Company spokesperson Joanna King explained, “We understand that our investment in environmentally destructive schemes, such as the Canadian tar sands, tends to generate a lot of bad feelings aimed at our brand. While we are not prepared to pass up such profitable opportunities, we are happy to buy biscuits for people in Medway in order to offset accusations of callous disregard to the well being of people elsewhere.”

The Tipping Point shop has been cleared of political content as part of the new sponsorship deal but the tea and coffee remains fair trade.

Eon admit that the proposed pipeline is intended for a much larger scheme than just a new Kingsnorth – it would have sufficient capacity for an entire ‘Thames Cluster’ transporting 24 million tonnes of CO2 each year which is the equivalent to four new power stations the size of Kingsnorth!

If consent is given, the Eon pipeline will go over the Hoo Peninsula and then across the seabed taking it to North Sea where they claim it can be stored away and help mitigate against catastrophic climate change.  Even assuming the idea is economically viable (and that the gas doesn’t escape too too quickly from ‘storage’), it is likely that much of the gas will be used to help energy companies extract even more oil and gas from north sea, which obviously means greater emissions.

Have you got lots of unwanted x-mas pressies that need a new home? Fed up of wearing the same old clothes?

Come along and swap unwanted clothes, books, games, videos and anything else you think someone might want, for something you need.

The event will start at 12am with open table-top swapping through till 5pm. There will also be people on hand to give advice about composting and recycling.

We want to encourage people to buy less stuff because over consumption is putting our planet and people in danger.

Buying less and sharing more not only saves money and our environment, but also helps you get to know others in your community better. Which is why we are also hosting a speed dating style dinner party. Everyones welcome, just bring some food or drink to share and be ready to take part in a few games we have in store! After the meal the party atmosphere will continue with reverse strip poker, short films, incidental open mic and more.

The aim of the event is to connect the social impacts of resource consumption and climate change – as well as to promote the existence of initiatives such as the swapshop and freegle which help to keep usable items out of landfill.

Nearly 70% of rubbish sent to landfill sites could be recycled or composted. With landfill tax approaching £40 per tonne, local authorities are spending tens of millions of pounds dealing with waste each year. This represents the largest single item within peoples council tax.

In the Medway area, the recycling rate currently stands at around 35%. Medway Council, which is supporting the event, aims to increase the recycling rate to at least 45% by 2015 and 55% by 2020.

Join the fun on Saturday 13th Feb – 12-5pm
‘Speed dating’ style dinner party 5 -7pm
films and open mic after

@Tipping Point, 46 High Street, Library end, opp Peacocks.

There’s a challenging year ahead if we stand a chance of staving off catastrophic tipping points into runaway global warming.  So come in and see what you can do.

Early in February we’ll be hosting a ‘what’s mine is yours’ swapshop party. If you’d like to help make it happen or have any ideas then come have a chat.

As for the future of Tipping Point into 2010, well our funding has now run out and unless we secure further funding we will be closing by early March. If you think the project should continue then get involved now as nothing is decided and your input is everything.

Energy saving lightbulbs, also known as compact florescent lamps (CFL), use just 20% as much energy as an equivalent filament bulb and last many times longer. Using these bulbs instead of those transitional bulbs will not only save energy but also save you money. However, lighting accounts for only about 15% of the energy used in the home so getting everyone to switch to low energy light bulbs is not going to cut emissions anywhere as much as required. Pop into the shop to find out how to can make over simple cost effective changes which will cut emissions and save you money.

People in this situation are often eligible for grants or save-while-you-pay schemes that will drastically cut fuel bills through greater insulation and efficiency. However few people seem to know about the opportunities or get round to applying so the grants go unclaimed.

Tipping Point will work with local people to research grants and schemes available in the area and provide opportunities for people to work together, not only to apply for these grants but to share best practise on keeping warm on a budget this winter while cutting energy use and emissions. We’re also putting together displays and information in the store about cost effective energy saving hints and tips.

We’ll have four speakers from the Camp for Climate Action, Campaign Against Climate Change, the World Development Movement and Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway in a round table ‘talking-cafe’ discussion.

The questions we aim to address in this interactive format will be;

1. What would a fair deal look like.
2. What can we do locally.
3. What next after copenhagen.
4. What are the barriers to change and how can we overcome them.

The meeting will also promote the massive demonstrations planned on the 5th December and organise discounted group travel to London for those wishing to attend. If you like to travel to London and back as a part of a group of local people for the demo on the 5th but can’t make the meeting on the 25th, please let us know so we can include you in the discounted train fare deal.