Green Blog
28 February 2011
Thousands sign letter to Huhne
My last blog post was about lemurs and jungles. Today it's something a bit less photogenic: energy efficiency ratings of rented homes - bands F and G to be precise (they're the really bad ones).
It could have been a dull task - but Friends of the Earth supporters have made writing about them a bit easier.
Over the past few months they've sent MPs hundreds of stories, detailing just how foul it is to live in cold properties during cold weather.
Some of them are quite entertaining - frozen underwear, the ludicrous attempts people have made block up drafts - but others highlight how serious an issue it is. Cold and damp aren't funny when your child's got asthma.
Now our Director, Andy Atkins, has written to the Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, to ask him to back a new law to protect tenants. And he wants people to add their names to it - as thousands already have - before we deliver it later this week.
A letter from Andy will always get noticed but having the weight of our supporters behind it will give it a real boost.
I hate the word 'clicktivism' - but at Friends of the Earth we find online support from activists can be a powerful tool.
We know the stories are having an impact.
They're also linked to all sorts of other activities, from our meetings with politicians and government officials to the campaigns run across the country by our autonomous local groups.
So if you add your name to Andy's letter it's much more than just signing a petition.
For some interesting thoughts on the role of petitions and all this 'other stuff' check out the Political Dynamite blog about the activity around the scrapped plans to sell off our forests.
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