Minutes of Sustainable Hackney S 2Nd Annual General Meeting Held

Minutes of Sustainable Hackney’s 2nd Annual General Meeting held at 6.45 pm on Thursday 2nd May 2013 at the CLR James Library, Dalston Lane, London E8

Present: Kathryn Johnson, James Diamond, Katherine Pitt (Hackney & Towner Hamlets FoE), Matthew Gandy, Russell Miller( Chair)/(Tree Musketeers), Liz Moxon, Michael Calderbank, Peter Snell, Mustafa Korel, Clare Taylor, Alice Ready, Tor Kristofferson, Mark Douglas, Adrianna Threpsiadi (HTHFoE), Kate Charteris, Steve Dowding, Elena Hailwood, Gill Harris (Millfields User Group), Sarah Vant (EcoActive), Philip Pearson, Lorraine Tillett (East & West Bank Nature Reserve), Henry Muss, Jessica Tyler (Sutton House National Trust), Jonathan Ashworth, John Bedwell, Mike Martin (London Fields User Group), Tim Evans (Hackney Marsh User Group/Community Tree Nursery) Emma Harrington (Clean Up UK), Siraj Izhar (Nye Bevan Common), David Pitcher, Diana Weir (De Beauvoir Association & Gardens), Kathryn Packer, Gillian Symons.

1. Apologies: Feimatta Conteh – Arcola Theatre

2. Welcome and introductions

Russell Miller welcomed everyone to Sustainable Hackney’s second AGM and everyone introduced themselves.

Apologies were received from Any Erickson and Mick Gosling (Hackney Trades Council).

Three new members were agreed: Lucy Teather, Phil Pearson and Gill Harris.

3. Report on the year’s activities

The annual report was circulated and brief comments made by members of the Steering Group on key pieces of work which had been carried out during the year. Questions and discussion took place on a number of issues including: . Air quality: does not meet European thresholds on nitrous oxides and these are weaker than the World Health Organisation thresholds. Most notable are three marker pollutants which are carcinogenic and where the WHO threshold is zero. Hackney’s air quality is similar to the rest of central London. The 20 mph limit will most probably make air quality worse. See the local environment assessment on the web pages. . Biodiversity: reference was made to the loss of green space and biodiversity as a result of development and concern expressed about … . Built environment: development is intensifying and important buildings lost. Dalston is under particular pressure. A local people’s festival is being organised. A local plan may be developed. . Local economy: an alternative to retail jobs is critical. Achieving the Living Wage for work in Hackney as well as protecting social housing is important to reducing the need to travel to work. Important to monitor this in outsourcing of contracts. . Energy and climate change: agreed to invite Brixton Solar to make a presentation. . Food and food-growing: building a borough strategy on food is important as Hackney lags behind in the London Food Strategy assessment despite several kitchen and real ale/bread/gin initiatives. . Waste: the co-mingled recycling collection will be fully implemented during the coming year. The council is relying on this shift in the service to increase recycling rates and SH will be monitoring these against the target. North London Waste Authority will be implementing a new Waste Plan.

1 . Grants: unconstituted organisations can apply for grants through SH. Project income and expenditure will be separately monitored and reported for such grants.

4. Elections of Steering Group and Officers

Marie Murray and Stephanie Irvine stood down from the Steering Group this year. They were thanked for their work for Sustainable Hackney.

Russell Miller was nominated as Chair by Liz Moxon and Kathryn Johnson and re-elected unopposed. Two Vice-Chairs were nominated by Kathryn Johnson and Liz Moxon and agreed: Anthony Bunbury and Michael Calderbank. Kathryn Johnson was nominated as Secretary by Liz Moxon and re-elected unopposed. Liz Moxon was nominated as Treasurer by Kathryn Johnson and re-elected unopposed. James Diamond was nominated as Website Officer by Liz Moxon and re-elected unopposed. The following members of the Steering Group were nominated and elected to the Steering Group: Katherine Pitt, Michael Calderbank, Mohan be Benoit, Mustafa Korel, Pete Snell and Phil Pearson.

Two places on the Steering Group remained vacant. The Steering Group can co-opt members to fill vacancies and to bring in particular expertise. Members were asked to consider if they would like to be more closely involved in Sustainable Hackney’s work.

5. Approval of Minutes of the 2012 AGM and Annual Accounts

The minutes of the 2012 AGM were agreed. Liz Moxon introduced the accounts: SH had an income of £1600 and expenditure of £800. A balance of £835 was brought forward. The annual accounts were approved.

6. Priorities for the coming year

Members were invited to suggest ideas for work during the coming year, listed in the appendix to these minutes. It was agreed that the priorities for the coming year are to: . Produce a manifesto and create a section on the website ‘Our vision for the future’ . To hold a hustings in the run up to the local elections . To consider standing a candidate . To produce a new logo and identity . To develop the networking activities with discussion on specific topics . To prioritise threats to biodiversity arising from issues such as the proposed Wilmer Place development and major event on Hackney Marshes . To challenge the exclusion of small businesses from such restrictions as minimum size turnover for tenders to run park cafes and from franchises restricting sources of supply.

7. Social

The AGM was followed by a social at Eastern Curve Garden where the discussion continued.

2 Ideas put forward by people attending the Sustainable Hackney AGM 2nd May 2013

Built Environment . Complete and adopt Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document; . Connect up heritage, history, people and environment to have and create a better built environment that we can ALL appreciate; . Built environment is not just about planning applications?? What about other issues impact? ; . Expand conservation area to cover central Dalston; . Planning Committee serving Hackney not developers (ie more social and environmental awareness); . Housing: o 1. Build more council housing for rent with state-of-the art ecological design. o 2. No more luxury apartments and other unsustainable developments; . Street trees: o 1 Protection and replanting of street trees. o 2. Appointment of more staff by Hackney Council to plant and look after trees.

Biodiversity and Green Spaces . SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) status for Abney. . Attention to Abney Park SSSI? "securing" site. . Coordinated education programming, . Biodiversity: o 1. Abney as SSSI; o 2. Complete survey of the borough; o 3. Integrated Biodiversity strategy; o 4. Re-appointment of Biodiversity Officer; o 5. Bio-blitz and public outreach. . Support local campaigns to halt the decline of bees and other pollinators - link up people lobbying at a political level with those doing biodiversity work on the ground. . Double multi-use sports space in London Fields. . New Biodiversity Officer. . Dog-walking areas - many families mentioned that dog mess stopped them waling in the park (Daubney Fields). . Protect the Marshes. . Council should commit to not using Neonicotinoids. . Sort out Homerton Grove next to Homerton Hospital, . Oppose festivals on the Marshes, . Campaign for more allotments with Hackney Allotment Society, . Biodiversity Plan fully implemented by 2017 plus a refreshed BAP for 2017-2022, . Stopping big festivals on Marshes.

Air/Water Pollution . Clean up the river Lea. . Sustainable Hackney should lobby to get involved in the changes in social and health care. . River Lea!! reducing pollution / pressure on Lea Valley etc.

Food and Food Growing . Survey Food Growing groups - how to support? . Coordinated education programming. . Support school kids on how to shop and cook food? + parent's through HA's. . Buy local bread and ale! and smokery; promote on website. . Hackney to produce a sustainable food strategy + to bring together all the borough's food initiatives. . Neighbourhood food co-ops. . Tackle the proliferation of chicken shops in the borough - unsustainable in so many ways. . Discussion (including) between both end of the supply chain; local growing, East London Food Access and Growing Communities.

3 . More allotments + small enough to make sense for single people / couples as well as the large ones. . Lots more growing spaces. . Every Hackney school to buy only sustainable food - MSc fish, Fairtrade, as local as possible. . Review contracts (LBH) for food supply - remove minimum turnover - include access for local food. . Greater penetration of sustainable food in high density public sector housing.

Energy and Climate Change . Making best use of housing budgets in Hackney. . Climate week activity / event?• Community renewable energy / energy efficiency. . More support to help local businesses be more energy wise. . Develop community energy projects around solar or CHP or ground heat. . Use roofs of public buildings for solar power. . Moving discussions into wider neighbourhoods, like Transition Streets? . LED street lighting pilots less CO2, more light quality. . Get Brixton Solar to talk to us about estate solar co-ops. . Hackney Council to lead home insulation campaign in public sector and housing associations backed by jobs and skills programme. . Solar panels on Hi-rise. . Set up renewable energy investment co-op for Hackney. . Better insulation of properties. NOT "carbon neutral" but made of sustainable materials and close to zero emissions.

Transport . Transport page on website. . Make all street contraflow for cyclists. . Close Stoke Newington Gyratory -> 2 way traffic. . Pushing LBH for a 20mph speed limit (eg Islington). . Some car-free streets. . Need a Sustainable Hackney lead person on transport. . Join up with other boroughs to have 20mph (not?) zones and create a better network for cyclists and those who use the throughway. . Upgrade all rail services to tube frequency. . Develop separate bike lanes on all main routes.

Local economy . Bitcoin promo? as alternative currency. . Create Sustainable Development plan for all town centres; small businesses and community ownership. . Start up the Hackney Pound, . Support mentoring for local companies in sustainable business practices. . London Living Wage - check North London Waste etc. do pay in and all contractors do the same.

Resources, reuse, recycling and waste . Respond to NLWA consultation, . Keeping close watch on the recycling changes and the results, . Press council to publish waste data!, . Live lightly, . Set up resident lead litter action groups, . Input to the North London Waste Plan, . Mandatory Recycling and composting in all housing

Networking . Visits to projects, . Networking meetings /Green Drinks, . Get better at Twitter and Facebook!, . Social networking to engage a wider audience?, . Create sustainable business network - lunch club / yahoo group etc,

4 . Build the Sustainable Hackney Network - more members, more organisations