BTCV Carbon Army

2011-03-24T12:54:00.003Z

Hello Carbon Armyites,

The beetroot seeds are flying out of Carbon Army HQ and we're getting some good feedback from supporters who can't wait to get growing.

If you want to get stuck into some volunteering over the coming week we've got many different tasks taking place from food growing in Yorkshire to woodland management and footpath work in Belfast. visit http://www.btcv.org/ for more details of where you can volunteer.

This week it's Climate Week and we've been busy showing government ministers our work and introducing them to the Carbon Army.

Yesterday Lord Henley, parliamentary under secretary at Defra, joined volunteers at Greenwich Peninsula to see how our Carbon Army is transforming a swathe of disused industrial land into a nature reserve. He was impressed with our work at what is a wonderful example of collaborative working between public and third sector.

Nick Hurd MP volunteers with BTCV tomorrow at Pinner in his north London constituency.

Remember it's not too late to sign up to support our Carbon Army and get your free seeds. Visit http://www.btcv.org/

Enjoy your weekend.

BEET....TCV

2011-03-10T11:54:00.003Z

We're going beetroot crazy at BTCV towers!

This spring and summer our Carbon Army will be encouraging yet more food growing and we'll even be giving you the seeds to get you started.

As you all know by now, food growing helps us do our bit for the planet by reducing food miles and packagaing.

So keen to make an early start we've ordered TWO million beetroot seeds.

That's an awful lot of beetroot sandwiches, beetroot wine and beetroot bolognaise.

In true BTCV style we're also encouraing our Carbon Army to use the foliage. Did you know that beetroot leaf, when young, can be used as a spinach and for hundreds of years that's why they were grown!

The baby leaves can be picked and used in a salad so get the most out of your beet.

Beets are a good source of vitamin A and C and are considered helpful for building up the immune system.

Great news..because as well as doing our bit for climate change, we'll also be improving our health.

For those who have already received their BTCV Carbon Army seeds, beetroot should be grown near onions and dwarf beans but not near runner beans.

Anyone who'd like to join BTCV's Carbon Army visit http://www.btcv.org/ and register - we'll send you some seeds to get you started.

And don't forget we'd love to hear how your planting is going and what you plan to make once your beetroot grow!

New Year and Time For a New Active Me!

2011-01-05T15:36:00.005Z

Christmas time, one of the most happy and festive times of the year and a time for people (if you’re like me) to indulge in food, chocolate and lots of tasty goodies!

Unfortunately this means that I put on quite a few pounds and begin to look more round than I’d like to be.

Looking through the volunteering opportunities with BTCV, these are the perfect opportunity to shed that excess weight! It is a great chance to get motivated and to do something about it rather that just sitting around the house doing nothing.

The great thing about these events is that there's a vast range of things so you can choose the one to suit you.

Also it’s a great chance to get out in the outdoors and you can do it anytime you want and fit it around your day to day life.

The events are fun filled and mentally stimulating, which is fab as its gets you fit and healthy and you enjoy yourself at the same time.

And the best bit is that it’s free! No need for membership fees like down at the gym so there’s no excuse about having no money after Christmas!

So as you can see it is a great opportunity and this is what I have decided to do to take action and say bye bye to the unwanted pounds that I have gained over the last month! If this seems like the thing for you then come and join in the fun! Visit our website and find a volunteering session near you. You can combine carbon busting with calorie busting and discover a new you!
http://www.btcv.org/

Happy Christmas from BTCV bloggers

2010-12-21T10:57:00.005Z

Hello. My name is Rachel and I work in the promotions department at BTCV headquarters in Doncaster. This is my first blog but I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you!
There's nothing at Christmas I love more than having a nice big fir tree in the front room - all decorated, it's just beautiful.
It's not a Christmas tree if it's not real.
But even thought it's beautiful I always get a guilty feeling knowing that this tree has been cut down.
So this year I have decided that I am going to plant a new tree to replace the one that has been cut down.
If anyone feels the same then why not join BTCV this Christmas and New Year.
It's a great way to kick that guilty feeling and give back to the environment. There really is no better time to get involved.

Visit www.btcv.org for details of your nearest volunteering opportunity.
For those living in Yorkshire there's lots of tree planting opportunities with the White Rose Forest. BTCV has been busy with this project in Wakefield for some time. Visit http://www.whiteroseforest.org.uk/

2010-12-13T09:14:00.001Z

Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Rowan: Three Romantic English Trees

It's tree talk time again, time to identify a few more trees which Carbon Army 3 will be planting over these next weeks for our intensive tree planting campaign.

We'll look at Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Rowan this week, their names sounding of poetry and novels, and though they do sound quite similar, but are they?

To start with Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, a deciduous, much branched shrub, quite smallish, growing only up to 5 metres, and famed for its sloe berries used to make jam and sloe gin.

It is found in lowland woodland margins, scrub and hedgerows, banks and bogs, on a wide range of soils. The green leaves are alternate and elliptic, the stems are dark to blackish, dense and thick with thorns in amongst the stalks, twisting and branching out in all directions. The white flowers give way to the fruit, similar to small plums that become the blue-black 'sloes' which are ripe in autumn.

The low-growing thorny bush makes an excellent protected site for shy nesting birds such as the nightingale, the leaves feed the caterpillars of brown and black hairstreak butterflies.

The Hawthorn is from the rose family, Rosaceae, growing as either a shrub or a tree, with white flowers and many thorns. It is broad and low, getting only 5–14 metres tall with trunk or stems of hard wood, ash-gray bark and thorny branches. The small, shiny leaves are dark green on top, lighter underneath, and have three irregularly toothed lobes, the white flowers have round petals and the fruit are large bright red berries, resembling a rosy miniature apple.

Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the sweet smelling flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects.

Like the Hawthorn, the Rowan tree is from the rose family, also deciduous, and generally a small and slender tree, reaching about 10-20 metres. However, Rowan have no thorns and grow in higher, more mountainous areas, the greyish-brown bark is smooth, and the leaves are made up of matched pairs of leaflets on either side of a stem with a leaflet at the top, the flowers again white, and berries bright red, growing in clumps.

Rowan is a good host tree for lichens, and the foliage is preferred by many different browsing animals, especially red deer and mountain hares feed on the plant, and many birds feed on the berries.
So there are three more magnificent trees to go out and spot on your walks through the countryside, something to take your mind off the chill in the air!
More very soon --Elaine

Grim's Ditch Carbon Army Action

2010-12-01T09:54:00.004Z

1000 NEW TREES -

IN GRIM'S DITCH FOR CARBON ARMY 3

By your favourite BTCV blogger Elaine !

I went out last week with the London Biodiversity Action Team (BAT), to a very interestingly titled woodland, Grim's Ditch, over in Harrow. It is the site of a linear earthwork that is thought to date from the Saxon period, "grim" being the Saxon word for devil or goblin, it served as a boundary marker, and is one of the few remaining Anglo-Saxon trenches in England. Grim's Ditch is under threat from motorcycle scrambling and illegal rubbish dumping, but as an important part of Harrow's heritage, it is essential that it is preserved.

We arrived in good time at about 10am from London, piling out of the mini van and unloading our equipment. We saw frost on the rooftops where we parked, and the cold air was a noticeable few degrees colder than in London. I started to feel a bit hesitant and I was wondering if I had dressed warmly enough to survive the day outside. However, as we walked along the dirt path covered with oak leaves into the woods, it felt great to be out in the fresh air, and on reaching our spot, we then warmed up with a nice cup of tea.
We were to continue removing all the Cherry Laurel and thereby make way for 1000 new trees to be planted as part of Carbon Army Phase 3 campaign. The 1000 trees we will be planting there are native species; 100 Field Maple, 400 Hawthorn, 200 Hazel, 150 Blackthorn, 100 Dogwood and 50 Spindle. It will be quite exciting to see all the newly planted trees once they are put in.

Cherry Laurel is a very pretty, exotic looking plant, with long elliptical, dark green shiny leaves, but it is an invasive species that is taking over the area, killing off the heather understorey and other native shrubs. It grows rapidly, with a lot of low lying leafy shrub and vines, easily tolerating drought and shade, so it often out-competes and kills off native plant species.

We had a quick walk around the wood, looking for the sinister Cherry Laurel, and then all we dug in; I grabbed a pair of loppers and went off to begin attacking the Laurel. It was easy to spot, however, once I started on a plant I found it had pervaded everywhere, it's vines and shoots insinuating itself all around. It was easy to lop off as it was rather soft wood, and the roots came up fairly easily as well. With all the lopping, sawing, pruning and felling, I was almost a bit too warm; certainly the cold was kept well at bay.

We broke for lunch and when we came back I started on a large Laurel tree, much bigger than I thought I was capable of removing. But bit by bit, branch by branch, vine by vine, the whole area came clean, with just a trunk with some far overhead branches left to be removed. That would be for next time, as the sun was starting to indicate it was heading on its way down.

We started packing up, my back and hands a bit achy, but I was comfortably tired and very satisfied. There was a very large oak tree just near us, with one of its immense lower lying branches having fallen off right next to it, a branch as big as a large tree itself. We counted about 100 rings on the branch, so the oak should be somewhere over 100 years old, massive and mighty, and hopefully living on many hundred more.

More from me soon. Enjoy the trees - it's National Tree Week!

For more details see Grims Ditch Woodland

BTCV - Season's Greetings 2010

2010-11-30T15:08:00.000Z

BTCV - Season's Greetings 2010

Know your trees

2010-11-25T13:35:00.003Z

THREE TREES TEASER

I am going to introduce and describe a few trees each week so we can get to get to know our trees better.

And while there are some similarities of course, there are also many differences between trees because, after all, all trees are not equal.

This week I'll start with two whose names can easily be confused, the Alder and the Elder, although they certainly are quite different. And then look at the Spindle tree, which may often get over looked.

The Alder tree, a native tree to Britain, is the common name of a genus of flowering plants (Alnus) belonging to the birch family, a deciduous and somewhat smaller and short-lived tree, living about 150 years. Alder bark is dark grey and fissured, while the young branches are smooth and slightly green in colour. The leaves are wide and quite round shaped with serrated edges, and the tree produces both male and female flowers, catkins and cones, which become nutlets.

Now the Elder tree, or elderberry, another native tree to Britain. The flowers are white and sweet smelling, the berries are edible when cooked, used at times for medicinal purposes, in fact wine or cordial can be made from the elderberries which was thought to prolong life and cure the common cold.

The Spindle tree or Euonymus is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family (Celastraceae). It comprises about 170–180 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees. They are mostly native to East Asia, but also found in Europe and Britain.

So there you have three trees, all very similar and all very different that all have their separate roles to play in the eco-system, increasing biodiversity, giving fungi, fish, birds, insects and animals habitats and sustenance, and material and food sources to us.

This week I’m going out volunteering with my BTCV friends in London and will bring you all the news about what they’re getting up to in my next blog.

Bye for now, Elaine.

Meet Elaine - our tree-mendous new BTCV blogger!

2010-11-19T10:32:00.010Z

Hello from BTCV for Carbon Army 3!!!

I thought I would introduce myself, my name is Elaine. I am a proud volunteer at BTCV, helping other volunteers work on conservation projects to improve the environment, whilst learning more about conservation and better understanding of environmental issues.

I love the beauty and greatness of nature; trees, animals, flowers and plants, birds and all wildlife. And I would like to see a more sustainable lifestyle emerge everywhere from better understanding and awareness of crucial environmental issues and conservation concerns.

BTCV works hard to increase understanding and awareness of the need for a cleaner, greener, more sustainable planet for all, while BTCV volunteers work hard to conserve and improve the environment throughout the UK.

It's been fantastic, seeing beautiful woodlands and nature reserves, working in the fresh outdoors, and meeting great new people, all interested in conservation and keen to do more for a better environment.

BTCV also offers very informative short courses on different conservation subjects, woodland management and pond life, garden design and coppicing, plant, bird, tree and fungi ID.

On a Fungi ID Course I took, I could not believe how many different kinds of mushrooms there are. And I saw one that looks exactly like beefsteak, called appropriately, the Beefsteak mushroom, Fistulina hepatica. It is an unusual agaric bracket fungus that grows on the sides of trees, turning very red if touched with the look and texture remarkably similar to a slab of raw meat.

HAVE YOU HUGGED A TREE TODAY?

What is your favourite tree? What is your favourite memory of a tree?

BTCV Carbon Army’s Tree Planting Campaign will run between 1 December 2010 and 31 January 2011.

A tree is described as a perennial woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk.

There are so many reasons to plant and grow trees. They are magnificent and beautiful, they define and provide character to the landscape, they provide shelter and habitats for wildlife, they are used for timber and material to make all kinds of things. Trees do so much for us in so many ways.

They also are vital to clean the air and reduce carbon, absorbing the carbon dioxide that all of us breathe out, or produce in other ways by using fuel in any way.

We must now all make a concerted and continued effort to replace and increase tree numbers. This can be fun, easy and very fulfilling.

There are so many types of trees in the world it's very hard to choose a favourite. There are small trees and tall trees, thin trees and stout trees, old trees and new trees, flowering trees and fruit trees, broadleaf and hardwoods, conifers and softwoods, trees that live bravely in the coldest winter, and trees that live glamourously on exotic isles. So many amazing and fantastic trees, I find it hard to choose a favorite, but where one lives obviously defines what trees can be planted there.

I have many favourite memories of trees, one is picking sweet red cherries from my best friend's family cherry trees in summertime, climbing up atop the trees and seeing who could pick the most. I could eat the most.

Another favourite memory is camping out in a pine forest, with the strong fresh scent of pine everywhere near a white sand beach in summertime Maine, soft dry pine needles under our bare feet.

If you struggle to identify your trees then there are three photos at the top ro get to started. My favourite is a Scots Pine tree, what is yours? Email your suggestions and any photos to pressoffice@btcv.org and we’ll add you to our interactive tree map!

Carbon Army 3 - We're Off !

2010-11-15T10:53:00.002Z

As you know BTCV’s mission is to invest in a more sustainable future and that’s why our Carbon Army is tackling the impact of climate change.

Our latest environmental campaign is all about tree planting. BTCV’s army of volunteers will be planting hundreds of thousands of trees and hedgerows across the UK between now and the end of January.

Trees are vital in the fight against climate change. They lock up carbon, improve shade and provide a natural habitat for wildlife.

Carbon Army 3 starts officially today, Monday the 15th November.

The activity gets underway in Wales where BTCV’s Carbon Army of environmental volunteers will be planting trees in Cyfartha Park, Merthyr Tydfil.

Wales Assembly Government Environment Minister Jane Davidson will be joining volunteers to lend her support.

The Minister is a keen supporter of the Carbon Army, and wants to encourage people throughout Wales and indeed all of the UK to take practical action against climate change.

The visit will also launch the Welsh Assembly Government’s Environment Strategy Annual Report for 2009/2010.

The Assembly Government is committed to achieving a 3% year on year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and to helping Wales adapt to a changing climate, as set out in the Climate Change Strategy.

The Minister said: “The Assembly Government is committed to providing organisations and communities with the support and advice they need to adapt to a changing climate. I am a big supporter of BTCV’s work to unite communities on environmental issues and their work to take local action to tackle this global problem."

“We can all do a bit to make a difference, and I am delighted that the will and energy to make that change exists here in Merthyr and indeed across Wales.”

Carbon Army - Wellies at the Ready!

2010-11-05T09:50:00.007Z

CARBON ARMY 3

BTCV’s Carbon Army is getting ready to march again!

Carbon Army was launched 12 months ago and has been a huge success with miles of hedgerows and thousands of trees planted.

And if that wasn’t enough we’ve been winning awards every month for our Carbon Army campaign and our efforts to improve the environment throughout the UK.

BTCV has been working hard to create more awareness and understanding of environmental issues and promote more community interaction with the local environment.

This summer Carbon Army was all about food growing. We launched our Grow Your Own Food book – a great little book packed with info on growing your own amazing fruits and vegetables as well as delicious recipes.

More than 15,000 people signed up to the Carbon Army this summer to receive a free copy of
our Grow Your Own Food Guide.

Now BTCV’s Carbon Army is on the march again and we need your support
Launching November 15 and continuing throughout December and January, BTCV volunteers will be planting hundreds of thousands of trees to lock up carbon emissions and reduce climate change.

With hundreds of tree planting projects from December 1 2010 to January 31 2011, more than 650,000 trees and hedges will be planted. That’s more than 140 miles of trees or the equivalent distance from London to Hull!

If you want to platnt trees at home we have a Guide to Tree Growing, with information on tree planting, tree ID, and why trees are important for climate change available.

We’ve got some tremendous backing this time round with our Vice President Sir David Attenborough lending his support.

Sir David told us: “Trees not only oxygenate the air we breathe but also remove great quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the presence of which is causing increasing problems to our planet.”

Get involved now! You can help plant trees with the Carbon Army, plant and sponsor your own personal tree, tell us your memories of your favourite tree, and start on the road to reduced carbon emissions!

Weaving our way into London life....

2010-06-07T13:43:00.005+01:00

Hello...Week 2 of Carbon Army and although we were blessed with great weather for our media events last week, I can't say the same of the weekend. My veg patch is therefore neglected and rather soggy!

I'm sure all will be well but what's really troubling me is that a mole has taken up residence in my raised beds...or at least the base! Any ideas on solving this problem (in a mole friendly way) most welcome !!!!

The response to our Carbon Army campaign has been great and we were very well received in Regent's Park, London, over the weekend.

Our volunteers invited visitors to help them create trellis out of coppiced willow for the veg patch in the park.

Visitors young and old rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in and many people pledged support to BTCV Carbon Army and are now looking forward to receiving their free Food Growing Guide book which is packed full of top tips and celebrity recipes.

For more info and to get a copy of our free book visit www.btcv.org/carbonarmy

Here's hoping for some better weather. Don't forget to share all your Carbon Army news and pics on our Propaganda pages on the website.

Cheshire Carbon Army - Medals All Round!

2010-06-04T10:12:00.003+01:00

I spent yesterday with a super bunch of volunteers from Cheshire at BTCV's site in Mickle Trafford near Chester. The volunteers are spending their second summer in the kitchen garden they're growing at the rear of the old brick water mill.

When I first visited the site a couple of weeks ago there were a few small shoots of growth but the difference a fortnight makes is! The potatoes were ripping, the beans were in flower and the chard looked good enough to pick right now. Having never tried chard - this is definitely now on my radar!

The Carbon Army day was very well attended and it was splendid to see such a different group of people come together with a common aim - to grow their own food and help the environment.

The volunteers I spoke to were passionate and I can see why they love to grow their own food in such an idyllic location. Then there's the friendships, the cameraderie, the knowledge imparted and soaked up and the chance to learn about food growing without the responsibility of having to remember to water your own tomatoes every night without fail or face the consequences!

Well done to all at Mickle Trafford. I hope to return one day soon - perhaps when you have your delicious sounding cook in when your crops are ready for the pot !

Jane

Carbon Army - we're off !!!!

2010-06-01T13:51:00.002+01:00

We launched the next phase of Carbon Army this morning and the reception from media has been very warm.
Great pieces online at the Guardian and in the Daily Express

Dig in to reduce your carbon footprint – The Guardian photo gallery.

FOOD BAFFLES CHILDREN – Daily Express

Read all about it and keep listening to local radio for events near you. Better still register for your free food growing guide at www.btcv.org/carbonarmy and get growing.

Join the Good Food Revolution: 1-13 June!

2010-05-11T16:50:00.003+01:00

What we eat, and how we grow our food, has an enormous impact on the environment. Find out all about it, and how you can do your bit to make a positive change...

Get BTCV's FREE Grow Your Own Food guide!

Volunteer on a food growing project in June!

Target smashed

2009-12-21T14:46:00.005Z

BTCV's Carbon Army pledged to undertake 3000 action days between December 1 and 18. The idea was to prove that actions speak louder than words. So while world leaders met in Copenhage, BTCV's army of volunteers got stuck into practical projects the length and breadth of the UK.

We planted trees to help soak up carbon and we managed and improved watercourses. Our food growing projects undertook work which will eventually help reduce food miles.

We thought 3000 days was ambitious but we've smashed that target notching up 6000 days of action. Our Carbon Army has demonstrated a real commitment to tackling climate change through local collective action.

BTCV is committed to keeping the action going and with your support we will...if you haven't signed up for Carbon Army please do. There's still time to get involved and in 2010 we'll be bringing you plenty more exciting opportunities. If you can't wait, then check out the volunteer section of our website http://www.btcv.org/ and see what's happening near you. Conservation doesn't stop for Christmas and there's still lots going on.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped make this campaign a tremendous success to date. Well done.

3,000 days target smashed!

2009-12-10T15:25:00.008Z

Today our days of action counter tipped the 3,000 mark only 10 days into the Carbon Army campaign.

We'll take a few minutes to celebrate... but then we need to make our counter longer, because the Carbon Army will march on!

With your help we could double our target !

sign up today www.btcv.org/carbonarmy

Ed backs Carbon Army and encourages sign up

2009-12-04T15:52:00.016Z

We had a superb afternoon volunteering with Ed Miliband who's now a fully fledged member of BTCV's Carbon Army. Ed joined volunteers at Buntings Wood in Thorne to plant Scots pine and birch trees. Ed travels to Copenhagen in the next few days but had great things to say about BTCV and our Carbon Army campaign.

Here's what Ed had to say: “The UK has the most ambitious emissions reduction commitments in the world and with projects like BTCV’s Carbon Army, the UK is well placed to show it is taking action at a community level to combat climate change.

"The Carbon Army gives people a great opportunity to get involved in their community and take local action on climate change. With the Copenhagen summit now upon us, BTCV’s Carbon Army can help show how Britain is serious about cleaning up the environment and tackling climate change."

Ed is pictured here at Buntings Wood being interviewed by Len Tingle from the BBC Politics Show.

Lakeland volunteers join Carbon Army

2009-12-03T15:25:00.005Z

In Holker, in South Cumbria, BTCV volunteers will plant 1000 trees between now and the end of the Copenhagen climate talks. These are native broadleaves, which are being planted along the Cumbria Coastal Way, and will provide habitat for wildlife as well as a beautiful view along the path for walkers, and a carbon sink to help the world’s climate. The volunteer group works every Tuesday and Thursday, and welcomes new volunteers to participate in this and other important conservation tasks.

At Dog Kennel Wood Community Tree Nursery in Kendal, BTCV volunteers will be growing native trees for use in conservation projects throughout the county. Volunteers work here every Monday and new volunteers are always welcome. Trees are also available buy.

BTCV’s Rachel Miller, said “Cumbria has seen terrible flooding and our thoughts are with those affected. Nothing we are doing would have prevented this but if we don’t act, we will see extreme weather events becoming more frequent and increasingly destructive. By managing natural habitats like woodlands and wetlands we are providing buffer zones which to mitigate flood risk by absorbing rainfall and releasing it slowly. By planting trees we are locking up carbon which will help to reduce the effects of climate change.”

To volunteer with BTCV locally call 01539 742612 or email r.miller@btcv.org.uk .

Carbon Army - well on target

2009-12-03T10:54:00.003Z

Hello....

The Carbon Army is now in full swing and the number of days achieved is going up and up and up ! We're well on course to smash 3000 days of action. Tomorrow, we've got a very special day of action because we'll be joined by Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband. Ed will be planting Scots pine, birch and gapping up hedgerows with hawthorne in South Yorkshire. He'll be joined by a gang of Carbon Army recruits. We're delighted Ed is backing Carbon Army and if you haven't signed up please do so now.

Welcome packs are being sent out and the campaign is getting a great response. Every day we're reading how the climate change conference is set to fail. This makes BTCV's work ever more important. Tell your pals and get everyone you know to sign up. Collective action is fundamental.

Ed Miliband to join Carbon Army next week

2009-11-27T14:56:00.002Z

Good afternoon,

Carbon Army is in full swing now and from Tuesday our army of volunteers will be on the march. Check out our regional map for great opportunites near you.

Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has signed up for the Carbon Army and ahead of his crunch trip to Copenhagen, he's offered to volunteer with BTCV.

He'll be heading out into the brisk Yorkshire countryside next week to help our Carbon Army plant trees and repair and gap up hedgerows. Read more about Ed's commitment to BTCV's Carbon Army at http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/pressreleases

Tom Flood on Carbon Army

2009-11-26T11:03:00.001Z

Carbon Army on the march

2009-11-25T12:53:00.006Z

Hello....Carbon Army is underway. We launched our biggest ever campaign this morning in north London with Charlie Dimmock, shadow secretary of state for climate change Nick Herbert and dozens of supporters, staff and volunteers. The sun shone on Waterlowe Park, the Green Flag status park, where we kicked things off. Volunteer Anna Ware gave an inspirational speech to a packed room and reminded us why conservation is so important. Now the baton has been passed to BTCV's Carbon Army and during December we'll be carrying out 3000 days of action. Don't forget to check out our map and see how you can roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. There's something for all ages and getting involved is a great way to take local action on a global problem.

One day to go...

2009-11-24T11:43:00.005Z

...and there's plenty of ways to get involved in our 3000 days of action. December is going to be action packed and what a welcome break from Christmas shopping. Volunteering with BTCV has got to be the perfect antidote to furiously busy shopping centres. Making friends, sharing good times....making a difference in your community. Now that's what Christmas is about !

BTCV’s Carbon Army will be tree planting at Mill Lane Wood, at Mill Lane Woodland, Dudley on December 5.
The Carbon Army will be planting trees to soak up carbon at Mill Lane woodland. This is part of a world record planting event. The action day gets underway at 10:30am and finishes at 12pm.
Contact Alison Wilkes (Project Officer) for more information on 07740 899 585.
Adults and children can join the Carbon Army for this day of action but should wear suitable outdoor clothes and suitable outdoor footwear. ...more info.

Get planting

2009-11-23T13:29:00.005Z

Our Carbon Army is to plant more than 1000 trees at a wood destroyed by storms.
Volunteers will plant a mix of different native broadleaf species at the Holker Estate on the Cumbrian Way. The site is quite a few miles from the Cumbrian towns wrecked by flooding and the damage didn't occur last week.
Each new tree will be staked and a protective guard will be fitted to protect them from deer.
The aim is to form a wildlife friendly and interesting boundary to the footpath which can be enjoyed by visitors.
Carbon Army volunteers will be busy at the site every Tuesday and Thursday during BTCV’s 3000 days of action.
The Holker Estate is a 200-acre natural parkland belonging to Lord and Lady Cavendish. The couple welcome visitors to Holker Hall and its grounds, one of the best-loved stately homes in Britain.
Holker Hall is set in exceptionally beautiful countryside with gardens that merge into Parkland framed by the Lakeland Hills. It’s just a short distance from Grange-over-Sands. Why not join us there on a forthcoming Thursday.

Not long to go....

2009-11-20T16:18:00.003Z

Happy Friday....The weather has turned wet and windy at Propaganda HQ and our Carbon Army beanie hats have arrived just in time. We're busy networking across social media sites so be sure to check us out on twitter and Facebook for bang up to date info. Join our Carbon Army and hundreds of supporters at BTCV's facebook cause. We've also got a Carbon Army themed newsletter on Wednesday to mark our big launch. Don't miss out on a copy. Sign up today.

Social networking - we're all in this together!

2009-11-17T14:42:00.002Z

We're upping the ante on our social networking sites. Don't forget to follow us at www.twitter.com/btcv or at Facebook http://apps.facebook.com/causes/217781
We need your support !!!!

Huw signs up for Carbon Army

2009-11-11T11:02:00.002Z

Morning all,

Great news...Huw Irranca-Davies MP, Minister for Marine and Natural Environment at the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, has signed up for Carbon Army.

Huw says: “I fully support BTCV’s Carbon Army I would encourage anyone to have a go at volunteering in activities which support climate change adaptation and mitigation."

Here's Huw volunteering !

Carbon Army - it's hotting up

2009-11-10T11:39:00.002Z

Two weeks and one day to go....
It's been a busy week in the press office writing campaign materials and whipping up media support.
The political endorsements are starting to roll in which is superb. It's great to know Carbon Army is being so well received...

20 days and counting....

2009-11-05T13:09:00.002Z

20 days to go until BTCV launches Carbon Army.
T-shirts, badges and spangly new propaganda materials are now arriving. We're on the march!

BTCV Carbon Army coming soon

2009-11-02T12:54:00.009Z

Fed up with just hearing about climate change? BTCV Carbon Army campaign is a way of putting good intentions into practice through climate change mitigation conservation work and supporting BTCV. We'll be posting stories here about people and events happening throughout the campaign. Meanwhile, sign up now?

BTCV Carbon Army official launch: 25 November 2009.