Saturday, November 21, 2009

Copenhagen COP15 Practical Information



All the practical information you will need when you arrive in Copenhagen.




This is an update on the logistics concerning COP15, regarding what we
know so far and what is being prepared. Some things still haven't been
sorted out yet as bureaucracy in Denmark works very slow.

This is an update on the current situation. There will be another update
just before the summit. Don't panic if you arrive in CPH during COP15
not knowing how everything works. Just go to an info-point, all of which
are currently being figured out; some will be centrally located around
the Klimaforum09 and Central Station, some in Christiania and some in
the convergence center in Nørrebro. See map below for details.

If you have any questions concerning logistics, inputs, requests or
anything else that we haven't thought of, please don't hesitate to
contact us at  logistics.cop15@gmail.com

Best regards,
Logistic-group of Klima Kollectiv, Denmark
www.climatecollective.org // www.climate-justice-action.org


Accommodation:

As it looks right now there are 3 different possibilities concerning
accommodation.

1. Communal accommodation:

The situation is that we are (still) negotiating with the local
municipality of Copenhagen in order to get access to big sports halls
and schools in the area of Copenhagen to use for accommodation. We are
doing it on a non-registration base. Accommodation will be free, but of
course always happy about donations, as there will be some expenses for
e.g. heating and electricity.

The sites will feature the basics; heat and proper sanitary conditions.
Not all sites may have access to showers, but in that case shower
locations will be made available elsewhere in the city, although this
might include a small user payment.

Currently, we have several sites on our hands:

1. Two vacant schools, Frederikssundsvejen and Voldparken schools,
both with showers, toilets and heating and Frederikssundsvejen will host
a kitchen.

- At the moment it looks like there'll be some additional funding,
earmarked for us, from the municipality for renting additional sites.

- We're also mapping and working on vacant buildings in Copenhagen and
establishing contact with Copenhagen Project House, already working with
this.

2. Rooms at unions, some with showers.

- Among others, we have confirmed space at the union of the children's
social workers.

- We're still collecting support and building relations with unions, so
hopefully more to come.

3. Flydende By, Floating City, has finally been granted a number of
large industrial halls and buildings in Copenhagen's South Harbour and
we will be turning these into accommodation and social sites.

4. Rooms in community centers, both in Nørrebro and the South Harbor.


In the nearest future, we will compile the different sites, get an
overview and distribute more specific information.

During the summit, you can always just go to an info point (see below),
when you arrive to Copenhagen to know where accommodation is available.
The info points will also be reachable by phone, again details will come
out in a later update.

We expect the halls to open for accommodation from when the summit
starts, but we'll also be able to accommodate people in the run up – so
you're more the welcome to come early and help out. Contact us by mail
if you need accommodation before the COP starts.


2. Private accommodation with (random) locals:

If you want to sleep privately, send an email to:
 contact@newlifecopenhagen.com (the deadline for sign up is the 8th of
November)

It's an art project, in order to get people together. Everyone within an
hour of transportation from Copenhagen can sign up as a host. The host
and guest are put together randomly, so you can't choose your host. Go
to the website www.newlifecopenhagen.com to check out details. This
option involves some registration and centralized, bureaucratic
distribution.

3. Private accommodation with Danish activists:

If you have particular reasons for not wanting to use the communal
accommodation, which we advise you to as much as possible, you can stay
with local Danish activists and avoid to go through the general public
sign-up (New Life Copenhagen, see above), you are asked to use the
following email-address.

 privateaccommodation.cop15@gmail.com

Please send us an e-mail, containing name, how many you will like to
stay together (if you don't mind staying individually, please state so
in the mail), if possible the duration of your stay and contact
information. You will then receive a mail with contact info of your host
a few weeks before the COP15, so you can do the actual arranging
yourself. We cannot guarantee people a spot though.

Please note, that the Danish scene can only provide sleeping opportunity
for a limited number of guests.


Food:

People's kitchens will be set up on central spots in Copenhagen, such as
info points, accommodation spaces, when possible, and in areas of
activist activities. The biggest kitchen will be placed close to
KlimaForum, and the Central station, at an infopoint. Other big kitchens
will be at Folkets in Nørrebro and at Nemoland in Christiania. All
kitchens will need volunteers during the whole period. Food will be
brought out to the larger demos and actions. We will have to ask for
donations, around 20 DKK (2-3 Euros) per meal.

Also we are sending a call out to all vegetarian restaurants, cafe's and
walk by shops, to have special low cost offers.

If you're part of a people's kitchen planning to come for the COP15 and
have not been in contact with us yet, please contact the logistics-group
at:  logistics.cop15@gmail.com for coordination.


Info points:

Info points will be set up several places in Copenhagen and we are
trying to mobilize Danish organizations and groups to help out, but
international volunteers will be needed, especially as groups taking on
organizing the management of a specific site.

Sites: (see map below for exact location)

- On the Central Station, primarily as an information and "redirection"
stand

- In Råhuset next to one of the communal kitchens by KlimaForum09 nearby
the Central Station

- In the convergence center Støberiet on Nørrebro

- In Christiania, near the communal kitchen

- On the social center Bolsjefabrikken, The Candy Factory in Copenhagen
North-West area

So far we're thinking that the info points would be places with:

- Information on various practical matters and contacts, furthermore
info on the following:
- Food and accommodation space
- Geography of Copenhagen (maps)
- Legal rights, trauma and medics
- Free internet services, with some computers available
- Hot drinks for freezing temperatures
- Free shop (with warm clothes, etc.)

… Please send  logistics.cop15@gmail.com any more features you would suggest.


Convergence centers:

We are working with a few convergence centers spread around the central
parts of Copenhagen. To clarify, when speaking of a convergence center
we talk of both a social space to relax, discuss and research, a space
for practical and other preparations and containing facilities like
medics and trauma.

Sites: (see map for exact locations)

- The "main" convergence, Støberiet on Blågårds Plads on Nørrebro, which
will feature medics, trauma support, legal aid, meeting and social
spaces and info point.

- Bolsjefabrikken, The Candy Factory, which is a social center in
Copenhagen NW (next to Nørrebro). This will be a more practical center
featuring workshop areas with tools and accessories, kitchen, social and
meeting spaces and an info point.

- A smaller convergence, Råhuset by KlimaForum09 on Vesterbro. This will
primarily feature a social space and info point, also some KlimaForum09
activities and more. It is located next to the main communal kitchen.

- The House of Solidarity on Nørrebro will feature a be-the-media
activist centre open for everyone. It's located very close to the "main"
convergence, Støberiet.


Legal rights:

A legal team of law-students has been set up in Copenhagen. They have
worked out a paper on basic rights in Denmark for Danes and foreigners,
see attached file. They are in contact with lawyers and will work from
their office during the whole period of the COP.

Meanwhile we are setting up a prison solidarity support group, that will
do the overall coordination of legal aid and prison support. They will
be based in Støberiet, the main infopoint at Nørrebro. So if you have
any legal issue or question, go to Støberiet. Then they can redirect you
to the office of the legal team if it's needed (which is very close to
Støberiet).

If you or your group wants to work on legal aid during the COP, please
contact  climate09legalaid@gmail.com, for coordination.


Border control:

We strongly recommend you to bring your passport even though you are
travelling from a country member of Schengen. People going to the
G8-summit in Rostock in 2008 were checked at the Danish/German border
and people not possessing a passport were immediately sent back. We
expect the same to happen during the COP15.

Border support teams are being set up at the German/Danish border and
the Swedish/Danish border, together with lawyer support from Copenhagen.
There will be organized pick up spots for people being denied entrance.
We will have more specific information on this in the final newsletter,
such as phone number, etc.

If you're a group working with border issues, please contact
 climate09legalaid@gmail.com for coordination.


Visas:

>From some countries, including all Schengen countries, you don´t need a
visa. See the list in the following link to see if you need one:

 http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/who_needs_visa.htm

PLEASE BE AWARE: It can take up to 8 weeks to get a visa, and costs
around 60 Euros. If you need a visa then you need to start the process
immediately.

How to apply, go to:
 http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/how-to/how_to_app.htm

If you have any questions or concerns, please write us at
 climatevisa@gmail.com To get a more detailed guide on how to apply for a
visa, please write the email address above.


Volunteers:

We need your volunteer help to make our convergence on Copenhagen
successful. Sign up both as an individual and even better as a group
that is prepared to take on coordinating the logistics of a specific
site for a specific period of time:

- Keeping an eye on accommodation areas, media centers, etc.: Look after
an area, give out basic infos and make sure everything runs smoothly
(both day and night shifts will be needed)

- Cooking food: chop veggies in one of the many communal kitchens and
save the starving activists!

- Working in an Info point: Give out info of all kinds about town and
COP15. You will be given all the info you might need, but it might help
if you know Copenhagen, COP15 or the alternative activities a bit
beforehand.

- Working as IT and technical support (media center): help solving any
kind of IT crisis we might face

- Coordinating volunteers: You will be in charge of coordinating one
group of volunteers connected to one specific place/role. Coordinate and
smoothen up shifts, time tables and so forth.

- Driving/being a runner: Drive food around, go buying stuff or
materials, etc

- Making Propaganda, hand out flyers, put up posters

- Translation: help us translating from and to different languages, both
spoken and written (press releases etc.)

You can sign up here:
 http://www.climate-justice-action.org/mobilization/volunteer/

If you have questions write an email to  climatevolunteers@gmail.com


Medics and trauma support:

For both the medics and trauma support, there are Danish groups
coordinating affinity groups from a series of countries. Both groups
will have a central area in the convergence center Støberiet, as well as
other locations.

Are you an affinity group or individual doing medic work, please write
 streetmedics-d09@aktivix.org.

Are you an affinity group or individual doing trauma support, please
write  efa-cop@activix.org.


Kids:

There will so far be one medium sized space for kids to hang out. This
space will be organized in collaboration with The Bottom meeting in
Christania, and will need some parents to help out, take turns etc. We
don't really have an overview of what is needed in relation to kids, so
if you're interested - send an email to  logistics.cop15@gmail.com. We
hope to make another space for kids if it's needed.

We are planning to reserve some accommodation places/room for families,
see more on accommodation above.


What to bring:

- Warm clothes, average temperature in DK in December is between 5 and 0
degrees Celsius, and at night below zero.

- Rain clothes, as it can be raining a lot, but usually snow will not
come until January.

- Money for donations for food and to cover other needs.

- Sleeping bag and sleeping mat (if sleeping privately, ask your host
what's necessary)


Transport:

Transport to Copenhagen:

People are coming from all directions to the COP, try to hook up with
someone already planning to come. The website is gathering all
information on how people come here if they have place for others. So if
you have place for others, (for instance) with a bus, download the form
here  http://www.climate-justice-action.org/media/documents/ fill it out,
and send it to  convergence@climate-justice-action.org. Then people have
the possibility to find you.

If you want to hook up with other to come, check out the practical info
section in a few days or click on the "Converge on CPH" button on the
webpage. Information will be updated constantly, so keep your eyes open
and let us know how you are coming as soon as you decide.

(COP15 Mobilisatie NL is organising buses to go to Copenhagen. If you
would like to book a seat please email  Cop15mobilisatie@riseup.net)


Transport within Denmark:

Danish Railways: www.dsb.dk . Right corner to switch to English. It's
easiest to use the "journey planner".

In order to go to KlimaForum09, get off at "Hovedbanegården", which is
the main station. In order to go to Nørrebro with convergence centers,
info points etc. get off at "Nørreport st." (but be aware that all
trains don't stop there). See map for details.


Maps:

Go to this website to see overview of locations of interests during
COP15. The map will be updated continuously.

 http://maps.google.dk/maps/ms?hl=da&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=55.678746,12.589989&spn=0.08769,0.307274&z=12&msid=110184864820337772851.0004721cd3e3063d58abf


Pledging and donations:

In order to set up this infrastructure in Copenhagen and plan the
different CJA actions it requires quite a lot of money. Contribution is
always needed, you can of course make a contribution when coming to
COP15, but it's actually a bigger help for us if we have it beforehand.

Organizations/groups/network/individuals can transfer money using this
information:

IBAN: DK2484010001125014
SWIFT-code:
VEHODK22 for international currency except Euros
MEKUDK21 for Euros

As an individual it might be easier just using paypal, se more here:
 http://www.climate-justice-action.org/donate/

If you're having problems transferring money or so, please write to:
 climate09accountancy@gmail.com


TO JOIN THE MOBILISATION for COP15:

International grassroots:  http://www.climate-justice-action.org
(Dutch: www.climate-justice-action.org/mobilisatie-in-nederland/?lang=nl)

European autonomous:  http://nevertrustacop.org

Mass direct action: Hit The Production:  http://htp.noblogs.org/

Mass direct action: Pushing for Climate Justice:
 http://www.climate-justice-action.org/mobilization/reclaim-power-pushing-for-climate-justice/


*************************

To book a place on the bus from the Netherlands - leaving evening
Thursday 10th, arriving home evening Sunday 20th - email
 Cop15mobilisatie@riseup.net.

*************************

See also: notenvironmental.blogspot.com


- E-Mail: Cop15mobilisatie@riseup.net

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