we network
BCCF provides the opportunity for individuals and organisations to meet, debate and work through the issues surrounding climate change and sustainability.
about us
BCCF has developed from an organisation (BREF) set up about 10 years ago to encourage the development of all aspects of renewable energy generation.
All four local authorities in Bedfordshire and Luton are represented on the Forum Steering Group, which has been clerked by officers from Bedford. Bedford College has a permanent representative as does Bedfordshire Rural Communities Council. There are a considerable number of ordinary individual members; these tend to be people with a particular interest or some form of expertise in the environmental field and a concern about what is happening to our planet. An Executive carries out the decisions of the Steering Group and takes urgent action between meetings.
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activities
The Forums activities include:
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organising public meetings at least twice a year to which eminent local and national speakers are invited
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holding regular meetings of those members prepared to give of their time to forward the programmes
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examining the environmental credentials of policies, plans and projects
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offering informed commentary on environmental issues in the public arena
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becoming recognised as a reliable source of informed advice
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maintaining a considerable bank of knowledge and information
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being at the heart of a network of contacts, providing a formidable resource
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participating in activities in the County, regionally and nationally with like-minded groups
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establishing close links with the new unitary authorities and Luton
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encouraging and co-ordinating climate change activities in Bedfordshire
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aims
It is hoped that the new organisation will begin to take a fuller part in the environmental considerations peculiar to Bedfordshire, providing information, widening horizons, contributing to what is the most important debate for the early 21st century in a positive, independent way as well as being a critical friend, offering a focussed viewpoint free from considerations of profit or self-advancement.
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history
BREF has worked in tandem with the Bedfordshire Renewable Energy Partnership (BREP), which was set up to inspire practical projects to be investigated by working groups, and Bedfordshire Sustainable Energy Partnership (BEDSEP), which is supported by the Milton Keynes Energy Agency.Because in practice much of the work of these three organisations has tended to overlap, with many members in common, BREF decided to have a hard look at how it could work better in the contemporary world. As a consequence, a proposal was presented to the AGM in March 2007 which encompassed new Terms of Reference (copy enclosed) and, effectively, an amalgamation with BREP. This should streamline the administration and give a new impetus to the work. At the same meeting, a change of name, to capture the broader nature of the remit, was agreed, viz The Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum.
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join us
In the first instance, email Tony Mitchell, Chair of BCCF: longtone[@]phonecoop.coop Note: please remove square brackets before emailing. This is designed to prevent spam.
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membership
The membership is largely voluntary, providing a valuable resource of knowledge and experience and a unique opportunity to encourage public participation in an organisation with strong links to the local authorities, which have the ultimate responsibility for translating aspiration into action. Its remit is any activity with significant environmental consequences where BCCF might be able to make a helpful contribution, in the spirit of partnership, to achieve what is best for Bedfordshire – and the planet.
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terms of reference
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