No to nuclear, yes to renewables

November 2014 - Plans to build Europe's largest new nuclear project in Cumbria are being strongly opposed by Radiation Free Lakeland. The project, funded by Japanese engineering giant Toshiba and French energy company GDF Suez, includes plans for three nuclear reactors at the Moorside site next to Sellafield and is expected to bring in £10bn of investment.

The Radiation Free Lakeland group, however, argue that Sellafield already produces the largest amount of radioactivity from one plant in the world and that a major accident involving the liquid high level waste tanks would have catastrophic consequences and make the area uninhabitable for many generations. They also raise concerns about the government's lack of solution to the ever increasing problem of nuclear waste, given that the resulting radioactive wastes would be much hotter and have to be cooled for decades longer due to the new reactors that would burn uranium for longer and harder.

Visit the Radiation Free Lakeland website for further reading on the Moorside nuclear project.

November 2014 - It was recently reported that power cuts could soon affect daily life for everyone in the UK - this year, next year, and for the foreseeable future - but Lancashire Green County Councillor Gina Dowding is already backing a campaign to help keep the lights on.

 The 'Run on Sun' initiative will ensure our young can continue their education with schools saving around £8,000 each per year, for trips, books, and other school activities.

Cllr. Dowding says of the proposal: “This is a fantastic initiative. If every school in the UK was run on sun it could save, nationally,  over £200 million pounds a year,  while generating clean energy at the same time.  Investing in solar saves money and creates jobs and that's why I'm supporting the aim of getting schools run on sun. She has secured a place on the County Council's Cabinet working group on Energy and will be putting this issue on the agenda of that group in December

FoE's Renewable Energy Campaigner Anna Watson continues: "It’s fantastic to have Gina’s support. The potential of solar power is enormous and with her support we can help more schools to save money through solar power, bringing renewable energy right into the heart of our towns and cities.”

See www.foe.co.uk/runonsun for more about Friends of the Earth's Run on Sun campaign. 

November 2014 - In 2012 the Council spent around £550,000 on solar panels at nine installations in the district, including Council houses at Ripley Court, which are set to generate a profit for local tax payers of over three quarters of a million pounds which will go directly to funding local services on the Council. 

The original push for the panels came from Green Party councillor Jon Barry: "We are hoping that the Counil can expand on this initiative as part of its new energy strategy. It should be a win-win strategy: saving money for local taxpayers and making a contribution to reducing climate change".