SuScit Mailing
CONTENTS:
1-SuScit Project Update:
a- Islington Residents Take Part in Fundraising Workshop.
2-Research:
a- EPSRC and University of Reading– Helping Old People Making the Most of Computers.
b- Policy Studies Institute Research Contributes to Welfare Reform.
3-Publication:
a- The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and DEFRA :Designing Waste Facilities: a Key Guide to Modern Design in Waste.
b- Department for Communities and Local Government:The Empowerment Fund: Summary of Consultation Responses.
c- The Environment Agency:The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2008- 2011.
4-Events:
a- Green Alliance - Pamphlet Launch:The New Politics of Climate Change. Why We Are Failing and How We Will Succeed.
b- Energy Saving Trust Conference - Community Action for Energy.
c- Archant London Environmental Awards 2008.
d- London Sustainability Exchange Seminar - Plan to Succeed.
e- Durham University International Conference:Well - Being and Place.
f- Coin Street Community Builders - Say and Play Launch:Inclusive Decision Making - New Approaches for Local Government.
5-Policy:
a- Energy and Climate Change Department : Consultation on Carbon Units, the Net Carbon Account and Carbon Accounting.
6-News:
a- 'Capital Growth' - Mayor Unveils London Vegetable Gardens Plans.
b- The Independent:Britain's Top 100 Environmentalists –Capacity Global Director Maria Adebowale at number 70.
c- Capacity Global – Every Action Counts:Culture Goes Green - One Planet Culture.
d- DEFRA Launches the Third Sector Strategy.
7-Funding:
a- Economic and Social Research Council – First Grants Competition.
b- DEFRA Launches £6 million Greener Living fund.
8-Training and Jobs:
a- Social Research Association Course: Advanced Participatory Research.
b- University of Aberdeen:Research Assistant/Fellow Vacancy.
c- Talk Action-Facilitation Training Day.
1-SuScit Project Update:
a- Islington Residents Take Part in Introduction to Fundraising Workshop:
On the 23rd October, Capacity Global delivered a workshop on fundraising for community projects at the Mayville community Centre in Islington.
As well as the wider community,the Islington residents from the Parents and Old people panel were invited to take part in the workshop, which principal aim was to familiarize people working in or with community groups with the language and the steps to effective fundraising.
The workshop was delivered to a diverse audience, providing an opportunity to Islington Council workers, other NGO's and the residents to network and work together.
2-Research:
a- EPSRC and University of Reading– Helping Old People Making the Most of Computers:
A new study carried out by the University of Reading has shown that Older people could make better use of computers if icons, links and menu headings automatically grew bigger as the cursor moves towards them. The study argues that ‘expanding targets’ of this kind, which doubles their original size and provide a much larger area to click on, could help to reduce in 50% the number of mistakes older people make when using a computer mouse to 'point and click' amongst other significant benefits.
Simple changes to software products could mean an increase in the number of older people using computers to communicate and access services websites as well as for online shopping, boosting their quality of life and enable independent living.
To find out more,visit:
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/EasierToHitTargets.htm
b- Policy Studies Institute Research Contributes to Welfare Reform:
Policy Studies Institute has carried out a thorough and long term research programme on low-income and lone parents families in Britain,which established amongst many other things, the Families and Children Survey as a national resource for the study of child poverty.
One of the findings of this research programme was that by increasing payments of child maintenance from former partners,the Government would be taking a huge step towards meeting its target to abolish child poverty by 2020, but the country's benefit system, which withdraws most of these payments against Income Support, makes it difficult.
Find out more:http://www.psi.org.uk/news/pressrelease.asp?news_item_id=221
3-Publication:
a-The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and DEFRA :Designing Waste Facilities: a Key Guide to Modern Design in Waste:
DEFRA in partnership with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), have created a guide on the design of waste facilities, which aims to provide a central resource that will allow professionals to access best practice from other development sectors and make informed choices about the design of new waste development.
The document produced by a team of consultants and advisors led by Enviros Consulting gives strategic guidance which can be applied to all waste facilities regardless the size; from smaller community facilities such as civic amenity sites and compost units on estates to larger Combined Heat and Power facilities.
To download the guide, visit:http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/facilities.htm
b- Department for Communities and Local Government:The Empowerment Fund: Summary of Consultation Responses:
The Department for Communities and Local Government announced the intention to launch a £7.5m Empowerment Fund as part of the Communities in Control: Real people, Real power White Paper. The fund will help third sector organisations operating across England to support local communities to turn key proposals in the white paper into practical action on the ground.
On 9 July 2008 the Department issued a 12 week consultation 'The Empowerment Fund' on proposals for funding third sector organisations to empower communities across England requesting views on a draft prospectus of the Fund. This document provides a summary of those responses received from 123 organisations from national, regional and local third sector as well as setting out the Government's answers to the questions raised as part of the consultation.
To download the document:http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/1006346.pdf
c-Environment Agency – Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2008- 2011:
The Environment Agency new strategy updates the existing organisational adaptation strategy (2005-08), which focussed on seven 'phase one' functions - Flood Risk Management, Water Resources, Conservation & Ecology, Waste, Land Quality, Monitoring & Assessment and the Water Framework Directive.
The Climate Change & Risk Team has worked with each of these functions to develop ‘Technical Briefing Papers’ to outline how that function will be affected by climate change, and 'Adaptation Action Plans' which set out how to respond to those impacts. Both the Technical Briefing Papers and the Adaptation Action Plans are now embedded into this years business plans.
To download, please visit:http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/639312/2083395/?version=1&lang=_e
4-Events:
a- Green Alliance - Pamphlet Launch:The New Politics of Climate Change:
Why We Are Failing and How We Will Succeed:
Date: 27/11/2008
Time: 6:15 for a prompt start at 6:30, followed by a drinks reception
Venue: The CBI Conference Centre, Centre Point Tower, New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1DU
More on:http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/grea.aspx?id=34
b- Energy Saving Trust Conference - Community Action for Energy:
Communities cutting the cost of Carbon.
Date:11/11/2008
Location:Oxford
To book a place, visit:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cafe/
c- Archant London Environmental Awards 2008:
Archant London Environmental Awards brings together individuals, community groups and the young and the elderly who have made significant contributions to help protect the environment.
For more, visit:
http://www.london24.com/environmentalawards/Default.aspx
d-London Sustainability Exchange Seminar - Plan to Succeed:
Date:07/11/2008 2pm – 5pm
Location:The Building Centre, Store Street, London WC1E 7BT
Find out more:
http://www.lsx.org.uk/whatwedo/events_page3156.aspx
e-Durham University International Conference:Well- Being and Place:
Date:7th - 9th April 2009
Location:Durham, United Kingdom
To book a place:
f-Coin Street Community Builders - Say and Play Launch:Inclusive Decision Making - New Approaches for Local Government:
Date:08/12/ 2008, 9.30 for 10am start until 11.30am.
Location:London
Find out more:
http://www.coinstreet.org/howtofindus.aspx
5-Policy:
a- Energy and Climate Change Department Consultation - Consultation on Carbon Units, the Net Carbon Account and Carbon Accounting:
The UK's Climate Change Bill calls for a carbon accounting scheme by the introduction of new carbon accounting regulations.
The Energy and Climate Change Department has launched a consultation to seek view on the proposals for carbon accounting in the UK under the Climate Change Bill. Carbon accounting will be used to determine abidance to the UK carbon budgets and targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.
The Department is inviting stakeholder views on its proposals with a deadline for responses on 19 January 2009.
Find out more:http://www.decc.gov.uk/whats-new/index.htm
6-News:
a-'Capital Growth':Mayor Unveils London Vegetable Gardens Plans:
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and the Chair of the Food Programme Rosie boycott have launched the initiative Capital Growth, which aim to 'turn flat roofs into vegetable plots as part of a scheme to grow food on 2012 patches of land across the capital by 2012'.
They want to engage councils, schools, hospitals, housing estates, and utility companies into identifying derelict land that can be turned into vegetable gardens by Londoners keen to grow their own vegetables. The programme also envisages to use spare pieces of land that can be found on canal banks, banks of reservoirs, and disused railway yards.
For more, visit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/04/boris-london
b-The Independent:Britain's Top 100 Environmentalists –Capacity Global's Director Maria Adebowale at number 70:
Maria Adebowale, the director of Capacity Global has come in 70th place on the first comprehensive list of the country's most effective environmentalists, compiled by The Independent on Sunday.
Maria's work on opening up the environmental justice debate in the United Kingdom has secured her place in the list amongst other great environmentalists who are 'really making a difference in Britain, either directly or by altering public perceptions, rather than those who make most noise'.
The judges were: Nicholas Schoon, editor, the 'ENDS Report', Britain's leading specialist environmental journal; Alex Kirby, former environment correspondent of the BBC; David Randall, assistant editor, 'IoS'; and Geoffrey Lean, environment editor at The IoS.
Find out more:
c- Capacity Global – Every Action Counts:Culture Goes Green - One Planet Culture:
If you’re an armchair activist with a passion for film, arts and media, new website One Planet Culture (OPC) is for you. From DIY film events to green reads and the latest news and reviews, OPC offers inspiration and information to help people and the planet.
Every month, OPC will be giving away a book or a film as food for thought, debate and action. This month, we’re offering copies of Bill Bryson's notes from a Small Island.
We’ll be asking for reviews and hosting an online book club to talk about the issues and how we can do our bit to tackle climate change.
Funded by Every Action Counts, you can find out more about One Planet Culture at www.capacity.org.uk/opc or by contacting Steven Wong on eac@capacity.org.uk
d-DEFRA Launches the Third Sector Strategy:
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has launched the Third Sector Strategy which is intended to signal the Department’s commitment to working with the third sector and recognition of the vital contribution the sector makes to the Department’s objectives. The strategyhas been produced as a result of a participative process involving third sector stakeholders, DEFRA staff and delivery bodies.
To read the document,
6-Funding:
a-Economic and Social Research Council – First Grants Competition:
The Economic and Social research Council is inviting applications under the fourth round of its First Grants Competition. First Grants are aimed at new researchers and academics at the start of their careers looking to gain experience in managing and leading research projects.
The deadline for the submission of Outline proposals is 4 pm on 11 December 2008 and successful applicants will be informed by 27 February 2009.
To find out how to apply, please visit:
b-DEFRA Launches £6 million Greener Living fund:
DEFRA has launched a new fund to promote greener living.The new £6 million fund will help charitable and voluntary organisations support and develop environmental projects throughout England. The Greener Living Fund, announced by DEFRA, will help voluntary organisations promote positive environmental changes to individuals and communities, helping them reduce their carbon footprints, make greener lifestyle choices and find new ways to rely less on our natural resources.
The fund will offer 2 year funding to a small number of national delivery partners. Starting with a bidding phase in 2008, its main delivery phase will run between April 2009 to March 2011 and it will complement other initiatives under the ‘Act on CO2’ banner.
Find out more:http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/how-do-we-work/third-sector/strategy/index.htm
7-Training and Jobs:
a-Social Research Association Course: Advanced Participatory Research:
Date:26th & 27th November 2008
Location: Glasgow,Scotland.
To download the programme,please visit:
http://www.the-sra.org.uk/training/training2627112008.htm
b-University of Aberdeen:Research Assistant/Fellow Vacancy:
The University of Aberdeen's Centre for Transport Research has an open vacancy for an experienced research to develop research in the area of transport, energy and climate change.
Find out more:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/jobs/display.php?recordid=GEO009R
c-Talk Action-Facilitation Training Day:
Facilitation Training Day – Getting the best out of working with local communities.
Date:02/12/ 2008 10.00 – 16.30
Location: St. Ethelburgha's, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG.
http://www.talkaction.org/viewCourse&sessionid=848a2cdf0626283baf68a8d1bcc40792