Slow down those Barnet roadhogs!

Barnet Green Party has written to Council Leader Mike Freer urging him to introduce 20 mph as the default speed limit on residential roads in Barnet.

This is following a pledge by Transport for London to provide support for boroughs which bring in the limit.

A 20 mph speed limit would be particularly welcome on those many roads, such as Ridgeview Road in Whetstone, which have been without any traffic calming measures since the speed humps were ripped up against residents' wishes a couple of years ago. This was done following Councillor Brian Coleman's pledge to remove all speed humps in the borough.

In addition to improving road safety, the introduction of 20 mph as the standard speed limit would reduce the incentive for drivers to use side roads as short cuts or rat runs, which is what many residential roads have become as as legacy of Coleman's campaign.

By reducing people's fear of being hit by fast-moving traffic, the limit could also encourage local people to cycle or to walk more, for instance when taking their children to and from school.

Mr Freer replied to say that he is waiting for for information about TfL's scheme but did not commit himself to any action.

French govt snaps up UK wave power technology

French state-controlled electricity company EDF - the world's biggest operator of nuclear power plants - has recognised the value of a UK wave power company. See contract announcement below.

What a pity that no British company had the foresight to buy the licence for this technology.

EDF Energies Nouvelles collaboration and investment

Renewable Energy Holdings plc (AIM: REH), the investor and operator of proven
and innovative renewable energy technologies, is pleased to announce that the
Company has entered into a collaboration agreement ("Collaboration Agreement")
with EDF Energies Nouvelles SA ("EDF EN") relating to REH's CETO wave power
technology. This follows the announcement of 27 July 2007 that the companies
had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding.

The terms of the Collaboration Agreement will permit EDF EN exclusively to
develop offshore wave power projects in the Northern Hemisphere and at Reunion
Island in the Indian Ocean (together, the "Territory of Exclusivity"), using
REH's proprietary CETO wave power technology. Further information on the terms
of the Collaboration Agreement is set out in the Appendix to this announcement.

In addition, also as announced on 27 July 2007, under the terms of the
Collaboration Agreement EDF EN has today invested a total of #3.0 million in
REH.


Mike Proffitt, Chief Executive Officer of REH, commented:

"We are very pleased indeed to have concluded our CETO Collaboration Agreement
with EDF EN and we look forward to working with them to develop CETO wave power
projects across the Northern Hemisphere.

"EDF EN's interest in the CETO wave power technology demonstrates that the CETO
wave energy device has an exciting commercial future ahead and the potential to
be a global success."


Paris Mouratoglou, Chairman of EDF Energies Nouvelles, said:

"EDF Energies Nouvelles is committed to develop new renewable energy
technologies. The wave energy potential is very significant and has been
identified as one of our future sources for growth. We are delighted to announce
the signing of our final agreement with REH and look forward to a successful
development of the promising CETO technology."


EDF EN's #3.0 million investment in REH is structured as follows:


1. EDF EN has subscribed #1.5 million for 3.0 million new ordinary shares
of 1 pence each in REH ("New Ordinary Shares") at a price of 50 pence per new
ordinary share (the "Equity Payment"). The Equity Payment which has been paid
into an escrow account administered by REH's solicitors, Herbert Smith LLP, is
held to the account of REH and will be released to REH upon the following
milestones in the commercial development of CETO being achieved:


Overall Equity Milestone definition Equity Payment New Ordinary
milestone released from Shares
escrow attributable to
milestone
1 Three CETO II units having been installed #500,000 1,000,000
and connected through the joint off-shore
pipeline into the on-shore collection
system.
2 30 days of performance data collection of #500,000 1,000,000
the total system (three CETO II units)
having been completed.
3 CETO III prototype unit has been #500,000 1,000,000
manufactured and is ready to ship ex works.

Wind power pays better than weapons

Money invested in weapons maker BAE Systems would have more than doubled in value last year if investors had sold their shares and bought stock in wind turbine makers instead.

BAE Systems gained 16 pct in 2007 but Vestas Wind Systems, the world's largest wind turbine maker, saw its shares soar 131 pct, taking its market value to a mighty 13.4 billion euros, fast catching BAE.

Fund managers can no longer claim that they can't invest ethically because they get better returns in unethical stocks such as BAE. In fact that excuse has been false for a number of years.

BAE's recovery takes the shares only fractionally above above where they were 10 years ago, whereas investments in Vestas have multiplied 33 fold in value since the company was first listed in May 1998.

Of course not all ethical or environmental stocks have had as a stellar a trajectory as Vestas but in recent years the sector has consistently performed as well as or better than the broad market. Over the past five years the Stoxx European sustainability index has climbed 61 pct, compared with a 46 pct gain by the Stoxx 50 index of European blue chip companies.

Even in Britain alone, where the ethical and environmental sector is relatively small because of lack of government encouragement, the FTSE4Good UK 50 index has kept pace with the benchmark FTSE 100 both during 2007 and over the past five years as a whole.

According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Barnet Council's pension fund held shares worth £3,255,178 in BAE Systems in mid-2007. I once again call on the fund's managers to sell that immoral stake and invest the money in ethical companies.

There is every prospect that 'green' industries will continue to grow strongly in Europe as governments step up their spending so that 20 pct of energy comes from renewable sources by 2020, a target agreed by all 27 European Union countries including Britain.

Germany has already created an estimated 200,000 jobs in industries that help fight climate change and Britain could do the same if the government and investment managers such as those who control Barnet Council's pension fund woke up to the economic opportunities of these new technologies.

BAE itself should convert its factories to the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels and marine power machinery. 'British Airpower Equipment' could even end up making more money than the group does from its current evil products.