February 2008

Plane Stupid takes protest to Parliament

Posted by bex — 27 February 2008 at 11:18am - Comments

BAA's HQ

Plane Stupid protest at the Houses of Parliament

Another day, another voice loudly opposing plans for a new runway at Heathrow. Today, Plane Stupid campaigners have scaled the Houses of Parliament to protest at the collusion between government and the aviation industry.

In the absence of a genuine consultation with Londoners, the protest is a brilliant way to get the word out on the day the Heathrow 'consultation' ends. They've dropped banners reading 'BAA's HQ' down parliament's facade, and are enlightening the great and the good on their way to Prime Ministers' Question Time below by throwing paper aeroplanes - made from secret Whitehall documents that prove BAA has written parts of the consultation and the government has already decided to build a third runway - from the roof.

Video: Heathrow protest

Posted by bex — 26 February 2008 at 11:04am - Comments

Video: when I grow up

Posted by bex — 25 February 2008 at 3:12pm - Comments

A brilliant reminder from enoughsenough of just what's at stake when it comes to airport expansion:

Pictures from Heathrow

Posted by bex — 25 February 2008 at 2:48pm - Comments

A few pictures from today's plane-top protest at Heathrow:

Placing the banner

Hanging the banner on the tailfin
© Greenpeace

Virgin's biofuel flight is all spin and greenwash

Posted by jamie — 25 February 2008 at 2:28pm - Comments

With all the excitement happening today at Terminal One, it's worth remembering that yesterday was another eventful one in Heathrow's calendar as a Virgin Atlantic plane steered away from its usual transatlantic route to fly between Heathrow and Amsterdam. No, the guidance systems weren't malfunctioning: it was a test flight to demonstrate that biofuels can be used in aircraft. But what's that dripping from the undercarriage? Could it be a tonne of greenwash?

Virgin announced its plans to test biofuels some time ago but has been reluctant to say exactly what kind of biofuel they would be using. To quell concerns about the impact on the cost of food, a press release assured us that it wouldn't "compete with food and fresh water resources". The rumour was that it would be made from algae, but in the end it turned out to be a mixture of coconut and babassu oil. These aren't food crops as such, but if the aviation industry leaps on them as an apparently easy way to reduce emissions, that's going to have a huge environmental impact.

Climate campaigners bring peaceful protest to Heathrow

Posted by bex — 25 February 2008 at 11:41am - Comments

Greenpeace campaigners unfurl a banner on the tailfin

Climate emergency - no third runway

As the banner on top of this London - Manchester flight says, we're in the middle of a climate emergency. The fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK is just about to get another boost from Brown's government. On Wednesday, the consultation on whether to nearly double the size of Heathrow by building a new runway will close, and the government looks set to cave in to the aviation industry.

This morning, four of our volunteers have climbed on top of a plane at Heathrow and are wrapping a banner around the tailfin. The plane - one of 32 flights every day between London and Manchester - had just arrived in Heathrow and the passengers had disembarked when four volunteers walked through the double doors at Heathrow Terminal One, crossing an area of tarmac and climbing onto the fuselage of the British Airways flight.

Follow Greenpeace UK