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Event Meeting Notice

Barnet’s Citizens’ Assembly Action Group Kickoff

Update 14 March 2024. The six Action Teams have now been set up. The name was changed from Action Group to Action Team. If you would be interested in joining one of the teams, please contact the webmaster, details at the foot of the page. The teams correspond to the five areas in the Citizens Assembly report, plus an inter-faith team. For details of the five areas, see the council’s response to the recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly (PDF download from https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/response-to-recommendations-from-the-citizens-assembly).


Update 18 January 2024. After attending the Barnet’s Citizens’ Assembly Action Group Kickoff meeting last night (17 January 2024, details below), I (Charles) think that there are major problems with the way that the community action is being organised. We need to have a much clearer view of what the council is planning to do, with cost/benefit numbers attached, and plan together how it is going to be implemented. Please get in touch via the email address at the bottom of the page if you would like to help improve the process.


As a followup to the Barnet Citizens’ Assembly, Barnet council have organised Barnet’s Citizens’ Assembly Action Group Kickoff meeting on Wednesday, 17 January 2024 in the evening.

Flyer here: BarNET ZERO Digital Invitation.pdf (PDF, 1 page, 140kB)

Dave McCormick writes:

The next event on the road to working to address the climate and biodiversity challenges is Wednesday 17th Jan 6.30- 9pm at Middlesex University Hendon.

My understanding is that the session will have 3 main elements:

  1. Sharing information about community activities that are already happening
  2. How to make community activities more impactful – building networks and partnerships, working with the council etc
  3. Action planning for action groups on areas to focus on. Action groups will include residents and council representatives and will have the challenge of making tangible progress by this summer on the path to sustainable Barnet

Example areas that I think may feature are housing and buildings (renewable energy/retrofit), food, waste, air quality, active travel, healthy nature… – but it will be shaped by who is in the room.

If you have a passion for something, want to find out what is going on, see how you can help make a difference, say what the council could do to help please come along.

To register please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barnets-citizens-assembly-action-group-kickoff-tickets-779351099117

Please share this invite.

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Meeting

October 2022 Meeting – Sustainability Strategy, Energy Advice, Food

Our next BCAG meeting will be held on Thursday 13 October 7 – 8.30pm on Zoom. If you are on our mailing list you will have received the Zoom link. If you would like to join the list, please email us using the address at the foot of the page.

We hope to cover three issues and hence we will be extending the meeting to run for 1.5 hours.

  • An update on Barnet Council’s Sustainability Strategy – further information on which can be found on the webpage of the Council’s Environment and Climate Change Commitee’s latest meeting – see here
  • The provision of energy advice as bills rise – in Barnet and more widely
  • Food and emissions. A campaign to ask the council to promote plant-based food. The slides are here: Plant-Based-Barnet.pdf (PDF 3Mb 11 pages)
Categories
Meeting Report

July 2022 Meeting – Barnet Climate Assembly

Our July meeting was on Tuesday 26 July 7-8pm via Zoom. The subject was: What should be covered in a Barnet Climate Assembly?.

Dave McCormick led the discussion about Citizens Assemblies. He has written a briefing paper about Citizens Assemblies (PDF, 200Kb, 5 pages) describing the experience of other councils, and giving guidance on how we should proceed in Barnet and suggestions for further reading.

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Meeting Report

Barnet Environment Hustings – video and links

BCAG took part in an excellent environment policy hustings event on Wednesday 20 April 2022 organised by Barnet Friends of the Earth, Better Streets for Barnet, Barnet Green Spaces Network and BCAG focusing on energy, climate, green spaces and transport issues. A recording of the session can be seen here.

The manifestoes of the four parties contributing to the evening’s discussion can be seen here:

A list of candidates in all wards can be viewed here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Barnet_London_Borough_Council_election

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Meeting

March 2022 Meeting — Sustainability Strategy Workshops

Update 17 March: Mentioned during the meeting: a useful list of fifty actions that councils can take to make their area more climate and nature friendly, produced by Friends of the Earth: https://takeclimateaction.uk/download/climate-action-plan-councils.

There may be more notes to come.


Our March meeting is on Thursday 17 March 2022 from 6.30pm – 7.30pm online.

[Zoom Meeting link now removed]

We will be discussing Barnet’s Sustainability Strategy workshops – the first of which took place on 14 March in High Barnet.
The second will take place on Tuesday 15th in Burnt Oak, Edgware.
A third is taking place in Finchley on Wednesday 16th.
An online event for various groups is planned for the morning of Monday 21st March.

We hope that attendees to those workshops will be able to attend and provide feedback to BCAG.

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Meeting Notice

February 2022 Meeting – A Sustainability Strategy for the London Borough of Barnet

Update 2 February: the presentation on Barnet Council’s recently released Sustainability Strategy Framework is now available. (PDF 580 Kb, 19 slides)

Our February meeting is on Tuesday 1st February 2022 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm online.

Please book on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-sustainability-strategy-for-the-london-borough-of-barnet-tickets-254382814847. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants.

Presentation and Discussion on Barnet’s Forthcoming Sustainability Strategy for the Borough

Barnet Council’s Sustainability Strategy Framework was unanimously passed through at their Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 9 December 2021.

The Sustainability Strategy itself is expected to be released by Barnet Council in early 2022.

Ahead of the 9 December Committee meeting, BCAG posted a briefing paper on the Framework document (available here – which includes links to the Framework document) and set out a series of questions relating to the Strategy – a number of which were highlighted by Councillors at the Committee meeting. Also see Barnet Borough Times report on the meeting and Framework here.

January 2022’s BCAG meeting will provide a presentation and discussion on the Framework document and forthcoming Sustainability Strategy.

A zoom link will be sent to all registered participants closer to the time of the event.

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Meeting Notice

November 2021 Meeting — Air Source Heat Pumps

Living with an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)

Update: We had a second speaker Jesse Scharf as well as Jonathan Waxman as originally advertised. Here are their slides:


Our November meeting is on Wednesday 24th November 2021 from 7pm to 8pm online.

Please book on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-with-an-air-source-heat-pump-ashp-tickets-211638726127. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants.

Air Source Heat Pumps (AHSP) are a low carbon technology to heat homes – what is it like living with one?

There has been much in the press of late around the end of gas heating and a shift to new home heating solutions from heat networks to heat pumps. The Prime Minster has stated that there will be ban on all new gas boilers in new build properties from 2025 and a ban on gas boilers being fitted into all homes from 2035.

The Government has set a target for annual installations of heat pumps in 600,000 homes by 2028 – a 20 fold increase over the current rate of installs. Many of these are planned to be added in new build homes – but at least a third are hoped to be retrofitted into existing homes. A new Boiler Upgrade Scheme is to be introduced in April 2022 to support the deployment of low-carbon heat in existing buildings. This will provide households with £5,000 grants when they switch to an air source heat pump (ASHP) or £6,000 when they switch to a ground source one.

Jesse Scharf and Barnet resident Jonathan Waxman have both recently had ASHPs installed in their homes and will be providing some insights on the process leading up to the choice of a heat pump, the installation process and kit, costs, and the differences in heat your home with a heat pump as compared to a conventional gas boiler.

Background Reading

Which guide to ASHPs

Heating and Building Strategy (October 2021)

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Event Meeting Notice

September 2021 Meeting — Updates and Organising

The September meeting of Barnet Climate Action Group is a chance to hear updates from members about their activities, and to organise our plans for the future. It will be held on Zoom on Tuesday 28th September 2021 at 6.30pm. Those on our mailing list will have received the Zoom details. If anyone else would like to join us, please get in touch via the email address at the foot of the page.

We will be covering:

  • An update on Barnet’s Sustainability Strategy
  • BCAG communications with Barnet Council
  • Friends of the Earth communications with Barnet Council
  • Barnet Local Plan
  • Forward looking plan on environment issues national/local
  • Supporting the work of BCAG
  • Phone Hubs
  • AOB
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Event Meeting Notice

June 2021 Meeting — Nudging Barnet

Nudging Barnet: Behaviour Change and the Climate Emergency

Our June meeting is on Wednesday 16th June 2021 from 6pm to 7.30pm online.

Please book on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nudging-barnet-behaviour-change-and-the-climate-emergency-tickets-157198846983. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants.

Introducing “positive” behaviours in residents and businesses in Barnet to encourage initiatives to reduce climate impacts.

This month’s Barnet Climate Action Group (BCAG) meeting will discuss opportunities in Barnet on measures, information and “nudges” that could be introduced to support “positive” behaviours in residents and businesses in the borough to encourage initiatives to reduce their climate impacts.

The discussion will be led by Dr Simon Moore of behavioural science experts Innovation Bubble.

The UK has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40% since 1990 but this progress has come largely from actions that have not involved consumers changing their behaviour – notably decarbonisation of electricity supply. Over the coming decade there will be a need to shift focus to other more challenging sectors of energy use such as decarbonising transport and heat which will require more more intervention in our lives.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) are also pointing to other areas where public action will be needed such as a reduction in the consumption of all meat and dairy of 50% by 2050 compared to today’s levels, a reduction in flying of 10% compared to pre- COVID levels, and up to one third of all car journeys being replaced by walking, cycling or public transport

The role of individual behaviour change will be important if the UK is to achieve Net Zero and there is now an urgent need to identify and implement solutions for promoting greater engagement and action from citizens and consumers.

You may be interested in reading Prof Nick Chater recent report from the CCC ‘Net Zero after Covid: Behavioural Principles for Building Back Better

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Event Meeting Notice

May 2021 Meeting — Barnet Climate Plan Workshop

Update 24 May: reports and slides are gradually being assembled on the Barnet Climate Plan page.

Barnet Climate Action Group will be hosting an online workshop from 2pm to 5pm on the afternoon of Sunday 16 May 2021 to discuss citizen, business and council climate action needed in the London Borough of Barnet to respond to the Climate Emergency.

The current plan is to have an introductory session all together followed by two breakout sessions and a final plenary.

In the first breakout session, we will break up into two groups to discuss in parallel:

  • Buildings
    • Retrofitting existing buildings
    • Domestic and non-domestic buildings
    • Energy efficiency
    • Renewable heat and renewable power
  • Waste and Consumption
    • Waste reduction, food waste and recycling
    • Plastics
    • Circular economy
    • Spending in a climate friendly way
    • Food: meat, dairy, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian

You may join whichever group you wish.

In the second session we will discuss, again in parallel:

  • Transport
    • Reducing car use and switching to electric vehicles
    • Public transport
    • Walking and cycling
    • Deliveries
  • Nature
    • Green spaces
    • Trees
    • Rewilding
    • Biodiversity
    • Flood prevention using nature

If there is something not mentioned that we ought to cover, let us know and we will add it to one of these lists. When it is not obvious, topics will be assigned to these in an arbitrary way. For example industrial emissions will be discussed under Buildings, as a lot of industry in the borough consists of offices.

We have allocated quite a long time so everyone gets a chance to have their say. If you can’t spare that much time, feel free to attend just part of the workshop.

We are hoping to assemble some suggested background reading here. As a start:

Please book via the Eventbrite page at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-climate-plan-for-barnet-tickets-152394424827 . The Zoom link will be sent to those people who have registered. There are also more details of the timetable on that page.