we're all turning vegan......

....after an excellent and inspiring talk from SUSTAIN at last week's Last Thursday Club, we've been left with no option but to turn vegan, eat turnips all winter, and fit all cows with personal air fresheners. Hopefully that'll keep us all busy for a while, because there's no LTC next month - it being summer holidays and so forth. When we return in September, we can look forward to the Tyndall Centre , who will be giving us an update on climate change - so think on before you board that bargain holiday jet to Alicante........

In the meantime, MBC will be following the exploits of Graeme and Mark from Envirolink a.k.a. Green Team 2CV - who will be having a very exciting summer holiday as they tackle the Mongol Rally. Keep tabs on their progress by checking the MBC blog during the summer.

The above pictures were taken last week when the eco-2cv visited Hilton Street......

little hoodrat friend.....

Okay, so the blog was wrong. This month's session will not feature Richard Leafe of Natural England, it will instead welcome Neil McInroy of CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies). He will be discussing 'the creative class and the knowledge economy, and the problems old industrial cities like Manchester face'....or, as the scandal-mongering mavens of the Last Thursday Club would have it 'Hoodies and ASBOs: A lost generation?' So buff up your kickers and stay out of the Trafford Centre, please, we'll see you on Thursday 31st May. Yup, the blog was wrong about that too. Oops.

gold leafe

Well, I'm just about recovered from a surfeit of chocolate, not to mention a huge pile of butties at last week's LTC. According to the schedule (see below), next month's session will be graced by Richard Leafe, Regional Director of Natural England. Impress him, or terrify him, with your encyclopedic knowledge by checking out this piece in advance.......

chocolatechocolatechocolatechocolate

This month's Last Thursday Club is entitled 'How good is chocolate?'. Did you see that, it contains the word 'chocolate'. That means that chocolate is almost certain to be involved. The talk will be delivered by Penny Street from SNW / the National Centre of Business and Sustainability, and will inform us about an initiative to eliminate child and forced labour in the cocoa industry. Allegedly there will also be the chance to taste some, what was it again? Oh yes, there'll be some chocolate-sampling. But you wouldn't be interested in that......would you?

While we're on the subject, what's your favourite chocolate product?

Jimbo & the Jet Set

This is your captain speaking. We are currently cruising at an altitude of one floor. If you take a look out of the windows you'll see the stunning vista of Hilton Street, with a fleeting glimpse of the Rochdale Canal as we bank to the left. Our flight time today is approximately one hour, and we expect to touch down in Thursday Afternoon at around 1:30pm local time. The weather in Thursday Afternoon is currently grey and murky.........

Next Thursday is March's Last Thursday Club, when the theme will be 'Pains, Planes and Runways'. The speaker will be Callum Thomas - a Professor of Sustainable Aviation at the Manchester Metropolitan University, a Director of the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment and sustainability advisor to the Manchester Airport Group.

He has been an advisor to the UK Government, the European Commission, the World Economic Forum and the Airports Council International on aviation and environmental / sustainability issues. He was responsible for establishing and managing Manchester Airport's Bird Control Unit, its Environment Department and Community Relations Department, all UK firsts and all internationally acclaimed.

His particular expertise involves the sustainable development of the aviation industry, environmental constraints upon airport growth, the impact of airport operations on local communities, the control of aircraft noise, public consultation and community participation in airport development. He is also recognised for his expertise in bird hazard management.

Thomas is internationally known for his work in this field and has co-authored two books and over 50 scientific papers on aviation/environment issues. He is a visiting lecturer at a number of Universities (including the Technical University of Crete) and external examiner of aviation management courses at the Universities of Cranfield and Loughborough.

In 2006, the UK Government Secretary of State for Transport announced the award of Euro 7.5 million for the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment to lead a consortium of top UK Universities to work with industry and regulators to help deliver the sustainable development of UK aviation and establish formal links with similar initiatives in the USA and Europe. This, the single largest such award ever received by the Manchester Metropolitan University has confirmed the University as the UKs leading institution in this field.

Emergency exits are located through Groundwork's office, and should there be a change in pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. Ladies, please remove your high heels before utilising the emergency escape routes, and we'd just like to remind everyone to extinguish all smoking materials and turn off digital devices prior to take-off. Have a safe, pleasant, carbon-neutral flight on Last Thursday Airways...........

the vice squad

It's all going a bit Pete Doherty at the Last Thursday Club this month, with a visit from Professor Mark Bellis, Director of the Centre for Public Health. This session promises to provide everything you ever wanted to know about cigarettes and alcohol, not to mention banned substances and teenage sex. Obviously, non-attendance will be interpreted as an admission that you're already an expert on the subject.......

2007 - new, improved, and a little bit James Bond...

Happy new year,
The schedule for Last Thursday Club in 2007 is now ready for viewing. The best-laid plan looks a little like this.......

2007

25 January - Faiths 4 Change
Annie Merry, Operation Eden (arranged by SC)

22 February - Binge Drinking and Teenage Sex
Professor Mark Bellis, Director of the Centre for Public Health (arranged by IMc)

22 March - Pains, Planes and Runways
Callum Thomas, Professor of Sustainable Aviation, MMU (arranged by WM)

26 April - How GOOD is Chocolate?
Penny Street, Sustainability Northwest (arranged by MP)

24 May - Not Just Bunnies - Why Natural England Matters
Richard Leafe, NE Regional Director (arranged by IMc)

28 June - Hoodies and ASBOs - A Lost Generation
Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of CLES (arranged by IMc)

26 July - Slow Food - Sustainable Food
Jeanette Longfield, Co-ordinator, SUSTAIN (arranged by IMc)

27 September - Climate Shock, Climate Feedback
Tyndall Centre (arranged by MP)

25 October - MediaCity and Irwell City Park
Central Salford URC/MediaCity:UK (arranged by SC)

29 November - Mersey - The River That Changed the World
Colin MacPherson, Photographer (arranged by WM)

20 December - The Eco Hub Christmas Quiz
Creative Concern (arranged by SC)

Such a lot to look forward to....not to mention the wraps, the pineapple chunks and the mini-rolls......