Our Weekly EcoChi Meet-up on 2nd September will need more chairs if our last packed Meeting on August Bank Holiday is anything to go by. Enjoy the Crispins Coffee!
Visit www.ecochi.org.uk and spread the News to the masses.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sjjGjb4SPceg-K5GGitnFEIZLisaAGg60z5mXOZszSg/edit?usp=sharing
Friday 30 August, 5.30-8pm. From Arundel SCATE
Highways England (HE) is running another consultation on its revised plans for the A27 at Arundel, starting today. There is a staffed exhibition at the Cathedral Centre, London Road, Arundel, today, Friday 30 August, 5.30-8pm.
The next is Tuesday 10 September at the White Swan, then Tuesday 8 October at Mill Road car park and Saturday 12 October, Town Hall. More info in News below.
Saturday 31st August: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Rotary Club Activities on The Cathedral Green: Summer Fun and Games (they did a fantastic job at The Brewery Field Event)
Saturday 31st August: 12 Noon till 1:00 p.m. Defend Democracy at Chichester Market Cross
Sunday 1st September: Dancing with Trees Chichester University https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dancing-walking-with-trees-tickets-64222370840?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Sunday 1st September: 7:30 p.m. at Muchos Nachos: [ New Meeting Venue ]
World Car Free Chichester Meeting ( for 22nd September in South Street )
Having virtually given up on CDC giving permission WE GOT THE GO AHEAD!
We have much to do in a short time! Please sign up to help: info@carfreechi.org.uk
http://carfreechi.org.uk/map-of-the-playing-out-area-for-car-free-day
http://carfreechi.org.uk/introduction
Monday 2nd September: 09:30 a.m. EcoChi at Crispins
Monday 2nd September: For 7:00 p.m. Eco Cinema : The Bentley Effect
At The Friends Meeting House, Priory Road, PO19 1NX
With our local heroes Emily Mott and Ann Stewart (Markwells Wood Watch and Weald Action Group) to talk about the Film and their experiences with the big Oil Companies, and take questions. Topical is the proposed oil development at Dunsfold, Surrey!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B01c8ecRgGu3X0pMSmlVUFFHanl2QWMtZ2N5ZC1WX1R0RmdN/view?usp=sharing
Tuesday 3rd September: Quakers Arms Vigil, London
Plus a call for many letters to those with influence to condemn and stop U.K. Arms Sales!
More info from Stephanie Carn (Amnesty International) and Jenny Cole (Quakers).
….. Perhaps a signed petition to Gillian Keegan that we could drop round to (we know where)
London Arms Fair to face Mass Non-violent Protest – Peace Pledge Union #Stop DSEI
5th to 28th September: The Salvation Army Trading Company – The Big Toy Rehoming
Info Paula Chatfield: The new toy shop business currently being fitted out in the old Poundland Shop in East Street has signed up to this initiative.
Other options are available including local groups who organise to local hospitals.
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September: 10:00 to 12 Noon two hour guided walks.
Weald and Downland Living Museum, Singleton. Cost £5:00 Tickets online:
Join Richard Pailthorpe, former Museum Director, on a guided two-mile stroll around the Museum parkland which will include the coppiced woodland and the adjoining boundary with West Dean Park. The Museum site forms part of the 19th Century eastern landscaped parkland created by the James family. The walk will explore areas that are not usually accessible to Museum visitors. Participants will learn about the development of the Museum from when it was founded in 1967 and the history of the surrounding landscape over the last 2000 years, taking in some spectacular views along the way. In general the walk will be relatively easy going along established footpaths, however, please note there is one small uphill section. Dogs on a lead and all ages welcome.
News
Bib News for EcoChi! We are Fundraising towards our project to have an EcoChi shop premises, so we can sustain and expand our activities. A Community Hub, with Information and Resources. Work towards this is progressing well behind the scenes.
The South East Climate Alliance (of which EcoChi are one of over 60 Member Groups – see others via https://seclimatealliance.uk/about/ )
Held an Away Day here in Chichester on 28th August to gain a consensus of how to maximise effectiveness, reduce duplication and generally explore priorities.
Many influential organisations were represented. My interpretation only:
SECA (pronounced Seeker): critical friend to Local Councils etc – a more difficult but equally important role to XR. One of the agreed New Tasks: “To Deliver” [the Declarations of Climate Emergancy] and shame the few local Councils that are yet to Declare.
One suggestion was a Monthly Action Plan (or as the Police call it “Agenda Selection”) to focus, say one Month on Plastic recycling, then food waste, then tree planting, Etc.
Secondhand September Challenge
And on Facebook #SecondHandSeptember
From Sally Audrey: For anyone helping/supporting October Sustenance there is now a WhatsApp broadcast for information sharing. We are currently recruiting kitchen leads/kitchen crew find us @octsust on FB, Insta & Twitter…
https://chat.whatsapp.com/C8M9rvMcqyzKTZIZRlliZj
Please feel free to join and SHARE to your groups, thank you! ⏳
From Cate Matters: CALLING CONTRIBUTORS … for the Chi XR newsletter: ‘CHICHESTER RISING’.
Topical things that have interested and inspired you may be of interest to others – if you’d like to share it please tell us about it in about 100 words! You could review a book, a programme, a film. You may have something you’d like to share on adapting, climate change or biodiversity loss. Or you could do a write-up of one of our local gatherings or a national event … anything… surprise us! Please include your first name (at least) and a contact number or email (if you want). And include any high res photos if you’d like to share them too. (As long as your contribution is of relevance it is likely to be of interest to our XR group!)
Please email your contribution to me: ctmttrs@gmail.com with the subject heading of CHI XR NL.
All appropriate contributions will be used if we have space or saved for following newsletters.
[ from Philip Maber: We also love contributors for our emails and Website via contact@ecochi.org.uk
which minus the “contact@" is also our website, now on 36,000 + hits! ]
From Philip Maber: With a lot of help to get the word count down, variously from Anthony Quail and Ian Swann, I have an article published in the September Edition of The Chichester Society Magazine: “Westgate is important for everyone”.
I would highly recommend this as a way to reach a tranch of avid readers outside of our normal bubble.
Rachel Ritchie: Huge Achievement: The first UN accredited climate change teacher in Chichester! https://www.educcateglobal.org/?fbclid=IwAR2bAUs2SMm6fdP5gg2Tkb3jMU7KMn47ZLlKwSNOxWD75-fGCs7hWLXmAk0
Kate Hughes: A Bee at EcoChi Stall 28th August
A note from Mark Record:
Chichester Car Free Sunday 22nd September 12:30 to 15:30 on South Street
Imagine a futuristic city with, Clean Air, Safe Street, Heathy Exercise, Zero Carbon Emissions, Community Events, Happy Families, Active Kids. Why not experience that utopian city on International Car Free Day in Chichester? Do your best to leave the car behind and visit the city while South Street is closed to motor vehicles on Sunday the 22nd September between 12:30 to 15:30.
Accompanied children will be particularly welcome to engage with street games and activities. Our vision is that streets should become more welcoming spaces where children can play without fear from traffic. Please feel free to bring portable play equipment that can be safely used in this public space. We will provide coloured chalks for creating street art. Christ Church are generously lending support and art materials. The Novium Museum will be there bringing the city’s history to life. Chichester University dancers will dynamically perform around the street while they are being kindly supported by Chichester Cathedral. Stagecoach are providing a bus for people to explore and they will be reprogramming its display to show any destination that you might like to visit. Discover what it is like to sit in the driver’s seat and learn about how local public transport is delivered. Folk musicians and morris dancers will be at the event too.
Chichester is already a great city to visit but the Car Free Chichester Campaign believe it could be even better if we can better promote sustainable transport and safer streets. We have teamed up with Transition Chichester to put on this year’s Car-Free Sunday event. We are also being sponsored by ChiCycle.
We hope you will be able to join us and experience Chichester in an exciting new way.
Mid Sussex CPRE Campaign:
CPRE Sussex’s Michael Brown explains: http://www.cpresussex.org.uk/…/3040-update-report-for-mid-s…
Friars Oak Fields Soflag – South of Folders Lane Action Group
CPRE (Council for the Protection of Rural England) has been effectively Campaigning for a Hundred Years, and are believed to be speaking at the Chichester Society AGM later this Year.
West Sussex County Council Sustainability Team
Room 237, 2nd Floor East Wing, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RG
Internal: 26455 | External: 0330 22 26455| E-mail: ruth.o’brien@westsussex.gov.uk
Under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2019, the Government plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles aims for all vehicles to be low emission by 2050. To ensure that West Sussex residents are prepared for this transition, the County Council have been thinking about what our long term ambition is for the County, and what our role is in achieving this ambition.
Following a survey at the end of 2018 to seek feedback on what would help people to make the switch to electric vehicles, (in which you left your contact details to be informed of the next stages), an internal elected members’ Task and Finish Group has developed a draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy.
We would now like to consult you on your views about the proposals in this draft strategy before a decision is made about formally adopting it. You can access the draft strategy and the questions online here: – www.westsussex.gov.uk/evconsultation
It should take no longer than 10 minutes to fill in.
All responses should be submitted no later than the end of the day on Tuesday 1st October 2019.
If you have any queries related to this consultation, please contact Ruth O’Brien on 0330 222 6455.
Your response to this consultation is very much appreciated.
From Arundel SCATE:
Highways England tells us that following the launch of the publication of their preferred route last year, they began further work and discovered new information, hence they are consulting with us again.
What they don’t say is that the day after that publication, they quietly published the legally required Scheme Assessment Report which had information not previously provided to the public, including a very much reduced benefit to cost ratio of the favoured route 5A. They excluded all the professional ecological information provided by MAVES and made several errors in their data including overstating benefits to Storrington.
This time they have preceded the consultation with a video sales campaign interviewing pro-offline bypass residents and business.
Please go to the event today if you can and check out the website at:
https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/he/a27-arundel-bypass-further-consultation/
PLEASE DON’T SUBMIT YOUR VIEWS YET.