Andy Atkins' visit to Leicester - 28th February 2013

Andy Atkins, the Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, visited Leicester for the day on 28th February. We took him to visit the site of a new 'Bee World' meadow, which Leicester Friends of the Earth will be planting with wildflowers in conjunction with Leicester City Council. The Leicester Mercury came to take photos and they reported on the project. Bee numbers are declining due to the use of pesticides and the loss of wildflowers so Friends of the Earth are encouraging everyone to plant flowers for bees and other pollinators.

Afterwards, Andy and two members of Leicester Friends of the Earth met with Rory Palmer, the Deputy Mayor responsible for Climate Change mitigation policy, and two Council officers, to discuss what the City Council are doing. We were interested to hear more about the Greener Leicester Climate Change Action Plan and the Council's future plans.

In the evening, Andy gave a public lecture at Leicester University, entitled 'Economy and environment: friends or enemies?' It was very well attended, with about 70 people and a lot of students. As you can perhaps guess, Andy explained that the economy and the environment are not separate and we cannot solve our economic problems without addressing the way we treat our environment. He urged the audience to join the environmental movement, if they have not already, and help the struggle for a sustainable future.

After the lecture, we finished the evening in style by taking Andy to Barceloneta for tapas. An inspiring day!