Oxford

group meeting

PeteB — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:10:08 +0100

Oxford

meeting and Social

PeteB — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:07:40 +0100

Social Evening at the Gardeners Arms Pub, Plantation Rd, Jericho

Start time 7.30pm, August 5th Thursday

The food there is supposed to be really good. Their vegetarian cuisine has been highly recommended by several group members. We will have a very speedy meeting at 7.30 which should not last more than half an hour. Do come along and meet Oxford Greenpeace group members.

Easily accessible by bus. Get 300 bus (a Park and Ride bus) or No 6 bus from Town Centre. This goes down the Woodstock Rd, and ask for Plantation Rd stop.

Hope to see you there

Oxford

Visit to BP HQ

jspragg — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:06:09 +0100

On Friday, Ingrid, Julia and Chris took our Oxford "NO TAR SANDS" poster and a picture of Oxford's dreaming spires to present to BP. We were there with groups from Northern Ireland and South Yorkshire and a few others from London and Reading. Someone from the press department came down to meet us and received our "gifts".

Oxford

Oxford outside BP HQ

jspragg — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:59:26 +0100

Oxford

BP Demo

PeteB — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:46:58 +0100

OXFORD GREENPEACE GROUP WILL DEMONSTRATE AGAINST TAR SANDS USING PLACARDS MADE UP OF DECONSTRUCTED BP LOGO.

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED.

Oxford

H2Oil screening

PeteB — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:42:46 +0100

In Canada’s richest province, the war for water has already begun.

It goes without saying that water – its depletion, exploitation, privatisation and contamination – has become the most important issue to face humanity in this century. Water security will soon define the boundaries between people and countries. The war for oil is well underway across the globe. However, a struggle is increasingly being fought between water and oil not only over them.

Alberta’s oil sands are at the tension centre. The province is rushing towards large-scale oil extraction, which will have far reaching impacts on water, health, animals and the environment in the region. H2Oil weaves together a collection of disparate but intersecting characters as they respond, engage, defend and seek solutions to the wavering balance between the urgent need to protect and preserve fresh water resources and the mad clamouring to fill the demand for oil globally.

Oxford

Tar Sands

PeteB — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:39:52 +0100

Can we stop BP from diving head-first into the biggest, dirtiest industrial energy project on Earth?

Oxford

Group meeting

PeteB — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:28:30 +0100

Greenpeace is getting really busy right now, so come on down to our meeting to see what's going on.

Oxford

Headington festival

Philox — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:10:46 +0100

Greenpeace will be having a stall and campaigning on tar sands at Headington festival this Sunday 6th June - http://www.headingtonfestival.com/

Oxford

Oxford Greenpeace Monthly meeting

Philox — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:37:47 +0100

Greenpeace Meeting

June 3rd 7.30 pm

at the Mitre Public House

High Street‏ Oxford

Oxford

Pete's Report

Philox — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:05:04 +0100

Oxford

Ask The Climate Question, Greenpeace style!

PeteB — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:24:28 +0100

LibDem doorstep

Yesterday a bunch of Oxford Gp supporters decided to spread the word about climate concerns right before the election. These politicians are all up to speed with media speak and how to look good on camera, but when it comes to talking about what they are going to do about our climate it is given little priority.

So using a pressure washer the little group spotted the most grubby bits of Oxford and cleaned a spot, that just happened to have a stencil over it. Leaving a firm message behind for all to read; 'Ask the climate question'.

These messages have been spotted in the following locations; East Oxford Conservative Club, Lib Dem office Oxford (near train station), Conservative Office Witney, Cowley road and a wall on route to the Labour Office (it was too clean just outside!)

Lab route

Oxford

Lab route

PeteB — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:07:11 +0100

Oxford

LibDem doorstep

PeteB — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:06:31 +0100

Oxford

LibDem Oxford

PeteB — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:05:49 +0100

Oxford

Climate Question Time

PeteB — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:42:31 +0100

Last Wednesday we gathered at the Town Hall for the 'Climate Question Time' event, organised by Greenpeace volunteer, Julia Spragg with help from similar minded groups and individuals, to see what the Oxford East Parliamentary candidates had to say about climate change.

The panel was composed of Edward Argar (Conservative), Sushila Dhall (Green Party), Julia Gasper (UKIP), Steve Goddard (Liberal Democrats), David O’Sullivan (Socialist Equality Party) and Andrew Smith (Labour) and was chaired by Sam Clarke of Oxford Friends of the Earth and Chair of the New Economics Foundation.

We were told that the Assembly room could seat around 200 but still some had to stand at the back of this packed meeting proving that this is an important issue to the people of Oxford.

Probing questions were asked including how they would help developing countries adapt to the damaging effects of climate change, whether they would support proposals for local wind turbines, what was their own personal carbon footprints and whether RBS, now owned by the taxpayer, should be stopped by the government from investing in the environmentally disastrous extraction of tar sands in Canada.

Personally I didn't really hear anything that would convince me that the drastic steps needed to act on climate change would be taken by the next bunch of inhabitants of Parliament so we need to keep pushing them on this.

Looking at the scientific analysis and advice, it seems to me that this issue should take precedence over everything else, but there is a danger of it being 'side-lined' for the here and now problems.

Surely to preserve an environment in which the biosphere can thrive (or even survive), has to be our priority.

For a great question from Sian which I will forwarding to the candidates for their responses, here is a YouTube clip;

Oxford

ACQ Oxford

PeteB — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:28:01 +0100

Oxford

Group meeting

PeteB — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:13:34 +0100

It's our election night meeting!

Get that voting business out of the way early and make your way down to the Mitre pub for 7.30pm to meet the Oxford Greenpeace group.

All welcome.

Oxford

Oxford East Climate Question Time

Philox — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:00:29 +0100

Oxford East Climate Question Time

Wednesday 21 April at 7.30pm

The Assembly Room, Oxford Town Hall

Panel: Andrew Smith MP (Labour), Steve Goddard (Liberal Democrat), Edward Argar (Conservative), Sushila Dhall (Green Party)

Oxford

Greenspeakers presentation at Brazier's Park

bpeter_101 — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:19:11 +0100

'Greenspeaker' presentation at Brazier's Park about Greenpeace's work and campaigns by Peter Burt, a member of the Berkshire Greenpeace group. All welcome.

Bus X39/X40 from Oxford and Reading stop at the end of the lane leading to Brazier's Park.

Oxford

you can't live off Kit Kats!

PeteB — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:30:51 +0100

Today we took the message of Nestle using palm oil from the dodgiest company in Indonesia, onto Oxfords main shopping street and got an enthusiastic response, from Mexico!

We had people posing for a photo behind a picture of an urang-utan and their own personal message.

It's amazing the people you meet doing this, at least three had worked in Indonesia, one being a research biologist! Then along came a large group of Mexican students who thought it a great idea and we were inundated with forms and messages.

After the rush, it quietened down but was brightened by a lady sincerely thanking us for our work (it's really good to get such comments as even ardent activists need support).

Finally came the quote of the day, from our very own Miriam,

"only when they have felled the last tree and killed the last Urang-utan, will they realise... you can't live off Kit-Kats".

Oxford

you can't live on Kit Kats!

PeteB — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:09:49 +0100

Oxford

Nestle street engagement

PeteB — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:47:32 +0000

Come and help or just take part in this opportunity to send a photographic message to Nestle that they have to cut rainforest destruction out of their supply chain.

meet at Carfax at 3pm then off down Cornmarket, weather permitting!

Oxford

Action Report: Inside an Ape-suit by Siân

Philox — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:03:50 +0000

It’s quite something for me (smallish, female, sixty) to have a sixteen year old boy come up to me, hesitate, take a few steps back and then pluck up the courage to say to my face, “I’M not scared of YOU, Mr. Monkey.”

Quite fun to see a younger boy mirror my antics through the glass wall of a bus shelter. (see video )

The reaction of most passers-by to our Orang-utan personas (there to highlight Nestlé’s role in the destruction of their habitat) was so, so positive. It more than made up for my problems in aligning my glasses with the holes in an unforgiving latex mask and my determination to hide how much my back was aching. One woman patted my back, a look of real concern on her face, and said soothingly, “Don’t worry, we WILL save your rainforests”. Did she say “we”? I like to think so. Maybe she said “they”. As, my mask temporarily pushed back, I made my way to the friendly local café for a break, a Somali woman approached me, smiled warmly and said, “We need people like you”.

Greenpeace can be so proud of being this “you” and “they” that the public have come to rely on. To have such an effect after only one morning’s work is- like – wow! And after staying in role for almost six and a half hours, I went home almost believing I was an Orang-utan!

Oxford

Orang-Utan and Nestlé HQ

Philox — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:42:17 +0000

Oxford

Orang-Utan and coppers

Philox — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:39:29 +0000

Oxford

Group meeting

PeteB — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:06:56 +0000

Come and discuss latest developments including the Nestle campaign, Ask the Climate Question and Trident.

Open to new members.

Oxford

Ask a Climate Question

Richard Martin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:33:56 +0000

As the next election approaches Greenpeace has teamed up with a collation of other environmental and development NGOs to organise a political hustings in our local constituency of Oxford East to be held in the Assembly Room of Oxford Town Hall at 7.30 pm on April 21st.

The coalition includes Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, RSPB, Christian Aid, the World Development Movement, People and Planet, Tearfund the Green Alliance, and a few others.

Between us we have 5-15,000 regular supporters in Oxford East which is really interesting as our current MP Andrew Smith has a majority of 963

We think that the next MP (whichever party they belong to) should be made very aware of the number of people in his/her constituency that are worried about climate change.

This is an issue that will win, or lose them votes. We want to ask them the climate question and make sure that the candidates we vote for have very good answers……

If you’d like to get involved then please post a comment below.

Oxford

Would you spend £97 BILLION on new nuclear weapons?

PeteB — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:12:15 +0000

Labour and the Conservatives would.

Oxford

David Cameron at odds with his constituents

PeteB — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:03:41 +0000

So what do you do if you are the leader of a party who believes in the need for new nuclear weapons but your constituents - the people you are meant to represent - don't?

I suppose you could look at the enormous cost of the Trident programme (£97 BILLION!) and weigh that against the social and economic needs of the country bearing in mind that the UK is flat broke, in debt and expecting the bailiffs to be knocking on the door asking for the crown jewels at any moment.

Or would that be too sensible?

The people of Witney could clearly see sence as they voted last Saturday against new Trident.

The five members of Oxford Greenpeace who did the poll recieved a resounding 297 no's and 37 yes's.

Witney is of course Camerons constituency, so we wrote to him before doing the poll and he assured us that,

"Nuclear weapons cannot be uninvented" and that if elected the Conservative party will be following a policy of a minimum, strategic, nuclear deterrent.

So will David do the job he was elected for and listen to his people.....or not?

We will try to get an answer for you.

Oxford

Trident Poll

PeteB — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:31:56 +0000

Oxford

Oxford Greenpeace Monthly meeting

Philox — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:56:20 +0000

Come along to March's meeting to find out what we have planned. All are welcome!

Oxford

Greenspeaker talk, Wheatley Park School, Oxford

Rachael King — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:23:24 +0000

Speaker: Julia Spragg

Oxford

Pooh!

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:14:42 +0000

Oxford

GPHorsemen

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:09:20 +0000

Oxford

FourNorsemen

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:07:06 +0000

Oxford

Death

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:03:08 +0000

Oxford

Death

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:01:03 +0000

Oxford

FourHorsemen

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:57:45 +0000

Oxford

Apocalypse Soon?

Philox — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:51:04 +0000

The hold of the arctic sunrise was a hive of activity, albeit of an unusual sort.
a makeup artist worked meticulously,
flags were being fitted to flag poles,
and surprisingly for a non-violent organisation, a sword, a bow and arrows, and armour were being prepared

We were planning to re-enact the four horsemen of the apocalypse, a doom laden vision of the future, if a fair ambitious and binding treaty cannot be reached.

FourHorsemen the faces of the four horse men (or in this case 3 horse-women and 1 horseman) were being made up to look truly horrific and the ‘weapons’ harmless theatrical replicas part of their costumes, and that wasn’t all, next to the ship moored in Central Copenhagen four large horses were being prepared on the quayside,

but someone had spotted whordes of police putting on their riot gear, the police had shown a couple of days before that their actions could be somewhat unpredictable, surely they weren’t about to storm the ship?

a passing enquiry revealed the story, The Grass roots group ‘No Borders’ was intent on heading towards the Minisry of defence just around the corner. the police helicopter hovering above them marked their position a few streets away.
Nervous horses and a noisy public order situation would be a dangerous combination
if this was going to happen at all we had to move fast

The riders saddled up and the 10 Greenpeace activists from all over Europe took up their positions behind carrying flags bearing messages, and then the sombre procession began, two activists followed behind with buckets and spades. possibly the least glamourous role ever,

Death

We reached the parliament building and the press gathered for the photo opportunity,

in the Bibles’ book of revelations, the appearance of the horsemen marks the end of the world
War, Pestilence Famine and Death are the likely outcomes of a rapidly warming climate
The action serves as a stark reminder for world leaders gathered here in Copenhagen, that if the outcome of the Climate summit is a failure then this could be the future

GPHorsemen FourNorsemen
The procession moved off to the Environment ministry and then back to Parliament, as the police helicopter marking the position of the No Borders activists moved closer , it was time to head back, our Job was done.

Pooh!

Oxford

Oxford GP in Copenhagen

PeteB — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:31:44 +0000

Oxford

Copenhagen Pt.3

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:14 +0000

We had work to do tonight so we made our way to our accommodation to pick up supplies then back into the centre to rendezvous with the Canadians, Phil and a couple of others to set up a vigil outside the Canadian Embassy.
Out came the pop up tent, the banners and candles.
A Canadian journalist came along and Janet did an interview including the great line, “Tar sands - they’re dirty, toxic and huge!”

Soon Police arrived and even the military turned up but kept a distance.
Satisfied we were not going to be any trouble the Officer allowed us to stay but said he couldn’t speak for anyone else who might turn up.
Within 3 minutes of his departure, 3 Police vans and 2 cars pulled up and we were surrounded by riot cops.

I thought this was it for us but after some protracted discussions and identity checks, they too were satisfied and left us in peace.

A couple of hours later we were cold and quiet and so decided to pack up and head for bed.
Sleep wasn’t great but was well overdue.

The next day we wanted to take things easy so pootled along to the KlimaForum, a conference for the people.
After looking around and talking to people from around the World, we emerged to another protest, the Via Campesina, a farmers group against industrial animal production.
We were due to leave at 3.45pm so couldn’t get involved.

We carried on mooching around town and found a parade of electric vehicles including the amazing Tesla roadster which will do 0-60mph in 3.7 secs.
Sirens are whining all around the city, this is going to be a long week for everyone.

Eventually we head to the train station and re-board the ‘Climate Express’.
Surely this will be a more subdued ride. Not a bit of it.
Singing breaks out in almost every carriage.

Around midnight, we are seconded to Greenpeace France to do ‘an action’ on Greenpeace Belguim.
We charge through the train to surround the beleaguered few (most of GPB are still locked up after an action in their Parliament), to demand their beer!
They didn’t know what to say so we joined forces to do the same on Oxfam – a much bigger group.
After some curious body surfing down the aisle (I think it’s a team building thing) we dispersed – without beer, but it was nice to be adopted by the ‘family’.

Many hours later we’re home at last, exhausted, but I would have been disappointed if I wasn’t.

Oxford

Copenhagen Pt.2

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:11:46 +0000

Oxford

Copenhagen Pt.2

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:08:54 +0000

Up at 8.30am to head into town for the marches.

We join the Friends of the Earth, ‘Flood’ to Parliament Square.
Once there we naturally gravitate to the Greenpeace contingent under a huge snowman.
There is Greenpeace France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Czech Rep and even further. We didn’t recognise anyone from England except Phil who we met up with.

The square is filling, I climb some steps to take a look, to the left a sea of heads and placards, to the right, even more, in fact as far as I can see.
We are told there are a hundred thousand people here.

Speeches start and predictably go on a bit, starting to get cold now. It’s about 5 degrees but dry.
Then we are off, gradually the crowd moves on, we are glad to get moving and get some space.
Holding our banner, we attract attention from several Canadians who all agree with what we are doing and march with us.

As we pass a Shell garage I get an urge to run over and declare to anyone who will listen, that Shell are up to their necks in dirty Tar Sands. By amazing co-incidence a Canadian TV crew were right there and we did a short interview. We were also picked up by a Canadian radio station.

Dark comes early here and by 4pm torches were being lit at the end of the 6km march. There is more confusion as people are stopped and mill about, half an hour later and more were still arriving.
I climb a small tower, the view was incredible, a stream of protestors maybe a mile long.

Then we hear that a group had been held by the Police at the back of the march, it’s not ‘til later do we learn more about it.
We had work to do tonight so we made our way to our accommodation to pick up supplies then back into the centre to rendezvous with the Canadians, Phil and a couple of others….

Oxford

Copenhagen Pt.1

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:04:21 +0000

Friday 11th, 2am, it’s a frosty and misty start as we set off catching the Oxford Tube to London.
Early morning trek across town to St.Pancras and the Eurostar.

Brussels Midi, confusion, hundreds of people – campaigners, all banners and bags, French, Belgian and English.
We wanted to take a specific message, to shine a light on the Tar Sands and how it was influencing the Canadian governments climate policy (they have backed out of Kyoto).
As there were so many cameras and media about, we got our banner out, a Canadian flag with an oily message.
Instantly cameras were pointed our way and then a crew from Danish TV interviewed us, “we’re going to Copenhagen to show our leaders that if they don’t manage a genuine, legally binding deal, then they no longer have a mandate to rule us” I said.
All aboard the ‘Climate Express’.
More confusion, there doesn’t seem to be enough seats, eventually all are seated except two dumb Brits who are too polite to be pushy, yes us!
Enlisting the help of a kind Belgian girl, we manage to find two seats amongst the Belgium Green Party (called Ecolo). Apparently they are doing rather well with over 20% of the vote in the last elections.
Spirits are high.
Arrive Copenhagen at 2 in the morning, more chaos.
Like sheep we are herded to the underground and bleat our way to a school where we bed down in the sports hall.
It’s actually quite cosy.

Oxford

vigil

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:55:32 +0000

Oxford

tar flag

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:51:30 +0000

Oxford

Sat 12th March in Copenhagen

PeteB — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:39:30 +0000

Oxford

Oxford at the Wave

PeteB — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:42:05 +0000

Members of Oxford Greenpeace at the Wave Climate March in London on the 5th Dec.09

Oxford

Oxford GP at Wave

PeteB — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:40:15 +0000

Oxford