Action Briefing Dec 2003 - Jan 2004
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Warehouse News

You’ll have missed news from the Warehouse last time because I was on holiday in Turkey. I really must tell you a bit about it, at least as far as it relates to our campaigns.

I knew nothing about Turkey before I went; but discovered that localisation lives, at least in the Southwest (Lycia). The shops were small, and even the (small by our standards) supermarkets sold local produce. Fresh food was in abundance (harvest-time) and so tasty. We were told it was generally organic, there being no sprays or artificial fertiliser used. Restaurant and cafes, too, were a delight, and, as a vegetarian, I was spoilt for choice.

Away from the towns, each village seemed to have what it needed, including a builders’ merchant and blacksmith.
One result of these very local facilities was that the roads were so quiet; we never saw a traffic jam. I fear the worst, however, as Turkey is soon to join the EU!

But back to the Warehouse. We welcomed a new tenant recently, the Birmingham Trades Union Council, which has taken one of the upstairs offices, until it moves into refurbished premises in a few months time.

In the last few months we’ve said ‘goodbye’ to Bethan (and her Calderdale terrier, Doris) of the Allotments Regeneration Initiative, which has relocated to Bristol; and the Black Environment Network, which has moved to the Jewellery Quarter.

Over the last few months, we have been slowly but surely redecorating the Top Office, no easy task as those of you who know it can testify: as well as Birmingham Friends of the Earth, there are four other tenants in there (six others when we started!).This has meant substantial disruption, especially at the beginning, when we attempted to insulate under part of the floor: ever seen tongue-and-groove floorboards, where boards are over an inch thick and the tongue is metal?

We are now well over halfway, and plan to come in over the Christmas holiday to try and finish. Half the room has new blue carpet (donated by Robin Gregory- many thanks); and we are looking for some more to cover the remaining area of about 8m x 4.5m. Thanks to Keith Stein for his hard work, and to all the Top Office workers for their patience so far.

Gas Snub
The recent search, for a new supplier of gas, has thrown up an interesting fact - British Gas is not allowed to supply us! Some years ago, we signed a contract with a smaller company (Flogas). Four take-overs later, and the current owner Powergen has treated us so badly we want to change: Direct Debit so-called ‘guarantees’ appear to be worthless.

The search for a decent (ethical/environmental/social etc.) company got us nowhere, so I contacted British Gas. It appears that, from November 2003, the Government’s energy regulator (Ofgem) has prevented British Gas from taking small business’s custom. So where do we go from here?

Meanwhile, the television in the Meeting Room is on the blink, sometimes refusing to change channels. If anyone can help with repairs or furnish us with a back-up TV, please let us know.

Dave Clare