When I lived in London, I remember waiting in the rain for the number 37 bus to appear to take me home to Sydenham Hill (a lovely place - we lived in a flat on the doorstep of the largest remnant of the Great North Wood). I can testify that red buses do indeed come in threes. You just have to be patient. Very, very patient.
Today is nearly the environmental equivalent of a red bus day. We have two significant discussions going on today which could dramatically transform our landscapes and have serious implications for our wildlife.
Sometime later today we should hear from Brussels about the proposed new Common Agriculture Policy. This is what we want and I'll tell you tomorrow what we think about it.
But something else is happening a little closer to home - in the House of Lords.
The Government has faced a public backlash against its proposed reforms of the planning system. Although they claim the changes will maintain sustainable development as the purpose of the planning system, the way this is defined is inadequate.
An amendment tabled by Liberal Democrat and Labour peers calls for a clear definition of sustainable development to be enshrined in law. The amendment has been tabled by the four heroes: Lord Greaves, Baroness Parminter, Baroness Hamwee and Lord Mckenzie Of Luton. This will be debated in the Lords today and, if accepted, would result in an addition to the Localism Bill.
The Government talks about sustainable development – but do they really know what it is?
In a recent interview David Cameron struggled with the question, and the version included in the proposed planning reforms differs from what many consider to be the essence of sustainable development.
This may seem like semantics but in fact it is a vital guiding principle governing how we treat our natural environment. This amendment is an opportunity for the Government to show that it has listened to the public, and that it understands how important it is to protect our wildlife from damaging development.
Sustainable development means growth within environmental limits. It is not a brake on economic recovery, it is a guiding light to a prosperous future. And unless it is laid out in law in black and white then our countryside’s defence against planning blight will be weakened and we, alongside many others, will continue to oppose the upcoming reforms.
Monday is the deadline for responses to the public consultation on the NPPF and there is still time to make your voice heard on the issue.
The Government clearly did not expect the level of public concern that has been displayed in recent weeks over their proposed planning reforms.
Anyone who hasn’t expressed their views on this issue has less than a week to do so. Thousands of RSPB supporters have already responded to the official consultation via our website and the more people who make their views known, the more pressure we can put on the Government to rethink their plans. Here's how you can get involved.
So that's two environmental red buses - I wonder if there is a third? Do let me know if we've forgotten something.