action for renewables activist pack

7/28/2019 Action for Renewables Activist Pack

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Information, ideas and practical action for

green energy campaigners.How to TakeAction forRenewablesIdeas, information and practicalactivities for green energycampaigners


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What is Action for Renewables? pg.3

Tell me about renewable energy pg.4

Renewable energy in the UK pg.5

The Renewable Mix pg.6

Campaigning Guides

Running a campaign pg.11

Running events pg.13

Setting up a street stall pg.15

Attending a planning committee pg.16

Commenting on a planning application pg.18

Letter writing pg.20

Contacting your MP pg.21

Taking Action Toolkit

Plan a campaign pg.24

Make a campaign banner pg.27

Organise a visit to a wind farm or solar park pg.28

Oddies Oddyssey Screening pg.30

Resource ordering form pg.31


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Almost everything we do relies on energy,whether its turning on a light switch,cooking dinner or using a telephone.

At the moment, most of our electricity is

generated from volatile imported fossilfuels such as gas and oil.

We want to change that. We can harnessthe power of the sun, the waves and windto power our homes and businesses.

To do it were going to need a differentkind of energy, yours. This guide containspractical information and tips to help youorganise activities, on your own or as agroup, to help build a future based onclean, renewable energy.

[email protected]

Action for Renewables

RenewableUK

Greencoat House

France Street

London SW

@Act4Renewables

020 7921 3035

www.facebook/actionforrenewables

www.actionforenewables.org

A silent majority of the UK is in favour of greener power, but

theyre being drowned out by a noisy minority.

Action for Renewables works to help the public support

renewable energy, through campaigns to national politicians,

providing helpful updates and facts about why renewable

energy is good, and making it easy to support local projectslike solar parks or wind farms.

What isaction forrenewables?

Action for Renewables is a grassroots campaign made up of

supporters of renewable energy. We want to use our natural

and abundant energy sources to generate the power our

country needs; from the wind, waves, the sun and heat from

the ground. Even rubbish! Our role is motivate, organise and

activate support for renewables throughout the UK, helping

to campaign for local projects and to work on issues facing

renewables at the national level.

We put the positive benets of renewable energy, includingenvironmental impact and energy security, before the public,

and aim to dispel myths about its disadvantages. We seek

to promote renewables, not to undermine other power

sources in recognition of the role they may yet play in our

future energy mix. At all times, we will aim to ensure that the

information we present to the public is based on a clear and

accurate representation of the best available science. We

will not knowingly make false or misleading claims about the

advantages and disadvantages of renewables, or any other

form of energy.

How to use this packAction for Renewables runs campaigns that focus on aparticular opportunity or challenge in the ght for renewable

energy.

This pack is designed to help you understand more about

renewable power, and provide some suggestions for ways in

which you can help build more public support in your local

area, including activities for small groups and guidance and

tips on running campaigns and events


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Tell meaboutrenewableenergy.There are many ways to

generate renewable energy.This chapter looks at themost signicant.


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How does renewable energy work in theUK? At present, the UK gets around 11%of its energy needs through renewableenergy sources. But in order to meet ourlegally binding climate targets, well need

to generate more than ever.

Renewable energy is energy that can be naturally

replenished. Unlike fossil fuels such as coal and

gas, renewable energy is harnessed through natural

resources such as wind, sunlight and tides. It can also

come from the heat within the earth, in the form of

geothermal energy, and from biological material, as

biomass.

Its often said that the British are fond of talking about

the weather, and not without good reason. The UK

is the windiest country in Europe, and with around

12,400km of coastline there are also plenty of waves.

While the UK may not enjoy the same sunny climate asthe Mediterranean, more than 50 times our energy use

hits Britain in the form of sunlight. Solar panels can still

generate signicant amounts of electricity throughout

the year.

Renewable energy can make a huge contribution to our

energy needs. However changing the way we generate

our power requires commitment, investment and hard

work. The UK is still wedded to creating energy from

oil and gas, and while renewable energy is growing, we

need to join together to demonstrate a public demandfor power from green, renewable sources.


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You cant make a cake with just one ingredient, and similarly

you cant power the UK with just one energy source.

Renewable energy depends on our natural resources, the

waves, wind and the sun; but while our tides are constant,

its not always windy or sunny. Thats why its important to

have a variety of different ways of generating energy that

complement each other, so that we can always rely on

generating natural power

Can we stop using fossil fuels entirely?

The world has become very used to using fossil fuels toprovide our power, and while were generating more and

more renewable energy, its likely that we will have to rely on

some fossil fuels in the future. The UK currently consumes a

huge amount of energy and its an important topic to ask if

were really making the most efcient use of it.

We can signicantly reduce our energy demand by making

houses and buildings better insulated, and cutting down on

the energy we use in our daily lives, but over the next few

years we will also need to make big decisions about where

our energy comes from.

How does renewable energy work in theUK? At present, the UK gets around 11%of its energy needs through renewablesources. But in order to meet our legallybinding climate targets, well need to

generate more.

All living things contain energy, and biofuels use that stored

energy to generate heat or electricity. This can often take the

form of combustible materials, such as compressed wood

pellets used in central heating furnaces, or industrial or food

waste amd agricultural residue for use in larger biomass

power stations. It can also come from crops specially grown

for the purpose. If its managed properly, biomass is a

sustainable fuel that can deliver a signicant reduction in

net carbon emissions when compared with fossil fuels.

Biogas from anaerobic digestion uses the energy stored

in the gas created from decomposing matter to generate

electricity. Biodegradable material is mixed and heated

in airtight storage bins called fermenters. As the cocktail

of fermenting matter is digested by bacteria they giveoff a mix of gases including methane which is extracted

and pressurised for use in the same way as gas from

underground reservoirs. The gas is burnt to power a turbine

which then powers an electrical generator.

Biogas generation is often very suitable for farms and rural

communities, as the best fuels are liquid manure and silage

and other waste products from farms. The Biogas plants can

range from small installations to large power stations and

play a very important part in the UK energy mix, particularly

for those who live a long way from electricity supplies.

Biofuels


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Geothermal power uses superheated water from deep

below the ground to generate steam, which is used todrives turbine which in turn generate electricity. Its more

common in geologically active countries such as Iceland

where the heat from below the earths crust is closer to the

surface due to its position on the volcanically active Mid

Atlantic Ridge. There are a number of areas in which the UK

could use geothermal energy, including Cornwall, Scotland

and Northern Ireland. The UK and Icelandic governments

are also looking at a highly ambitious interconnector, an

undersea power cable carrying power between Iceland and

the UK.

Ground source heat pumps

Hydroelectric power uses the ow of water to generate

electricity. The UK has used hydropower fo nearly 100 years,and it is one of the most widely used forms of renewable

energy worldwide. In most cases water is held uphill, and

allowed to ows through turbines, which causes them to

turn, generating electricity. The water can come from rivers

or reservoirs of different shapes and sizes, from small micro-

hydropower units to huge dams.

Hydropower is also used for pumped storage. While battery

technology is still not advanced enough to store energy on

an industrial scale, pumped storage goes some way to make

up for this. Water is pumped up a hill to a reservoir, usually

using cheap off-peak electricity. Then at times of increaseddemand the water is released back down the hill, driving

turbines to generate further energy.

Because of the need to store the water downhill, hydropower

is typically found in hillier or mountainous areas, particularly

in Scotland. Around 3.6 GW of energy a year is generated by

hydropower, and around 2.7GW of pumped storage.

Ground source heat pumps are often described as

geothermal energy, but actually the technology is very

different. Here the energy comes not from volcanic heat

from below the ground, but from the sun, absorbed into the

ground around the building. The system works in a similar

way to a fridge, uid owing through a series of underground

pipes outside the building is warmed by heat below the

grounds surface which stays at a steady temperature all

year round. The heated uid is then pumped into radiators

or under-oor heating in the building. Its also possible in

summer to reverse the process and cool the building.

Geothermal Power Hydroelectric Power


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Wave and Tidal Power

If youve ever been to the beach on a windy day youll know

that the waves and tides hold tremendous amounts of natural

energy, able to grind rocks into sand and erode cliffs. As anisland nation, the UK has around 12,400km of coastline,

and a huge potential for generating power. One of the best

things about tidal power is that its as regular as, well, the

tides! Which means that in future it could be extremely helpful

in generating whats called the base load ie the minimum

amount of power we always need whether demand is high or

low.

Capturing energy from the sea is a challenge, and the

machinery needed to do it has to be very robust to cope

with the effects of the environment. Not only does seawater

corrode metal and other materials, it can be a dangerous job

for those who have to install the machinery.

Underwater turbines use a very similar design to wind

turbines, but use the movement of the water to turn the

blades and generate power. There are also several new

devices that are in testing and starting to generate energy on

a commerical level. The Oyster is a giant ap that uses the

power of the waves to pump water at high pressure onto land

to drive turbines, while the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter

uses the motion of the surface waves to generate electricity.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power uses solar panels to capture

energy from the sun. Photovoltaic cells, made from semi-

conducting materials like silicon, produce an electric eldwhen light shines on them, which can be used by homes

and buildings to generate heat and light. Youve probably

seen solar panels on the roofs of buildings providing energy

to individual homes and businesses, but there are also a

growing number of solar parks which generate power on a

larger scale.

Solar energy is an important part of the UKs energy mix,

particularly because it reduces the demand from each house

for electricity from the grid. The stronger the sunshine the

more energy produced, and while the UK isnt always the

sunniest country solar panels will still generate power on a

cloudy day.

Solar Power


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Wind Power

Wind power is our most developed renewable energy

technology, and along with biomass is the main source of

our green energy. A wind turbine uses the power of the wind

to rotate turbine blades, which turn an electrical generator to

create power.

Wind turbines come in different shapes and sizes, from

small egg whisk style turbines suitable for buildings and

urban areas, to the huge three-bladed turbines situated

miles offshore. They can also vary from individual turbines in

farms and communities, to groupings in the hundreds. The

UK currently gets

Wind power is variable, in that we cant control when the

wind is blowing. But its very rare for the UK not to encounter

windy weather across the whole of the British Isles. As

Europes windiest country, it makes sense for us to use thewind when its blowing, as this cuts down on the amount of

gas and coal we need to burn.

Wind farms are found on land and at sea, and over the

next decade its expected that as well as onshore wind, we

will build many large-scale wind farms out to sea. This has

already started with wind farms such as the London Array,

the worlds largest wind farm, capable of generating up to

1GW of energy, comparable to a typical coal or nuclear

power station.


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Campaigningguides

Campaigning takes manyforms, and all require someforethought. It might seem

intimidating, but a little bit ofplanning will make a worldof difference. This chaptersets out tips and advice forsome of the most essentialcampaigning activities.


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Strategy

Strategy is the key to running a successful campaign. The word

implies planning, organisation, and a series of manoeuvres in

order to achieve a goal. It incorporates everything from writing

a schedule to establishing a campaign message. Before getting

into the detail of your campaign you need to work out what

your objectives are, how you will measure your progress to your

objectives and what tactics you will deploy.

It is important to identify what you want to achieve and build up

your campaign from there. There are many campaigning tacticswhich you can employ. These will depend on the audiences you

plan to target and to the local issues you may be able to use to

your advantage.

Audience

A campaign is not so much about you as the people who

you will engage with. Your objectives must be relevant to

your audience. Potential audiences or stakeholders in your

campaign include: supporters, community groups, schools,

business, trade unions, shops, religious leaders etc.

Local Issues

A local issue, or local angle to the campaign is more likely

to concentrate the minds of politicians. Making your

campaign local will also make it easier for you to nd partner

organisations and to enlist the support of community groups.

Campaign Tactics

Set up street stalls, organise rallies, and use all the above

methods of communication to make sure as many people as

possible have heard about your campaign.

In addition, it is possible to organise stunts, such as a localopinion poll, which the media may pick up on or to put together

a petition. Not only will this provide a database from which to

contact people (provided they put their addresses down) if it is

Running acampaign

Campaigning is about getting your voiceheard in the court of public opinion.Here are some tips from our campaignsteam to help you get more out of youractivities.

a hard copy petition then you can arrange to present it with the

relevant ofcial such as a local councillor or your MP and this

can make a great photo opportunity.

Communicating your campaign

Write: As a general rule use email to communicate with

supporters of your campaign and write letters to the media

and politicians, since letters tend to be taken more seriously.

Also write up some literature that you can distribute, and

dont forget to include a contact number or email address.

Call: Call up and on as many people as possible to

support your campaign and get them to call the ofce of

the politicians that you are lobbying. Obviously the most

successful type of phone call is polite and rm abusive

phone calls will be dismissed and not taken seriously.

Meet: As always, face to face contact is invaluable. Organise

an event (see How to Organise an Event), set up a stall on

the high street, hold presentations at schools and businesses

do anything you can to put you and your lobbying campaign

out there.

Make it relevant: To maximise publicity for your campaign try

and tie it in to something relevant in the news.

Publicising Your Campaign

If youre running a campaign you need people to be aware of it.The best ways of getting in touch with people is through media,

although face to face contact is also important.


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Media

This includes the internet, newspapers, magazines, radio

(including student-run) and literature. If you have capacity

you should consider creating a website, as this is generally

peoples rst port of call when looking for information. Send

out a press release, provide contact details and let them

know you are available for comments and quotes as well as

interviews. Also alert them to any events you might be holding.

If something related is in the news you can also write a letter

to the editor commenting on the story and expressing your

groups opinion. Youll need to react quickly but this is a great

way of getting coverage in local/regional press.

Social NetworkingSet up an online social networking prole such as a facebook

or twitter account, create a Wikipedia entry, have a database

of people and local groups to email. Basically get in contact

with anyone and everyone relevant to your campaign through

the internet.

Persuade, dont preach

Again, there are two things to be aware of in your bid for

publicity. Firstly, dont preach. Persuade your supporters but

dont talk down to them or patronise them. Secondly, it is

natural that in the course of your campaign there will be badpublicity as well as good. The best responses are the quickest.

If there are issues you anticipate may emerge, be ready to

deal with them.


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Strategy

It is worth considering what you hope to gain from holding

the event. Do you wish to recruit members to the group, hold

a petition on renewable energy or simply to raise the prole

of your campaign? Once you have held the event, what

opportunities will there be for people whose interest you

have captured? Long term goals and objectives will ensure acohesive, organised message for the event.

In order to make your event as professional as possible,

identify your target audience and then tailor your event to

their needs. For example, if your community has a lot of

senior citizens an easily accessible location is important.

Identifying your target audience should enable you to

better choose the location, time, date and method of

communication for your audience.

Event Organisation

To make the event as successful as possible organisation is

key. So work out your costs and stick to a budget. Also have

an idea of what youre doing over the long term, and keep

in mind how far in advance you may need to plan and raise

publicity.

Dont forget to leave enough time to organise it

Make it topical but check the diary to make sure your

event wont have serious competition (such as a World

Cup nal!) Consider inviting guest speakers perhaps a sympathetic

local councillor might add extra weight

Find suitable premises for the expected turnout

sometimes the smaller the better.

Events big or small can provide agreat opportunity to widen the audiencefor your campaign, meet like-mindedpeople and recruit. Whether the event is

just running a stall on the local high street

on a Saturday afternoon or a full-scaleextravaganza, there are a number ofthings you may need to think about:

Running anevent

Make sure you have permission from the relevant

authorities (for example you may need permission from

the council to set up a stall).

Be professional with your presentation and organisation,

eg matching tee-shirts at a street stall

At the event itself there will be lots of things to do, so if

youre the organiser dont over-burden yourself. Instead

delegate, put together a duty roster and recruit volunteers.

Endorsement

Are there any other groups, celebrities or organisations

in your area that might be interested in your event? Think

laterally energy is hugely important and has an impact

on everyone. If you get another network involved you gain

access to a whole new database of people to target.


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Publicity

Theres no point in holding an event if there are no

attendees so publicity is crucial.

The internet can provide a whole host of methods to

publicise your event (often for free). Social networking sites

are a great method of getting people interested as are

websites.

At Action for Renewables we love to hear about your events.

Tell us what youll be doing and we can help you by including

it on our facebook page and letting other activists know.

Publicise on your website or facebook page if you have

one and send event details to related websites for them to

upload. Also send out emails to contacts (these are often

forwarded on) and contact relevant internet communities.

For maximum exposure try to coordinate your event with

something topical and newsworthy before getting in touch

with local newspapers and radio stations (dont forget

student-run media as its often overlooked). Even if your

event isnt a story in itself you may be asked for comments.

Be sure to familiarise yourself with FAQs and briengs and

have copies on hand to refer to!

Finally, dont forget the back to basics approach of knocking

on doors and distributing literature. This requires a sizeable

team and money for printing but can be effective. If you

set up a stall this can be an event in itself so dont forget

to consider factors such as timing and location (aim for

the busiest place at the busiest time of day) and have

lots of enthusiastic people handing out brightly coloured

paraphernalia (leaets, badges, balloons). Also dont forget

to contact local newsletters and put up posters insidecommunity centres, places of worship and cafes.


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Planning the Stall

Although a street stall may seem relatively easy to set up,

planning out a few key details in advance will make sure the

day runs smoothly.

1. Why are you doing the stall?

Its important to be absolutely clear what your aim for the

day will be. Do you want to ask people to sign letters of

support? Do you want to counter the myths youve heardbeing spoken about renewable energy? Do you want to

generate a positive story in the local newspaper? One stall

can do all of these things, but to make sure that theyre

done effectively youll need to ensure that you prepare for

all of them.

2. What will the stall look like?

The simplest way of making your stall look professional is

use a decent tablecloth! Youll also need a banner for the

table to make it clear to passersby what youre campaigningfor there are templates on the Action for Renewables site.

If youre distributing leaets, consider buying plastic display

stands for them theyre cheap, but they add a lot to the

visual impact of the stall.

Setting up astreet stall

A stall in the high street of your town orvillage is a great way attract supportfor renewable energy developmentsnear where you live. A stall does threethings: it provides an effective way of

publicly demonstrating that local peoplesupport the development, gives youan opportunity to put across the truthabout renewable energy, and allows

you to identify other supporters easilyand encourage them to write to localpoliticians.

In this how-to guide, well give you sometips on planning a street stall, and goodpractice for the day itself.

If you have a wall behind you (and have the permission of the

owner of the building), you could put up posters like the ones

in the Action for Renewables les section.

3. What will you put on the stall?

There are several postcard-sized leaets on the Action for

Renewables site you could have printed for the stall to

cover the costs, you can apply to the central campaign by

writing to [email protected], telling us

what you plan to do and what you need funding for.

If youre campaigning on a specic project such as a

proposed local solar park or wind turbine which is goingthrough planning, you may wish to encourage people to

sign letters of support. Its vital that youre clear to people

whats on these letters and that youll be submitting them

to the council on their behalf.

4. Where will you put the stall?

In order to make sure that youre reaching as many people

as possible, your location is very important. Consider the

high street of your town, or the main shopping area if

youre campaigning in favour of a wind farm, you mightwant to consider a central area from which the wind farm

will be visible, and including visualisations of what it will

look like when constructed as part of your stall. You can

usually get these from the developer.


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5. When will you do it?

Make sure that you choose a date when you can secure

as many volunteers to man the stall as possible its

usually best to set up a rota, so that people can give a

couple of hours of their time, if thats all they have. If

theres a local carnival or fete, you might be able to set up

your stall as part of it try contacting the organisers.

6. Who will help out?

If you havent already met other renewables supporters in

your area, email us at jonathan.pyke@actionforrenewables.

org and well help put you in touch with other supporters

near you. To make sure that a street stall is successful,

you cant just wait for people to approach you youll

need to go up to people in the area around the stall,asking them to come and sign a letter of support. To

this end, you might nd it effective to put shy people

on the stall with a condent person, to help boost their

condence.

7. Will you invite the press?

Its worth considering inviting the press to your stall,

especially if youve made an effort to make it look

distinctive. Write or call your local papers newsdesk

local journalists tend to like stories about local campaigns

on hot topics like renewable energy. Even if they dont

send someone out, send a good picture of the activity

round the stall along with a press release on the campaign

afterwards making it easy for the paper to run a story

directly from the press release!

A street stall is a great way of encouraging support for

renewables make sure you let us know how you get on!

Give-aways

Freebies are a very good

way of drawing people in

to your stall. You could event

follow this example and make

themed cakes!

Gone with the wind

Come prepared with rocks, pa-

perweights or anything heavy.

Always remember the wind

isnt your friend on a stall! Make

sure your leaets & fact sheets

are weighed down.


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Committee Procedure

You are entitled to attend any planning committee meeting

to hear the applications being considered by the Council.

Committees are usually held on a monthly basis, but may

be more frequent depending upon the Council workload.

Committee dates are usually posted in the Council Ofces

and can be checked with the Council's Committee Clerks

Department or the planning department, or online.

You are also entitled to inspect a copy of the Ofcers Reportto Committee. This is usually available 3/4 days prior to

the committee and sets out the Planning Departments full

consideration of the various planning matters, including a

discussion of any objections or supporting statements.

Check the committee pages of the Councils website for

the agenda and minutes. This document might be helpful if

there are particular objections to the development you feel

you can successfully dispel when speaking to the committee.

The committee agenda will indicate when the applicationwill be considered during the meeting, but often the

order is altered, at the Chairman's discretion, to bring

forward applications where there are signicant levels of

public interest. This is to avoid people having to wait all

evening to hear a particular application. Renewable energy

developments normally have a signicant level of interest.

Speaking at the Committee

In most cases you will need to notify the Council in advance

of your intention to speak. Check with the Planning

Department or Committee Clerks ofce about the procedureadopted in your particular Council.

Attendinga planningcommittee

Speaking at planning committees is oneof the most effective things you can doas a renewables campaigner. This guidewill provide you with advice on attendinga planning committee to voice your

suppor for an application.

The Chairman will invite those who have registered to

speak to address the committee from a suitable position

in the Council Chamber. Two or three minutes are common

time periods allowed for individual public address to the

committee and are strictly controlled.

This is not long and therefore it is a good idea to read a pre-

prepared (and timed) statement or have a series of bullet

points to make sure you remember all the points you wish

to make. Here again, keep your comments simple, and keep

them to the point.

The committee is only interested in the planning merits of

your comments and how they relate to the application. You

may even be prevented from speaking if you just use the

opportunity for making political or personal statements, or if

you lose your temper.

The most effective supporter is always the cool, calm and

collected representative of personal or local opinion, who

has done their homework and presents a logical planning

case for the proposal under consideration.

You may want to focus in particular on your areas renewable

energy targets and environmental policies you can nd

these in your Councils development plan, as discussed in

our Commenting on a Planning Application. If previous

speakers have raised objections and you think you canrespond to them, it may be worth amending your speech to

reect this but make sure you have your thoughts in order

before you go up!


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Anyone is entitled to comment on any planning application

but to be effective, supporting statements must focus upon

the 'planning merits' of the case. These would include the

relevant planning policies applicable to the property and

area concerned, as well as consideration of such matters

as the impact of the scheme upon the local environment,

highways issues, nature conservation, ood risk and many

more detailed issues.

To stand a chance of being taken seriously by the Council

any support must be rational, impersonal and directed

principally to the planning issues raised by the proposal.

Planning Procedure

When a planning application is submitted it is processed

by the planning department within a set procedure.

Applications are usually dealt with within 8 weeks ofsubmission, but delays do occur for a variety of reasons.

Wind farms and in some cases solar parks are controversial,

and so are frequently delayed by an average of up to 18

months.

Once the application is accepted as valid by the Council

a series of consultation letters are sent out to a range of

Statutory Consultees (such as the Highways Department,

Environmental Health, English Heritage etc) which vary

depending upon the individual proposal. These consultees

are required to respond within 21 days with their commentson the application.

The local Parish Council will be notied and they will consider

the application at one of their regular meetings. They will

formally respond giving their views on the application and

stating whether they approve or object.

Local Authorities also carry out public consultation. The way

in which this is undertaken varies considerably between

Councils. Some require the applicant to post a public notice

on the site for a period of 21 days, or place an advert in thelocal paper. Others use their public address database to

select addresses local to the application site for notication

by letter. Weekly planning application lists are typically

published on Council websites.

The only way were going to move Britaintowards a future of cleaner, greenerelectricity to help combat climatechange and secure our energy suppliesis by building our way there.

That means the next few years needto see more renewable energydevelopments being built but right now,only 25% of new wind farms get approvalat the planning committee stage. Thisguide will help you support applicationsfor developments in your area.

Commentingon a planningapplication


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Supporting the Application

While a letter saying simply I support the renewable energy

development at X will count as a valuable supporting

letter, its not as effective as a properly worked-out letter of

support. On the right well go through some steps you can

take to make your supporting letter as effective as possible.

You will usually be asked to make your objection within

the 21-day consultation period established at the outset

of the planning application. However, you can submit

objections / supporting statements right up to the moment

the application is considered, though the later you leave it

though the less chance there is of the Council really giving

your comments due consideration.

This isnt the end of the story, however you can now attend

the Planning Committee at which the fate of this applicationwill be decided. Youll nd out more about this in our

Attending a Planning Committee guide.

4 Steps to a strong supporting statement

1. Review the Local Plan policy.

The Council will have copies of their Local Plan available

either to view or purchase. This may take a bit of

reading but will almost certainly contain policies that

have a bearing upon the application. Do they support

or deter the proposal? You may wish to refer to relevant

policies in your letter of support.

2. Research possible objections to the project.

There are many common myths about renewable

energy, especially wind power which are frequently

used by opponents of clean energy when objecting

to applications youll nd a list of short rebuttalson the Action for Renewables site at www.Action for

Renewablesmyplanet.com/facts. Some of them are

more relevant for planning applications than others

you may wish to discuss issues like noise and visual

impact in your supporting letter.

3. Set out your comments concisely.

Keep it brief long rambling commentary is unhelpful.

You might want to use sub-headings to organise your

points.

4. Send your comments into the Planning Department.

There is usually a Case Ofcer or Area Group allocated

to deal with the application, but if you cannot discover

the exact person then just send your letter to the

Planning Department. Always try and include the

Planning Reference Number and location of the

property. Authorities accept online submissions via the

planning pages of the Councils website.


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Newspapers and online media play a big part in forming

public opinion, which in turn inuences politicians. The

stories they print and their attitude to certain issues will be

shaped by the editor and owner, but also by the public. In an

era of free digital information, to survive a newspaper needs

to sell copies, which often means picking stories, or putting a

spin on news their audiences will want to hear.

After the headlines and opinion pieces, the letters page is

one of the most widely read parts of a newspaper. Enough

letters can persuade the editor to change their point of view,

or at least moderate it. And even more importantly its achance for you to put your argument across, point out any

mistakes the paper has made and perhaps win over other

readers. A good letter can make a huge difference to how the

public feels about an issue.

Letter-writing

Getting your letter read

Every letter makes a difference, but a few points can help

make it more likely your letter gets published.

Be concise, and check previous editions of the paper to

get an idea of the right length.

Keep to just one topic, dont be tempted to try and cover

too much ground. Try to match the style of the paper, and

be sure to check their guidelines on form and content. The

more formal broadsheets such as the Telegraph probably

wont print your letter if you dont address it Sir.

Demonstrate your experience. If the article claimed wind

farms are noisy and disruptive, you will make more of an

impression if you can say you live near one and it hasnt

caused you or your neighbours any problems.

Back up your arguments with facts. The Action for

Renewables website and Renewable UK have lots of

factsheets busting open the myths about wind.

Always read your letter out loud before you send it; its

a good way of checking that it ows properly and makes

sense.

Keep a copy back. Newspapers will often trim a letter

and its useful to be able to compare to see if this has

happened to you.

Only send letters to one national paper. Most national

newspapers and some of the larger regional papers will

only accept a unique letter and will ask if youve sent it to

any other papers.

Get your response in quickly. Todays news is tomorrows

sh and chip paper.

Finally, although we realise that anti-wind coverage can

make you pretty angry (and we get steamed up about ittoo) be passionate and rm in your convictions, but always

be polite. Oh, and dont forget to let us know if you get a

letter published!

As campaigners and activists for greenenergy, writing letters to newspapers and

your elected representatives are some ofthe most useful things you can do.


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As our elected representatives and public servants, MPs are

obliged to listen and respond to our concerns and opinions,

whether weve voted for them or not. A letter is often thebest way to raise attention, as many MPs will assume that

your letter also reects that of many other constituents who

havent written in.

Renewable energy is currently a very politicised topic, and

the debate is often dominated by a noisy minority of anti-

renewables campaigners. As we make long term decisions

about where our country gets its energy from, Its crucial that

the public does all it can to show support for green energy.

Contactingyour MP

Lobbying your local MP is one of themost established campaigning activities.

What should I write?MPs are busy so its important to be brief, to the point,

and to show how the issue affects you and your fellow

constituents. Renewable energy affects us all, because it

is part of the bigger debate about where we get our energy

from. In our current economic climate its vital that we show

public support for wind, wave, solar, biogas and geothermalenergy.

It makes sense economically. Renewable energy is creating

jobs and investment in the UK at a critical time for the

economy.

Our alternatives are expensive and unpredictable. The

UK has an abundance of natural energy in the form of

wind and waves. Last year the rising price of gas made up

around 50% of consumer bills.

The UK needs to do its part to combat dangerous climatechange. Without renewable energy (particularly onshore

wind power) we are unlikely to meet our legally binding EU

carbon targets.

Despite the best efforts of some sections of the media, its

popular. Recent polls for YouGov and the Sunday Times

have all demonstrated high levels of support of renewable

energy of different kinds.

General tipsIf possible, make sure you show support for an actual

renewable energy project in your local area, whether its anoffshore wind farm, solar park or a community scheme. .

Always include your name and your address, so that they know

you are a member of their constituency.

Stay focussed, and stick to one line of argument. Dont be

tempted to cover too much ground.

Be clear, brief and concise. MPs are rarely experts in the eld of

renewable energy and are as liable to be confused by technical

terms and jargon just as much as members of the public.

Wherever possible, ask your MP to take action on your

behalf, either by writing to a relevant minister, raising aquestion in the Commons or supporting a particular piece of

legislation


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Action for Renewables runs regular email campaigns on

important issues involving green energy. If youre taking part

in an Action for Renewables campaign you can personalise

the email you send to your MP. But you can also use the

opportunity to write a follow-up letter of your own. As always,

be polite, and thank them for their time

Getting replies and further action

If theyve been supportive then you may be able to work with

them to raise the prole of renewable energy in Parliament,

or ask them to endorse your campaigning work. You could

also arrange to meet with them to discuss further points.

Its also possible that they (or their research staff) have

written a letter that just copies and pastes a bland ofcial

response. Dont feel like this is the end of the process! Writeback and ask them to respond to the questions youve raised

and explain why you arent happy with their reply. Even if

they disagree with you, always be sure to be polite.

Further activity

While contact with your MP may well start with writing a

letter, there are many different ways that you can put your

views across, including meeting your MP to discuss issues

with them in person, asking them to raise questions in

parliament or even submitting Private Members Bills or EarlyDay Motions.

Finding out who your MP is and getting in touch

with them

Finding out your MPs contact details is easy, and there are

several ways to search for them using your postcode.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

http://www.parliament.uk/

http://www.writetothem.com/

The Action for Renewables website also has a number of

campaigns that ask you to contact your MP. Keep checking

back for more updates.


23/3223

takingactiontoolkitThis chapter provides somesuggestions for activities torun with local groups and

campaigners.


24/3224

Strategy? Or Tactics?

Strategy and tactics are two concepts that are often

mentioned in campaigning, but they arent the same. Put

briey, strategy is a broad over-arching plan to achieve a

goal. Tactics are individual actions that help make up that

strategy. The history and discussion of strategy and tactics is

very long and involving and theres an overwhelming amount

of information on the internet.

A good place to start is http://www.campaignstrategy.org/

Activity: plana campaign

Planning your activity is one of the most important aspects

of campaigning. Its essential because it helps you and

your fellow campaigners to break down an activity and

understand what you need to do to make it a success. And

crucially it also helps you to understand what that success

will look like; helping everyone to feel they are part of a

winning team.

Be honest about what you want to achieveWhen planning its important to be honest with yourself

about what you want to achieve, and whether its really

achievable. Many of us support renewable energy because

we want to tackle climate change. This is an excellent

aspiration, but a big challenge for a group of volunteers; howwill you know your activities are helping? If your planning

session leads you to conclude that youre not ready to tackle

a particular event or challenge, almost always youll have

identied the steps in between you need in order to get

there.

Equally, try not to see your plan as set in stone. A famous

military commander once said no plan survives contact

with the enemy. In other words, things can go wrong,

opportunities can change, and you shouldnt be afraid to

adapt to changing circumstances.

How do you know when youve achieved your objective? If

its running a street stall, that might be when youve packed

up at the end of the day and headed off for a well-deserved

drink. But what was the purpose of running the stall?

Aim:

To help groups constructively map out their ideas for

activities and campaigns, and set goals to achieve.

Time:

30mins-2hrs (depending on the size of the campaign and

number of participants)

What youll need:

Some large sheets of paper (ideally ip-charts), pens, people

and ideas (we nd plenty of refreshments often help the

thought process)

Was it awareness-raising, getting email addresses, or

something else? How well did it go? Setting targets helps

you understand what has worked and what hasnt, which will

make your group all the more effective next time. Its great

for motivating people and helping you pitch your activities at

the right level.


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Step by step Discussion: What activity will best achieve yourobjective?

On separate sheets, start writing down what you need to

achieve these objectives.

Depending on the objective you might start with resources

or activities rst but you will mainly nd that its a mix of

both.

For example, if your objective is to get new members of

the group, you might decide you need a public meeting

(Activity), which will mean nding a venue (Resource)

putting up posters (Activity) and getting a local councillor

to speak (in which case their contact details are a

resource and contacting them is an activity).

Stay aoat by checking your RAFT!

Is it Realistic? Can you really get 40 activists to abseil

down the town hall with a banner?*

Is it Attractive? How will your audience react to it? Will they

be interested and engaged?

Is it Focussed? Are you sure it will achieve your objective?

Is it Targeted? Can you measure it? How will you know

youve been successful?

Setting targets

Looking at your objective again, try and set targets that

help you understand how well youre doing. Dont be afraid

to aim high.

Take a moment to work out how youll evaluate the session

afterwards, this could be a quick meeting to talk about

what worked and what didnt, to an email or an online poll

through facebook.

To nish

Finish by lling in the feasibility triangle sheet. The sheethelps as a record for your event and can be photocopied for

everyone taking part as a reminder.

Start things off by making sure everyone is clear what you

want to achieve.

Do you have a particular activity that you want to undertake

or are you looking for ideas?

Make sure that everyone knows when you expect to nish

and what you want to have agreed.

Introduce the feasibility triangle.The triangle is a tool to help shape your ideas.

Its based on 3 points, your objective, the activity needed

and the resources needed. Every one of these sides is vital,

the best placed stall wont work without materials to put on

it and people to volunteer, and the most well-run meeting

wont be a success without people there to listen and take

part.

Discussion: Agree your objectives

If you have a large group, take 10 to 15 minutes in smaller

groups to discuss different objectives.

What is the most important thing your group needs to

achieve right now? Is it more people? Do you want to

raise awareness by running an event? Do you need to get

people to send letters to planning ofcers to support a

community or local wind farm/solar park?

If you have lots of ideas, write them down and discuss

briey why they should be considered

Be aware that as in all group activities, those who are the

most condent may dominate the session, especially in

large groups, make sure everyone has a chance to feed

into the conversation, often the quiet ones are sitting on a

brilliant idea!

Write up your objective on ip chart paper. Now you know

what you want to achieve, you can start looking at the

resources you need to achieve it.

*If you really can, then tell us. Well be there!


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Our objective is to...

Targets(Well know its worked if...)

Resources(To do this well need...)

Activities(To achieve it we need to...)

Evaluate!is it Realistic?

is it Attractive?

is it Focussed?

is it Targeted?

Campaign Activity Planner

Permission granted to photocopy for personal use.


27/3227

Aim

Create a good looking banner to use for your activities

Time: From 1-3hrs

What youll need

The skys the limit here, but depending on your resources,

youll most likely need

fabric for the banner such as a sheet or ripstop nylon

paint or dye to write on/illustrate it

a team of creative and enthusiastic people

Ideas and inspiration

Think about what you want to have on the banner. Do you

want to have a slogan? What colours would you use? If you

plan to use the banner for stunts or photoshoots, often the

simpler the better, and make sure its legible from a fair

distance away!

To help you plan out your ideas weve included a few

examples of campaign banners.*

Make a campaignbanner

A good looking campaign banner is anincredibly useful campaign tool. Youcan use it for stalls, to set the scene atmeetings and particularly for photoswith the press. It helps to give your

campaign a visual identity so that whenpeople see it they understand who

you are and what youre campaigningfor, and is very useful if youre thinkingabout an attention-grabbing stunt. Theycan also be very fun to make and helpbring a group together.

*Images are provided for example only and do not constitute an endorsement for

the relevent organisation or campaign.

What nextNow youve made your banner, youll want to show it off! A

banner drop is a classic way of getting attention and very

easy to organise. Pick a well-known local spot such as a

bridge or town hall and get as many people as you can to

hold the banner up. The bigger the better! Dont forget to

have someone take some pictures for newsletters, emailgroups and sending to the press.


28/3228

Aim

Get rst-hand experience of renewable energy

Understand the impact of renewable energy sites

Develop some of your own campaigning reasons for

supporting green energy

Time

1-3 months to prepare

half to 1 day for the visit

What youll need

List of renewables operators

Transport arrangements

Audio recorder (optional)

Organise a visit to awind farm or solarpark

Getting up close and personal withrenewable energy can be a little difcultwithout planning, as most sources ofpower such as wind turbines and solarparks are on private land, and wave and

tidal generators are out to sea. Howevermany operators will be happy to showgroups around if contacted. Its also agreat way to get to grips with the benetsof renewable energy and particularlyuseful for those who might be concernedabout wind farm noise.

Activities

Before the visit

Do some background research and discuss your

expectations. If youve never visited a wind farm or seen a

large wind turbine in operation, what are you expecting?

What negative things have you heard about

During the visit

Talk about your impressions of the site, (its useful tocapture these on the audio recorder. Ask people to talk

about how the site feels up close, especially if its a wind

farm. Is it noisy? How is it tting into the local environment?

After the visit

Review all the comments that people made before and

during the visit. Were your expectations conrmed? What

was different? This can be very helpful in understanding

peoples concerns about renewable energy, especially wind

power, and to help when talking to people about wind farms.


29/3229

20 minutes from Central Glasgow, Whitlee, Europes largest

wind farm has a brand new interactive visitor centre where

you can learn about renewable energy and head out to

over 70km of cycling, walking, horse rinding and outdoor

activities.

Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre

Eaglesham, Strathclyde G76 0QQ

www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth in

Wales, is a near Snowdon, is an education and visitor centre

which demonstrates practical solutions for sustainability.

They cover all aspects of green living: environmental

building, eco-sanitation, woodland management, renewable

energy, energy efciency and organic growing.

Centre for Alternative Technology

Machynlleth, Powys SY20 9AZ

www.cat.org.uk

The EcoTech Centre at Swaffham in Norfolk aims to inform

the public about sustainablitiy and renewable energy. As

well as the the worlds fastest wind powered car and a large

solar array, there are great views from the observation

platform built at the top of the centres wind turbine.

EcoTech Centre

Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7HT

www.ecotech.co.uk

Delabole wind farm was the rst commercial wind farm to be

built in the UK, and is still going strong. If youre in Cornwall

why not stop by? The wind farm is run by Good Energy, and

can be found 3 km north west of Camelford, and in easy

reach of many of Cornwalls best tourist spots.

Speak to owner Martin Edwards to arrange group tours.

01840 214 100

There are a growing number ofdedicated visitor centres in the UK where

you can nd out more about windenergy and other renewable sources.

Delabole, Cornwall


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AimFind out a bit more about the different types of renewable

energy in the UK

Bring people together in support of

Time: 1-1.5hrs (Film 33mins)

What youll need

A copy of the Oddies Oddyssey DVD

DVD player and a large TV or projector

Popcorn or snacks

Somewhere to show the DVD. Depending on the size of

your audience, this could be anything from your front

room to a community centre. Or if youre condent with

the weather, why not show it outside with a barbecue and

some drinks?

After the lm has nished, why not have a groupdiscussion?

What was the most inspiring about the video?

What have you learned that might be useful in discussing

renewable energy?

Has the video raised questions for your group to

What should you do next? This is a great opportunity to

either plan your next campaigning activity or to publicise

your next event.

Oddies OddysseyScreening

Our short lm, Oddies Odyssey followsrenowned UK broadcaster and naturalistBill Oddie as he travels round the UKlooking at different forms of renewableenergy. Its a great introduction to some

of the reasons behind green energy andhow they work, so if you are just startingout campaigning for renewable energywhy not have a screening for your group?


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Resources order form

Wind Energy for Kids Oddies Oddyssey DVD

Embrace Lapel Badges Posters

I heart wind button badges Action for Renewables

Sign-up Postcards

I heart wave button badges

The following Action for Renewables resources are available to help you with your campaign activitiy.

Please fl the required amount in each box (subject to availability), your details, and return to the address

provided below.

Please complete and return this form by email, post or fax.

Email: [email protected]

Fax: 020 7901 3001

Post: Action For Renewables c/o RenewableUK, Greencoat House, Francis Street, London SW1P 1DH

Contact NameGroup or organisation

Delivery dddress

Postcode

Contact Telephone

Contact Email


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Action For Renewables

(Supported by RenewableUK)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7901 3035 Fax: +44 (0)20 7901 3001RenewableUK Greencoat House Francis

action for renewables activist pack

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