zero carbon caravan

Idea for a zero carbon world concert

2010-01-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Copenhagen didn't get the climate deal we needed. There is therefore another opportunity to publicise the issues and get through to the politicians before the next climate summit in Mexico at the end of this year. We could hold a zero carbon world concert to demand a zero carbon world. Please get in touch if you have any ideas on how to do this, or contacts with musicians, organisers, or renewable electricity energy providers, by emailing chris.keene@tiscali.co.uk or phoning +44 (0)1603 614535

Thanks

2010-01-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

This is a somewhat belated note to thank everyone who helped with the zero carbon caravan - all those who helped with the organisation and advice, gave donations, contributed to the website, made applications for grants, all those who provided food and accommodation, those who arranged meetings, press conferences and visits, and got in touch with the press, those who helped out when I got lost, helped with writing press releases, organised some wonderful parties on the way, helped fixing cycles, played in concerts, participated in conferences and meetings, cycled with us on the journey, or gave a lift on a yacht.

We got quite a bit of media coverage - three TV interviews and four on radio, mentions in the Times, Independent, Guardian and Telegraph and dozens of local newspapers, and lots of coverage on the internet.

We visited lots of interesting places showing solutions to climate change - in transport, energy, buildings, lifestyle and food production, as well as interviewing lots of people and visiting some really inspiring places demonstrating such ideas to the public.

We had four zero carbon concerts - two acoustic, one using solar electricity, and the other using electricity generated by a bicycle, and we held an international telephone conference at the University of East Anglia, as well as numerous public meetings.

In Copenhagen, the information collected on the journey was put onto datasticks and presented to two parliamentarians, Colin Challen, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group in the UK, and Ingrid Nestle, the spokesperson on energy economics for the Greens in the German Parliament.

Chris Keene
Coordinator, Zero Carbon Caravan

Should we Seattleise Copenhagen?

2009-12-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

Norwich Green Party councillor Rupert Read has suggested it is time to Seattleise Copenhagen, as any agreement is likely to be even worse than Kyoto, but when I put this to the panel from Greenpeace and Action Aid who were giving us an update on the negotiations at Klimaforum on Tuesday evening, they were against the idea, as we don't have time to wait around - they thought there was still hope something better could come from Copenhagen

Copenhagen

2009-12-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

I've finally arrived in Copenhagen, having had to do the last bit on the train, since they don't allow you to cross the bridge to Zealand (the island on which Copenhagen sits) on a cycle, so my trip wasn't completely zero carbon.

But I think this is an important illustration that individuals alone cannot defeat climate change - the reason why I could not cycle on the bridge is a political one, and it is a combination of individual action and politics that will be effective.

The rumours here are that a Copenhagen agreement, if we do get one, will be even worse than Kyoto, retaining its bad aspects - the offsets which mean there can be no true cap on emissions, and removing the good ones - the binding emission reduction targets, which would be replaced by voluntary ones.

Tomorrow I am making a presentation (10am to noon) and a press conference (3pm) on my journey and the solutions I have discovered, at the Klimaforum .

Aabenraa

2009-12-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Finally left Flensburg today, to travel into Denmark - the end of a great time with Clemens, Sam and Julian, the three students of energy and environmental management I've been staying with for the past couple of weeks.
I've now joined up with Kim Nguyens and his group.www.rideplanetearth.org Kim has cycled all the way from Australia, but the rest of us have been shorter distances.
We got as far as Aabenraa today, but we've got a 75 km ride tomorrow, and my gears aren't working.

Dirkshof

2009-11-28T04:12:00.000-08:00

On Friday I cycled 50km across northern Germany to the North Sea coast, to visit Dirkshof, the first publicly owned wind farm in Germany, started 20 years ago by farmer Dirk Ketelsen, who has many of his neighbours as shareholders in an extremely profitable venture bringing 10% per annum return on investment thanks to the German renewable energy law with its feed-in tariffs

Zero Carbon Sonderborg

2009-11-28T03:54:00.000-08:00

At last I have found it - a place bold enough to make the case for zero carbon emissions (not just low carbon emissions, which is a fairly meaningless term since it can be used to mean almost anything, including 1% less than business as usual).
Zero Carbon Sonderborg has extremely ambitious proposals to get to zero emissions by 2029, and they have been carefully worked out in a plan which is about to be published.
They have a number of innovative initiatives on how to do it, including zero families; a zero plus house, which generates more energy than it uses (so you get a cheque from the electricity company, not a bill - that should go down well with the public!); Bright Green Youth which organised a conference in August this year to come up with climate solutions, which will be presented to the COP in Denmark, and implemented in Sonderborg this year; zero farming, involving energy saving ideas and using manure to generate energy; zero municipality; and business (Bright Green Business).
I meet with managing director Peter Rathje and his assistant Christian, and they explain the ideas behind Zero Carbon Sonderborg.They have solved the problem of transportation without using oil by going electric - the same idea promoted by the Centre for Alternative Technology in their Zero Carbon Britain report

Waiting in Flensburg

2009-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting to cross the Danish border for several days now, staying with a group of energy and environment students who are planning to sail to the COP in Copenhagen - sadly, they won't be leaving in time to get me there by 8th December so I can do my presentation at the alternative Klimaforum09.
Instead, I am going to join up with Kim Nguyen, who has cycled all the way from Australia. He will arrive here at the end of November, and will reach Copenhagen on 6th December .
But I haven't been wasting my time here. I've been to an anti-nuclear, anti-'clean' coal demo, and attended a talk by Ingrid Nestle, newly elected MP for the Greens, and their speaker on energy economics. We discuss energy scenarios afterwards. She agrees that a zero carbon world is certainly possible, though we disagree on how soon; she thinks it can't be until around 2040, I think it could be much sooner, if only we had the political will.
I've also visited Energie aus Wind und Sonne . They are one of the biggest suppliers of renewable energy in northern Germany, and have a large warehouse full of solar panels, for which they are acting as wholesalers, as well as being involved in wind,solar thermal and wood-pellet-fueled central heating systems. They can source the wood from factory waste, using only 10% of it, to provide heat for 100,000 homes. There is clearly room for a lot of expansion, but a simple calculation shows that this can only be part of the solution (100% would be only one million homes), and we need to look for other forms of heat/insulation.
Last night I attended presentations by some of the students on the energy and environment course at the University of Flensburg. They were very interesting, covering means of liberalising energy markets and increasing the proportions of renewables, and the potential of wind and solar technologies. They were also in English, very useful for someone who hasn't studied German for over 40 years!
It seems that there is enough technical potential for wind power to supply seven times Germany's energy supply, and 18 times Europe's, but other factors, such as opposition from NIMBYs, and cost, cut this down.
I went to a talk by Prof Dr Olav Hohmeyer, from the University of Flensburg, and former chair of the IPCC Working group III (adaptation) last night. He said the way forward is to use renewables and energy efficiency, not nuclear power, because of the dangers of accidents and nuclear proliferation, and not carbon capture and sequestration because the available storage for CO2 will be needed later this century for storing CO2 captured from biomass burning, which will be necessary to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

Artefact

2009-11-16T04:19:00.000-08:00

Artefact is a truly amazing place - a little like the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, but smaller, with far fewer tourists, they concentrate on training people in areas such as photovoltaics. They also have strong connections with the Global South; there were people there being selected as volunteers over the weekend; they also showcase examples of techniques developed in the South, such as a building from Africa which is constructed so that it requires no air conditioning.
One of the men on a photovoltaics training course had studied political science, doing his dissertation on the German renewable energy law on feed-in tariffs.
While I was at Artefact I attended the General Meeting of INFORSE-Europe (INFORSE is short for the International Network for Sustainable Energy). Paul Allen from the Centre for Alternative Technology, project director for the Zero Carbon Britain report which was the inspiration for the Zero Caravan, was present, and the meeting decided to recommend 2030 rather than 2050 as a date to aim for zero carbon by.

flensburg

2009-11-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

had a rather wet journey from schleswig to flensburg, but met with a very warm welcome from knut, whose flat i share for a couple of nights.
Saturday knut cycled with me to artefact, 12 kilometres east of flensburg. Artefact is a member of INFORSE, the international network for sustainable energy, and i join the last day of the general meeting of INFORSE-Europe as an observer, and make a video and photos of artefact's activities

Schleswig

2009-11-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

Fritz Lass, of the BUND Schleswig group, has made an excellent job of organising my activities there.
I start off by giving a talk to politics students at the local Danish-speaking school, then join in an information stall in the town centre, where I am interviewed by a journalist from the local paper, visit a museum in the afternoon, where I see a viking long boat (it's a pity my idea to travel to copenhagen in one didn't work out - that would have got lots of attention!), and give a talk about my journey to the BUND Schleswig group in the evening.
Before I leave I interview Fritz about the large area of solar panels on his roof - paid for by a cheap bank loan mandated by the German renewable energy law, which also forces the electricity company to buy electricity from him at a guaranteed price.

Waldkindergarten

2009-11-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

My next stop was in Neumuenster, where I went out for a meal with Norbert Biss from the local BUND (Friends of the Earth) group, and talked about his job teaching in a waldkindergarten (a school in the forest for children aged 3 to 6). There are now hundreds of these in Germany.

The children spend all day out in the open in the woods unless the weather is really bad, learning an emotional connection with the environment by direct sensory experience, so different from the scientific way in which environmental studies is taught. We need to reach children in this way if they are to value the environment

Hamburg

2009-11-11T14:32:00.001-08:00

I stayed over the weekend with my old friend Jeremy Ferguson in Hamburg. Jeremy was in the next room when I went to the University of East Anglia four years ago in Norwich, and is now living in Hamburg.

I manage to catch up on downloading pictures and movies from my mobile phone on Jeremy's computer, and have some interesting discussions on politics with Jeremy and Alex, another friend of Jeremy's from UEA, who just happens to be staying there at the same time.

Stade

2009-11-08T02:47:00.000-08:00

My next stop was Stade, where they are now battling three proposed coal fired power plants. All the political parties, except the Greens, are in favour, believing they will bring jobs to the area. In reality of course, renewable energy could provide far more jobs, but the politicians are lobbied heavily by the energy companies, which include Eon, who were also attempting to build a new coal-fired plant at Kingsnorth just to the east of London.

I speak at a meeting with members of BUND (Friends of the Earth) Stade, and the group fighting the coal plants , with journalists from both local newspapers in attendance.

Bremerhaven Klimahaus

2009-11-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

I was invited to the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven www.klimahaus-bremerhaven.de on wednesday 4th november, an amazing experience. I rode there with about 40 students, and then did interviews with radio and local newspapers.
I was provided with a guide, Margret Grobe, an experienced climate scientist, who showed me around the exhibits in the afternoon, which include methods of demonstrating reduction of your carbon footprint, videos from a journey around the world through Bremerhaven, Switzerland, Sardinia, Niger, Cameroon, the antarctic, Samoa, Alaska, with the inhabitants speaking about the problems climate change is causing. There is then a very moving exhibit of the future these countries will face because of climate change, and a video of a little girl saying "You grown-ups say that you love us, but please make your actions match your words". This approach engages the emotions of the audience more than a dry scientific exposition, something which is vital if we are to motivate people to act.

Cycle tracks

2009-11-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Some people are quite happy to cycle on the continent, but won't cycle in Britain because it's too dangerous because of our lack of cycle tracks. I think we will have to provide many more cycle tracks in Britain if we are to get the majority of people cycling instead of driving - something we ought to do if we're serious about tackling climate change. So I've been taking a great interest in cycle tracks on my journey.

There are enormous differences between countries in provision of cycle tracks, and also in which types of travellers are mixed together. In Britain there are very few cycle tracks, and the ones that do exist are frequently useless because they suddenly end. What are you supposed to do? Take off and fly? A lot of people therefore cycle illegally on the pavement in Britain, something which attracts a lot of criticism ("because it's against the law"). Yet sometimes it is perfectly legal to cycle on the pavement in Britain - the authorities simply designate a section of pavement as for joint pedestrian and cycle use.

On the continent pedestrians and cyclists frequently share the use of a path beside the road with small motorcycles. I've never seen this in Britain. I wonder what the reaction would be from all those people who moan about cyclists on the footpath? The motorbikes are supposed to go below 40kph, but frequently don't

It's amazing how much difference the quality of the road surface makes to riding the trike. It isn't too bad on a good surface, but any irregularities and it become a real effort to pedal. Consequently I am extremely sensitive to the differences between the surfaces I travel on.

Some are hell - cobbles particularly. Why on earth the authorities persist with these I don't know; I'm sure the people responsible can't be cyclists themselves. Nearly as bad as cobbles are the ones made from bricks, although some of these aren't too bad if the gaps between them are small.

The best to cycle on are the newly laid asphalt ones, but of course these are made of oil! What will happen when this runs out?

Wind power

2009-11-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

I passed very close to two wind farms on the way from Bremen to Bremerhaven, and it was interesting to note the contrast in noise pollution - from one all you could hear was a gentle 'swoosh', with the other emitting a grating sound which I assume was due to the gears. (I think the first must have been gearless, but I need to check these assumptions with an expert.) I wouldn't want to live too close to the latter, but having said that, the sound was drowned out by the noise from the road nearby, and a few hundred metres away I couldn't hear it at all

Bremen

2009-11-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Bremen after a 65km ride through the valley of the R Weser - stopping to be photographed for the local paper at a hydro power site on the journey.
I was accompanied all the way; Johanne, Kurt and Helmut - members of BUND (Friends of the Earth) Nienburg, came to Achim, where they handed me over to Christian Gudz of BUND Bremen, who took me on to Katja Muchow's house, where I am staying the night before travelling on tomorrow to Bremerhaven where I am taking part in an event at Klimahaus.
Katja works for BUND Bremen, and her husband, Jörn, is a mathematician working on models of climate change. We have an interesting conversation about tipping points.

Nienburg

2009-11-01T05:34:00.000-08:00

I was accompanied all the way from Hannover to my next stop in Nienburg (so even I couldn't get lost!) by members of the ADFC (the German cyclists' club), with Heiko taking me from Hannover to Neustadt along a beautiful route through woodlands (where he had to push me up a steep muddy bank) and along the River Weser, and Berthold and Ralf (on recumbents, Berthold on a bike and Ralf on a trike) taking me on to Nienburg, where we were met at the Umweltzentrum (environment centre) by Johanne, Günther, Helmut and Mechthild from BUND (Friends of the Earth) Nienburg. Johanne teaches cooking, and she had cooked us a delicious meal of pasta, cheese and spinach with a tomato sauce, followed by tiramisou (not that I needed much encouragement to eat after a 65 km bike ride).
I spent the night at Helmut and Mechthild's house, and the next day more members of BUND Nienburg joined us - Johanne and Günther again, and also Manfred and Kurt. We put the world to rights, and finished off the remains of my birthday cake.
Helmut had done a good job with the press - there was a nice story about me in the local free Sunday newspaper, and I practised my German translating it (with a lot of help - it's over 40 years since I learned German at school)
Before I left Nienburg on Monday morning I met the mayor. He isn't in a political party, and is directly elected by the people. He is very keen to do something about climate change, and was very interested in my journey. He asked if I had noticed any differences between the countries I had travelled to, and the first thing that came to mind was cycle tracks - virtually non-existent in Britain; quite a few, but often very narrow, in Belgium; the best in Holland; and a lot in Germany, but sometimes not with very good surfaces.

Hannover

2009-10-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

After a beautiful journey over the hills passing through woodlands changing into their autumnal colours I arrived in Hannover, where the local groups of BUND (the German branch of Friends of the Earth) and the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (the German cyclists' club) had organised a joint press conference, which resulted in an article in the Hannoversche Allgemeiner Zeitung.

Afterwards I was taken by Heiko Schulze, head of the Hannover regional office of the ADFC, to the Raederwerk cycle shop http://www.raederwerk-gmbh.de, where they have a greater variety of bicycles and tricycles than I have seen anywhere else, and they build "Milan" velomobiles http:www.milan-velomobile.de ("built for high speed travelling over long distances"). The Milan is an all-weather vehicle (if it is raining, close the roof and you stay dry) - I only wish I could afford one (they start at 6,500 euros!).

In the evening BUND organised a birthday party, complete with cake, and gave me a large amount of chocolate as a birthday present (ideal for a quick transfusion of energy when long distance cycling), for my birthday is the next day (on Halloween!)

Hameln

2009-10-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hameln can also be spelled Hamelin, and its claim to fame is as the setting for the tale of the Pied Piper. I began my visit with a meal in a local restaurant with members of the local BUND group, arriving at 6.57 for a time of 7pm - after a journey of 80km! Next day I was taken on tour of renewable energy facilities in the locality by Rainer - they are extremely varied, including wind, solar and biogas

Bielefeld

2009-10-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

I continued the punishing succession of 70km rides again on Sunday, travelling from Muenster to Bielefeld. Somewhat surprisingly my knees seem to be standing up to it quite well - I'm hardly getting any pain, probably because I'm mostly cycling in a low gear. Knees can easily become stressed on a recumbent, because you can brace yourself against the backrest, putting a lot of pressure on the pedals, but also the knees. (Sadly, my back tyre wasn't as tough as my knees, and I got not one, but two punctures, so on Monday I went to a shop with a good range of bikes, and got a more puncture resistant tyre!) I had made a special effort to include Bielefeld in my journey, because they are the second city in Germany to become an official transition community, and I had met Gerd Wessling, the main organiser of the transition initiative there, at a meeting in Brussels over three weeks ago. Silke Berger from the local BUND (Friends of the Earth) group was an enormous help, organising a meeting and a place to stay with Ursula Gindele-Berendonk and her husband (who had to come out an find me when I got lost late at night trying to find my way back after the meeting.) The meeting, at the Umwelt Zentrum (environment centre), was attended by representatives of both the local papers. I described my journey and reasons for doing it, so I hope the people of Bielefeld wake up to the importance of the Copenhagen talks.

Muenster

2009-10-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

After spending Friday night with Elly and Ariane, I had another long day on Saturday - a 70km ride over the border into Germany to Muenster. It was strange to think that such national borders had had such significance in the past; now I hardly even noticed it. Elly accompanied me over the border, and said she often goes shopping there.

We passed through a nature reserve which is being considered for Natura 2000 status, before I went on alone on the long road to Muenster. I arrived at the youth hostel where I had been intending to stay to find it full, but they directed me to a cheap hotel nearby, where I indulged myself by switching on the TV when I awoke early in the morning (I haven't owned a TV myself for several years). To my surprise I found myself watching a discussion on the Copenhagen climate talks I am aiming for - it just goes to show that the media are waking up to their importance, so maybe we might just get a good deal there - we have to keep putting on the pressure anyway.

Enschede

2009-10-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't been keeping the blog up to date recently because things have been far too hectic, with lots of long journeys and not many days in one place.
The journey from Zwolle to Enschede was about 70 km, I was accompanied by Huib Poortman, and we were interviewed for both radio and television by RTV Oost. http://www.rtvoost.nl/nieuws/default.aspx?nid=102858

On the way from Zwolle to Enschede we passed through the Salland National Park, a beautiful piece of heathland to the west of Enschede, before arriving in Buurse, just to the south of Enschede, where we were treated to a delicious slow food meal by Elly and Ariane. They had also invited Daphne Dertien, a Groen Links councillor on the regional council, and we had an interesting discussion about her work as a councillor, before Huib had to depart to go back home to Rotterdam. Huib has now accompanied me for several days, but this is the last I shall see of him; I shall miss his friendly advice.

Zwolle

2009-10-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

The journey from Dronten to Zwolle was pretty rough - lots of rain and a cold north easterly wind - I begin to wish I had bought the velomobile in Ghent, as it was an all weather vehicle, even having a hood to put on when it rains, but the rain eased off, and I was put in a much better mood when I met Herman Reuvekamp from the Groen Links and we went for a warming bowl of soup - when Herman explained what I was doing the restaurant (Olde Vismarket) let me eat for free. Had a marvellous time with the Groen Links group in Zwolle, visiting a sustainable housing development run by the local authority, and a restaurant in an earthship (a building constructed from waste materials).

Flevoland - A positive vision of the future

2009-10-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

At last I have found an area where wind has been fully embraced without hesitation.
The flat landscape provides a lot of wind power (enough to blow my trike along when I left it unattended without the brake!) and wind turbines were everywhere, providing an amazing 60% of the region's energy.
I recorded a video, and couldn't resist adding a caustic comment about the number of schemes blocked by NIMBYs in Britain, and the number of lives this has cost.
I took a picture of Frans van Schoot in his velomobile next to a wind turbine - the future of energy and transport - I hope!
While I was in Flevoland Frans also took me to an ecological housing development. The houses have solar panels and insulation and the gardens are carefully designed to be kind to the environment.
In Dronten I visited one of the few factories where velomobiles are manufactured . It is a shame there are not more of these; I think they have the potential to act as a substitute for a car - you can go quite fast, as long as you are reasonably strong, and it isn't too hilly, and with some of them you can put a roof up when it's raining so you stay dry

agriculture and climate change

2009-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

I met prof rob van haren of Kiemkracht on monday, at the stadsboerij organic farm. Rob advises the dutch government on how to use agriculture to prevent climate change. We discussed a number of ideas, including using lupins to provide protein, as a substitute for soy beans, saving a lot of co2 emissions used in soya import, and also improving soil fertility as it fixes nitrogen; and the use of biochar to sequester carbon in the soil. Biochar needs to be researched carefully, as there are potentially some serious negative consequences, and it should certainly not be brought into carbon trading schemes and used as an excuse to emit more fossil carbon. We were also shown around the farm, and it was explained to us how organic farming increases carbon in the soil

bushcraft training weekend

2009-10-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

i spent last weekend learning a bit of bushcraft - how to identify a few edible mushrooms and herbs, how to make a shelter from wood and leaves (i didn't volunteer to sleep in it though, because i didn't want to ruin my down sleeping bag by getting it wet).
What has this got to do with climate change? Well, if civilisation collapses (which it might well do if we hit a tipping point and the temperature suddenly shoots up seversl degrees in a few years like it did at the end of the ice age) such survival training could come in handy

Green inventions in Zeist

2009-10-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am now in Zeist, just to the east of Utrecht, staying at the home of green inventor Erik Groen in a beautiful location in the woodlands.
Erik has invented some fantastic machines - cycles with wind turbines and solar power, to make the point that vehicles can be producers of energy rather than consumers (the solar PV roof on one of his bicycles actually produces all the power for running his lights, and this computer); bicycles in a gym which produce electricity for running computer games (a good solution to the obesity crisis currently afflicting some of us in the UK!); a bicycle to produce the electricity for powering a concert (which can be supplemented by solar power); a bicycle running a machine that blows bubbles as a way of getting young children interested in cycling; a solar powered candle; and a solar powered robot which not only races around but talks and laughs as well.
It is creativity such as this which will defeat climate change.

Utrecht

2009-10-16T04:28:00.000-07:00

Huib Poortman cycled with me from Rotterdam to Utrecht, taking me through 'the green heart of Holland', a rural area which is protected from development. It was hard going as we faced a stiff north easterly breeze; Holland may be flat, but cycling can still be tough when the wind is against you.

In the evening of my arrival I was met by Bram, who took me to a meeting of Transition Voordorp. Voordorp is a district in the suburbs of Urtrecht, and they are just beginning with the process of transition - this was only their second meeting. They showed a film about Peak Oil and 'A farm for the future' and brainstormed ideas about how they could take things forward.

Utrecht is a really green city, and the next day I met a group from Groen Links who introduced me to Jacques, a local entrepreneur who has invented the cargo hopper, a sustainable method for the short distance transport of goods which is powered by solar panels located on the roof, ideal for making deliveries to local shops in the city centre. I did a video interview.

In the afternoon I met Wim Bot from Fietsersbond, the cyclists' organisation and I recorded an interview for the website about their activities and what they are doing about the Copenhagen climate negotiations. They are part of a very broad coalition of Dutch organisations demanding an effective treaty, including environmental and faith groups as well as lots of others such as trade unions.

Holland will be providing OV bikes (public transport bikes) for the participants in Copenhagen. These are bikes which are available for hire cheaply at railway stations, the idea being that you cycle to the station, leave your own bike there, take the train to your destination and hire an OV bike (there wouldn't be much room left for pasengers if all the Dutch took their bikes on the trains!)

Cycling is very popular in Holland, with many different sorts of bicycles, including one very popular model which can take heavy loads on the front, and is used by many parents for taking their children to school. It would cut congestion a lot in Britain if parents used these instead of driving their children to school

a delicious vegetarian meal

2009-10-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

my second evening in rotterdam huib and i were invited to have a vegetarian meal at the apartment of fenke, a member of friends of the earth, along with three other women from friends of the earth, karen, anne-marie and angelique.
We had some really intelligent conversation, and the food was delicious. fenke would like to own a vegetarian restaurant one day, and i really hope she succeeds in her ambition.
Eating vegetarian food is a good way of saving the climate, as it takes far less energy to produce than meat, and as fenke showed, it doesn't have to be boring.

Rotterdam

2009-10-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

I was joined by Huib Poortman from the Greens for the last few kilometres of the ride into Rotterdam. We were met by a delegation from Groen Links (Green Left)including one of their city councillors, and I was presented with an award for those who have made a special effort in cutting carbon, a green ribbon. (One of the previous recipients was the mayor of Rotterdam, who received it for committing the city to 50% carbon cuts).

I also had an interview with a regional radio station, and an internet TV station specialising in environment.

The next day Huib and I made a trip around the docks of Rotterdam, where we got an interesting contrast in energy generation - a coal fired power station, but a lot of wind turbines.

I was struck by the almost complete absence of people. This is the heart of the European chemical industry, but production is so automated it needs very few workers

A green house in Breda

2009-10-12T02:50:00.000-07:00

Whilst I was in Breda I stayed at the house of Jan and Adael Broekman, a beutiful house on the edge of the city situated in woodland next to a river. I made a video as Jan explained how he is reducing emissions from his home, burning wood in a wood burning stove, installing solar hot water and solar PV on his roof, and insulating the exterior with paper behind larch wood panels.

Jan also showed me how the water authorities had removed some top soil from an area by the river, putting in a new channel to make the river meander and form an island, to form a water storage area to flood in the event of heavy rainfall, something which will become increasingly necessary as sea level rises and the Netherlands becomes unable to discharge its river water to the sea during storms which raise sea level

Breda

2009-10-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 10th I cycled in my new ICE trike from Antwerp over the Dutch border to Breda, which has won an award as the most sustainable city in the Netherlands (which in a country like the Netherlands, which is well known for its environmental consciousness, is really something).

I had a discussion with Wilbert Wellems (an alderman - which is a bit like an executive councillor in England) and Selcuk Akinci, chair of the Groen Links (Green Left) group of three city councillors, about Breda's environmental policies.

One of the things that struck me was the cooperative way in which they went about implementing their green policies, working closely with groups like farmers and businesses in getting them to reduce their carbon emissions.

In Breda I stayed with Jan Broekman, and I recorded several video interviews with him about his wildlife garden, the river running past it which has been engineered to store water to prevent flooding, and the many green modifications to his house

Antwerp's thermographic images

2009-10-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

While I was in Antwerp I visited a public display put on by the city council of thermographic images (showing the hot areas of the city)which had been taken from a plane flying over the city. This was designed to encourage people to insulate their houses (hot houses in the images being the ones lacking insulation). Council employees were on hand to interpret the images for people (which are also available on the internet), to advise on the practicalities of insulation, and finance available (subsidised for those on low incomes).

This is an excellent way of getting people to insulate their homes, although I can't help thinking that the scheme in Huddersfield, in the north of England, where the council is insulating all homes free of charge, is better.

Green architecture and a green car

2009-10-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

On returning from Londerzeel we went straight to the house of Luc Schuiten in Brussels, an architect who has some wonderful ideas, (see www.vegetalcity.net) not only on designing green houses, but a green car - one with electric batteries and pedals, with room for two people peddaling side by side, and a roof so it is fully weather proof. I made a short video of it - it goes just as fast as a normal car.

The pedals might seem a bit off-putting to some people, but they are actually a very good thing - one of the worst things about a car is its tendency to reduce the amount of exercise you get, and we know that exercise counteracts both obesity and depression - since there is an epidemic of both then the pedalling can only be a good thing; you'll be healthier and happpier (and you can cancel your subscription to the gym, so you'll save money that way as well as on the petrol you will no longer have to buy).

One drawback is the cost - 30,000 euros; but that would come down drastically with economies of scale if it were to be mass produced.

Is this the car of the future? It (or something like it) will have to be, not only to save us from climate catastrophe, but to provide us with mobility when the oil runs out.

composting in Londerzeel

2009-10-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

I visited the headquarters of the Comitie Jean Pain in Londerzeel with Johan Goossens while I was staying in Brussels (it's only about 20km north so we could easily cycle there and back).

They have been working on the composting of woody material for decades now, and have some interesting ideas on what to do with it, including combatting desertification by adding compost to desert soils, something which will be in great demand as climate change increases droughts..

Antwerp University

2009-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Just been to Antwerp University to talk to some climate change researchers about their work on Europe's carbon balance. Unfortunately it is embargoed until November 1st, so I can't write about it here.

Brussels

2009-10-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

motorists aren't nearly so aware of cycles in brussels as they are in ghent, so it was a bit unnerving cycling there, but i avoided any accident, and at the end of my three day stay i was getting used to it. Johan goossens cycled down from duffel in his velomobile to join me for some of the time (and let the green architect Luc Schuiten have a go in it - see the video) - we attended a conference on local environmental initiatives which included a presentation on transition Bielefeld (Germany) from Gerd Wessling - i will be visiting when i pass through germany in late october.
While I was in Brussels I also met Xavier van der Stappen, an anthropologist who has travelled from Dakar to Paris in an electrically assisted velomobile, and plans to go from Copenhagen to Cape Town next spring. He is doing this to demonstrate a new form of mobility, and this combination of pedal power with green electricity has the great advantage that it improves your health as well as helping the planet. We visited an exhibition on climate change and I photographed him standing on a giant map of Africa

the journey from ghent (or gent) to brussels

2009-10-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

this didn't start well, as i got lost when i followed a diversion sign which directed me onto a motorway (exactly as had happened in kent a week before) which meant i didn't leave the outskirts of ghent until 5pm.
But at least the roads nearly all have cycle tracks beside them, although it disappeared on the outskirts of brussels, which meant i got lost again - a pity i'd left my street map of brussels at home in norwich. I eventually arrived at the home of stephanie demuelermeestter, where i was staying, at 1.30 amt

transition ghent

2009-10-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

while i was in ghent, transition gent (also spelled ghent) held a meeting in the house where i was staying, and i sat in and listened while they planned an introductory training weekend, while they very considerately switched to speaking english instead of dutch. Transition towns are really catching on in holland - thet are so keen a large group of enthusiasts have even translated rob hopkins' transition handbook into dutch

critical mass in ghent

2009-10-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

I took part in my first ever critical mass while i was in gent, with members of JNM . We rode around the centre of town for an hour or so, accompanied by two policemen on mountain bikes.
A critical mass in ghent is a pretty laid back event - there are so many cyclists anyway that motorists hardly notice

de site, ghent

2009-10-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

In Ghent I also took the opportunity to visit 'de site', interviewing Christoph, one of the organisers, on video.
This derelict industrial site has been used to provide small plots of soil, all brought in from elsewhere and placed on top of the concrete which prevents harmful industrial chemicals from escaping, which are used by families in this deprived neighbourhood for growing flowers and vegetables, which saves carbon emissions by providing local food.

yves de baets

2009-10-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

while in ghent i interviewed yves de baets, head of communications for the council's transport department, about their progressive transport policies. Ghent is the bicycling capital of belgium, with cycles everywhere, partly because of the high student population. They are also committed to providing a first class public transport system, and have to provide cycle tracks away from the tram lines

Ghent

2009-10-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Having got to Ghent, the first thing I did was drive the velomobile into the tram lines!
I decided to swop the velomobile for an ICE recumbent trike - made in Cornwall (yes, we still actually make something useful in Britain these days, it hasn't been outsourced to China). It will take a few days to arrive, so I arrange to have it delivered to Antwerp, and buy a cheap bike to travel on in the meantime.
Whilst in Ghent I interviewed the Low Impact Man (Stephen Vroman). He decided to lower his ecological footprint as much as he could, just for a year, and at the end of it he was so much healthier and happier he decided to continue living in this way. The message is clear - living an eco-friendly lifestyle is not a sacrifice, but a positive benefit

velomobiles

2009-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

i had arranged to buy a velomobile from fietser.be in gent but such was not to be. They delivered it to ostend but when i tried to get in it my hips wouldn't quite fit! Johan goossens had arranged a 120 km trip for us the next day, all the way to gent via diksmerde, so i got in his velomobile, which is wider, and he rode mine. Velomobiles have a number of advantages - they are very streamlined and so can go fast (the record is 113kph I think!), and they are also weatherproof - they all have farings over the body, and some even have a removable roof so you can keep completely dry.

crossing the channel

2009-10-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of the few ways to cross the channel zero carbon is sailing (i don't really have the physique for swimming or rowing!), so I duly hitched a lift on the Blue Heron from Dover to Ostend.
It was a really easy crossing, and we arrived in Ostend on Saturday evening. Alex and Alan from the Blue Heron left Ostend at 6 om Sunday morning and were back in Dover by 1600

a mad dash down to dover

2009-09-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

we heard on monday night (21st september) that one of the crew of the explorer (the 32ft yacht that was due to have taken us from lowestoft to ostend) was sick and so they had to pull out.
It was time for plan b! We'd put in an advert in private eye and had a reply from the blue heron, based in dover, so i bought myself a fast touring bike to replace the heavy old mountain bike that had been towing my trailer all the way from wales, and managed to do the trip in four days, sleeping at the side of the road for just two hours on thursday,

International teleconference, University of East Anglia, Norwich

2009-09-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

academics emit vast amounts of carbon in flying off to attend international conferences, so we thought we'd show them a better way - using the telephone.
We had clive hamilton, professor of public ethics at the australian national university, fabrina furtado of jubilee south from brazil, along with professor tim lenton, professor neil adger, and dr teresa belton from the university of east anglia, discussing what we could do about climate change

Norwich

2009-09-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

I stayed for three nights in my home city of Norwich, where the caravan had organised a number of activities, thanks to Mark, Lesley, Emma and Jenn.
We started off with a performance of 'the carbon chronicles' (an improvised environmental opera) at the united reformed church on saturday 19th september, followed by a zero carbon festival, complete with climate friendly food provided by norwich green party, and another zero carbon concert by seize the day using bicycle powered electricity, where they sung about their campaign for the workers of Vestas on the Isle of Wight, where our only wind turbine factory has just been closed.

swaffham

2009-09-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

swaffham is home to the only wind turbine in the world, built in 1999, where the public is allowed up the tower. I went up and appreciated the amazing views over the surrounding countryside, and interviewed stuart weaver, from the ecotech environmental education centre associated with the turbine, about the turbine and the relationship of ecotricity, owners of the turbine, with the local community; far from resenting it, they actually asked for another

titchwell

2009-09-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

titchwell is an rspb reserve in north west norfolk which is threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change. i interviewed interviewed robert coleman about the adaptations they are making to the reserve and also more generally about the impact climate change has on birds

kings lynn

2009-09-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

members of transition kings lynn and kings lynn bicycle users group (one of them on a recumbent trike) cycled into kings lynn with me, then held a meeting on how we should cut carbon emissions

transition ely

2009-09-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

joined members of transition ely on their stall at ely farmers market

histon and impington

2009-09-30T01:12:00.000-07:00

these two villages, just north of cambridge, have made great strides in cutting their carbon emissions. I interviewed siobhan mellon, of histon and impington climate change action, about how they catalysed this

cambridge

2009-09-30T01:08:00.000-07:00

Took part in a meeting organised by Transition Cambridge and Cambridge Carbon Footprint, where I spoke about the Zero Carbon Caravan, Tony Juniper spoke about the Green New Deal, and Ro Randall, a psychotherapist, spoke about how to engage ordinary people in fighting climate change

transition bedford

2009-09-30T01:04:00.000-07:00

took part in a meeting with transition bedford where i spoke about the caravan and we watched the film 'in transition', a very inspiring look at what transition towns are achieving

zero carbon flight

2009-09-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

sounds too good to be true doesn't it? But flylight, based at sywell aerodrome near northampton, have managed it, using lightweight microlight aircraft powered by lithium ion batteries charged by green electricity. We interviewed paul dewhurst of flylight and made a video of the microlight

permorganics

2009-09-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

We visited the Permorganics smallholding near Northampton, which combines organic growing avoiding the use of nitrogen fertilisers (preventing emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide) with permaculture, which uses no-dig growing and prevents the oxidation of carbon in the soil to carbon dioxide

snitterfield actioning climate change

2009-09-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

we visited snitterfield, where we stayed at the home of duncan and vicki parker, who have done some great work in getting this small community to reduce their carbon emissions. Duncan and vicki have a small wind turbine and a bank of solar panels in their garden, and are putting in insulation on the inside of their solid-walled cottage

small is ....

2009-09-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

we took part in the small is.... festival organised by practical action and engineers without borders at bourton on dunsmore, running a workshop on why to go zero carbon, and how to do it

garden organic

2009-09-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

we stopped off at garden organic in ryton on dunsmore, where in addition to viewing the gardens and their seed saving project, we were entertained by seize the day playing a zero carbon concert

leamington spa

2009-09-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

transition leamington organised a zero carbon concert, powered by solar electricity, giving an opportunity for a number of local musicians to show off their talent

presteigne

2009-09-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

presteigne is an amazing little town, with only a few thousand people, yet having a transition town organisation and holding the world's only electric bike rally, organised by pete mustill, who has a shop in the town, 'on bike' specialising in electric bikes

hereford climate action carnival

2009-09-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Took part in hereford climate action carnival, cycling with lots of other cyclists and the rinky dink musical bicycle around the centre of hereford before taking part in a meeting where i gave a talk about the zero carbon caravan, and paige mitchell gave a talk about her campaign for slower speed limits

greenfinch biocycle

2009-09-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

I visited the anaerobic digester for foodwaste run by Greenfinch Biocycle in Ludlow, with members of Ludlow Green Party. This is being used as a pilot and if successful will be the prototype for schemes across the country

centre for alternative technology

2009-09-29T23:27:00.000-07:00

visited the centre for alternative technology, which was the inspiration for the zero carbon caravan, with their zero carbon britain report, first published in 2007
I interviewed martin and josie, who are working on the second edition, and made a video of the centre

National flood forum

2009-08-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

the living willow theatre - rhayader

2009-08-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

The living willow theatre is situated 4 miles south of Rhayader in a beautiful setting surrounded by the Welsh hills, and powered entirely by renewable energy - solar panels and a small wind turbine. The willow which makes up the walls was only planted 3 years ago and is already about 20 ft high, but it isn't waterproof, so if it's raining performances are in the barn.
I carried out an interview with the owner, organic farmer and Shakespeare enthusiast Phil Bowen

Renovating carpets

2009-08-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Electric bikes

2009-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Solar fridge

2009-08-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Living Willow Theatre 3

2009-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Living Willow Theatre 2

2009-08-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

Living Willow Theatre

2009-08-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Primrose Earth Centre

2009-08-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I made a video recording of Paul, from Primrose Earth Centre near Talgarth showing his forest garden, talking about how growing organically can help combat climate change, how permaculture is even better, with its emphasis on natural systems producing far greater yields, and also being therapeutic, and the evils of the multinational Monsanto with their GM technology

The Green Valleys project

2009-08-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I interviewed John Whitehead about the project, and particularly about the renovation of Talgarth water mill to provide both electricity as well as milling flour.
The advantage of micro hydro schemes like this is that they can engage the local community, with involvement in ecological studies to pass Environment Agency requirements, as well as engineering, and they can also provide a revenue stream to help set up other community projects

Departure - over the mountain

2009-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Started the zero carbon caravan journey with what will probably be the toughest ride of the whole trip (I hope), 10 miles uphill without respite up the mountain into the Brecon Beacons national park.

Primrose Earth Centre 5

2009-08-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Primrose Earth Centre 4

2009-08-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Primrose Earth Centre 3

2009-08-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Primrose Earth Centre 2

2009-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Primrose Earth Centre 1

2009-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Setting off

2009-08-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wales

2009-08-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

I've taken over the organisation of the Wales leg of the Zero Carbon Caravan as our Wales organiser is likely to be in prison tomorrow for protesting nuclear power (or was it nuclear weapons, or aviation, or something else - she's always doing direct action about something or other).

Made contact with Transition Presteigne, they'll be really pleased to host a caravan, we'll be there on August 26th, and they will probably find a few people to cycle on to Ludlow with us.

Chris Keene
Coordinator
Zero Carbon Caravan

Zero Carbon Caravan routes

2009-07-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

A number of Zero Carbon Caravan routes are now in the process of being planned, some more advanced than others. Have a look at them and contact me chris.keene@zerocarboncaravan.net if you want to join in anywhere. Remember the caravan journeys are relays, so you can just join for a day, or even a few hours riding into town with us, or along to the next town on the journey if that’s all you can manage. The more the merrier, and the more people there are the more media coverage we will get, which is one of the reasons we’re doing this.

The route through Wales and England is now very nearly organised, starting from Climate Camp Cymru in less than three weeks, demonstrating practical methods of travelling, working and playing with zero carbon emissions along the way! The route through Belgium and the Netherlands is also planned, although activities there have yet to be worked out in detail. We are still working on the route through Germany and Denmark, but we will arrive in Copenhagen on 4th or 5th December.

In addition people are travelling by kayak through the inland waterways of Scotland from Argyll to Edinburgh, and it looks like a yacht, or even a couple of yachts, will be making their way up the English Channel from the West Country to Brighton or even further. Whether we can extend the relays to Copenhagen for these two journeys will depend on finding yachts to cross the North Sea.

Have a look at our website www.zerocarboncaravan.net and click on MAP OF ROUTE on the right hand side of the home page.

We won’t be going by very direct routes, because we will be visiting lots of interesting places on the way - not to mention lots of meetings with people from Transition Towns and Low Carbon Communities to Friends of the Earth groups and cycling campaigners, like the Cyclists’ Touring Club and Sustrans , and commercial organisations from renewable energy suppliers http://www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk/ to organic growers , all showing us the way to cut carbon, and providing us with the information to take to the negotiators in Copenhagen, proving it can be done, if they have the political will. And we will have fun as we go too, just to prove you don’t need to emit carbon to have a good time.

Most people will be on bikes, but some are going in kayaks, (Myles Farnbank and friends are paddling sea kayaks through the inland waterways of Scotland from Argyll to Edinburgh) and on skateboards (Valdemar Silverstein Markussen is going on his long board from Germany to Denmark). Robin Emley is still looking for people to join him in kayaking down from Liverpool to the Midlands so get in touch if you are interested, and also we are still looking for a yacht, to cross the North Sea, (or yachts, because one in Scotland would be useful too, as would one to cross the Irish Sea to link up with those travelling up the English Channel from the West Country) after the Keewaydin http://www.keewaydin.co.uk/ pulled out as it needs repairing – so if you know of one then please contact me, Chris Keene, chris.keene@zerocarboncaravan.net or 01603 614535 or 07801 250982

As we go we will collect information on carbon reduction and put it on a datastick, as well as our website, so when we get to Copenhagen we will be able to demand a zero carbon world, and show the negotiators how to do it.

When we leave Climate Camp Cymru (near Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales – the exact location will be announced nearer the date on www.climatecampcymru.org) on August 14th at 10am, we will be visiting the first community owned power station in Wales, a hydro-electric plant at Talybont reservoir , in the afternoon before heading in the evening to the Low Carbon Community at Talgarth, staying there on 14th/15th and 15th/16th August, then heading for Transition Rhayader , where we will stay on 16th/17th and 17th/18th August.

Next we have a beautiful cycle ride over the mountains to Aberystwyth to meet the people from Transition Aberystwyth , staying there for 18th/19th and 19th/20th August before cycling on to Machynlleth, where we will stay for a couple of days so that we can visit the Centre for Alternative Technology http://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl?refer=index&init=1 and the Public Interest Research Centre http://www.pirc.info/ , who co-authored the Zero Carbon Britain report http://www.zerocarbonbritain.com/ that was the inspiration for the Zero Carbon Caravan, as well as meeting with Transition Bro Ddyfi. http://www.transition-bro-ddyfi.org.uk/index.htm.

After we leave Machynlleth on 23rd August we will travel to the Low Carbon Community at Llanidloes http://www.lles.co.uk/ , staying there on 23rd/24th and 25th/26th August, giving a talk at a Low Carbon Community meal, and visiting the listed building that climate campaigner George Marshall of the Climate Outreach Information Network http://coinet.org.uk/ is eco-renovating. We will be staying with Transition Llandrindod Wells http://www.transitionllandrindod.org.uk/ on 25th/26th August and Transition Presteigne http://greenpresteigne.wikispaces.com/Transition+Town on 26th/27th August

Following that we head through England, staying in Ludlow on 27th/28th and 28th/29th August, visiting the biogas waste plant owned by Greenfinch http://www.greenfinch.co.uk/foodwastedigesters.htm and then cycling down to Hereford on 29th August to take part in their climate action carnival http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78136223261, staying overnight in Hereford on 29th/30th and 30th/31st August, and then heading back north, though this bit of the journey isn’t quite fixed yet – we will stay overnight on 31st August/1st September either in Worcester or with Stratford Climate Action Network.

After that we go to Birmingham, where we will stay overnight on 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd September. We are trying to set up a meeting there, on the theme of green jobs.

Following this we will spend several days in the area of Leamington Spa/Coventry/Rugby, with zero carbon concerts, including one with the Eco-worriers on 3rd September, and another with Seize the Day http://www.seizetheday.org/ at the Annual General Meeting of Garden Organic on 5th September, with a Skype conference at Practical Action http://www.practicalaction.org/ on 6th September which will allow people from the South to share their thoughts about climate change.

On 7th September we will cycle to the Permorganics http://www.permorganics.org.uk/ small holding near Northampton, staying overnight on 7th/8th and 8th/9th September, to see how they are using the principles of permaculture with organic cultivation and how this can help to fight climate change, and learn about their Community Supported Farming scheme. Then on 9th September we have an amazing event planned, a demonstration of zero carbon flight (weather permitting) by a microlight powered by green electricity http://www.flylight.co.uk/ at Sywell aerodrome, before we cycle on to Bedford in the evening to meet members of Transition Bedford http://transitionbedford.wordpress.com/ .

After staying the night of 9th/10th September in Bedford, we cycle on 10th to Cambridge, spending two nights in the area – 10th/11th and 11th/12th September, on 10th having a meeting organised by Transition Cambridge http://www.transitioncambridge.org/thewiki/ttwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage with Tony Juniper talking about the Green New Deal http://www.greennewdealgroup.org/, Steph Whitfield of the RSPB on why wind farms are not a threat to birds as long as they’re in the right place http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-213213 , and Rosemary Randall of Cambridge Carbon Footprint discussing psychological reactions to climate change http://www.cambridgecarbonfootprint.org/docs/new_climate_psychotherapy.pdf We will also be having a meeting with Histon and Impington Climate Change Action in the suburbs of Cambridge http://www.hicca.org.uk/ to talk about all their successes in reducing carbon.

The 12th September sees us heading for Ely, staying overnight with Transition Ely members http://transitionely.wordpress.com/ , travelling on 13th to Transition Downham Market , and then on 14th Transition King’s Lynn.
http://transitionkingslynn.wordpress.com/
On the 15th September we cycle up the coast of the Wash and around the north west corner of Norfolk to stay overnight at the eco-friendly backpacker’s hostel http://www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/backpackershostel/ at Burnham Deepdale, where we will see the various energy and water saving devices they have installed, together with their solar powered heating system, something that has yet to become popular in this country. On 16th September we will cycle four miles down the road to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve at Titchwell http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/t/titchwellmarsh/index.asp , to hear how climate change is affecting them and how they are adapting to it, before we return to spend another night (16th/17th September) at the hostel.

We return south on 17th September, cycling through the heart of Norfolk to Swaffham, where we will spend two nights, 17th/18th and 18th/19th September, visiting the Ecotech centre http://www.ecotech.org.uk/ on 18th to view their wind turbine and discuss the technology and the public reaction to it.

On 19th September we cycle to Norwich, where we will have an improvised environmental opera, the ‘Carbon Chronicles’ http://www.apeuk.org/p001.php?page=p0156 on the evening of 19th, followed on 20th by a family friendly zero carbon festival in Chapelfield Gardens http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/funstuff/360/chapelfield_gardens.shtml in the centre of Norwich, organised by the local Friends of the Earth http://www.foenorwich.org.uk/ , with stalls for campaigning organisations and those selling green goods and climate friendly food (local, organic), and a zero carbon concert, and in the morning of 21st September at the University of East Anglia http://www.uea.ac.uk/ by an international video conference linking Clive Hamilton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Hamilton (author of ‘Growth Fetish’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_Fetish ) in Australia with a number of people from Norwich, just to prove that you can have an international conference without flying . Later that day we will visit the Ranger’s House on Mousehold heath, which is being turned into an environmental education centre.

After spending the night of 21st/22nd September in Norwich, we will cycle down to Bungay, a Transition Town, http://transitiontowns.org/Bungay/Bungay to take part in their car-free day.

After this, our plans are a little uncertain, for we have still not found a yacht to take us over the North Sea, but we are hoping we will have a day or two to join with Communities Against Nuclear Expansion http://www.suffolkcane.org.uk/ in activities protesting against Sizewell nuclear power station http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2294 before we leave for Belgium.

The activities on the continent are yet to be worked out in detail, but these are the routes through Belgium and the Netherlands

Belgium
NIGHT LOCATION
26/27 September Ostend
27/28 September Ostend
28/29 September Beernem
29/30 September Beernem
30 Sept/1 Oct Ghent
1 / 2 October Ghent
2 / 3 October Brussels
3 / 4 October Brussels
4 / 5 October Brussels
5 / 6 October Duffel
6 / 7 October Duffel
7 / 8 October Antwerp
8 / 9 October Antwerp
9 /10October Antwerp

CYCLE TO THE NETHERLANDS ON 10 OCTOBER

NIGHT LOCATION

10 / 11 October Zeeland
11 / 12 October Zeeland
12 / 13 October Rotterdam
13 / 14 October Rotterdam
14 / 15 October Utrecht
15 / 16 October Utrecht
16 / 17 October Zeist
17 / 18 October Zeist
18 / 19 October Almere
19 / 20 October Almere
20 / 21 October Dronten
21 / 22 October Dronten
21 / 22 October Zwolle
22 / 23 October Enschede
23 / 24 October Enschede

CYCLE TO GERMANY ON 24 OCTOBER

Why we are starting a zero carbon caravan

2008-07-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

Climate change is so serious that a low carbon solution will not be enough. There may already be too much carbon in the atmosphere, so we need to reduce to zero as soon as possible.

The zero carbon caravan is a way of publicising the need for zero carbon emissions, and discussing ways of achieving it. We will be travelling to the climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009 without using any fossil fuels (and that includes the fossil fuels used in ferries, buses, coaches and trains which means we have to travel by walking, cycling and sailing).

We will be travelling from all over the world, and organising meetings on the way entitled 'What should we do about climate change?' where we will share our ideas. When we arrive at the talks we will publicise all the ideas we have collected and press for them to be adopted.