Simeon Brody
Regular readers will know of my interest in how money affects sustainable development, stemming from my early involvement in York Local Agenda 21. The three pillars of sustainability, according to Agenda 21, are our natural environment (air, water, soil, ecosystems and living things) our social environment (people) and our fiscal environment, which is how we organise our trade, taxation, businesses, banking and how wealth is spread between us. Our monetary environment is just as important as our biosphere and our fellow humans.
The other 'given' which I totally accept is that poverty is the 'number one enemy' of sustainable development. Which is why I became interested in Credit Unions in 1997, organised a public meeting with experts which attracted 60 people, and started off a group which eventually, after 8 years volunteering, became York Credit Union.
I've written about Credit Unions before, but my news today is bigger than York Credit Union. This weekend, York Credit Union opened for business as North Yorkshire Credit Union!
This means that anyone living or working in North Yorkshire can join
the Credit Union. Savers can put in a lump sum, or as little as a
pound a week, and on this they receive a dividend which last year was
2%, but this rate is decided after the year end. The real benefit of
having money saved with a Credit Union is that it is used to help
others, as it is lent out at competitive rates, undercutting 'High
Street' lenders and 'loan sharks' by miles.
For instance, if you borrow £300 from the Provident Personal Credit, and pay back £9 every week for 56 weeks, that makes an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 183%, meaning the interest you pay is £204, a total of £504. This is legal and quite typical. The Provvy isn't the most expensive lender, here's a report of a £250 loan over one month, (a 'payday loan') with an APR of over 1200%, and a local example of a staggering 2.6million% APR loan. These are all legal... figures for illegal loan sharks can be just as horrifying and often more so.
Credit Unions, however, offer a £300 loan over 37 weeks, weekly
payment of £9, making a total payable of £326.51, an APR of just
26.8%. You can see why I'm so positive about the service Credit Unions
offer! And, as there are many areas of North Yorkshire with pockets of
poverty, I an very happy that these people will have access to lower
cost loans.
Regular readers will also know of my love of growing some food crops. Well, 'tis the season to be planting things outside now, as the risk of frost is now reducing so tender plants can be put in their permanent position. However, things grown on a sunny window sill in a centrally heated house would get a shock if put outside without a slower transition to outside temperatures.
So, harden your plants off for a week or two, either in an unheated greenhouse or a cold frame, or a sheltered corner near the house where the cold nights might not bite so hard. This way, your tender tomatoes, beans and courgettes won't get a sudden chill which might halt their growth or even kill them.
Good luck with any attempts towards self sufficiency this summer!
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