The Royal Meteorological Society is inviting community leaders across Scotland to join a FREE online training session.
The purpose of these 90-minute sessions is to support understanding of climate change and provide the knowledge and confidence to talk about climate change within local communities. The training sessions will cover the science of climate change, including how changes in our polar regions impact the wider world and the actions that governments are taking to tackle the problem.
Community leaders will have the chance to learn and see examples of how climate change impacts their region. There will be an opportunity to share and discuss local experiences, learn from peers, and understand how best to communicate this critical topic more widely.
The Royal Meteorological Society will deliver the training in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey thanks to funding awarded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (part of UK Research & Innovation) through its Growing Roots public engagement funding opportunity.
Training sessions will take place between October 2022 and February 2023 and have a capacity of 20 individuals per session (maximum of two attendees per organisation per session, or five across the whole series).
Dates:
Some training sessions will have an additional regional focus, as specified in the event titles below.
‘Thank you so much, it was really useful – I understand a lot more now, and how Oldham Libraries can use this info with our community groups! Very accessible information’ – Feedback from a previous training session
Projects that restore Scotland’s rainforest and protect some of the country’s most threatened wildlife are among those set to benefit from crucial funding.
A new package of Scottish Government support totalling over £2.9 million will focus on conservation, research and connecting people with nature – aiming to accelerate the response to the biodiversity and climate crises.
A project to restore Scotland’s rainforest will receive over £1.3 million helping to control invasive rhododendron and manage the impacts of wild deer to promote the recovery of the fragile forest ecosystem.
‘Species on the Edge’, a five-year partnership project, will receive £500,000, helping to support 37 of Scotland’s most vulnerable species – such as the great yellow bumblebee and the Scottish primrose.
A further £200,000 will go to the Green Action Trust to help expand nature networks – supporting their work with local communities across Scotland to create and restore woodlands and wetlands.
Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater said: “The interlinked crises of nature loss and climate change need urgent action across government and society. A healthy natural environment with restored and thriving biodiversity is also crucial to both our wellbeing and our economy.
“That is why we are continuing to support and build on a wide programme of enhancing nature protections. This new package of funding adds to our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund, which supports projects across Scotland – on land and at sea – that address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
“We are at a critical moment as we approach the UN CoP15 biodiversity summit at the end of this year. We will soon publish a new Biodiversity Strategy for Scotland, which will set out what our natural environment needs to look like by 2045 in order to reverse biodiversity decline and protect our environment for the future.
“The Strategy will set out in detail how we achieve our goals and a Natural Environment Bill which will pave the way for statutory nature restoration targets.”
Alistair Whyte on behalf of Woodland Trust Scotland and Plantlife Scotland said: “We welcome the allocation of funding to begin the crucial work of halting the loss of Scotland’s rainforest.
“Restoring the rainforest will need a long-term, strategic approach to funding and action on the ground. In financially challenging times, this announcement is an encouraging step towards fulfilling that larger commitment to restore and expand this precious ecosystem. We owe it to the world to restore Scotland’s rainforest.”
Director of RSPB Scotland Anne McCall said: “Given the scale and urgency of the nature and climate crisis it is great to see this funding announcement from Scottish Government.
“Support for work that is focused on species and the restoration of Scotland’s rainforest highlights the importance of addressing nature loss across Scotland; there is so much more to be done, by all sectors, if we are to realise a future where nature and people can thrive.”
Details of all the projects to receive additional funding are contained in the table below:
Project
What it will do
Allocation
Species on the Edge
5 year partnership programme with NatureScot, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and nature conservation charities improving the fortunes of 37 priority species.
£50,000 allocation this year. A total Scottish Government contribution of £500,000 to £6.7 million total cost.
Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum – Better Biodiversity Data Project
Partnership project co-funded with NatureScot to develop first steps in a strategic approach to the collection, collation and sharing of biological data across Scotland, supporting the transition to net zero and helping halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
£31,000 this year – total of £290,000 over 3 years.
Scotland’s rainforest Restoration
Support for a programme of work initially enabling Forestry and Land Scotland to control invasive non-native species on 60 ha of priority rainforest sites, moving on to new priority sites and developing opportunities for collaboration with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest and development of deer management plans for key sites.
£555,000 capital and £750,000 resource.
Nature Networks
To support the Green Action Trust’s work on local nature networks. Green Action Trust will work with local communities to create and restore woodlands and wetlands.
£200,000 top up capital to their core grant.
Nature Restoration Fund
Top up funding to the Transforming Nature multiyear project window, and additional capital to the National Parks to support their nature plans.
£453,000
The Conservation Volunteers
Support for the delivery of environmental volunteering, getting people engaged with nature, particularly in urban and socially deprived areas, each year TCV organise over 17,000 workdays planting over 15,000 trees, 26,000 wildflower bulbs and repairing 21km of paths.
The founders of a caravan park in Newbridge have won a UK-wide Sustainable Small Business award.
Katie and Alastair Guinan, who set up Linwater Caravan Park on Clifton Road in 1999, have been recognised with the Sustainable Business Transition Award.
The business sets itself apart by offering value for money whilst ensuring the business is fair on staff, the community and the planet.
Katie said: “As owners of a family business, it is really important that we operate responsibly so that it, and the planet, is still here for the next generation. We have worked hard over the last few years to improve our green credentials and will continue on this path.
“There is always room to improve no matter how many awards and certificates you get for being sustainable.
“We are so grateful for the recognition which is proof that you can do it and hope that it will inspire other businesses to follow suit.”
The awards are part of the Plan it with Purpose initiative run by small business support platform, Enterprise Nation, in partnership with Aviva and TSB with the aim of shining a spotlight on businesses that focus on sustainability and purpose.
Emma Jones, CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said: “It’s wonderful to see the progress these small climate-friendly businesses have made and continue to make in their purpose-driven businesses.
“The reality is, in the fight against the cost-of-living crisis, businesses that are leading the way in sustainability and energy efficiency, while making a meaningful contribution to society, must become an increasingly important feature of the small business community and we must do everything we can to support them.
“Building a business around the circular economy is compelling, and our awards recognise the vital contribution these founders are making.”
Fiona Hyde, Head of Sustainability at TSB said: “We know that reducing our own environmental impact matters to customers and colleagues.
“We’re proud to support Enterprise Nation’s ‘Plan It with Purpose‘ program, helping small businesses make a positive impact and recognising the success of the five brilliant businesses that have won today.”
Plan it with Purpose has been designed to support small and medium businesses and business owners by increasing their understanding of environmental and social issues, showcasing relatable role models, and helping to build sustainable ventures while encouraging change through tailored resources, action plans and recommendations.
At around midday yesterday, supporters of Animal Rebellion entered Waitrose in Morningside, took milk from the shelves, and emptied it on the floor of the shop.
This follows two high-profile milk spills in Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges in London where two individuals were arrested and charged with £100,000 in damages
SIX Animal Rebellion supporters disrupted Waitrose on Morningside Road yesterday as they continue their call for a plant-based future.
Two protesters took bottles of milk from the shelves and emptied them over the store’s floor to highlight the need to support farmers in a transition to a sustainable, plant-based food system.
Similar actions occurred simultaneously in London, Norwich, Manchester and Leeds.
Hannah, one of the activists, said: “Milk isn’t a viable product, it’s unsuitable for human consumption, it becomes unsuitable as soon as we exploit animals, deforest massive sways of land for unsustainable animal agriculture, polluting our groundwater and contributing more Greenhouse Gas Emissions than Exon, Shell and BP.”
The action comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on 23/05/22.
The animal and climate group is calling for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and a programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come by drawing down carbon from the atmosphere and restoring vital habitat to native wildlife.
Other recent actions taken by the group include disrupting the Queen’s Jubilee, running onto the track at Epsom Derby, and blockading multiple dairy distribution centres day-after-day at the beginning of September.
Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.
Campaign to explore Britain’s hidden gems by train launches
A national awareness campaign, uniting communities across Britain to showcase the delights and benefits of ‘Days Out by Rail’, launches next week.
The three-week initiative is raising awareness about rail as one of the greenest ways to travel with the family – especially when combined with walking, cycling and buses – avoiding traffic jams, parking and pollution, while enabling exploration of lesser-known spots as part of a day out, short break or staycation.
Days Out by Rail, developed by Community Rail Network, draws on local insights and ideas from community rail, a grassroots movement spanning Britain, which involves communities and volunteers with their local railways and stations.
The campaign is being delivered through Community Rail Network’s tourism initiative, ScenicRailBritain.com, and aims to provide inspiration for families looking for days out during the October half term and throughout autumn.
The campaign will include tips on how to have a low-cost railway-themed day out, ideas for things to do with the kids as well as highlighting some of Britain’s fascinating hidden gems off the beaten track, all accessible by train.
And it’s not all about the destination, whether families decide to play travel games, enjoy a packed lunch or play I-spy from the window, taking the train can be so much more than just a journey.
Most of the lines featured in the campaign are supported by community rail partnerships and station volunteer groups working at grassroots level to engage local communities and promote rail as a key part of sustainable, healthy travel.
The movement works to improve rail connections, advising railway partners on local needs to help more people be able to access rail.
Community Rail Network, the non-profit organisation that operates Scenic Rail Britain, supports, connects and champions those working and volunteering in community rail across Britain.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “Many people don’t realise the scope for seeing Britain’s stunning landscapes, pretty villages and historic sites by rail – and making use of our wonderful, often little-known, community rail lines and stations is a great way to do this.
We’re excited to launch our Days Out By Rail campaign with help from community rail partnerships and station volunteers across the country. This campaign is all about drawing on the local knowledge and insights from the community rail movement, and sharing that with families, day-trippers and holidaymakers.
“We hope to inspire more people to explore our beautiful countryside and fascinating heritage through green and scenic journeys by rail, avoiding the stress and pollution of driving and parking.”
Westminster’s Environment and Climate Change Committee has published a report which warns that the Government’s current approach to enabling behaviour change is seriously inadequate and will result in the UK failing to meet its net zero and environment targets.
The Committee identified—drawing on the Committee on Climate Change’s assessment—that one third of greenhouse gas emissions reductions up to 2035 require decisions by individuals and households to adopt low carbon technologies and choose low-carbon products and services, as well as reduce carbon-intensive consumption.
The Committee found that while the Government has introduced some policies to help people adopt new technologies, like electric cars, that focus has not been replicated in other areas.
The Committee concluded that there has been too great a reliance on as yet undeveloped technologies to get the UK to net zero and a reluctance to help people cut carbon-intensive consumption.
During the inquiry the Committee heard from 146 organisations from across the UK and further afield including businesses, local authorities, charities and think tanks as well as government ministers, academics & researchers, and young people.
Baroness Parminter, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee said: “After a summer of record temperatures, fires and hose pipe bans, it has never been more apparent that the twin crises of climate change and nature loss demand an immediate and sustained response.
“People power is critical to reach our environmental goals, but unless we are encouraged and enabled to change behaviours in how we travel, what we eat and buy and how we heat our homes, we won’t meet those targets. Polling shows the public is ready for leadership from the Government. People want to know how to play their part in tackling climate change and environmental damage.
“The Government’s mantra of “going with the grain of consumer choice” demonstrates a reluctance to help people cut carbon-intensive consumption. It is in a unique position to guide the public in changing their behaviours, however their approach is inadequate in the face of the urgent scale of the environmental challenge.
“The Prime Minister urgently needs to set out her vision of a country where low carbon choices and behaviours can flourish.”
Key recommendations
The Committee recommends that the Government should:
learn from examples of where it has enabled behaviour change, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and enable people to make the necessary shifts in the key areas of how we travel, what we eat, what we buy and how we use energy at home
launch a public engagement campaign to build support for helping people to adopt new technologies and reduce carbon-intensive consumption in the key areas where behaviour change is required
help the public to reduce carbon and resource-intensive consumption in diets, products, services and travel
use the Net Zero Forum, announced in October 2021, to address the coordination, resourcing and responsibilities between local and central government, recognising the key role of local authorities in helping enable behaviour change in local communities
use every lever the Government has–including regulations and fiscal incentives and disincentives–to address the barriers which prevent changing behaviours
place fairness at the heart of policy design and tailor behaviour change interventions to avoid placing a burden on those who can least afford it. For example, providing financing support for low-income households as part of a national drive to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.
Ever wondered what the earthworms in the soil and compost are actually doing? Join us with @RealFarmED to find out all about earthworm ecology, and help us monitor the populations on the farm:
-Big Swap is a FREE GIVEAWAY of second hand clothes, shoes, books, toys and household items,
-we DO NOT ACCEPT ANY DONATIONS ON THE DAY,
-the event is ABSOLUTELY FREE and everyone is welcome to attend,
-bring your own bags on the day and be respectful of others as all our Big Swaps are really busy and we are trying to accommodate all our service users
Edinburgh College has been named as a regional Planet Saver award winner in the British Chambers of Commerce Business Awards and will now compete for a national prize.
The College was entered into the UK-wide awards scheme having collected the Net Zero Champion accolade at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in February this year.
The awards programme is a showpiece event in the UK business calendar, recognising and promoting the best of British business through a series of regional heats, culminating in a campaign to showcase winning businesses on an international stage.
The College’s success comes in recognition of its renewed commitment to Sustainability and increasing engagement with its student body through a Go Green project led by Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) and the introduction of an annual Sustainable Education Week.
ECSA’s work involved creating Go Green Hubs on each campus, which feature Clothes Swap Shops and Community Fridges, and are aimed at reducing food and textiles waste, alleviating poverty and keeping the issue of Sustainability visible and at the forefront of students’ minds.
Sustainable Education Week sees classes across the curriculum focus their teaching on Sustainability, with students embarking on new projects or one-off activities which embed one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into contextualised learning.
Edinburgh College Principal, Audrey Cumberford said: “We’re delighted to have been named as a regional winner by the British Chambers of Commerce.
“This award and progression into the next round of the programme is a wonderful recognition of the work of our College in engaging students to support, drive and lead our sustainability priorities, working towards achieving the goals set out in our Environmental Sustainability Strategy. I am extremely proud of what our staff and students involved have achieved and I believe they truly deserve this recognition.”
Al Wilson, ECSA Director, said: “Well done to the College and in particular our brilliant team members for this latest award recognition.
“Our Go Green project has delivered tangible outcomes in terms of reducing literally tonnes of food and textiles waste, as well as raising awareness of sustainability among the student body at Edinburgh College – something which is vital to help us tackle the climate emergency and make it real for our students as they become the workforce of tomorrow.”
Eighty three per cent of adults in Scotland believe nature is under threat and urgently needs more done to protect and restore it, according to polling from the RSPB Scotland and WWF Scotland.
The majority have seen a decline in nature and wildlife in their local areas; with close to half (47%) expressing a willingness to take action themselves to avert a nature crisis. However 39% don’t feel empowered to do so.
The results come as three of the UK’s biggest conservation charities join forces with celebrity champions Maisie Williams and Cel Spellman to launch the People’s Plan for Nature, inviting the nation to have its say on how the UK solves the ongoing nature crisis.
Through both a UK-wide conversation and the first ever citizens’ assembly for nature, the charities are inviting the public to share their ideas and together develop a set of public demands to tackle the nature crisis – calling on the leaders of all four nations to take action before it’s too late.
The charities feel the time is ripe for co-creating a proposal for nature’s recovery as the polling shows that the people in Scotland already would like to see improvements in their local areas, including:
more action for cleaner rivers, waterways and seas (49%),
more protection for nature in the planning and housebuilding system (33%)
strengthened legal protection for nature, wildlife, and habitats (36%).
People from Scotland and the rest of the UK can submit their thoughts on the future of nature in the UK on peoplesplanfornature.org by the 30th October.
The charities have also partnered with Future Art Centres (a network of independent cultural centres across the UK) to help facilitate the nationwide conversation. The public will be invited to add their ideas to specially-designed tree installations at 30 Art Centres around the country.
The trees can be found at venues including Eden Court in Inverness, Lyth Arts Centre in Caithness, Lairg Learning Centre, Pearce Institute in Glasgow, and Glasgow Science Centre.
The two charity chiefs, Lang Banks (WWF Scotland) and Anne McCall (RSPB Scotland) said in a joint statement: “This summer saw Scotland experience record-breaking temperatures and adverse weather conditions that caused drought conditions, wildfires, and other harm to its nature and wildlife.
“Extreme heat led to fears of crop loss, contributing to the cost of living crisis everyone is experiencing. The twin nature and climate crises affect everyone, so everyone should be involved in the conversation about how we address them.
“The majority of people in Scotland say they have witnessed a decline in nature and wildlife in their local areas, according to the polling: 62% in the amount and variety of insects they see including butterflies and bumblebees and 54% in birds; 57% in the number of mammal sightings such as hedgehogs, badgers and otters and 53% in green spaces such as parks and woodlands. And many have seen this decline in some form in the last five years alone (60%).
A representative group of 100 people from across the UK will come together as a citizens’ assembly to develop a set of recommendations to help and restore nature in the UK, starting in November this year. The leading charities are also bringing in celebrity champions to support the campaign, starting with Maisie Williams and Cel Spellman.
Emmy-nominated actor, activist, and producer Maisie Williams said: “The People’s Plan for Nature is the chance for all of us to come together and fight for nature before it is too late.
“I am so excited to join this vital conversation and play a part in protecting and restoring the wildlife that means so much to me and countless others. For me, it’s about birdsong – it always reminds me of home, and I’m scared that I will wake up one day and won’t be able to hear it anymore.
“We must act now – and the most powerful thing we can do is use our voices, collectively. So let’s join this fight together and bring our nature back to life.”
Actor, presenter and activist Cel Spellman:“The People’s Plan for Nature gives us a rare opportunity to unite and bring about desperately needed change for our natural world.
“We have all turned to and appreciated nature like never before in the last few years. For me, spending time immersed in the natural world is my medicine, it’s good for the soul, body and mind. Yet the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.
“Nature needs us now more than ever, and this is the time for us all to stand up, take action and use our voices to protect and restore our precious wildlife species, ecosystems and environment. Together we can make a real difference.”
Mariyah, aged 10 from Glasgow: “I’m super excited about the launch of The People’s Plan for Nature as I love getting outdoors and having fun with my friends and family. Nature and the outdoors just makes me so happy and I wish that we can all enjoy the beautiful nature that we have in Scotland throughout our whole lives!”
The People’s Plan for Nature will give a voice to everyone to share their ideas, asking the public: “what do you love about nature in the UK? What would you miss if it disappeared?” to get their feedback on how to thwart the nature crisis and to understand what people would like to see for the future of UK nature and wildlife.
