Edinburgh café launches reusable cup offer with sustainability at its heart
MONDAYS could soon feel a little brighter in Edinburgh as a city centre café launches reusable cups alongside a new half-price hot drinks offer.
Located beside Surgeons’ Hall Museums in the heart of the capital, Café 1505 is encouraging customers to switch to its reusable cup by offering 50% off hot drinks every Monday.
The discount is available exclusively to customers using the café’s own reusable cup, combining value with a more sustainable choice.
The campaign is being introduced by Surgeons Quarter, which manages Café 1505 as part of its wider commercial activity across the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh campus. Profits support the College’s charitable work in surgical education, training and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Scott Michell, Managing Director of Surgeons Quarter, said: “Monday can be the toughest day of the week for customers and for hospitality businesses, so this is a simple way to give people a lift while also encouraging a more sustainable choice. It is about making the start of the week a little brighter, while reflecting the values behind Café 1505.
“We know people are thinking more carefully about the choices they make every day. This offer gives them a good reason to come in on a Monday, while also shining a light on the ethical and environmental thinking already built into the café.”
Café 1505 serves Caffia Grown by Women coffee, using beans produced by female farmers in cooperatives across regions including Peru, Nicaragua and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Used coffee grounds are also recycled at Cyrenians Farm for composting.
The reusable cup launch forms part of a wider sustainability drive across Surgeons Quarter’s commercial operations.
Its four-star Ten Hill Place Hotel has held a Gold Green Tourism Award since 2008, with further environmental measures including the removal of single-use plastic bottles and the use of 100 per cent renewable energy.
By linking value with sustainability, Café 1505 aims to give workers, students, visitors and local residents another reason to rethink their Monday routine.
The Café 1505 reusable cup is available to purchase for £19, which includes the first hot drink free – with every Monday thereafter offering 50% off for cup holders.
Routemap to realising economic and social gains for people across Scotland
People will be able to benefit from warmer homes, lower bills, greater job opportunities and be less exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices under plans to cut emissions published today.
Scotland’s Climate Change Plan: 2026-2040 sets out over 150 actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 15 years, bringing over £42.3 billion in financial benefits and cost savings to the economy over the same period.
Scotland is already over halfway to net zero having reduced emissions by 51.3% since 1990 – the largest reduction in the UK and faster than the EU average, using comparable statistics.
Climate action is not only essential to protecting our future.
When done correctly, it offers one of the greatest opportunities to create jobs and prosperity for our communities.
The final plan details how Scotland will meet our next three carbon budgets, along with a range of delivery indicators. These include:
setting a target to decarbonise heat in buildings by 2045
phasing out the need for new diesel and petrol cars by 2030
increasing woodland creation so that by 2029-30, 18,000 hectares are planted every year, with 21% woodland cover in Scotland by 2032
increasing peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030
Actions in the Climate Change Plan will also contribute to both the Environment Strategy, and the Circular Economy Strategy, also published today.
The new Environment Strategy creates an integrated framework for environment and climate policies, while harnessing the powerful synergies between the health of our environment, the well-being of Scotland’s people and the success of our economy while the Circular Economy Strategy underpins delivery of our climate goals by cutting the amount of waste produced in Scotland, and managing our resources more sustainably, to reduce emissions.
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The Climate Change Plan is Scotland’s pathway to net zero and outlines the action we will take to meet our first three carbon budgets.
“However it is also a routemap to realising economic and social gains for people across Scotland as part of a fair and just transition. It highlights the potential of growth areas ranging from renewables to heat networks to the circular economy, and sets out our commitment to increase investment in areas that will simultaneously decarbonise Scotland and improve our lives.
“Together with the Environment Strategy and Circular Economy Strategy, our Climate Change Plan forms a blueprint for how we will use this once-in-a-generation opportunity for transformation to reduce emissions while ensuring that our economy prospers, our communities are supported to become more resilient to the effects of climate change and to redress the issues of poverty and energy security that affect individual households.”
We feel so honored to have been first community group to be lucky enough to visit the beautifully restored Palm Houses since their closure in 2021
This was the perfect opportunity to gain insight into the history of the building, the restoration process, and some amazing garden stories related to this space!
Huge thank you to the Palm Houses Engagement team at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for the invitation and creating such an informative and interactive tour!
We can’t wait to welcome the full opening of the Palm Houses and return again!
£17 million to support workers and communities and create more green jobs
Up to £17 million will be available to help create green jobs, support innovation, diversify energy supply chains, and enable workers to transition into low-carbon roles.
In addition, for the first time, community organisations and social enterprises will be amongst a range of organisations eligible to apply for a guaranteed share from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) for the North East and Moray.
The Fund will also include new development grants to help groups strengthen or scale up emerging project ideas and will include:
up to £3 million capital and £1 million resource for community and social enterprise projects – including specific funding to give communities the power to directly decide how money should be spent
up to £10 million for large‑scale commercial projects focused on jobs, skills and economic transition – with a minimum project size of £500,000
up to £3 million to support small and medium enterprises in the oil and gas supply chain diversifying into low‑carbon markets – expanding the provision of the ETZ Supply Chain Challenge Fund
The JTF has invested more than £85 million into 28 projects across the region since 2022 – helping to support hundreds of jobs and companies entering the offshore wind, marine energy and carbon capture sectors.
Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin announced the latest round of JTF funding during a site visit to Verlume LTD, a global leader in subsea batteries and power management systems. The organisation received £2.5 million in the 2025-26 round of the JTF to deliver a fully functional prototype of the world’s first subsea grid-forming battery system.
Ms Martin said: “Since 2022, the Just Transition Fund has supported hundreds of jobs with more than £85 million investment into 28 projects across the North East and Moray. It is just one of the strands of Scottish Government support for the region.
An Expanded Just Transition Fund has reopened with £17 million to boost green jobs, support innovation, and help communities across the North East and Moray to transition to a low‑carbon future.
“This year, we’re making important changes to the funding available based on advice from the Just Transition Commission and the Just Transition Lab. For the first time, community groups and social enterprises will be guaranteed support for larger projects, alongside our continued backing of the Participatory Budgeting Fund which gives communities the power to directly decide how money should be spent in their areas to help address specific local needs.
“We’re also helping communities get ready for future funding by offering development grants. These will support groups who may not otherwise be able to benefit to build the skills and confidence they need to plan and apply for bigger projects in the years ahead.
“We’re also continuing to help the energy sector shift and grow, including funding to support businesses in the supply chain as they adapt. All of this means we can offer wider support to local organisations while creating new jobs and fresh opportunities for people across the North East.
“It’s vital that Scotland’s expertise, innovation, and huge renewable energy potential not only help the planet, but also ensure a fair and inclusive transition for everyone in the North East of Scotland.”
Verlume CEO Richard Knox said: “Support from the Just Transition Fund has been transformational for Verlume, enabling the development of the world’s first grid-forming subsea battery co-located with offshore wind.
“This project addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing renewable energy today, grid stability and wind curtailment, while demonstrating how offshore oil and gas expertise can be redeployed directly into the clean energy system.
“Beyond accelerating innovation, the Fund has helped secure and create high-value jobs while allowing us to extensively utilise Scottish suppliers across fabrication, engineering and specialist services, ensuring that the economic value of this project is distributed across the North East Scotland supply chain, not just concentrated within a single company.”
University of Aberdeen Just Transition Lab, Professor Tavis Potts and Professor John Bone said: “The research from the Just Transition Lab has shown that communities need to be at the centre of the transition to the low carbon economy. In ‘Time to Deliver’ and ‘Regional Planning for a Just Transition’ we called for a more transparent approach and a more generous and consistent funding stream, with more emphasis on capacity building.
“The Scottish Government has listened. The ringfenced funding for community and social enterprise projects, including capital and resource costs, is a major improvement and addresses a key shortcoming in previous rounds. The commitment to capacity building ensures that this can support Northeast communities at all stages, fundamental for sharing the benefits of the transition.”
Applications for this bidding round have opened today (2 March).
Applications to the commercial and public sector funding pot will close on 8th May. Applications to the community and social enterprise funding pot will close on 22nd May.
We have a film for you tomorrow night at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre about rewilding. 6pm-8.45. Film starts at 6.30.
There are also two ecology and urban rewilding practitioners coming to speak to us about what we can do to restore nature in our local environments. Wouldn’t it be lovely to keep our birds singing and our local mammals living near us? The deer, badgers and foxes, whether you enjoy seeing them or not are part of our essential environment.
At the base of this food chain are the insects which the birds rely on to feed their chicks.
What can we do to preserve and even increase the natural habitats around us?
Come along and find out Tuesday night and meet some of your neighbours too!
Plans to extend 20mph speed limits across more UK roads are facing resistance from drivers, new research reveals.
A recent survey by Quotezone.co.uk found that 66% of respondents said they were not in favour of reducing key 30mph roads to 20mph.
The study of 1,000 British adults, showed over two-thirds (67%) think 20mph roads are simply too slow.
The findings come amid ongoing discussions across parts of the UK about expanding 20mph zones, hoping to improve road safety and reduce accidents in urban areas.
Last month, the government launched a new road safety strategy, which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.
The strategy revealed there will be a new edition of the best practice guidance on setting local speed limits, which suggests there may be significant changes to the 30mph default limit on urban roads.
Wales is leading the way in terms of adopting lower speed limits and has already implemented a default 20mph rule on residential and built-up roads.
Scotland and England are also following suit, with many regions already rolling out a 20mph speed limit in urban areas.
London has seen significant progress, with lower speed limits in place on more than half of urban roads, while the North West is close behind, with over 45% now set at 20mph.
While public opinion may be divided on the approach, in the first year of the new 20mph limit, Wales saw approximately 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured, and research shows that even an average speed reduction of just 1mph can cut crash frequency by 5%.
As more roads move to lower limits, drivers are being encouraged to stay alert to changing signage and adjust their driving accordingly.
Sticking to the indicated limits ensures motorists avoid fines, penalty points and potential increases to their insurance premiums.
Greg Wilson, car insurance expert and CEO at Quotezone.co.uk said: “With changes to speed limits continuing to be discussed across the UK, our research suggests many motorists remain unconvinced about reducing key 30mph roads to 20mph, with concerns likely centred around journey times and practicality.
“That being said, evidence from Wales, for example, demonstrates that lower limits can have a positive impact on road safety, with data from the first year of implementation showing fewer people killed or seriously injured.
“Ultimately, decisions around speed limits sit with local authorities, and they must balance public sentiment with safety outcomes, congestion, and the needs of different road users when assessing what’s appropriate for their communities.
“With lower limits appearing on more roads, it’s important drivers watch for signage and adapt their speed to make sure they stay safe and avoid fines.
“From an insurance perspective, any measure that successfully reduces collisions is positive news for premium prices. Fewer accidents could lead to fewer claims, and over time that has the potential to ease the pressure on car insurance costs.”
As a price comparison site, Quotezone helps drivers compare and find savings on all sorts of motoring products, such as van, fleet and car insurance.
Scotland is in the absurd position of producing more electricity than we need, while families and firms here face some of the highest bills in Britain. Fuel poverty is rampant, reaching nearly 50% in the northernmost parts of the country, despite Scotland’s renewable capacity only set to grow, with projects like Berwick Bank expected to generate power for more households than exist in Scotland.
One practical approach is zonal pricing, setting electricity prices by geographic region so that areas with abundant local generation benefit from lower supply costs and reduced transmission costs.
In plain terms, power produced on and off Scotland’s shores should not cost Scottish households and businesses a premium once it reaches the meter.
Zonal pricing reflects local supply and demand, and recognises that the real expense lies in grid infrastructure, pylons, cabling, and reinforcement, rather than in “sending” electrons down the line.
Instead, we are currently being forced to accept a vast expansion of pylons across our land because the grid is inadequate for the volume of generation, with “curtailment” running into billions, paying wind operators to switch off while consumers still pay through the nose.
A new pylon network is planned from the north of Scotland down the east and through the Borders to supply demand further south, bringing long-term visual and environmental damage, disruption to arable land and watercourses, and little or no benefit to the communities affected.
As an ALBA Glasgow List Candidate, I, Dhruva Kumar, am calling for a fair deal, implement zonal pricing so Scots can finally share in the value of the energy we produce, cut fuel poverty in a cold country, and make Scotland competitive again for manufacturing, hospitality and the green supply chain.
If Westminster will not act, then Scotland’s councils and government should refuse consent for pylons that export our energy while leaving our people paying the price.
Action to protect the environment and marine waters
The sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic in Scotland will be banned from 11 August 2027 under regulations published today.
Wet wipes containing plastic are a common and persistent source of marine litter and can break down into microplastics over time, harming the natural environment.
The move is part of wider action to protect Scotland’s environment and marine waters and includes a transition period for businesses to help them prepare.
The measures will include exemptions for medical and industrial uses as well as business-to-business sales. Members of the public who require specific wet wipes containing plastic for medical or healthcare reasons will also be able to request these from a pharmacy.
A ban will be introduced in all four nations of the UK following a UK-wide consultation in 2023, which found overwhelming public support for the proposals, with over 93% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing to the move.
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Wet wipes containing plastic are an unnecessary single-use item, for which more environmentally friendly alternatives already exist.
“As with all single-use items, it is vital they are disposed of correctly, otherwise they become a problematic source of marine litter and a threat to the health of our environment and wildlife.
“This ban delivers on an important commitment made in our Marine Litter Strategy and builds on previous actions to ban unnecessary single-use plastic items such as plastic-stemmed cotton buds, plastic straws, cutlery and single use vapes.
“These policies are all proof of the progress we are making towards protecting our environment and creating a more circular economy. In addition, we will continue to call on the UK Government to address issues such as misleading claims on product packaging which can lead to incorrect disposal of items such as wet wipes.”
Scottish Water Chief Executive, Alex Plant, said: “This ban will help us tackle one of the biggest challenges we face – responding to and clearing around 35,000 blockages every year in our sewers, at a cost of about £10 million, largely due to wet wipes wrongly flushed down toilets.
“Scottish Water’s Nature Calls campaign has led the way in making the case for a ban – and encourages everyone to bin wet wipes and stick to the 3Ps – flushing only pee, poo and toilet paper.
“We are also calling on the UK Government for mandatory responsible ‘do not flush’ labelling for all bathroom products that risk being wrongly disposed of to sewers, and an end to misleading environmental claims on packaging to reduce customer confusion and reinforce the correct disposal option.
“This issue is reserved and the critical next step to reduce blockages further and prevent environmental harm.”
New framework will protect public health and the environment from risks posed by PFAS
A new plan to better protect the nation and the environment from harmful ‘forever chemicals’ has been unveiled today (Tuesday 3 February 2026) by the UK Government.
In the first-ever PFAS Plan, a clear framework sets out the co-ordinated action that will be undertaken by governments, businesses and regulators to understand where these chemicals are coming from, how they spread and how to reduce public and environmental exposure.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’ – represent one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. PFAS has played an important role in supporting economic growth by being an essential component in critical manufacturing industries, while also helping the nation to meet climate change targets due to their inclusion in low-carbon technologies.
However, there is growing evidence that their widespread use has generated risks to both people and the environment, which will likely remain for hundreds of years.
The UK has one of the highest quality drinking water supplies in the world, and there is currently no evidence of PFAS above permitted levels in England and Wales. Under the Plan, and to protect public health, a consultation will be launched later this year on introducing a statutory limit for PFAS in England’s public supply regulations. Should permitted levels ever be exceeded, this will make it easier for the regulators to enforce against water companies breaking the rules.
Environment Minister Emma Hardy said: “The persistent nature of ‘forever chemicals’ means they pose a long-term challenge for not only our health, but that of the nation’s vital ecosystems.
“It’s crucial that we protect both public health and the environment for future generations. Through our PFAS Plan, we will act decisively to reduce their harmful effects while transitioning to safer alternatives.
“We will work in partnership with regulators, industry and local communities to deliver co-ordinated action to ensure ‘forever chemicals’ are not a forever problem.”
The full extent of ‘forever chemicals’ in England’s estuaries and coastal waters will be assessed for the first time. Through improved testing and monitoring including of sediment and invertebrates, regulators will be provided with a clearer picture of the risks these habitats face and be equipped with a stronger evidence base in which to consider future regulatory action.
Safer alternatives to everyday items, like period pads and water-repellent clothing and footwear, could also be developed. Evidence shows their production methods can emit high levels of PFAS to the environment, with the government and businesses to explore how production methods could be modified to deliver new products which are PFAS free and affordable for families.
Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy said: “The Environment Agency is playing a vital part in tackling the challenge of PFAS.
Through our monitoring programmes, risk screening work, regulatory expertise and assessment of evidence, we are helping to inform the public and stakeholders about our work to protect the environment from the risks posed by PFAS.
“We will play a critical role in delivering the government’s PFAS Plan, building on the work we have undertaken in recent years.”
The plan sets out a range of further measures and interventions, which includes:
Developing new guidance for regulators and industries to address legacy PFAS pollution on contaminated land to ensure a consistent and practical approach.
Consulting on the introduction of a statutory limit for PFAS in England’s public supply regulations to improve the condition of the water the nation drinks.
Carrying out tests on food packaging, like microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes, to trace the presence of PFAS and support future regulatory action.
Publishing a new website to raise the public’s awareness and understanding of PFAS while also improving transparency of action being taken across government.
Reducing emissions from industrial sites through new guidance for regulators and site operators on how to improve their handling, monitoring and disposal of PFAS.
Improving the monitoring of PFAS in soils by supporting the British Geological Survey and initiating new sampling at five locations across England.
Completing work to consider restrictions on the use of PFAS in firefighting foams.
The UK government will work in partnership with regulators, industries and businesses to deliver the Plan, by taking a science-based and proportionate approach to reduce and minimise the risks posed by PFAS on public health and the environment.
