The new Northern Ireland Environment Agency launched on 1st July, replacing the Environment and Heritage Service. Alongside launching the Agency, the NI Environment Minister announced a range of new measures to modernise and strengthen environmental regulation.

See CommunityNI news for more, http://www.communityni.org/index.cfm/section/news/key/010708_environment_agency, or go direct to NIEA at http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk.

UPDATE: There has been criticism that this body isn’t an independent agency, as in the rest of the UK. Community NI quote Friends of the Earth: “This re-badging is a cynical and expensive exercise. The NI Environment Agency will be part of DOE, answerable to the Minister and subject to political interference. But its name may lead the unsuspecting to believe that it is an independent agency, like those elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.”

Recently highlighted on Nonprofit Online News, but not that new, is ‘Third-Party Nonviolent Intervention - Curriculum and Trainer’s Manual’, from Training For Change.

The first half (the curriculum) can be downloaded from http://www.trainingforchange.org/content/view/111/33/index.html.

The ‘Our South West’ web site has a guide to reducing the environmental impacts of conferences and seminars, which now includes a ‘Greener Events Guide Checklist for Outdoor/Community Events’ (small pdf).

See http://www.oursouthwest.com/SusBus/gevents.html#companion-guides

(Source: Acre Alert)

A new Third Sector Capacity Building Programme covering waste and resource management has been funded by WRAP, the government’s waste-reduction body. Run by a new CIC (community interest company), REconomy, the scheme has five strands of Organisational Development, Market Development, Networking and Training, Investment for Growth, Projects. REconomy has been set up by a partnership of four networks: Community Recycling Network UK, Furniture Reuse Network, Community Composting Network and London Community Recycling Network. See http://reconomy.org.uk/programme, or the WRAP news item at http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/news/wrap_joins_forces.html.

The Minister for the Environment in the Welsh Assembly has also announced £3 million over the next three years towards the ‘Cylch Capacity Building Investment Fund’. This will provide strategic support for Welsh community re-use and recycling enterprises that need help to grow their business operations. CRN Scotland news item.

Worth noting in this context is that community interest company ECT Recycling has just been bought by private company May Gurney from the ECT Group (which runs Ealing Community Transport). Third Sector reports that the CIC Regulator (http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk) has said that it would be monitoring the deal, presumably because there are restrictions on asset transfers by CICs (http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/815634/, registration required)

A Climate Challenge Fund has been launched by the Scottish Government, with over eighteen million pounds open to a wide variety of organisations to deliver innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions significantly at a local level. For example becoming more energy efficient, encouraging people to walk and cycle more, and using local, sustainable food.

News item at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/06/03101154 or go direct to http://www.itsourfuture.co.uk/climate_challenge_fund/index.html.

Museums are being encouraged to think about sustainability - social, environmental and economic.

The Museums Association has published a short introduction and a longer discussion paper, and invites relevant organisations to respond by 1st September. http://www.museumsassociation.org/sustainability.

Natural England’s Lottery funded ‘Access to Nature’ grant programme aims to provide lasting change to disadvantaged communities and is open to organisations and networks who want to help broaden access to the natural world for young people, older people, Black and Minority Ethnic groups, and people with disabilities.

Amounts between £50,000 and £500,000 will be awarded on a national and regional basis. http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/accesstonature.

Environments for Learning, an accreditation scheme for environmental volunteers based on the European Qualification Framework, launches in September. Developed by conservation charity BTCV and six partners across Europe, it will recognise skills and knowledge that volunteers learn informally through volunteering. Third Sector news item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/810962/ (registration required).

Also from BTCV is a new report that demonstrates that every pound invested in a volunteering project gave a social return of £4. ‘Inspiring People, Improving Places - The positive impact and behavioural change achieved through environmental volunteering with BTCV’ is in pdf, 1.14MB, from http://www2.btcv.org.uk/BehaviourChange.pdf.

An online survey for the Ministry of Justice on the impact of the Freedom of Information Act is being conducted by University College London. Views from anyone who has requested information from a central government department are welcome.

MoJ announcement with link, http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement080508a.htm.

Action Earth provides grants of up to £50 to assist groups in England, Scotland and Wales in carrying out environmental projects by the end of July.

This year, there are also a limited number of £250 grants, only available in Scotland and funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, specifically intended for biodiversity projects. Apply a.s.a.p. at http://www.actionearth.org.uk.

(Source: Third Force eNews)

The national Heritage Open Days event sees buildings across England, old and modern, that are usually closed to the public or that would normally charge, throw their doors wide. This year it runs 11th to 14th September. It is co-ordinated nationally by the Civic Trust, with support from English Heritage, and thrives on the enthusiasm and expertise of local people.

If your organisation wants to take part, see http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk. There are similar but separate events in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and London - http://www.heritagedays.net.

The government-supported investment fund for the voluntary and community sector, Futurebuilders England, is now actively seeking applications from third sector organisations working across all public service areas that are looking to win public sector contracts.

Previously restricted to five areas of service delivery, funding is open for the first time to organisations involved in such areas as sport, recreation and leisure, environmental projects, waste and recycling, legal aid and the arts. There is more money available to invest, and they aim to provide a faster response in future.

FBE news item, or see Third Sector news item, http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/800413/ (registration required).