As well as approaching the parties directly, Birmingham FoE is encouraging local people to set their candidates the Doorstep Challenge -will prospective councilors support six green pledges (see panel) and, assuming they are elected, commit to getting all six passed through the City Council in the next two years?

At the heart of Friends of the Earth's vision for sustainable resource management, is the concept of doing more with less. They say political parties must take the lead in challenging our prevailing 'consumption culture', where natural resources and the environment's capacity to absorb waste and pollution are assumed to be inexhaustible.

Expanding on the ideas in the six points, spokesman Andy Pryke said: 'Doing more with less is not the same as doing less, doing worse or doing without. Efficiency does not mean curtailment, discomfort or privation. Being less wasteful will allow us to do better with less.

'Why build a new reservoir if we could reduce the excess water being flushed down our toilets or leaking from taps? Why build new nuclear or fossil-fuelled power stations when energy efficient light bulbs can do the same job and save people money?'

The group wants to introduce a city-wide home and community composting scheme and a scheme for neighbourhood swap shops where people could trade unwanted household and garden items without cash. This would ease the pressure on the waste stream in the critical area of difficult-to-recycle materials such as furniture, provide incentives for business to set up a plastics recycling plant on Brownfield land like the Delleve plant in Stratford-upon-Avon.

They also want to make City Council grants available for the establishment of a nappy laundry service to reduce that voluminous source of household waste -disposable nappies.

FoE does not consider incineration to be an acceptable alternative to a proper waste minimisation strategy, said Andy Pryke. 'Incineration generates more energy than dumping waste, but much less than would be saved by recycling. Recycling plastic bottles uses eight times less energy than producing new plastic. What's more, incinerators release toxic fumes into the air. ' According to FoE, Birmingham collects 450,000 tonnes of domestic waste each year, but has signed a contract to deliver over 90 per cent of it to the Tyseley incinerator company, Tyseley Waste Disposal (TWD). ' Government inspectors have severely criticised the financial cost to the city, and the overall costs are rising,' said Dr Pryke.

FoE is recommending that, at no stage between now and 2019, should the council increase the capacity of the Tyseley Incinerator. They should make public the whole contract between the City Council and Tyseley Waste Disposal Ltd in order that an open and transparent re-negotiation of the contract with the incinerator company can take place.

Recycling is very popular with the public, but Birmingham's poor recycling record is an embarrassment, said Dr Pryke. 'The City Council faces the possibility of large fines if it does not meet its recycling targets of 17 per cent by 2003/4 and 18 per cent by 2004/ 5.' FoE says the city should aim to provide a doorstep recycling service for five recyclables for all households by 2005 and by 2010 have increased the number of recyclables collected from two to eight.

'The council should also support the development of regional recycling processing facilities, ensuring the growth and jobs created by recycling are delivered locally,' said Dr Pryke.

FoE want all parties to commit to strengthening Birmingham's local economies at appropriate scales so that, depending on the type of goods or services, everything is produced and delivered as locally as possible and that local services are protected.

Said Dr Pryke, 'In addition, it would be a relatively simple matter for the City Council to source recognised fair trade products such as fruit, tea and coffee.'

FoE is urging support for the Sustainable Communities Bill, which would make local authorities free to support local economic, environmental and social sustainability, and commit national government to supporting local decisions to do so.

On transport the recommendations are: Set targets for zero traffic growth by 2008 with the eventual goal of an absolute reduction in traffic volumes by 2031.

Road maintenance procedures that consider whether the road could be narrowed or verges and paths widened, cycle lanes implemented, or additional trees planted;

Set a 20mph speed limit on all residential roads;

Aim to increase cycling to 10 per cent of all trips by 2008;

Aim to make walking a first choice for local journeys;

Real priority for on-street Metro lines over the private car and integration of the Metro with bus and rail both physically and in terms of fares. Existing railway lines should not be converted to Metro use, these should be retained as part of the heavy rail network;

The early introduction of road user charging on a local level. But, more importantly, the City Council should support in principle the introduction by 2008 of a national road user charge based on satellite tracking and variable charges depending upon time of day, public transport provision along a corridor, orbital journeys, and the rural/urban issues.

A radical redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station is a national and regional priority. Now is the time to agree a set of desired outcomes for the station and its immediate surroundings.

On congestion, said Dr Pryke, Birmingham should sign up to European In Town Without My Car Day 2004 as well as backing or providing car sharing schemes, involve local people in developing and compiling maps of car-free routes for walking and cycling within their ward, with an action plan to improve and extend these routes.

'We should also set and monitor targets for reducing the number of heavy lorries on roads,' said Dr Pryke, who suggested a ban on heavy articulated (38-tonne plus) lorries from unsuitable local roads and to confine them to trunk roads, as well as the creation of rail freight transhipment depots in the inner city area to reduce the number of heavy articulated lorries entering the city.

'We should also promote the use of canals for freight and ensure that industrial developments adjacent to railway lines are actively facilitated to make use of this facility for their freight transport where appropriate.'

He said everyone must recognise the environmentally and socially damaging effects of aviation on the city.

FoE wants candidates to oppose the second runway at Birmingham International Airport and further reject any proposals for extension of the current runway, to negotiate restrictions on night flying arrivals, and to investigate the possibility of Council Tax reductions for residents affected by aircraft noise under the flight path and near the airport.

FoE wants the City Council to provide opportunities for the development of local renewable energy generation and to cut City Council operations' energy use from 2000 levels by 20 per cent by 2010, and prepare a plan to address the causes and potential effects of climate change.

'We should also monitor city-wide CO2 output and commit to meeting the standards required to conform with the Kyoto Protocol,' said Dr Pryke.

FoE wants all parties to commit to breaking the vicious circle of fuel poverty, whereby people cannot afford adequate heating for their homes owing to poor insulation and inefficient heating systems.

Ensuring the terms of the Warm Homes Act, that no household need suffer fuel poverty by 2011, are met earlier than that date in Birmingham is a key FoE recommendation.

'We must also develop an energy efficiency strategy which reduces energy usage from 2000 levels by 20 per cent by 2010 and address the chronic energy inefficiency of City Council buildings by, for example, providing timers on wasteful immersion heaters. Better energy efficiency leads to both savings on energy bills and a more comfortable working environment, ' said Dr Pryke.

He also urged the development of a pilot green energy building in the City Centre in Digbeth around the Allison Street/Bordesley Street junction to include solar and wind technologies by 2005.

'Sustainable food and farming practices should be a key objective for any local authority, even that of a big city like Birmingham,' said Dr Pryke. 'In particular, a commitment to local procurement, protecting the City's allotments, and acquiring GM-free status should form the basis of the City Council's policy.'

'We should procure locally for schools, meals on wheels, and city catering,' he said, and he also urged continued support and development for the farmers' market

'We think we should also apply to the Secretary of State to use European law to prevent GM crops from being grown anywhere in the City or on Council-owned land,' he said.

They also want candidates to commit to organic management of allotments, parks, etc. For example, stop spraying weeds out on residential (and other) streets.

He said we should clearly identify and itemise the Nature Conservation Policy Group's annual expenditure on nature conservation and the natural environment, and also choose species that encourage wildlife and mitigate pollution.

It was also essential to ensure that the Eastside City Park, if built, is not a 'green desert', he said.

On planning, FoE want to keep greenfield sites green while making better use of existing derelict land and buildings. In addition, the conspicuous absence of green space from the City's Capital of Culture bid suggests that Birmingham needs to re-think its approach to this subject, he said.

FoE wants candidates to insist that all developments above a sensible minimum size are fully and adequately environmentally assessed, and have a net positive environmental impact and to ensure that all new civic buildings have in-built environmentally friendly features.

Another key FoE planning recommendation is the provision of more affordable housing.

On open spaces the ideas are:

Incorporate ecological principles into the planning, design and management of open spaces;

Encourage community participation and consultation in the development of open spaces;

Encourage a more holistic planning approach that considers open spaces alongside buildings rather than simply regarding them as left over pieces of land.

Commit to achieving the accessible natural green space targets in both the Nature Conservation Strategy and Regional Planning Guidance;

Ensure that Birmingham planners apply in full to all relevant development proposals the recommended changes in respect to green space and nature conservation contained within the Planning Inspector's report on the UDP; lCommit to more public (particularly green) spaces in the next UDP/Community Strategy; Ensure that the 'Fringe Belt' is recognised in the current UDP;

Recognise that green space includes water both still and flowing in streams and ponds, boggy areas and urban water courses.

Said Dr Pryke: 'The city's drainage is being compromised by the growth of hard surfaces. With little 'blotting paper' land left, rain water pours torrentially into the roads causing flood damage and hazard to the population. The run-off concrete water courses produced to solve this problem are adding to the proliferation of hard surfaces and urban ugliness.'

In view of this the FoE manifesto is recommending support for sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) and to ensure that they are part and parcel of development plans and approvals.

lAs part of our preview of the elections next week, we will be publishing statements from the main parties contesting the European seats.

DOORSTEP CHALLENGE

1. GM crops and Food Apply to the Secretary of State to use European law to prevent GM crops from being grown anywhere in the City or on Council-owned land.

2. Waste and Recycling Provide a weekly doorstep recycling collection of five materials and make public the whole contract between the City Council and Tyseley Waste Disposal Ltd, in order that an open and transparent re-negotiation of the contract with the incinerator company can take place.

3. Sustainable Communities Support the Sustainable Communities Bill, which would make local authorities free to support local economic, environmental and social sustainability, and commit national government to supporting local decisions to do so.

4. Aviation Oppose the second runway at Birmingham International Airport and further reject any proposals for extension of the current runway.

5. Energy and Climate Change Aim to cut the City Council's energy use from 2000 levels by 20 per cent by 2010, and set a target to source renewable energy which exceeds the regional target of 10 per cent from renewable sources by 2010.

6. Local transport Increase walking, cycling and public transport and set a 20mph speed limit on all residential roads.