Bee Picnic

We held our ‘Bee-Picnic’ a week later than originally planned due to a rain storm on Bank Holiday Monday – well it was a Bank Holiday after all, what else would you expect? - causing us to postpone. 

The Saturday after was a beautiful sunny day and everyone had a lovely time sitting out on the grass next to a flowerbed of pansies eating their bee friendly picnics. The event was organized to promote our ongoing campaign to persuade the City Council to stop using herbicides, which are a threat to biodiversity and a danger to human health, particularly that of children; and to raise awareness of the damage done by pesticide use more generally, to try to encourage schools, businesses and private individuals to stop using them.

A recent study found that populations of flying insects in the UK had fallen by 60% between 2004 and 2021, (1) and by a further 18% by 2023 (2).  This is a decline that has been ongoing since the 1970s.  This has major implications for food security as many of our crops rely on insects to pollinate them; and major implications for biodiversity, with many insect species threatened with extinction and knock on effects further up the food chain amongst other species, such as many birds.  Insects are suffering from both direct poisoning and loss of habitat.

Interestingly, in the park, opposite to where we were sitting Leicester City Council had a notice board about the value of bees to biodiversity with ideas as to how we can help to protect bees. They didn’t mention on the board that they themselves are spraying in their parks to keep them ‘tidy’ and helping to cause the decline of bees!! 

The impact of herbicide use on human health is also a major concern, since there is evidence of exposure to many common herbicides having long-term health implications.  Many have been identified as potential carcinogens, and there is also evidence of them causing liver damage, and of them increasing the likelihood of someone developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease (3), with young children at particular risk of exposure in urban areas, due to the way that herbicides are used by councils in areas such as parks particularly when children’s play areas are sprayed. 

As some councils have already gone pesticide free (4), and are allowing hard to mow areas to remain wild and adopting alternatives where some control of wild plants is needed, for instance on pavements (5), to protect both biodiversity and their citizens, we wonder why Leicester City Council cannot  follow their examples and stop spraying our parks and green spaces in particular. 

The picnic was a great success with people wearing Bee costumes and at the end taking part in a ‘bee die-in’ as a photo opportunity to forward to the Council to further our request for no more spraying and keeping our children and bees safe. 

We are planning another event later in the year so look out for that if you would like to take part! 

*Updated 13th May 2025

Our press release on this event was covered in the Leicester Gazette and the Northern Eco. The reporter from the Northern Eco, Sarah Hartley, had contacted Hannah Wakley from Leics. FoE before the picnic to learn more about the campaign as she is bringing together people campaigning against pesticide use across the UK and has set up a WhatsApp group. Hannah noticed that Leicester City Council had claimed, in their response to the press release, that glyphosate is certified by the Soil Association. She pointed out to Sarah that this is completely untrue and in fact the Soil Association have been campaigning for glyphosate to be banned for years! Sarah went back to the City Council, they admitted that it is only the adjuvant that is certified and she has now published a correction. 

Careful Leicester City Council we are watching you!!  

References

(1) Wildlife experts urge action on pesticides as UK insect populations plummet | Insects | The Guardian

(2) Bugs Matter Citizen Science survey shows further decreases in UK insect numbers - Buglife latest news

(3) Childhood exposure to common herbicide may increase the risk of disease in young adulthood

(4) Pesticide-Free Towns - success stories - Pesticide Action Network UK

(5) Tackling weeds without the use of pesticides - Pesticide Action Network UK

Peat

It’s that time of year again when gardeners head to the garden centre to get some compost.  Unfortunately you will still find peat based composts for sale despite the promises of previous governments to halt the retail sale of peat by 2024. The legislation to enact this ban looks to be stalled.

Peat accumulates at the rate of about 1mm per year, so when you see pictures like this you know current approaches to peat use are completely unsustainable. It isn’t naturally fertile, it’s a growing medium made fertile by the addition of fertilisers.

Hawkes Co. drivers use tractors to vacuum dried peat while harvesting. Courtesy of Hawkes Co.

Peat is a better store of carbon than trees as once trapped in a water logged bog the carbon can stay trapped almost indefinitely, until we come along!  Not only does peat store carbon, it acts as a sponge absorbing water and slowly releasing it, so helping to prevent flash flooding as our climate changes with the resultant torrential downpours.  It also helps to purify water, with much of our drinking water coming from upland areas.

Not only is peat being exploited for gardening, it’s still being used as a home heating fuel!

It can also be burnt on moors when heather is being burnt to create ideal grouse feeding conditions for the shooting industry when a controlled burn also damages the underlying peat.

The government is currently conducting a consultation on amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021. Heather and grassland burning is currently carried out under licence but from an environmental perspective on many levels it’s hard to see why it should be allowed at all.  Please respond to the consultation.

Meanwhile, what can you do? 

• Write to your MP asking for the stalled peat ban legislation to be progressed and for the cutting and burning of peat for home heating to be banned.
• Buy peat free compost!  For guides to peat free compost see RSS | RSS  and Peat-free compost choices / RHS Gardening and The best peat-free compost for eco-friendly gardening
• See tips for using peat free compost at Peat-free compost: what is peat and how to use it - Which?
• Make your own compost using this guidance.  Surely the best answer!

Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland

 By law all councils need to come up with a Local Nature Recovery Strategy, as laid down in the Environment Act 2021. For Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland this is being led by Paul Killip, from Leicestershire CC.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a new mandatory system of spatial strategies that will:

• Map the most valuable existing areas for nature.
• Establish priorities.
• Map proposals for specific actions to drive nature’s recovery and achieve wider environmental benefits.

Why bother?

• The State of Nature 2023 report reveals that over 26% of terrestrial mammals in the UK are facing the threat of extinction.
• Birds are one of the most severely impacted groups, with 43% of species facing risk of extinction.
• Species like the Turtle Dove and Curlew have seen catastrophic declines.
• Pollinator species have decreased by 18% on average, while crop pest control invertebrates, such as the 2-Spot Ladybird, have declined by more than 34%.
• Freshwater habitats are particularly vulnerable, with species such as the European Eel and Atlantic Salmon facing dramatic population declines. The European Eel has seen a 95% decrease.
• In future Local Planning Authorities will have to take account of nature recovery areas when making planning decisions.  It would be good to think improvement initiatives would involve members of the public so we could get some local ownership going.

The LNRS aims to achieve 8 Strategic Aims:

1. Increase the area and diversity of land and water managed for wildlife in Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland.
2. Increase biodiversity by improving the ecological condition (habitat quality) of existing areas for nature conservation.
3. Re-instate natural processes and utilise Nature-Based-Solutions to support nature and climate resilience.
4. Protect and enhance green and blue spaces within urban habitats.
5. Promote sustainable agriculture and support local food systems.
6. Improve ecological connectivity by establishing coherent and resilient ecological networks at scale.
7. Reduce major pressures and threats to nature including Invasive Non- Native Species control.
8. Improve our understanding of the State of Nature and actively monitor habitats/species change over time.

The strategy has identified 8 priority habitats:

1. Woodland
2. Freshwater
3. Grasslands
4. Urban
5. Agricultural
6. Open mosaic
7. Nature networks
8. Geodiversity

Extensive studies have mapped the whole of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland seeking to identify areas for nature recovery.  The maps are available to look at online, including one where the general public can identify areas they think worthy of mention.

Following a session with Paul Killip LFoE have reviewed both the draft and the actual report and submitted suggestions for improvements.  The next version is due out in July so we look forward to seeing this strategy coming into being.

Meeting Shockat Adam MP about the Climate Plan

As part of our work on the Big Climate Plan campaign, we met Shockat Adam, the independent MP for Leicester South, to ask him to demonstrate his commitment to fair climate action. 

We explained that the government's new climate plan must set out how we will meet the UK's international commitment to cut carbon emissions by over two thirds by 2030. We're currently dangerously off track so we need to take urgent action. The plan therefore needs to be ambitious but we think it also needs to make sure that everyone can have lower energy bills, warm homes, clean air, better public transport and well paid green jobs. 

Many of the people hit hardest by the impacts of climate change, in the UK and worldwide, are those who have done the least to cause the problem. Fair climate action can bring benefits for everyone, not only those who can afford to buy a Tesla. With the backlash against net-zero in some quarters, it's vital that the government's plan is fair and seen to be fair. If it isn't, it risks being weaponised by climate sceptics and those seeking to delay climate action.

This week, Friends of the Earth published a new fairness focussed research report, highlighting the impact of climate policies on ordinary people. We gave Shockat a copy of the report and the petition that we had collected showing local support for fair climate action: 160 postcards and 227 digital signatures. We also presented him with the brainstorm of ideas for climate action, which people have been contributing to at our recent stalls. 

We discussed how fair climate action could make a difference locally, in improving cold and mouldy homes, reducing air pollution that affects the most deprived parts of Leicester most severely and in improving everyone's access to public transport. Shockat has agreed to present our petition to the Prime Minister and also to write to him to express his support for fair climate action. We were gratified to hear that he is very interested in these issues. 

Now all we can do is to wait and see what the new climate plan will bring! As this effectively marked the end of our work on this campaign, we went to the Phoenix for dinner to celebrate. Local groups across the UK are talking to their MPs about the need for fair climate action; we hope that together we will make a difference.

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on High Street

With one week to go until we meet one of our local MPs to talk about the Big Climate Plan, we had another stall to collect people's ideas for climate action and postcards to pass on to the prime minister. This time we were in the centre of Leicester, part way up High Street.

Street campaigning can be a challenge because people can be reluctant to stop and talk (especially if they think you're asking for money) and explaining campaigns very quickly is not always easy. We collected fewer postcards than the week before, perhaps because the weather was a lot colder. We noticed that people are feeling very disillusioned with the current government and are therefore unwilling to engage in anything 'political'. But we kept ourselves entertained with a friendly rivalry as to who was collecting the most signatures! Bruce beat everyone else hands down - we think it must have been his bobble hat. People gave us some odd excuses for not stopping to talk - the strangest being "I'm already married"! We're not sure what they thought we were asking!

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on Queens Road

We spent a couple of hours on Queens Road today, talking to passers-by about the Big Climate Plan campaign. National Friends of the Earth took the government to court last year for having an inadequate climate plan. They won the case and the government is now re-writing their plan, which they have to publish by 2nd May. Alongside Friends of the Earth groups across the country, we are calling on them to develop a new climate plan that is bolder and fairer. Millions of people in the UK are already suffering the impacts of extreme weather, sky high energy bills and rising inequality Our communities deserve warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air, better public transport and well-paid green jobs.

Eight members of Leicester Friends of the Earth spoke to people on Queens Road, asking them to sign a postcard to the Prime Minister and collecting their ideas of what climate action we would like to see. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and many people stopped to talk and share their ideas. If you were one of them, thank you! If you haven't had chance to sign a postcard, you can sign our digital petition instead. We're hoping to deliver the postcards and the petition to local MPs later this month, for them to pass on to the Prime Minister on our behalf. 

Celebrating the Highfields Centre's new project

We were very excited to be invited to celebrate the Highfields Centre being awarded a large grant, which will enable them to install solar panels and create a rooftop garden! The garden will be used and maintained by people from the local community, as well as being available to hire for events. We've already started planning to have a Friends of the Earth party there!

Leicester South MP, Shockat Adam, also attended the event and we were happy to have chance to speak to him about the Big Climate Plan campaign. It was great to hear that he is passionate about climate action and will speak up in parliament about the need for climate action.

Vigil for Palestine

Today we joined some local peace campaigners in a vigil for Palestine by Leicester's Clock Tower. Melanie Wakley spoke on behalf of Leicester Friends of the Earth. Here is what she said:

"Leicester Friends of the Earth comes to this vigil in solidarity with Palestine Friends of the Earth, also known as PENGON. PENGON is made up of 14 grassroots organisations working in both the West Bank and Gaza, and is the foremost environmental NGO network in Palestine. They have suffered terribly since the start of the war and continue to. Five PENGON members have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. 

The most recent escalations in violence are happening amid a decades’ long occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. For years, our colleagues in PENGON have shared with us the huge challenges of living under occupation. They now find their work hugely hindered, including in the West Bank, but they carry on despite the challenges. We stood with them before the war and we stand with them now. 

Friends of the Earth is the largest grassroots environmental justice network in the world. We know that to respond to the environmental crises we face, we must act on a global stage. We do this through our international network. That network’s strength depends upon its bonds of solidarity. Environmental justice means standing against injustice where we see it. The war on Gaza, and the Occupation, are towering, historic injustices. As an environmental justice network, we stand against oppression wherever we see it. 

We also want to grieve the environmental impacts of the war and the occupation. As much as 50% of Gaza’s agricultural and farmland has been damaged and 70% of its trees destroyed. 100,000 cubic meters of sewage and wastewater are daily dumped into land and sea. Between October and June 2024, more than 2,000 agricultural sites — including farms and greenhouses — were demolished in Gaza. There is reportedly 37 million tons of rubble in Gaza, increasing the risk of exposure to harmful substances like asbestos and pollutants released from facilities containing hazardous materials. The scale of destruction is simply staggering. 

Damage to the environment may seem secondary to the loss of life, but it is entwined with the humanitarian crisis. The people of Palestine live in their environment. Harm to water and sanitation, access to food, land pollution, the destruction of environmental projects, all affect the current and future liveability of Gaza. The Latest PENGON research from October 2024 has identified:

● 63 unregulated landfills with 1.2 million tons of solid waste causing an imminent public health disaster with transfer of diseases  

● Hepatitis, vomiting, yellow fever, trachoma, malaria, cholera, have all emerged, more than 50% of children are infected with Hepatitis A

● A 68% decline in Gazan crop yields 

● 93% of the groundwater wells are inoperable – ‘there is no clean water in Gaza and the luckiest people can access 3 litres of drinking water a day’. Water for other purposes has decreased from 80 to less than 20 litres

The UK could be doing so much more to bring peace. Our government provides crucial diplomatic support to Israel and continues to supply arms. This is despite an appallingly high number of civilian casualties and the vast destruction of Gaza, as well as accusations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, war crimes and genocide. The UK is at risk of complicity in the accused crimes and could make a significant difference. We are calling for a full arms embargo. We must stop arming Israel."

Cruise ships

 

Cruising volumes are going up rapidly but it comes at a large environmental cost, a fact that cruising companies are keen to greenwash.

This article from the Which makes interesting and worrying reading, but how often do you hear about this level of pollution in the press?  The article has an error in the table in the section marked “The carbon footprint of cruise holidays vs flying” but the general concept is obvious: cruising is the worst way of having a foreign holiday.

This isn’t just about CO2 either.  The heavy fuel oil that ships burn isn’t the same as the diesel fuel we put in our cars.  The article makes clear it has 100 times as much sulphur as the diesel we normally know.  The last time we took a cross-channel ferry the smoke coming out of the funnel was purple!

Cruise ship operators will talk about scrubbing the sulphur out of their exhausts using sea water, but that’s just transferring the sulphur from the air to the sea, along with other pollutants, a practice that is increasingly banned in ports.  It’s slightly ironic that people living near a port may think they’re getting fresh sea air when in reality they are probably suffering worse air and water pollution than people living inland. When added to the sewage in our rivers and seas you wonder what sea swimmers are actually swimming in...

When it comes to the impact on places cruise ships visit there is another problem, one that places like Barcelona and Venice are already grappling with.  The sudden arrival of thousands of tourists in a short period.  On a recent holiday to Orkney we are were given a listing of cruise ships, how many passengers they are capable of carrying and when they were to arrive and depart.  The reason?  When a 3,500-passenger cruise ship arrives at Orkney a fleet of buses appears to clog up the roads and any place of interest you want to visit is swamped with people – it’s best to hunker down somewhere.  These cruise ships are giving all tourists a bad name.

So, are you considering going on a cruise?  Do you know somebody who is going on a cruise?  Have you made them aware of the environmental damage they are doing? Have cruise ship passengers heard about the climate emergency?

Taking our pesticides concerns to City Council scrutiny committee

We've been struggling to talk to councillors and officers about our concerns around the use of pesticides in parks, so we have submitted a statement to the Culture and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Commission and we will be attending their meeting next week, on Monday 4th November at 5:30 pm at City Hall. Here's our statement in full:

"Leicester Friends of the Earth have been discussing the council's use of chemical pesticides in the parks with officers and councillors for the past three years. After trialling a different product last year, the council returned to using glyphosate in parks this year, albeit at a lower concentration than previously used. The council's target for pesticide use in the Biodiversity Action Plan is to reduce it by 50% by 2030. We think that target is disappointingly unambitious when other local authorities have already moved away from chemical pesticides altogether. The Pesticide Action Network provide detailed information for local authorities on how to go pesticide free on their website. 

The areas that are sprayed in the parks do seem to have been reduced in the last couple of years - we can no longer see any sign of spraying around tree bases in parks, for example, which is an improvement. (Tree bases on road verges are still being sprayed, sadly.) But we are still seeing signs of spraying around and within children's play areas, which is concerning when it is known that children are more vulnerable to the effects of chemical pesticides than adults. I notice this in my local park in Evington, which makes me nervous about taking my nephew there. Like all toddlers, he likes to play with the soil and I spend a lot of time carrying him away from the sprayed, dead grass around the edges of the patches of woodchip and under the fence. Many people will not recognise what this dead grass means, so they will not be able to protect their children from being exposed to the pesticide residues there. 

We are concerned about the use of any chemical pesticides, and glyphosate in particular, for a number of reasons. There have been several studies linking glyphosate to cancers in people, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The research was collated in a meta-analysis published in the academic journal Mutation Research in 2019. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of pesticides, because their skin absorbs chemicals more easily and because they are more likely to be playing on the ground. The evidence for the ill-effects of glyphosate on bees and other wildlife has also been mounting over the last few years. It is now known that glyphosate harms bees’ digestive systems, for example, affecting their ability to absorb food, and also damages the ability of wild bees to regulate the temperature of their colonies. When insect populations are falling so alarmingly, we do not believe we should be doing anything to make the situation worse. 

Leicester has long claimed to be the UK's first environment city, but on this issue, it is clear that we are not taking the lead. In fact, we are falling far behind other towns and cities."

After we've read the statement, the members of the committee will discuss and we might be given the opportunity to ask a follow-up question, depending on the chair. We are preparing for this and will make sure we have some research to share at our fingertips.

If you're free next Monday, we'd love to have more people observing this meeting. Councillors will notice if people care enough about the issue to come to the meeting. You'll only be able to watch and listen, but just being there will make a difference. This item is first on the agenda and we can leave afterwards, so you'd probably only need to stay for 30 minutes. Please come if you can! We'll meet outside City Hall on Charles Street at 5:15 pm and go in together.