Download Friends of the Earth Annual Review 2014

Annual Review 2014
People make the difference
With your support we succeed together
Two words sum up our story
in 2014 – people power.
So this report is really about you. Friends of the
Earth’s supporters – people like you – and our
volunteers in villages, towns and cities across
England, Wales and Northern Ireland, make us
a formidable campaigning movement.
Together this year, thousands of you have
combined to tackle two of the most urgent
problems facing the planet:
> a massive decline in nature
> climate change.
And we're getting success...
To support Friends
of the Earth
England, Wales and
Northern Ireland
please telephone
020 7490 1555
Friends of the Earth England
The Printworks
139 Clapham Road
London
SW9 0HP
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
foe.co.uk
2
Friends of the Earth
Northern Ireland
Email: [email protected]
foe.co.uk/northern_ireland
Contents
Friends of the Earth Cymru
Email: [email protected]
foecymru.co.uk
cyddcymru.co.uk
6Run on Sun
Renewable energy to tackle climate change
Editorial team: Dominic Murphy,
Sarah Hanson, Adam Bradbury
Creative Director: Glen Colegate
Design and art direction:
Glynn Perkins
Picture research: Amelia Collins
facebook.com/wwwfoecouk
3 Success of our nature campaign
Big win for The Bee Cause
8 Other successes in 2014
Highlights from the year
10 Where your support goes
Thank you
12Bees are just the beginning
Plans for 2015
twitter.com/wwwfoecouk
Photo: Kim Taylor
Success of our nature campaign
Big win for The Bee Cause
We began 2014 on a high, knowing that the
Government had agreed to the key thrust of our
current nature campaign – a plan to save Britain’s
bees and other vital pollinators.
Bees, which pollinate up to 70% of our food crops,
are a key species in the complex natural system
that humans depend on. Yet they are in alarming
decline. Their plight is typical of the huge problems
threatening nature as a whole.
Following the Government’s commitment to a plan
(known as the National Pollinator Strategy or NPS),
the task now was to make sure it was good enough
to save bees.
So during the year, as the Government put together
the NPS, we’ve kept up the pressure. We’ve been
doing this in partnership with scientists, other groups
and businesses.
And we’ve been doing it through people power too.
Tens of thousands of you have signed petitions in
your communities, contacted your MPs and emailed
ministers at crucial stages of the NPS process.
Bee Worlds
Award-winning collaboration
Along the way we picked up a prestigious award
for our campaigning. Together with the National
Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), we won the
Charity Partnership Award at the Third Sector Awards
ceremony – industry recognition of a great campaign.
The future of bees
The Government launched the NPS towards the end
of the year. It’s good – a vast improvement on the
original proposal – but it’s not perfect. It incorporates
some important changes we campaigned for in 2014,
but there are flaws: it still doesn’t support all farmers
to help save bees, for example, while action on
pesticides does not go far enough.
It is our NPS – we campaigned for it together – so over
coming months we’ll be doing all we can to strengthen
it and make sure it delivers.
Securing government commitment to action is a
tremendous success though, and we’re really proud
of all we’ve achieved with you so far. Thank you.
Next steps for nature page 12
Together we’ve also led practical change, creating
more than 200 Bee Worlds across the country (see
picture). These havens of wild flowers are not only
beautiful but provide much needed habitats.
Great British Bee Count
Photo: Alan Palmer
People power also made the Great British Bee Count
a resounding success. As part of a drive to get more
people enjoying nature first hand, we partnered
with B&Q and Buglife to develop a free phone app
to monitor bees. More than 23,000 of you took part
in this pioneering citizen science project, spotting
832,000 bees and gathering data on nine bumblebee
species. We’ll be repeating this annually to help build
a picture of the health of bees in Britain.
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 20143
4
Successes at a glance
> Government finally launches action plan for bees
> 200-plus Bee Worlds
>23,000 people take part in the Great British Bee Count
>Our collaborative campaign wins award
Together we're creating
wild flower habitats for
bees up and down the
country. We're calling
them Bee Worlds
We’re building on The Bee Cause campaign to rally more people in support of nature in general. So in 2014 we
continued to develop initiatives to give more people hands-on experience of nature. This included planting Bee
Worlds on disused land, in parks and even on roundabouts. Tinke, left, took part in sowing wild flower seeds at Kitchener
Park in east London, with sister Petra and mother Martina Matthewsova. Says Petra: “I love this. I want more seeds.
I want a garden.” Angelika Brinis is another local resident who came to the event with her son Noah and nephew Danny.
She says: “Wild seed planting is great. It is educating people – we need more of this.”
foe.co.uk/bees
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 2014
5
Run on Sun
Renewable energy to
tackle climate change
The science is clear – unless the world cuts its carbon
emissions, and does it quickly, the planet faces
potentially catastrophic climate change.
That’s why we’re campaigning to keep fossil fuels in
the ground, and for a massive increase in renewable
energy in the UK. Progress by the UK in its own
back yard gives it the credibility to lead the call for
international climate action.
About the Run On Sun campaign
The Run On Sun campaign aims to bring about a
seismic shift in locally-owned renewable energy, and
we’re starting with a focus on buildings at the heart of
every community – your local school.
We want to make it easy for schools to run on solar
power, breaking down the barriers that currently exist.
It’s about communities having more control of where
their energy comes from; it’s about people power.
Anna’s story
Anna Watson is a campaigner on Run On Sun. It
was her experience at her children’s primary school,
Saltaire, that inspired the campaign.
Along with another parent Anna approached the
school about putting solar panels on its roof. The
school was keen and after exploring various options
for raising money, they decided to ask their local
council, Bradford, for a loan.
6
It turned out Bradford had the same vision to see
more energy saving and renewable energy in the
district. So it agreed to pay for the installation of the
panels. The school will earn money from the panels
so will be able to pay back the cost over 7-8 years.
After that the panels will belong to the school and it
will reap the benefit. We believe every school in the
country should have the same opportunity as Anna’s.
Clockwise from left: Saltaire
primary school is being loaned
the money to buy solar panels
by Bradford Council. Children
from Reay primary, south
London, create their entry for
our competition for free solar
panels. Students from Henry
Cavendish primary handed
in our petiton to the minister,
with 15,000 signatures, asking
her to relax rules on borrowing
for solar panels. A student
from Wyvil primary, south
London, explains why she
likes solar panels
Successes at a glance
>15,000 people signed up in support of
Run on Sun
>700 schools have expressed an interest
in going solar
>1 council has already agreed to offer its
schools £1 million for energy efficiency
and renewable technologies
Run on Sun success
Bradford Council has become the first local authority
in the UK to vote for its schools to run on solar power.
It has agreed to provide up to £1 million in 2015 for
schools to invest in energy efficiency and renewables.
More than 700 schools so far have expressed interest
in our campaign and several councils have committed
to share best practice and explore how they can best
support schools. Run On Sun is off to a great start on
the road to making solar power for schools the new
norm, and we’re ready to go even bigger in 2015.
Thanks for all your support to get us here.
What if all schools installed solar panels
bit.ly/solar-infographic
Run on Sun case studies
bit.ly/solar-examples
Next steps for climate page 12
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 20147
Other successes in 2014
Friends of the Earth’s vision is for a new,
positive relationship between people and the
environment. That means a stable climate and a
thriving natural world – one that enables a good
standard of living for everyone.
All the work we do together is designed to help
achieve these goals.
Working with tens of thousands of supporters
like you, we have had a tremendous 2014.
Thank you.
Here are some highlights.
A vote for wildlife
When beavers were discovered thriving in the wild in Devon,
the Government tried to get them removed. We threatened
legal action and more than 10,000 supporters wrote to
the minister saying leave them alone. The return of a native
species could be an important boost for our wildlife, and a
small but powerful signal that we are capable of rebuilding
our damaged environment.
Paraguay communities
fighting back
Since 2008 we’ve been working with rural communities in
Paraguay to fight environmental crimes like deforestation. The
work is going from strength to strength: in the beginning we
were ignored by the authorities, but now they’re investigating,
and prosecuting, lawbreakers. Recently, after two years
of lobbying by the community of Luz Bella, Paraguay’s
National Forest Institute has declared the deforestation in
the community forest reserve illegal, so the invaders can be
brought to justice.
8
The UK is still frack-free
thanks to you
We’re supporting communities opposing drilling for shale
gas, pointing out risks to health and the environment, overhyped economic benefits and fracking’s contribution to
climate change. And we’re getting success. For the past three
-and-a-half years there has been no new shale gas drilling
in the UK (see also Northern Ireland fracking win, opposite).
In Lancashire, for example, we’re resisting the latest drilling
proposals from Cuadrilla. And, in September 2014, after more
than 5,500 objections, the Government blocked proposals for
fracking in the South Downs National Park.
Hull on a high
Fantastic news from Hull, where Associated British Ports and
Siemens Energy have committed to a £310m facility that will
build and service offshore wind turbines. This will create around
1,000 much-needed jobs. Friends of the Earth played a major
role in making this happen by championing the idea and building
support through our Energising England events. We worked with,
among others, the city council and local business networks.
Milestone in
sustainability law
We’re one big step closer to getting strong legislation on
sustainable development in Wales. This will benefit both the
environment and people. The Environment and Sustainability
Committee of the National Assembly has been scrutinising the
Well-being of Future Generations Bill since it was published in
July. After a summer and autumn of campaigning from Friends
of the Earth and others, the committee’s report recommends
pretty much all the changes we’re asking for.
foe.co.uk/success
CO2
Attack on climate
target thwarted
Making better products
We fought off a Government challenge to a key part of the
Climate Change Act. It’s long been reported that Chancellor
George Osborne wanted to weaken a central target within
the Act – the Fourth Carbon Budget, which was set at 50%,
in line with advice from Government advisers the Committee
on Climate Change. Friends of the Earth and our allies worked
hard to keep the target, pointing in particular to the economic
arguments. This helped inspire a vast array of businesses to
back us. The Government has now decided to keep the
50% target.
Flood campaign
embarrasses Government
Following our Freedom of Information requests, we showed
the Government’s claims to have increased spending on
flood defences were untrue. In the huge media coverage that
ensued, we showed that the Government should not only
be spending more on flood defences but also doing more to
tackle a major cause of increased flooding – climate change.
The updated EU Accounting Directives represent a significant
step towards large companies being more accountable for
what happens in their supply chains. Fierce resistance by the
British and German governments, and some business groups,
put the brakes on progress, but Our Make It Better campaign
helped win and save some important improvements. Make It
Better showed how everyday products are damaging people’s
lives and the environment, and puts us in a good place to
improve the legislation further when it is transposed from EU
to national laws.
No fracking in
Northern Ireland
Despite years of trying by the shale gas drilling companies,
there is still no fracking in Northern Ireland, following
campaigning by Friends of the Earth and others. This year,
Tamboran, the main fracking company in Northern Ireland,
had its application for exploratory drilling further delayed after
we convinced the Government that planning permission and
an environmental impact assessment was needed.
Anti-fracking
campaigners in North,
Horsham, West Sussex,
July 2014. For the past
three-and-a-half years
there has been no new
shale gas drilling in
the UK
Photo: West Sussex County Times
9
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 2014
Photo: Steve Cobb/Photo courtesy of
West Sussex County Times
Where your
support goes
Friends of the Earth comprises two separate legal entities – Friends of
the Earth Trust (a registered charity) and Friends of the Earth Limited (a
not-for-profit company limited by guarantee). They work closely together,
sharing staff, resources and a brand, in order to achieve their separate but
similar objects as cost effectively as possible.
Friends of the Earth Trust
Friends of the Earth Trust is committed to the conservation, protection
and improvement of the environment and promotes sustainable
development for public benefit. It furthers these objectives by
campaigning, undertaking research, education and publishing, and
providing an information service on solutions to environmental
problems.
Statement of financial activities
for the year ended 31 May 2014
Friends of the Earth Trust Income Expenditure Surplus for the year
“I have been supporting Friends of the
Earth since the very early days. They
are very much leading the way and
are capable of surprises 40 years on.
Friends of the Earth is in the rooms
where I can’t be, fighting for the things
I care about, the things that really
matter for people and planet”
Roger de Freitas
£
10,204,463
9,186,561
1,017,902
h
a
Breakdown
a) Climate & Energy
b) Land Use, Food & Water
c) Economics & Resource Use
d) Fair & Planned Transition
e) Nature & Ecosystems
f) Governance costs
g) Cost of generating funds
h) Supporter recruitment
2,532,581
799,679
1,520,813
555,647
1,155,831
47,229
966,844
1,607,937
28%
9%
16%
6%
13%
1%
10%
17%
g
f
b
e
d
c
Thank you
Many thanks to everyone whose incredible generosity has helped make our work possible this year. Special thanks to:
1970 Trust
Mike and Kathy Smyth
Antony Lewis, WordWeb Software
Nigel and Margaret Woodward, founding Trustees
of the Network of Wellbeing
Ariane Braillard & Francesco Cincotta
B&Q Plc
Community Windpower Ltd
Department for International Development
Graham Hales
Ian Hall
Jacob & Miranda Cnattingius
John and Ingrid Broad
Lady Mackerras
Martin Gore
Martin Taylor
The A Team Foundation
Paper Round Ltd
The Barbara Cairns Trust
Players of People's Postcode Lottery
The DG Charitable Settlement
Portobello Fund
The Freshfield Foundation
Pure Climate
The Melvita Corporate Foundation
Reed Foundation through the Big Give Challenge
The Miss RCR Angel Charitable Trust
Roger de Freitas
The Raphael Trust
Roger Ross, all those at Lots Road Auctions and the
Rainmaker Foundation
The Roger and Ingrid Pilkington Charitable Trust
Rosie Pearson
Sam & Ali Clarke
Full audited accounts for both companies are available at foe.co.uk
10 Stephen Brenninkmeijer, founder and principal
of Willows Investments
The Underwood Trust
The Waffle House, St Albans
Zennström Philanthropies
“We believe we have a responsibility to help customers create greener homes.
This is why we’re working with Friends of the Earth as part of our One Planet
Home programme and inspiring people to plant bee friendly gardens” B&Q Plc
Friends of the Earth Limited
Friends of the Earth Limited is a campaigning organisation and exists
to protect and improve the environment through influencing political
policies and business practices, inspiring individual personal and
political action, and stimulating wide and intelligent debate.
Statement of financial activities
for the year ended 31 May 2014
Friends of the Earth Limited Income Expenditure Deficit for the year
£
1,540,062
2,023,743
(483,681)
b
c
Breakdown
a) Campaigning & information provision 1,853,815
b) Fundraising
120,889
c) Management & administration
49,039
92%
6%
2%
a
Gifts in wills
We would like to pay tribute to those supporters who generously donated gifts in their wills to protect the long-term future of
our planet. Our grateful thanks go to:
Mr J Allard
Miss Craven
Miss I Hartog
Miss D Leith
Mr C Prettyman
Mrs A Vallender
Ms E Allsopp
Mrs D Cross
Mr MB Harwood
Mrs J Lichtenstern
Mr A Rawnsley
Mr A Vincent
Mrs R Bacon
Miss J Dilloway
Miss A Holt
Mrs J Lingwood
Mrs M Rees
Miss M Watt
Mr E Bailey
Miss M Dunn
Ms B Hopkinson
Mrs P Lonsdale
Mrs M Robinson
Mrs G Webb
Mr A Bellis
Mrs V Dymott
Mrs D Hughes
Ms B Lourie
Mr A Saunders
Miss J Webster
Dr L Bentley
Mrs N Emile
Mr R Hunt
Mrs D Lowrie
Mr M Scollan
Miss G Weigert
Mr P Betteridge
Mr V Evans
Mrs H Hurst
Mr D Manning
Mrs D Seammen
Miss H Wills
Mrs N Bradley
Miss I Flute
Ms L Jackson
Mr C McCall
Mrs KM Shaw
Mr R Willson
Mr J Burden
Mr P Gaggini
Mrs D James
Mr RP Miller
Mrs A Sheppard
Mr Wood
Mrs M Carr
Mr J Gawler
Mr AK Jones
Mr R Mills
Miss A Sleap
Mr M Woods
Mrs Chambers
Miss J Geere
Mrs M Karten
Mrs M Morley
Mr J Stoddart
Mrs P Wormald
Mrs Clarke
Mr R Gilhooley
Mrs E Kingcome
Mr T Northwood
Mr H Thorpe
Mrs R Wybrow
Mr D Cook
Mr D Glendening
Mr P Kreeger
Mr P Norton
Mr P Tidmarsh
Mr H Yapp
Mrs R Corry
Miss J Groom
Mrs V Lageard
Miss D Plomley
Mrs D Tyler
Miss J Young
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 201411
Bees are just
the beginning:
our plans for 2015
Terry Whittaker/2020Vision
12
We’ve had a great year
thanks to you
Wow what a year! Thanks to you (and the many thousands that joined
with us), we have won our bee action plan and are another step further
towards reversing the decline of British bees.
Now we must make sure Government plans turn into action, while scaling
up our own help for all the pollinators on which we so depend. In 2015
we’ll work with others – politicians, businesses, communities – to create
even more bee habitats, building on the huge success of our Bee Worlds
in 2014, as well as pushing for tougher Government commitments.
2015 is also an important year for tackling dangerous climate change,
and includes the United Nations Paris summit in December. This is a
chance to get major commitments from the international community.
With your support, we’ll be ensuring wealthy industrialised nations
play their fair part in cutting carbon emissions quicker while helping
developing countries tackle climate change and adapt to its impacts.
The Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (known as TTIP) is
also on our agenda for 2015. This deal is supposedly about reducing
trade barriers between businesses in the US and EU, but what it really
means is cutting precious social and environmental protections.
Back at home, we’ll continue our successful work to keep the UK frackfree, as part of our overall drive to keep fossil fuels in the ground. At the
same time, we will demonstrate how we can meet our energy needs
through community-based renewables, with schools at the leading edge.
Of course there is a General Election this year and we will be doing all we
can to push the wellbeing of people and the environment up the political
agenda – both in the run up to and after the May vote.
So as we get stuck into another busy year, I always remind myself of our
long-term goals as an organisation. We want a world where:
> we’re winning the battle to stop dangerous climate change
> nature is thriving and is a much bigger part in our lives
> new ways of living consume much less of our natural resources
> taking action to protect our planet and improve our lives is a way
We want nature
to be a much
bigger part
of our lives
of life for millions
> people’s action in the UK is connected up to action all around
the world.
Our goals are ambitious, but necessary. And the tremendous progress
with the bee campaign shows they’re also realistic. I know with your
support in 2015 we will achieve more than ever. Thank you for all that
you do.
Executive Director
Friends of the Earth Annual Review 201413
For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the wellbeing
of people and planet go hand in hand – and it’s been
the inspiration for our campaigns. Together with
thousands of people like you we’ve secured safer food
and water, defended wildlife and natural habitats,
championed the move to clean energy and acted to
keep our climate stable. Be a Friend of the Earth – see
things differently.
Thank you so much for all that you do with Friends of the Earth. There
are lots of different ways that you can contribute to our work and help us
make a difference. With over 90% of our income provided by people like
you, your ongoing financial support is hugely appreciated. If you wish to
make a significant gift, we can discuss ways to ensure you are making
a difference on the issues you care most about. You might also like to
set up a regular donation, which adds your voice to thousands of others
and helps us plan over the longer term. And of course, legacy gifts of all
sizes are hugely important to us. We also value your time and expertise
– from action online to joining with others in your community to make a
difference locally, there are many ways to help us achieve change.
I’d be very happy to have a chat if you’d like to discuss your support for
our work. You can reach me on 020 7490 1555 or email me direct at joe.
[email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you, and once again –
a huge thanks from all of us at Friends of the Earth for helping us make
a difference.
Joe Jenkins
Director of Engagement
Friends of the Earth Trust, registered charity number
281681, company number 1533942. Friends of the Earth
Limited, company number 1012357. Our paper is totally
recycled and our printers hold EMAS certification which
means they care about the environment. January 2015.
Cover photos clockwise from left: Mid sussex Friends of
the Earth; Andrew Child; Su Dore.