THE CAGE BAN ISSUE - because nine countries are still failing to comply with the ban - But sadly this story isn’t over. There are still 45 million hens stuck inside illegal barren battery cages in Europe

The EU barren battery cage ban has been a long time coming.

It’s taken more than 40 years of patient, consistent campaigning to achieve this significant victory for animal welfare and, as a result, 250 million hens have already benefitted. As a supporter of Compassion in World Farming, you should be tremendously proud of this massive achievement.Thank you so much!

But sadly, as we reported last week, this story isn’t over. There are still 45 million hens stuck inside illegal barren battery cages in Europe – all because nine countries are still failing to comply with the ban.* It’s almost impossible for hens to move around inside these cages. These poor animals can’t even flap their wings.

We are already six months into the ban. Yet nine defiant EU nations continue to keep hens illegally in barren battery cages. Through face-to-face meetings, political action, and public pressure, we must make the governments of these countries accountable – and fast.

If we allow the barren battery cage ban to be flouted like this, it has huge implications not only for hens but for all farm animals stuck in cruel farming systems. If we allow animal welfare laws to be ignored, it would risk everything we have worked so hard for over the years and everything we want to achieve in the future. We cannot let this happen. There is so much to do, and we need your support to do it.

You have helped us achieve so much for farm animals, to give them a better life. Please help finish what we’ve started. Let’s make the final push to rid the EU of barren battery cages. Make no mistake, with your monthly gift to Compassion today, the impact of this single piece of European legislation will be felt by farm animals all around the world. Not just now, but for decades to come.

Thank you so much,

Philip Lymbery Chief Executive

Go to the Campaign page at:
http://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/action.handleViewInBrowser.do?ea.campaigner.email=K776p3ioPsrpU3e0pcMfkbJA%2FOj%2Bv1wO2twMfTdlm%2FM=&broadcastId=18110&templateId=12065

Thanks

sounds like a very sound idea ... London Farm Academy

I stumbled upon this scheme as part of my research, sounds like a very good idea to me as I am an urban reared person turned farm manager myself with fond memories of my first visit to a proper farm at Kingston Maurward agric college in Dorset when I was 14.

As well as providing opportunities for pupils to learn about food and farming, the Farm Academy Programme helps support small, local producers through the school markets and provides the opportunity for members of the school and wider community to buy local, fresh and seasonal produce and meet the farmers behind the food.

Pupils are involved in running the markets from start to finish. They take responsibility for what happens and the decisions are theirs – enabling schools to communicate the importance of sustainably-produced local food and providing a context for looking at food chain issues and understanding where food comes from.

Money raised from producer stall fees and the sale of produce made/grown by the school will go towards further farm visits or food education in their school.

At the moment all schools enrolled on the scheme are primary but the success of the programme means it is now being extended to secondary as well.

Rupert Aker, head of learning at the Soil Association commented on the project: "The Farm Academy Programme is a fantastic scheme because everyone involved benefits.

"You see a real difference in pupils as they learn 'on-the-job' about farming, animal welfare, food growing and cooking – but it also helps provide a new market for local producers and micro- food enterprises; and it also gives the local community the opportunity to buy affordable and fresh local produce, and meet the farmers who are producing the food."

Words: 

Maria Bracken

 (Photo from Green Guide)

London Farm Academy Programme

This is an exciting two year project involving 10 London schools (both primary and secondary). The schools will firstly go on residential visits to organic farms where they will take part in a variety of activities that will develop their educational awareness around food and farming.
On their return to school the pupils will be encouraged and supported in setting up school farmers' markets on a termly basis at which they can sell their own school grown produce. The markets will also support small, local producers as well as providing the opportunity for members of the school and wider community to buy local, fresh and seasonal produce and meet the farmers.

Supported by...

London Farm Academy is supported by the Real Bread Campaign as part of their Lessons in Loaf scheme. For more information, please visit the Real Bread Campaign website. Find more photos in the Campaign's Flickr set.
If you need any further information, please contact Rupert Aker on 0117 914 2422 or raker@soilassociation.org


Info at: http://www.soilassociation.org/schoolfood/schoolfarmersmarkets/londonfarmacademy

Greenwich Uni sustainability

One good example of work in South East London and currently trying to find someone at Greenwich Uni to help me with design and advice on construction materials for a sustainable hen house, no luck as yet but early days.




The Sustainability Team are absolutely delighted to announce that we have topped the People & Planet Green League table for 2012. It is a tremendous result that we are extremely proud of at the University!

University of Greenwich Number 1 in the Green league

We were really pleased when we achieved fifth in the table last year and have pressed on working to improve in the areas we were behind in. Since the last table came out we have managed to achieve ISO14001 accreditation for our environmental management system, really gotten under way with some of our biodiversity projects, pushed forward our work to bring together the academics in the University who are teaching and researching sustainability related topics and have seen sustainability finally make its way into the University’s Strategic Plan.
Our Sustainability Champions Network has almost doubled in size since last year and the champions between them have tripled the number of tasks completed as part of the Green Impact project. Last year they completed 561 actions to improve the environmental performance of the university, this year it is over 1,500 – they have also been instrumental in communicating sustainability across the board and embedding it at a local level.

Our Sustainability Champions at last year's awards - this year we are looking for a bigger staircase!

As a result of our good position in the table last year there has been an increase in interest in and knowledge of the work we have been doing, and as the work that we are doing has spread further across the university we have found more and more willing collaborators and innovators.  There are some really exciting research and teaching projects taking place across the schools and offices in the University.
If it wasn’t for all the staff and students at the University who have taken these extra steps and really adopted the philosophy behind our sustainability strategy the result in the Green League would not have been possible.  We owe a lot of thanks to a huge number of people within the institution, a lot of people have played their part people such as our campus Facilities teams including our cleaners and porters dealing with energy, water and waste, the senior managers of the university supporting their sustainability champions, those who get their students involved in sustainability and those in the Vice Chancellor’s Office especially the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Resources- who has supported the ‘positive deviants’ that have been spotted roaming the university’s grounds?!

Positive deviant: a person who does the right thing for sustainability, despite being surrounded by the wrong institutional structures, the wrong processes and stubbornly uncooperative people. And doing it in a way that

brings other people along.

Extracted from: The Positive Deviant: Sustainability Leadership in a Perverse World (Earthscan 2010) by Sara Parkin.

Student volunteers have audited every nook and cranny of the campus, staff champions have got sustainability onto the agenda at hundreds of meetings and not a day goes by without someone at the University contacting us about an idea or an opportunity they have spotted for implementing sustainability in some way across the university.

Lots of new projects have been taking place including our Orchard planting last autumn

Our internal sustainability awards at the University in June will be attended by well over 50 members of staff and students which is testament to how many people there are working towards improving the University’s sustainability performance. It has been a lot of hard work but knowing we are making a positive difference, not only to the environment, but also for the staff and students that live, work and study at the University is the driving force behind the energy that goes into what we do.
P.S. If you haven’t read it – we thoroughly recommend that you read Leith Sharp’s paper on ‘Green campuses: the road from little victories to systemic transformation’. It’s from 2002 but still very relevant and if you’ve ever tried bringing about organisational change in a university it may ring true and for those of you who haven’t tried it it provides a great insight into the complex challenge!
So after a glass or two of Kent’s finest sparkling wine- please raise your glasses and celebrate all those working in sustainability - it’s back to work for the Sustainability Team here at Greenwich-  we still have a long journey ahead of us……


http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/greengreenwich/2012/05/28/university-of-greenwich-tops-the-people-planet-green-league-2012/

The 'Nogg' cedar house for two

The 'Nogg'

Modern chicken houses are designed in the form of an egg become a trend for pet chickens. Cage was named the nogg. Chicken coop enough to house two to four chickens and a delight to have been placed on the garden behind the house. The nogg is made of solid cedar wood that smelled fresh and natural anti-bacterial.

Stainless steel cutting, locks & fasteners and glass dome cage design materials. A beautiful and unique objects into a chicken house pretty cool. Cage door frame made of stainless steel and has an innovative top glass and elevators to help light and air ventilation into the enclosure.

http://www.housemagz.com/the-nogg-modern-wooden-chicken-coop-building-plans.html