Green Impact Hospitals is the latest scheme introduced by Bristol University’s Sustainability Department.

The  ‘Green Impact’ Scheme was instigated four years ago by Bristol University’s Sustainability Department in partnership with the National Union of Students Services Limited (NUSSL). Since then it has spread nationally, being adopted by over 50 universities within the UK.

The principles of the scheme include recycling, reducing waste and cutting down on water usage in order to reduce negative environmental impact. Departments in Bristol University have been challenged to employ and promote as many of these tasks as possible. If these actions are successfully completed, departments are given points and subsequently gain awards, the highest being the Platinum Award.

Green Impact has now been extended to hospitals, since the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has recently united with Bristol University and NUSSL. The project is designed to help hospitals celebrate becoming greener and reducing their negative impact on the environment by using the accreditation scheme. If the pilot project succeeds in reducing energy use it will be launched in many other hospitals.

Martin Wiles, Head of the University’s Sustainability Department has said, ‘Our new partnership with University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is very exciting. We’ve seen that relatively minor changes to the way we do things can have a big effect, and this will hopefully be the case in hospitals too.’

Samuel Willitts, Energy and Sustainability Manager at UH Bristol also commented that the Green Impact Hospital Scheme ‘complements the central schemes the [NHS Foundation] Trust is already investing in like better recycling systems and more energy efficient buildings.’

Another recent scheme that has been put into practice this year is Green Impact Laboratories. This is a joint proposal between NUSSL and a national scheme, S-Labs. The focus is on measures that can be taken by lab staff to attain efficiency in things such as fume cupboards, chemicals and waste. This is an seen as important project for Green Impact as Bristol University is extremely research-intensive, resulting in their lab activity having a large environmental impact, estimated at 40% of the university’s total energy use.

Green Impact teams are involved in over 1,500 individual sustainability actions each year. In the last five years there has been a 2.9% reduction in carbon emissions and a 12.5% reduction in water use. The amount of waste going to landfill has also decreased, from 60% in 2007 to 44% last year, through the encouragement of recycling facilities. Furthermore, the new bike facilities and bus service that runs from Stoke Bishop to the university precinct has resulted in only 21% staff driving to work on their own.

A representative of the Bristol Green Party Society commented that, ‘reducing our consumption of energy is key to achieving a sustainable future. By rolling out the ‘green impact’ scheme across public institutions we change the norm and get important issues of sustainability into the public discourse. In doing so we make it politically acceptable for the government to challenge private businesses to follow suit.  When large institutions like universities and hospitals implement a scheme like this it challenges people to question their own consumption. By combining an efficiency drive with decreased waste and usage on a national level we can make a real difference to climate change.’

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A report compiled by the Bristol Fawcett Society alleges that the Government’s spending cuts will cost Bristol’s women £45 million, double the cost to the city’s men.

People took to the College Green to protest against the cuts with many fearing they will cause greater inequality in the city. The protest was organized by Fawcett Bristol, a local gender equality activist group who fear that the impact of spending cuts on women will entrench and increase gender inequality in the city.

The 100-page report demonstrating the impact of the cuts, produced by Falstaff Member, Anna Mapson, 33 offers a stark warning that changes in benefits and taxes will cost Bristol’s women £44,825,450 and that cuts to housing benefits leave women up to £15 a week worse off. She said it could be used as ‘local evidence’ for local decision-makers.

The protesters argue that although men also suffer the consequences, women are disproportionately affected.

For example, the group claims key findings in the report showed that 7,000 women will lose £10 – £15 a week with changes to housing benefits. This will affect about 3,300 men.

Ms Mapson, from Southville, said ‘disabled women, black and ethnic minority women and asylum seekers are being hit with cuts from all angles.’

She went on to say that ‘Women seem to be more dependent on benefits, they shoulder a lot of the unpaid caring responsibilities, they receive maternity and childcare credits and are more likely to be in the support roles that are being cut’.

The group warns against the council cutting the health and social care budget by £7.3 million, claiming the number of women needing these services outnumber the men by several thousand.

The report explains that the changes to the benefits and tax system includes cuts to tax credits, benefits to pregnant women, family and care benefits and unemployment benefits.

The report is part of a wider Fawcett Bristol project called ‘Cutting Women Out in Bristol’ that focuses on challenging the coalition government’s emergency budget. Fawcett estimates that 70% of these government cuts ‘hit women’s purses directly.’

The report extends to the issue of women’s employment. It’s findings show that ‘the number of men in unemployment nationally has fallen by 31,000 since the start of the recovery, in the same period, the number of unemployed women has risen by 71,000. Fawcett Bristol believes that in the city, ‘the outlook for women’s employment is not good.’ It argues women make up 63% of council workers in Bristol. The council are planning 240 job cuts in 2011/12.

Fawcett Bristol believes ‘the spending cuts here in Bristol are […] likely to widen the equality gap between women and men, and are likely to have a serious impact on women’s human rights.’

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This year’s Remembrance Day Parade was peaceful and dignified, despite fears of tension between Occupy Bristol protestors and the general public. Although there were concerns that the protest would be a disturbance to the Parade, most of the campers were visibly cooperative, with the majority of its members wearing poppies and respecting the traditions of the ceremony by standing in an orderly line at the front of the site throughout.

The parade started at 10.30am and consisted of veterans, cadets, local officials and marching bands. The route began at College Green, the site of the protest, and continued to the Cenotaph in time for the minute’s silence at 11 o’clock. A small number of police officers accompanied the marchers and helped to close the roads.

Fears over potential disruptions to Sunday’s ceremony were proved unwarranted by the protestors themselves. Perhaps in order to dissipate these fears, some campers had placed a two-metre-high figure of a red poppy at the front of the main tent. A release on the Occupy Bristol website stated that the police and military were happy for them to stay during the parade, and highlighted that they had the “utmost respect” for the sacrifices of British soldiers.

Whilst the mood on Sunday was largely amicable, the camp has been asked to disperse already by the staff of Bristol Cathedral, which owns College Green, and also by some members of Bristol City Council. Steven Williams MP, who represents Bristol West, also spoke out and requested that they leave in time for Remembrance Sunday.

Despite these objections, the protestors have stayed put and plan to stay at least until Christmas. Their defence seems to be that they are performing a necessary public duty, an argument which is neatly summarised by a sign outside the main tent, which reads, “Sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world.”

The campsite is part of a global protest sparked by the Occupy Wall Street demonstration, whose aims are to provoke a discourse on how best to improve our current economic system. They have been pitched at College Green for over a month and are growing in number as more like-minded people join their campsite. There are currently around 40 tents at the site, which includes communal areas for discussions and meetings, public toilets and even a makeshift cinema.

For the moment at least, neither the Council nor the Cathedral is eager to press for an eviction. Rev Dr David Hoyle, the dean of Bristol Cathedral, wants to wait as long as possible before doing so, and says, “We have asked them to leave because we feel they have made their point, but I haven’t set any time frame at all. A tipping point for us is if the protest is escalating.” As winter approaches and the temperature drops, the protestors’ resolve will certainly be tested.

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The southbound carriageway of the M5 was closed after a major crash occurred on the 4^th of November involving a pile-up of 34 vehicles.

Photo: BBC - Tony and Pamela Adams were killed in the crash

The investigation into the cause of the pile-up has led to an inquiry into smoke coming from the fireworks display of Taunton rugby club next to the M5, although doubt has been cast on this theory since experts claim that the display would not have caused the heavy blanket of smoke reported by witnesses. Acting Sgt Richard Davis from Gloustershire Police commented that “the weather conditions at the time were atrocious, visibility was severely reduced, obviously it was dark and foggy”.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham has said that “from witness evidence there was very significant smoke across the carriageway that in effect caused a bank, similar to a fog bank, which was very distracting and very difficult to drive through”.

There were three lorries at the heart of the crash which were engulfed in flames. At the front of the wreckage two Iceland and a TNT lorry collided causing other vehicles to crash. Fifteen fire crews were called to the scene to deal with the inferno which resulted.

Seven people were killed and fifty one injured when the vehicles collided. Twenty five of those injured were taken to Yeovil District Hospital for treatment while seventeen victims more seriously injured were rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset police said that eleven of those injured remain in hospital in a stable condition. Among those killed were two lorry drivers, as well as a couple returning from Wales, a father and daughter driving home after attending a funeral in Berkshire, and the seventh fatality was a father-of-two from Somerset.

Colin Bentley of the Taunton Rugby Club has said “everyone at the club is incredibly upset at the terrible loss of life – no one could fail to be moved by it. My heart, soul and prayers go out to those affected. The club is supporting the police in their inquiries”.

Tom Hamill, a teacher from Bristol, was involved in the accident but he managed to escape. Hamill carried a baby from the wreckage whose mother was carrying her toddler to safety. Other heroes have emerged from the tragedy including Roger Neno from Wester Super-Mare who smashed the windows of burning cars in order to pull the passengers to safety. Neno described the scene as “hell on earth”.

The road was re-opened on Sunday night in what the police referred to as a ‘rolling road-block’ whereby vehicles are led slowly by two vehicles from the Highway Agency past the wreckage. Fuel spillages damaged 40 metres of road along the M5 and “intense fire” caused damage to 60 metres of road. Transport Secretary Justine Greening said “thank you for the tremendous work that the emergency services have done today and indeed the local hospitals who have treated the injured”.

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Two weeks ago, students renting a flat in Cotham became the latest victims of burglary. Despite a dramatic reduction in burglary incidents in Bristol, students are still three times more likely to be burgled than any other group in the city.

One of the tenants, Karan, told Epigram how on the Monday night, she was in her room and heard three men outside. Shortly afterwards, three pairs of hands came through the open window. The men swiftly walked away, were seen leaving the garden and then later driving off in a silver estate. The police were called but little could be done.

Just a few days later, on Friday night, another member of the flat, Andrew, arrived home and immediately noticed his Macbook was missing. He had not locked his door and had therefore provided easy access to the burglars.

In a sinister turn of events, the burglars left a knife from the kitchen in Karan’s room. A forensic team, who arrived the next day to take fingerprints, believe that the knife was used to prise open drawers.

Unfortunately, there were no witnesses. One of the neighbours in the flat above was in, but heard nothing unusual.

According to Andrew, the police ‘did all that I could expect’.  The landlord has agreed to install bars in the window to prevent future break-ins.

flickr: EB20111

According to Councillor Gary Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Targeted Improvement, ‘This time of year often sees a peak in the number of burglaries and we know that students living in shared houses are vulnerable’.

Official figures supplied by the Home Office show Bristol to have a Burglary rate of 15.4 per 1,000 of the population, compared to an average of 9.6.

Bristol Neighbours website endeavours to explain why students are so at risk:

‘Take your typical student home of 4 or 5 students. Each of you probably has a phone, maybe an iPod, a laptop or computer, computer game consoles, the list of temptation goes on.’

The website goes on to highlight the dangers of living in “The Zone”. These are the areas of Redland, Cotham, Bishopston, Ashley Down, and Montpelier, which are often targeted by burglars due to the high numbers of students living in the area.

All students are advised to register their possessions on Immobilise.com, so if belongings are found by the police they can be traced back to the owner.

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The University of Bristol Union transported just 17 people to join the thousands of students attending the protests in London on Wednesday 9th November.

The march, which began outside the University of London at Bloomsbury and continued through central London, was against Government cuts to education and public services.

In his presidential campaign UBU President Gus Baker seriously criticised his predecessor James Ashton-Bell for not providing transport to the protests last year. This year the UBU provided a minibus and a Megabus for the student protestors.

Mr Baker gave his reaction to the demonstration to Epigram.

‘The government seems intent on ripping apart higher education. Fee hikes and a cut to EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) will stand in the way of bright, ambitious young people from ordinary backgrounds getting to universities like Bristol. UBU marched in London on Wednesday to protect our current students and to ensure those that come after us have the same opportunities that we did,’ he said.

The march, organised by the NCAFC (National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts), came exactly a year after the Conservative Party HQ at Millbank was attacked by a minority of protestors in the first of the student demonstrations, leading to hundreds of arrests.

In the days before Wednesday’s march police sent warning letters to some of those involved in last year’s demonstration and stated that they had the authority to use baton rounds, leading to an accusation from organiser Michael Chessum that the statement was ‘part of a deeply cynical attempt to pre-criminalise’ the protest.

The Metropolitan Police said they had 4000 officers on duty.  The NCAFC said 10000 people attended the march.

Demonstrators chanted ‘No ifs, not buts, no education cuts’ and ‘you can shove your rubber bullets up your a***’ in response to the warning issued by Scotland Yard.

Police made 24 arrests in the otherwise peaceful protest.  Some of those arrested were in Trafalgar Square, where a small group of protestors tried to set up tents in the style of the Occupy movement which has established itself in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, College Green in Bristol and in numerous other cities around the world.

Epigram spoke to several members of the public who were at the demonstration.

Adam Shennan, a 15-year-old from Camden, said the increase of many universities’ tuition fees to £9000 a year is affecting his decisions on higher education.

‘All the universities that I would like to apply to are taking up the £9000 fees.  I don’t want to start my working life with minus £40000 in my bank.  That puts pressure on me to get a job immediately when jobs might not be plentiful,’ he said.

‘I think we have to be realistic.  I think the march has been successful in that it’s got large numbers of students on the streets.  It’s just being that annoyance that won’t go away,’ Tamara White, 20, an anthropology student at Goldsmith’s, University of London said.

William Tuckwell, a 1^st year politics and philosophy student at Bristol, who attended the protest on the minibus, told Epigram how the protests were intended to put pressure on the government to rethink their ‘destructive cuts’.

‘The police resources deployed were largely disproportionate for the size of the demonstration; there was little conflict to be seen.’

He added, ‘I don’t know anyone else from Bristol who went, which is a shame. I get the impression that the University is a little under politicised, hopefully there will be a better turn out in the future.’

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A Bristol barber has been found guilty of common assault after shaving the word ‘fool’ in inch-high letters into the hair of a man with severe learning difficulties.

Michael Campbell, 35, had only been working at Jam Cut on Stapleton Road for three works when the incident occurred on February 11^th. Michael Ricketts, 49, went in and asked for a pattern, but was unaware that he left with a smiley face and the derogatory term ‘fool’ shaved into the back of his head.

After a day long trial at Bristol Magistrate’s court on October 14^th, Campbell was told to return on November 4^th, where was then sentenced to 200 hours of community service and to wear an electronic tag with an overnight curfew for three months. He is also set to pay compensation of £300 and court costs of £775.

His victim, Michael Ricketts, originally from Jamaica, was described to court as a ‘vulnerable adult’ who is ‘difficult to understand’ because of the way he mumbled his words. Campbell claimed in court that he had not realised Rickets had any learning difficulties.

The barber from Willow House, Hartcliffe, Bristol, denied a charge of assault and one of failing to answer bail, stating that he had actually shaved the word ‘cool’ into Ricketts’ hair. However, three separate witnesses confirmed the actual wording in court.

Questions have been asked over why Campbell was working at Jam Cuts in the first place, given that he has no formal haircutting qualifications and it is unlikely he has any in customer care.

The Chairmen of the Bench, Eddie Strong, told Campbell: ‘we are satisfied that you were aware of Mr Ricketts’ difficulties.’ ‘We find the evidence and accounts given by the prosecution witnesses to be credible and consistent. Yours was not’.

Campbell’s crime has been taken very seriously by Avon and Somerset police, who have categorised it as a hate crime. Detective Constable Mai Wong from the Hate Crime unit said, ‘Michael Campbell has taken advantage of a man who was vulnerable and trusted the people he came into contact with. He has also caused distress and upset to the local community who are protective of someone who clearly needs a lot of support.’

‘I hope that this case will encourage victims and their carers to report incidents, knowing we will listen to them and thoroughly investigate their concerns’ said Wong.

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