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Apologies for the late notice, but it's worth mentioning that Birmingham City Council's Sustainability Forum is taking place tonight, Thursday 12th March 2012 from 6.00pm to 8.45pm in the Banquesting Suite of the Council House, B1 1BB.

The theme of the forum this month is "Places for the Future". Here is what BCC have to say about the event:

A new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is being prepared that will provide developers with guidence on sustainable development and support Birmingham's 2026 carbon reduction target.

The Forum will be part of the consultation on the SPD, so come along and let us know your thoughts on the draft SPD and how it will help make Birmingham a more sustainable city for the future.

Themes in the SPD include:
Low and zero carbon energy
Green infrastructure and adaptation
Water efficiency
Sustainable and resiliant communities
Sustainable construction and waste
Sustainable transport

For further information and to view the draft SPD, visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/placesforthefuture

To book a place at the forum, please contact sustainabilityteam@birmingham.gov.uk

Some SusMo members will be attending the forum this evening - it would be great to see you there!

It's about this time of year that some people start to get confused between 'weather' and 'climate'. As if you can refute decades of hard scientific evidence about climate change by looking out of your window and saying "so much for global warming then!"

But talking of weather and climate, recent figures published by the World Meteorological Organisation show that the year 2010 is almost certain to rank as one of the three warmest years since records began, and that the decade that's about to finish is the warmest 10-year period. The summer heatwave in the northern hemisphere caused thousands of deaths in Russia and devastated harvests in the Middle East and northern India.

Some scientists state that the cold winters the UK has suffered in the last two years are caused by higher temperatures in western Greenland, northern Canada and Siberia. Our winter weather is linked to differences in air pressure over the Atlantic. Higher than normal air pressure in the Arctic winter is disrupting the usual weather pattern that gives the UK comparatively mild weather compared to other places at similar latitudes. This allows cold air from the Arctic to penetrate into Europe, causing the cold snap.

Climate and weather are complex things and we should back the efforts of scientists to further our understanding of the impacts of climate change. What isn't in doubt is that you can't expect to pump billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year and not expect bad things to happen.

So, let it snow, but don't forget the bigger picture - climate change is real and the capacity of the earth to sustain life is under threat. 2011 needs to be the year of decisive action to stop it.

Phil Beardmore works for the Confederation of Co-operative Housing on the Greener Together project. This project encourages members of co-operatives to adopt pro-environmental behaviours, and is delivered by the CCH in partnership with Co-operatives UK and the Plunkett Foundation. Phil is also a volunteer for SusMo.

While Esther is cycling her way around Scotland, I will be the second guest blogger from SusMo. I have recently started a new job working with Green Roofs, and am very excited by the opportunities for cleaner and greener living which this developing technology provides. Employed by the Green Roof Centre in Sheffield, I am working in the West Midlands doing a research project that aims to find out just what is happening in the blossoming Green Roof industry, and how best to take the idea forward to become a practical solution for everyone.

So why would anyone other than a hobbit want grass on their roof? The main ecological advantage is that they can combat climate change in various ways: not only do they convert CO2 into oxygen, they also absorb other harmful greenhouse gases and pollutants; they are great at mitigating the 'urban heat island effect' which means that they use up solar energy and cool down the atmosphere, unlike hard black roofs which absorb heat and release it at night, warming the world around them. Rainwater control provided by green roofs with integrated drainage systems can help with flood control and water recycling initiatives. Sound insulation is improved, and heat insulation is enhanced by green roofs although they are not a substitute for loft insulation, they help to prevent buildings from overheating. Nature lovers can contribute to local habitat protection by creating an environment to attract particular species.

The trick with getting your green roof right is to examine what you actually want from it, because the wonderful benefits associated with green roofs depend on careful design and installation. The selection of plants is one key issue. Lawn turf is heavy and high maintenance, and alpine plants such as sedum have been more popular as they are naturally good at surviving in sparse conditions exposed to extreme weather. More colourful and interesting plants can be used if they have the desirable characteristics that will ensure their survival on your roof, and are supported by the right growing medium and structure. Retro-fits require the existing roof supporting structure to take on the extra weight of a saturated green roof and to meet waterproofing and drainage requirements. It's not all limiting: green roofs can be fitted to sloping or curved surfaces and look amazing.

Have you ever been tempted by the vision of a lush green wig for your house or garage? Maybe you have already had experience of buying and installing a green roof? Or do you think it is another corporate green-wash that will be resigned to the compost heap of great ideas that never got anywhere? They certainly deserve more attention and I am interested to hear more local opinions on the subject, so that we can start a forum to share ideas and discuss what problems need to be addressed to make this greenest of sustainable technologies a blooming success.

For more information visit www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk, let me know your opinion by writing to M.fennell@sheffield.ac.uk. You can also follow my progress on twitter @hobbitholesRus.

I'll be the first of Esther's guest bloggers while she is away taking a well deserved break. I am a fellow SusMo volunteer, and also work full time for walkit.com. I completed an MSc in Climate Change at UEA last year, and have a particular interest in personal carbon emissions, sustainable lifestyle choices and behavioural change.

Our personal carbon emissions are created by the energy used to heat our homes, run cars and motorcycles, and travel by plane. They also include emissions created in the growth, packaging and shipping of foods, along with other consumer products. These types of emissions constitute about 44% of the UK total, with the annual carbon footprint of the typical Briton being around 10 tonnes of CO2.

Most climate scientists agree that the average global temperature rise must be kept below 2.0oC in order to prevent catastrophic climate change. It is estimated that to remain within this limit, personal emissions would have to be no more than one tonne of CO2 per person, per year, globally. Clearly, the UK is falling far short of this target.

But changing behaviour is not easy. Particularly for generations who have grown up since the 1980's, where throwaway culture really took hold. Ready meals in disposable packaging, electrical goods that seldom last more than a couple of years, and cheap high street fashion that is discarded come the new season's trends. Even the most damaging behaviours such as flying are disproportionately cheap in comparison to the environmental effect they have.

But there is one thing that is not getting ever cheaper, in fact it's set to get more and more expensive, and those are the fossil fuels required to heat and power our homes. Reducing domestic energy use is something that all of us should be aiming to do. Even if climate change and environmental issues are not motivation enough for individuals to change other aspects of their lifestyle, the financial savings made from being a little wiser around the home should be.

iMeasure is a smart little website that allows you to enter your gas and electricity readings each week, and then tells you how much carbon dioxide this equates to. Not only that, but it also gives you the average of other users, so if you're the competitive type, you can see how well you've done compared to others. This weekly monitoring is great at keeping your household energy use at the forefront of your mind, thus preventing you from slipping back into any wasteful habits that you may have had. And over time, this could mean significant savings on your home energy bills.

iMeasure was created by researchers at the Environmental Change Institute based at Oxford University, so the site is a wealth of information on loads of stuff, such as transport, climate change campaigns, in-depth carbon footprint calculators, and climate science research. And it's all for free! So why not give it a go and sign up.