Minutes: January 23rd 2006

Minutes from the Aberdeen Campaign Against Climate Change, 23rd January 2006

1. Campaign against airport expansion in Aberdeen:

The leaflet, poster, draft objection letter and fact sheet are now on www.climatechangecampaign.blogsport.com/ . Almuth to adapt the leaflet for door-to-door leafletting, so that it announces the public meeting and has the poster on the back. Aly and Penny will copy that leaflet. We will also have simple postcards before next weekend. We have had two stalls so far. It is important for as many people as possible to write their own individual letters to BAA and to copy them to their political representatives.

Door-to-door leafletting: Next two Sundays, meet 11am in Victoria Street, Dyce. To be done in pairs for personal safety.

Public meeting: We will book the Dyce Primary School dining hall for Tuesday, 28th February, 7.30-9.30 pm. Calvin will try and get a speaker who has campaigned against expansion of an existing international airport, if possible. We could also contact Transform Scotland for a speaker, as well as the Unison health workers' branch in Aberdeen.

Posters will be done for the public meeting and go to all libraries, community councils and different venues. Aly will ask shops along the flight paths to put them up. Caitlin will do publicity at the University, particularly at the Fair Trade Cafe.

We have written to the Community Councils most affected by airport expansion. So far, we have only had one (positive) response. Calvin will follow this up.

Almuth to write to local environmental/conservation organisations about airport expansion. Kris to raise this with the North East Mountain Trust.

We will do a full press release shortly before the public meeting.

2. Groups get-together:

We suggest Saturday, 25th February for a Scottish groups meeting, in Dundee.

3. Critical Mass Cycle Ride:

This should still go ahead at the end of February. Alberto will follow up on this and forward full details. Information about the general idea can be found on www.critical-mass.org/ .

4. Outreach:

Almuth has spoken to Camphill, and to Aberdeen Trades Council, and has been invited by a retired workers' T&G branch. We will try to build more contacts, inlcuding with other trade union branches. Any ideas for possible talks welcome. Anybody can do them, if they like. A display at the Central Library was suggested - to be discussed further next meeting.

5. Film shows:

The recent films Letters from Brazil and Letters from Grangemouth (about BP's impact in Scotland and the destructive eucalyptus plantation they fund in Brazil in order to 'offset' their emissions here) has now been released. We will contact the Belmont Cinema to ask whether they might wish to show it - otherwise we can try and show it ourselves.

6. Fundraising:

Dissent!Aberdeen are organising a gig on 12th February at 8pm at the Tunnels. The money raised will go towards this campaign (thanks!).

We will have a sponsored hill-climb at the end of March. Anybody interested to contact Calvin.

7. Next Meeting:

We will aim for two meetings a month - one standard planning meeting and the other with a topical talk or video. Our next meeting will be on Monday, 6th February at New Kings Building (venue to be confirmed). We will be showing a video about public and media perception of climate change, followed by a discussion and then by a shorter planning meeting.