Liverpool Friends of the Earth held a screening of the film Sauvages by Claude Barras to raise awareness of the Planet Over Profit campaign, which is calling for a new UK law to ensure companies must avoid harm to people and planet in their supply chains. Thank you so much to Dr Teo Hoon Seong for speaking at the event. More info in the links below for anyone who wants to get involved.
Read more about Planet Over Profit, sign the petition, and find out how to get local organisations interested in supporting the call for a new law:
If you want to write to your MP to call on them to support a new law, you can find their contact details and advice on how best to engage with local politicians below:
Thank you so much to those who came to watch the film and engage with the campaign. Every contribution matters, even if you may feel it’s too small to make a difference. With enough of us calling for change, we can work together towards holding companies accountable for the harms they cause overseas.
Join Liverpool Friends of the Earth for a litter pick in Sefton Park on Sunday 17th May. Meet us outside the park cafe at 10am. We can provide equipment or bring your own if you already have it! Great way to meet some new people and to keep our wonderful green spaces looking their best.
The Gary Mahoney Memorial Debate is brought to you by the Merseyside Environmental Trust in partnership with Friends of the Earth Liverpool and Faiths4Change.
This year as a break from our traditional format we will be holding a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing and facilitating a discussion on the film and next steps as part of the National Emergency Briefing Campaign. (https://www.nebriefing.org/).
Green Drinks Liverpool will be held in the Wave Bar from 5:30 prior to the start of the screening in the Pearce Suite.
Download the PDF of the poster to share with people:
“At the edge of Borneo’s vast rainforest, Kéria rescues a baby orangutan found in the palm plantation where her father works. At the same time, her young cousin Selaï seeks refuge with her family, fleeing the conflict that opposes his nomadic people to the logging companies. Kéria, Selaï, and Oshi, the baby orangutan, will fight together to protect the endangered native forest – a fight that also takes Kéria on a journey to uncover the truth about her roots.”
Join us for a screening of the film Sauvages and an introduction to Friends of the Earth’s Planet Over Profit campaign, fighting for a new law that would require UK companies to prevent harm to communities and the environment in their supply chains.
The film is rated PG and is 87 minutes long.
Welcome and drinks from 2pm, introduction and film screening at 2.30pm.
Accessibility info:
External access to the building is available through ramps – at the Nelson Street side of the building, to the lower ground floor (Chamber Theatre and Studio) – and at the Sankey Street side of the building, to the ground floor (Gallery). An accessible lift connects to all six floors, and wheelchair accessible toilets and internal ramps render all levels fully physically accessible. The fit-out of the building includes plans for Sennheiser infra-red assistive listening systems in public performance and exhibition areas, and for induction loops in reception and meeting areas.
Download a PDF of the poster to share with people:
Malcolm and Louise Kinney have written an excellent case study on their experiences retrofitting their house in Garston, South Liverpool. Although some aspects of retrofitting may change, such as the types and amounts of grants available, a lot of this information will be relevant for anyone looking at doing similar work on their house. If you wish to contact Malcolm with any questions, please write to us at foe.liverpool@gmail.com and we will pass on your enquiry to him. Thank you to Malcolm and Louise for sharing this report with Friends of the Earth and the wider community.
Introduction
The case study below is our house and of course every home is different. However, in this area, it is a fairly typical solid wall 1920/30’s semidetached one.
We undertook this project for a number of reasons. Our politics have increasingly become Green and our concerns for the planet and what we are leaving for our grandchildren, are huge issues for us. Also we wanted to invest in a more comfortable eco-friendly home.
Underfloor insulation and external wall insulation.
Company – Next Energy – External Wall Insulation – Next Energy It was a very professional service which took several weeks to complete. Lots of attention was paid to adequate ventilation throughout the house. We have experienced no problems with damp/condensation etc. Windows need to have ‘trickle flow’ ventilation which can, if needed, be retrofitted into existing ones. The bathroom and kitchen also need extractor fans.
Cost £10,000 – Government grant. Means tested. It is always worth checking what is currently on offer as it seems to change quite regularly.
Conditions for grants also vary. You will almost certainly need an Energy Performance Certificate. You can check here if you already have one – Find an energy certificate – GOV.UK Cost of getting one is from about £75
Work completed May 2023
Triple glazed windows front and partial rear. Also replaced porch doors (April 2023) and later on the back extension windows/doors and back sitting room windows and patio doors (July2024).
Work completed by Integral Energy Solutions – Integral Solar | Leading Solar Panel Experts in the North West They were highly recommended by friends living in Garston. Excellent service. Scaffolding up on Monday, Panels etc on Tuesday and scaffolding down on Wednesday. Really good clear explanations and great team of workers.
Cost £10,000
Work completed 29/4/2025
Since instillation we have generated over 1500KW hours of electricity and have made £340. During this time, we have used approx. 600kw hours from the grid.
Stage – 3 Installing Air Source Heat Pump
Lots of companies offer installation services. We went for one of the bigger well-established ones from Sweden, Aira. It took 4 days to install it. Quite messy, but not too bad. Needed 3 additional radiators and 6 upgrades to our existing radiators.
Received a £7,500 grant (non means tested) plus £8,000 of our own money. Clean Energy-Tech for Every Home | Aira Some of this can be offset by the need to replace our old boiler.
Work completed June 1st 2025
They say we will save up to 100% CO2 emissions and up to £ 500 on energy bills.
It takes a bit of getting used to! We are still learning. Basically, you set it on the ambient temperature you are comfortable with and let it get on with it.
Stage 4 – Going Gas Free
This was easy for us and just required replacing the gas hob with an electric one. Octopus did not charge a removal fee for the gas meter.
Conclusions
We are not sure yet what our overall CO2 savings will be, but hopefully fairly substantial.
Our house is now much more comfortable to live in and has gone from an EPC rating D to a probable B (not yet got it re tested)
In terms of money: The solar panels are a bit of a no brainer. We should get our investment back in 8 years. It is an approx.11% equivalent return on investing the money. The air source heat pump is not so clear cut.
The bigger picture is complicated and some what baffling. If we are, as much of the science suggests, in the biggest existential crises in human history then why is not every house in the UK not covered in solar panels? There are approx. 3 million 1930’s semis in this country and if everyone was retrofitted to the same standard as ours then this could produce the equivalent of half the annual output of a nuclear power plant (I think – back of a fag packet calculation) The solutions are right in front of us – it just needs political will. This is sadly lacking so ‘just one thing’ will at least make some difference. I heard on the radio that individual action could contribute to 20% of the solution. Sorry can’t remember the source. Still, lots of research to read!
Please feel free to contact us if you want any more advice or want to see what we have done. Also, if you decide to get work done and use either Aira or Integral Solar then please tell them that we [Malcolm and Louise Kinney] referred you as we will get a bonus.
We are the Liverpool branch of leading environmental organisation Friends of the Earth. There are local action groups all across the UK, as well as many international groups. We campaign on a wide range of issues, from ones that affect our local community to ones that could have an impact around the world. We believe in grassroots activism, bringing people together, and finding solutions for the many problems facing people and planet today. We aim to always keep social justice and environmental justice at the heart of what we do.
While we work on getting our website up and running, have a look at what Friends of the Earth are doing and what we stand for: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/
We meet monthly in Liverpool city centre – meeting times will be posted here and on our social media. We also have a mailing list you can join by filling out the short form here: Liverpool Friends of the Earth
We send out meeting reminders, minutes, and details of any actions you might be able to help us with. No previous experience of activism or knowledge of the climate crisis required.
Liverpool Friends of the Earth 