In it to win it: a warm glow on homes
Adam Bradbury
11 May 2011
"Here, you know that campaign we're running to warm up rented homes?" says my colleague Dave, unfolding his folding bike and slipping on his shades on the way out of the building last night. "Well, we've won the first bit."
That made my evening. (At least it blunted the pain of seeing Spurs fail to get into Europe.)
Here's why:
Campaigning is what we do here - whether or not campaigner is in your job title (and it's not in mine). So when we win a significant step like this it feels like we all win.
And I mean all of us. Our campaigns take lots of hard work by a huge number of people.
Not just the brilliant campaigners who lead the work, but all the staff and volunteers here, thousands of people in our local groups across the country and tens of thousands of Friends of the Earth supporters - who in this case have been telling the Government to act and sending us money to help us campaign.
On warm homes we've led a coalition of almost 40 health and consumer organisations, green groups, children's charities, councils and grassroots groups including Citizens Advice, Crisis, Consumer Focus, Age UK and the Association for the Conservation of Energy. And 175 MPs from across the political spectrum have backed our argument.
If you're one of those people, thank you - I hope you realise how valuable your support is.
But when I say it feels like we all win, I mean even more than this formidable network.
Because it's got to be in everyone's interest for Britain's worst insulated homes to be brought up to scratch. Less heat wasted = warmer homes and lower bills, less sickness, and lower carbon emissions.
And that's what yesterday's Government announcement promised.
"We won" doesn't mean that's the end of it. There's still lots to do on this campaign. There always is.
But each little victory is another three points in the bag. And it reminds me why I want to be part of the team.
Adam Bradbury, Publishing & New Media team
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