Transition Bedford

I have been trying to understand the science behind the proposed Covanta Waste Incinerator at Stewartby.  I must confess, I am perplexed.  I would have thought that, if one burnt carbon based waste, one would generate carbon dioxide (CO2).

According to a Wikipedia article on the subject, combustion, or burning, is a sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant, accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species.  In my understanding, most fuels are carbon based and the gases produced by combustion contain a large amount of carbon dioxide.  I would imagine that much of the waste material to be burnt at the Covanta incinerator would be carbon based too.  I would imagine that burning it would generate a huge amount of carbon dioxide.

I know for a fact that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.  The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which, before man started to produce it on an industrial scale, was augmented by volcanos and forest fires, has had a profound effect on the earth’s climate since the dawn of time.  When the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increased the earth’s temperature increases.  This effect is known as the greenhouse effect.

Knowing all this, I would have imagined that the proposed Stewartby Incinerator would generate a huge amount of carbon dioxide, along with small quantities of other more pernicious and poisonous gases, and that it would have a very damaging effect on global warming, as well as a very damaging effect on the air quality in Stewartby, Bedford, Ampthill, Flitwick and the surrounding villages.

I would have thought that a giant waste incinerator in Stewartby would do a huge amount of environmental and ecological damage.  The newspaper reports seem to be telling me this isn’t so.  For example:  There was an article in The Independant newspaper, on Sunday 1st August, entitled: UK may have to import rubbish for incinerators.  This article describes the damage incinerators can do.  However, the last paragraph of the article quotes a Defra spokesman who seems to be telling us that generating electricity by burning waste is a good thing.

I would like to say I understand all the discussions of this matter in the media.  Regrettably, I do not.  All I know for sure is that I do not like this proposal.  If I ask myself the question: “If I could afford to leave Bedford, were this project to go ahead, would I do so?”  The answer is yes.  I would be sorry to leave.  I have made a lot of very good friends in Bedford, since I came here in April 2006.  However, I would not trust the air quality in Bedford if I had a giant waste incinerator on my doorstep.  This would especially be the case if the incinerator was working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as this one is expected to do.

What is more, the area around Stewartby and Marston Vale is fast becoming an area of great natural beauty.  Do we really want to see this spoilt with the building of some dark, satanic mill right in the centre of it?  We have the wonderful Millennium Country Park. in Marston Moretaine.  We have the Ampthill Forest and the beautiful Maulden Wood.  These areas are encouraging (and preserving) a wonderful array of native flora and fauna.  These areas could become a wonderful tourist resource, as well as remaining a source of refreshment, relaxation and recuperation for the residents of Bedford, Flitwick, Amptill, Clophill and Maulden.  Do we really want to see this wonderful area of natural beauty destroyed with the sight of, and the fumes from, some gigantic waste incinerator?  I know what my answer is.  My answer is no.

I am not the only one who thinks this waste incinerator is a very bad idea.  Here are some links to other people and organisations who feel the same way, people and organisations who are fighting to stop this plan from going ahead:

The Marston Moreteyne Action Group

The Facebook page for residents against the Covanta Incinerator at Stewartby

Tim Hill – Liberal Democrat Councillor for Wootton, Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick

I would like to join them in opposing this scheme.  I would urge you to do the same.

I was having a chat with an environmental impact assesor and these were some thoughts, I would be interested if anyone could enlighten me on some of the issues bought up? cheers

I’ve only had a chance to look at the Executive Summary of the Environmental Report.
It’s obviously going to be a fairly large development which will always have some adverse effects, but it is on what is essentially a brown-field site coupled with restoration of the remainder of the site. So that’s probably OK if the site is planted and managed as is being suggested (unless you live in the farm next door to it, I guess!).

Key concerns are traffic and air quality. Traffic wise, I presume that in the wider context you would be replacing trucks going to landfill sites with trucks going to the power generation plant. There probably would probably be a bit more traffic overall due to mutitple-handling (i.e. I assume that waste collected by a councils would get taken to central depots, from where it would be collected by the power plant HGVs; materials would also be taken out of the power generation plant). Although I imagine that the HGVs would be able to carry more waste per journey the your standard refuse truck. The report says that it WON’T be taking waste from London. This needs to be a planning condition.

Air quality wise, I don’t know how ‘good’ the levels set by the Waste Inceneration Directive are, or whether there has been monitoring of the effects (health or ecological) of emissions from incineration plants that work to those levels. I assume there must have been because there are lots of these facilities around now, but it is not my speciality. Perhaps that it is evidence that you should ask for?

The report states that the company are in negotiations with nearby companies (CentreParcs included) to provide heat to them, making the plant a combined heat and power facility. Personally, I think that actually providing heat to nearby businesses should be a precondition of getting permission – if that can’t be organised then the proposal (in this location) should not be deemed ‘viable’: that way the maximum benefits are gained.

I am slightly concerned that on the drawings the piles of treated ash (for re-use as aggregate) appear uncovered. Not sure that’s a great idea. Maybe it just looks that way on the schematic.

I would also want to know the chemical composition / safety of the ash and also the final waste materials (e.g. from the scrubbers, ash that can’t be reused): ultimately these will end up on land or in a landfill somewhere else, so they need to be appropriate or able to be disposed of safety.

It will also need to be made clear to the council that having such a facility should not distract from the main task of reducing waste overall and increasing recycling rates. There are a whole raft of EU and national targets about waste management that authorities need to be working towards (including reducing landfill, hence why incinerators for dealing with non-recylable waste are increasingly attractive), but it is always worth reminding them!

Overall, personally I am not against power-from-waste plants in principal, but I am not an air quality expert and I guess that’s the main area of concern. The big picture is that waste has to go, and therefore have adverse effects, somewhere, so it would seem to make sense to get as much benefit out of it as possible. In terms of climate change, I do not think that the effects of burning waste would be that much worse (if at all) than those from the release of methane from landfill, and obviously by burning waste you reduce the need to burn raw fossil fuels (it would produce enough power to supply Bedford and Marston Vale, so a decent chunk). And if we’re running out of landfill space over here, we shouldn’t just ship it overseas and pass the problem on to someone else.

I have just come across a very intersting article about BP’s Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig.  I found the article on The New York Times Website. I would very much like to share it with you. Here is a link to it:

Workers on Doomed Rig Voiced Concern About Safety

And now there’s more, it seems.  The following is from The New York Times website, taken from an article dated Friday, 23 July 2010:

Oil Rig’s Siren Was Kept Silent, Technician Says

If I suggested it would be a good idea to build a giant incinerator in the middle of one of the most beautiful views this country can provide, you would probably think I had gone mad.

If I were to suggest it might be a good idea to spew filth over a wonderful wetland wild life centre and nature reserve, you would probably think I was dangerously psychotic.

Why is it then, I wonder, that when a company, a company named Covanta, suggests the same thing, instead of being laughed out of court they are taken seriously?   This is madness surely.

Please may I ask you to visit the Marston Moreteyne Action Group website to find out more about this scheme for a dark satanic mill in the middle of our wonderful bedfordshire countyside?  Please may I ask you to consider signing their petition to oppose it?

I would like to draw your attention to Naomi Klein’s article in The Guardian for Saturday 19th June 2010.  The article is entitled:

A hole in the world

In the article, which you can read by clicking on the above link, Naomi Klein discusses the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the way in which this disaster is so intimately associated with the hubris at the heart of capitalism.

If you enjoy the above article, and would like to know more about Naomi Klein’s work, you can see her giving a talk on YouTube, by clicking on either one of the following links:

Naomi Klein discusses Disaster Capitalism

Naomi Klein discusses her recent book, The Shock Doctrine

Thursday 17th June 7.30pm

Three Cups Newnham St Bedford

£2 per person max 6 people per team

Enjoy a fun night for a great cause

I would like to draw attention to the following website

The Prince’s Rainforest Project

There is now a quick access, Transition Bedford Links Page, which will help you to access other websites concerned with environmental matters in Bedford and beyond. You can find it here:

http://www.thetransitionbedfordlinkspage.webs.com/ 

Please remember to bookmark this page for future use.

You’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with anything. Why is Lynn (a life coach/book coach) suddenly publishing a recipe? Well, I think the fact that when I tasted this I thought I had gone to heaven might be reason enough. But if we need another reason, I can think of several, which I shall share with you AFTER the good stuff… the SOUP!

Equipment
The good news is, you don’t need any fancy equipment for this one. I am using a Tribest “personal” smoothie maker, and I imagine a good blender would also do the trick. For me, my personal smoothie maker is perfect because I live alone, and there is no waste or leftovers. It’s also extremely energy efficient because it is tiny, and you only need to run it for a few seconds to make your soup. The recipe below is for ONE serving (about 12 oz/400ml). If you have a larger blender/smoothie maker, and want to make more soup, just increase the amounts as desired.

Note: If you don’t have organic veg, or you don’t have whole spices to grind, you can still make this recipe, but really the taste is completely different. And if you think you don’t have time to make this, my TOTAL preparation time was LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!

Ingredients
First of all, I highly recommend getting your produce from a local organic farm. I just started ordering a weekly fruit and veg box from Riverford organic. They deliver it fresh right to your door. I have to tell you, the asparagus was SO tender, it was like eating a completely different vegetable from anything I’ve ever had before (and the humus I got from them was simply to die for!).

• 50 gm organic tofu (about 1” x 3” x 3” block)
• 6-8 stalks organic asparagus
• ¼ bulb organic fennel
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
• ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered kelp (optional; I add this to boost my sluggish thyroid as it’s rich in iodine)
• 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin organic olive oil
• 1/2 cup water. The water should either be room temperature or slightly warm, if you prefer warmer soup. Do NOT use very hot or boiling water, as it will expand in the blender AND it will also kill off the nutrients.

How to make it:

• Grind peppercorns and cumin seed with a mortar and pestle (you can use powdered, but it simply isn’t the same!). Set aside.
• Cut tofu into 1/2” chunks and put in blender cup. Put in just enough water to cover them.
• Blend tofu until it is a smooth cream.
• Chop asparagus and fennel into small enough chunks to get around the blade of the blender. Put into blender and pulse until chunky.
• Add ground pepper, salt, cumin, kelp and olive oil. Blend for 30-40 seconds.
• Your soup is READY to eat! If it’s too thick, and some water (slightly warm if you want warmer soup).

This is awesome with a couple of slices of toasted no-yeast rye bread with humus. What a TASTE!

Ok…  so why am I really talking about soup?

Environment: Earlier this year, I took a “10/10″ pledge in which I vowed to cut my fossil-fuel consumption down by 10% in the year 2010. You might think reaching this goal is a diffcult thing to acheive, but something as simple as making raw organic asparagus soup can help you get started. How?

• If you buy your organic produce from a local farm, like I did, you are saving on “food miles” as they are not being flown to you from the other side of the planet. It’s even BETTER if it comes from your OWN garden.
• Coming from the local farm, and not the local supermarket, there is NO packaging or waste at all. Even the little bits of veggies that I didn’t throw into the smoothie maker I put into my compost bin, and it will be helping to grow vegetables in my back garden later this summer.
• Running a little 200 watt blender for 40 seconds takes a LOT less energy (and costs a lot less money) than cooking a pot of homemade soup on the hob for 20-30 minutes, so it’s very economical, too.

Health: Eating veggies that are local means they are fresher, and packed with nutrients. The longer the gap between when your fruit/veg has been picked and when you consume it, the more nutrients are lost. Also, eating with the seasons (as organic farms provide you only season produce) will also improve your health, as it puts your body “in synch” with your environment, giving your greater immunity.

Spirituality: There is something very spiritual about getting closer to Source by eating organic, local, fresh and uncooked. I don’t think I will ever go 100% raw, but I have to tell you, when you eat something like this, you feel like you are tasting the Sun and the Earth, and that’s pretty special. It helps you feel connected, and lets you know that you are safe in this big, vast Universe.

Fun and Creativity: It’s actually pretty cool to make up new concoctions. I make up something new every day. I had a delicious melon and plum smoothie before. Sheer nectar! In fact, what’s so neat is that just about ANYTHING you toss into the smoothie maker can be turned into something really tasty and interesting. Experiment and set yourself free!

Closing thoughts
Today, I found out yet another close friend of mine (this time, it’s someone from Transition Bedford) has breast cancer. Mind you, this particular woman is one of the most health conscious people I know, so if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. I do believe the high incidence of cancer in today’s world is due to us being just so disconnected from the Source of life, both in our food, and our state of being in general. Our failing health is a symptom that we human beings are craving a return to a more natural state of living in harmony with the Earth. And the good news is, I firmly believe it is “do-able.”

I took the 10/10 pledge because I love our Planet, and I also believe our dependency upon petroleum is simply a recipe for disaster, for so many reasons.

Let’s not consume THAT recipe. Instead, let’s start (un)cooking up our own recipes. I’ve done many things this year to make good on my 10/10 promise. If you do only one thing this year and nothing else, start off by making a pledge to buy local produce. Or better yet, how about starting a vegetable garden in your backyard? I’ve just done this with the help of a neighbourhood woman, as part of the new “garden share” project we at Transition Bedford are hoping to get going this year. But more on that another day.

---

Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and author of the mind-body-spirit bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She is the recipient of the Bedfordshire Businesswomen Award for working with a community group for her work with Transition Bedford, part of the Transition Network, a grassroots initiative to build a sustainable future. She is also the founder of Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience, which offers training, community and support for aspiring and established mind-body-spirit authors.

Bedfordshire Wildlife Trust Events
The majestic plants of Totternhoe Reserve Dunstable

Spring into action

Sunday April 25th
2.00-3.45pm

A gentle guided walk to cover herbalism, natural history and the management of this uniquely important reserve.

£2.50 per person or £6 per family

Further information and to book please contact.
Christina Biggs, Ruth Brockett
randallsfarm@wildlifebcnp.org
01234 768542

A walk on the wild side at Totternhoe Dunstable

Sunday May 23rd
1.30-4.30pm

Join one of the events across the nation discovering wildlife diversity on your doorstep. The Totternhoe reserve is renouned for its rare butterflies and plants.
Bring the whole family along to discover, hunt for minibeasts and get art and crafty.

Part of the celebrations for the year of International Biodiversity.

£2.50 per person or £6 per family

To book and for further information please contact
Christina Biggs, Ruth Brockett
randallsfarm@wildlifebcnp.org
01234 768542