tend to diffuse more quickly than the latter;

7. Norms, roles and social networks: innovations are shaped by the rules, hierarchies and informal mechanisms of communication operating in the social networks in which they diffuse;

8. Opinion leaders: "opinion leaders‟ or catalytic individuals affect the pace of diffusion;

9. Compatibility: the ability of an innovation to coexist with existing technologies and social patterns improves the prospects for adoption/diffusion;

10. Infrastructure: the adoption of many innovations depends on the presence of some form of infrastructure or of other technologies that cluster with the innovation.

We often focus on one of the dynamics, e.g. observability of solar panels or other energy saving measures such as display energy monitors. Observability is closely linked to the 'build it and they will come' mentality that has characterised energy efficient demonstration projects in the past, where it was thought that just setting a good example that others could see, would be sufficient to encourage them to copy it. In practice, successful demonstration projects use as many of the ten dynamics as possible. A good example is Harriet and Chris Martin's Old Home Superhome energy efficient retrofit of their home in Bournville. This scores well on trialability and comparability because it coexists with a 1930s home; and infrastructure, because they have chosen measures for which there is a developing supply chain rather than going for something flashy but which it is difficult for potential copiers to get hold of. This is in addition to the observability which all demonstration projects have. The approach taken by Chris and Harriet is in contrast to some high-profile low-carbon new build and retrofit housing projects, the type that sometimes feature in Sunday newspapers, which score highly on observability but low on trialability, comparability and infrastructure. Harriet and Chris' approach is the more likely to be emulated by others.

Brooke Lyndhurst concluded that:

1. Pro-environmental behaviours should be seen as social innovations. This is a significant shift for most environmental people who only think of pro-environmental behaviours in purely environmental terms. We need to think laterally about how pro-environmental behaviours can have social and economic outcomes. Examples might include:
• Cycling and walking are good for your health
• Shopping local is good for the economy and supports more jobs than supermarkets
• Hanging the washing on the line means you can have a chat with your neighbour.

All persuasive arguments, and not a single mention of carbon footprint is needed.

2. An understanding of diffusion theory, such as the ten dynamics listed above, is key to understanding how pro-environmental behaviours will permeate the population.
Altruism is the greatest motivation of influential individuals. This means that there is a good chance they will not only be good neighbours who want to help their fellow residents, but also good citizens who want to save the planet. Finding them is an important part of making schemes like Birmingham Energy Savers a success.