Tag: environment

Have you got seven days to take seven actions on litter?

Environmental charity calls for young people to engage with mini-Litter Less campaign

Scotland is facing a looming litter emergency and environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is calling for teachers and youth leaders to get involved in a new international 10-day campaign to tackle litter.

The Mini Litter Less campaign will run from 18 – 28 October 2021 and those that sign up to participate will be supported with a seven-point action plan. 

The plan includes activities to learn about the biodiversity and nature around you, to understand plastic pollution, to find out more about invisible pollutants, to consider consumption habits, to think about the partnership approach to tackling the issue, and to organise a litter pick and celebration picnic.

The campaign will also feature a Zero Waste Day where young people will be encouraged to live a whole day without producing any waste at all.

Participants will be asked to post their thoughts, photos and videos on social media using the #LitterLessCampaign, and the best three will be selected by us and entered into an international competition – with the best 10 global entries winning a prize of $100.

Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Education and Learning Manager Daniel Barrie, said: “Litter Less is an annual campaign we run on behalf of the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE).  Across the world 15 other countries participate and it supports over 1.3million children and over 20,000 educators to improve and enhance the places they love in their own villages, towns and cities by campaigning to stop litter.

“This Mini Litter Less campaign provides an easy to follow seven-point action plan to help drive a change in the behaviour that causes litter.  The actions are easy to fulfil and are designed to be tackled one a day over a period of time. 

“Tackling litter and waste is crucial if we are to reverse declining standards of cleanliness across our country and the planet so we would encourage everyone to get involved.”

KSB have run the wider Litter Less campaign for nine years, and in that time £56,000 of support has been provided to 244 Scottish schools, helping them to become more ‘litter-ate’ and to purchase litter picking equipment and bins.  

In addition, more than, 4,000 educators and 50,000 children and young people have been involved across Scotland.

If you are interested in getting involved contact:

litterless@keepscotlandbeautiful.org or visit our Litterless web pages.

‘Overwhelming support’ for Edinburgh’s Climate Strategy aims

Overwhelming support has been shown across Edinburgh for a net zero, climate resilient capital, according to initial findings from the public consultation on the draft 2030 Climate Strategy.

More than 900 residents and stakeholders shared their views on the draft strategy over the 12-week summer consultation, through a series of online workshops and engagement sessions and the Council’s online survey.

And, as well as supporting the strategy’s aims and vision, citizens broadly welcomed the strategy’s 52 actions – on activities which ranged from engaging and empowering people to tackle climate change to investing in businesses and skills in the capital.

The early findings reveal that respondents not only support what the draft strategy aims to do, but how it proposes to take action and deliver on the city’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

They also show that overall, people felt the Council had received permission to act on climate change and needed to move discussions on climate from ‘whether the city should act’ to ‘how we act together.’

In response to the public feedback, seven areas of work identified as having the most impact on Edinburgh’s emissions are now being proposed. These include:

  1. Creating a partnership of financial investment and delivery organisations to develop a business case for how all Edinburgh’s citizens will be able to affordably retrofit their homes in partnership with the Scottish Futures Trust.   
  2. Developing an Edinburgh Community Climate Forum to help empower citizens, encourage behaviour change and community activism on climate action. It will be sponsored by the Council and delivered independently by EVOC and Our Future Edinburgh.
  3. Bringing forward business case proposals for community energy generation schemes across the city, with Energy for Edinburgh.
  4. Working with Lothian Buses to decarbonise their bus fleet by 2023 and developing a plan for shared public service charging hubs.
  5. Developing a costed climate change risk assessment for the city and a new city adaptation plan by 2022/23, alongside a regional approach.
  6. Establishing a business led Economic Transition Forum and also a new Business for Good programme through Edinburgh CAN B to provide practical support and training for businesses across the city to transition to net zero. 
  7. Developing a citywide programme/pipeline of green investment proposals with a Climate Strategy Investment Programme Board.

Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council Councillor Adam McVey said: “Public and stakeholder response to our draft Climate Strategy has been fantastic and has thoughtfully reflected the complex and systemic nature of climate change.

“Feedback from residents and groups has highlighted the need to give people more information and support on how to make changes to their everyday lives which will support Edinburgh’s climate target, which is why I’m delighted to announce the council will sponsor the establishment of a Community Climate Forum for the city.

“The Forum will help to provide a vital point of interaction and information for and with communities on all aspects of climate action. Meanwhile, city partner responses have been really detailed and positive, with all partners committing to working together in key areas of climate action.

“Many have also committed both resources and in-kind activity as part of the implementation plan and will ensure the Council and our partners will keep up momentum in delivering a net zero, climate ready city by 2030.”

Depute leader Councillor Cammy Day added: “The 2030 Climate Strategy is for the whole of Edinburgh and whilst the Council needs to take a leading role, the purpose of the strategy is to facilitate and unlock collaboration and collective action at speed and scale to deliver a net zero city.

“The pandemic had shown people how quickly and effectively the Council and partners can act on emergency issues. We must now listen to feedback from the consultation and go faster and further in our strategy actions to reflect the climate emergency and meet Edinburgh’s deadline of net zero emissions by 2030.”

The final draft of the 2030 Climate Strategy will be supported by an implementation plan detailing deliverables, milestones, timescales, resources, and approach to measuring outcomes and impact.  This will be brought to Committee alongside the final draft of the strategy on 30 November 2021.

Children nationwide taking steps to reduce air pollution

  • Pupils across Scotland will take steps to reduce local air pollution by walking to school during International Walk to School Month this October.
  • Currently around 45 per cent of pupils in Scotland walk to school.
  • Living Streets is encouraging pupils to #WalkForTheWorld this October.

Thousands of children across Scotland will take steps to reduce local air pollution by walking to school during International Walk to School Month this October.

Living Streets, the charity behind the walk to school campaign in the UK, is encouraging families to leave the car at home for the school run and instead join pupils globally who are celebrating the benefits of walking and wheeling to school during October.

The latest data for Scotland shows that around 45 per cent of pupils in Scotland currently walk to school.

Stephen Edwards, Interim Chief Executive, Living Streets said: “Swapping our short car journeys for walking or wheeling is an easy way to reduce air pollution, fuel consumption and congestion, and the journey to school is a great place to start.

“One in four cars on the road at morning peak hours are on the school run, despite the vast majority of families living less than two miles from their nearest school. Choosing cleaner ways to travel will help improve the air we breathe and help children to meet the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day needed to stay fit, healthy and happy.

“International Walk to School Month is an excellent opportunity for families to enjoy the benefits of walking to school.”

Living Streets is running a social media challenge for schools and families throughout October. Pupils are asked to choose an animal or natural habitat endangered by  climate change and walk, wheel, scoot, cycle or Park & Stride to school to protect it.

Families and schools can then share their #WalkForTheWorld images on social media to be entered into a prize draw with prizes available for schools and families.

To find out more about International Walk to School Month and to enter the prize draw, visit livingstreets.org.uk/IWTSM

Still two weeks left to make your mark in Green Pencil Award 2021

Edinburgh libraries’ successful environmentally themed creative writing competition, open to all P4 – P7 aged children in Edinburgh and, once again, to young people in S1-3 runs until 15 October 2021.

There has been a lot of attention recently regarding climate change and its effects on the natural environment. In November 2021 the Unite Nations will host COP26  in Glasgow.

We challenge you to think, if you were an animal, a bird, a tree, a plant or even a mountain or river in Scotland, what would be your story about climate change.

Or perhaps …

You wish to tell us what experiences you are going through, if we don’t tackle climate change, what does the future look like in 2030.

Entries could be poetry, prose or story, all we asked was that the writing is the author’s own work and was no longer than one side of A4 paper.

Hear last year’s winning entries on Tales of One City.

As the nights draw in …

Heart of Newhaven’s October newsletter

All about project updates …


Our friendship benches are now being decorated!

On October 8th, a group of older and younger people  from the New Spin intergenerational project at the Citadel will decorate the first of our six friendship benches, all of which have been made by Mens Shed.

The New Spin group will be working with local artist Johnathan Elders to create patterns for the backs of the bench. Further benches will be decorated in further sessions, so each will be unique. The project is being run with the help of Thrive, to celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10th October.

Fruit tree planting in Victoria Park

Our Greening Team have been busy with plans for the area and pupils from Trinity High and Trinity Primary Schools will be helping to plant some young fruit trees in Victoria Park this winter to enhance the area, by adding beauty, interest and biodiversity.

There are already a couple of small trees in situ, so those will be added to, to create a mini orchard. The trees will be Scottish heritage fruit trees, specially chosen for the site, and will include apple, pear and plum. 

Each one will have its own protective cage, provided by Edinburgh City Council, and the pupils will learn from a Royal Botanic Gardens representative how best to plant and care for them.

We hope to work on more tree-planting and wilding projects in the future, not just in the parks but in the more built-up parts of our neighbourhood, where urban nature needs some encouragement. 

 Keep abreast of the latest news on our Greening Page

Environment Page


And more on green issues

The Heart of Newhaven Community was assessed by It’s Your Neighbourhood, part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful charity recently, and despite it only being the first year of our association with them, we have scored a Level 3, (out of five) which means we are “advancing”.

The score was helped by having achieved our goal of funding from the Scottish Land Fund to acquire the site, as well as successfully engaging with a variety of local communities and groups. Well done everyone involved. The next level is “thriving” and the top level is “outstanding”. How long will it be?

Forth Reflections

On October 22nd from 2pm – 4 pm we are collaborating with an exhibition in the main entrance to Ocean Terminal called ‘Forth Reflections and Expressions of Wellbeing’. The event is being organised in conjunction with the Edinburgh Wellbeing PACT and the Forth/Edinburgh Shoreline Project.

Conceived during the dark days of winter lockdown this project is the passionate responses of well over a hundred different people to a part of the Forth coast that is special to them.

A long storyline of enmeshed crafted memories and visions of the Forth has emerged, linking the Fife, Edinburgh and East Lothian coasts, biodiversity, people and communities.

Each participant expressed their response to their chosen 1km of coast on a calico square and many people have focused on the coast’s local history and wildlife, its beauty and diversity and the many species and memories that have been and are still being lost. While frustration and anger can be seen in many pieces about marine and intertidal pollution, there is also heartfelt hope for the future.

We hope that as many people as possible will call in and have a chat. Not only will it be an opportunity to talk to us about our plans for the Heart in general but we also want to have conversations about wellbeing and what it means to each of us in our community. As inspiration we will be displaying a selection of the calico squares created by local people.

Call in to see the display and have a chat.

Keep watching our website and social media platforms for the latest news, as we await the move of Victoria Primary School pupils to their new home and the handover of the keys for the site from Edinburgh City Council to the Heart.

Bulb planting session at West Pilton Park with ELGT

Join us to plants woodland summer flowers in West Pilton Park!

Fun & friendly FREE event

Tools, Gloves & bulbs provided

Please dress for the weather

Meet at entrance to the park by West Pilton Gardens

For further details contact Emily: emily@elgt.org.uk or telephone 0794353086

Consumers divided over electric vehicle revolution, Which? reveals

Older consumers, those on low incomes and rural households will need more support to switch to electric vehicles due to concerns about affordability, range and the UK’s charging infrastructure, new Which? research has found.

Electric car ownership has soared in the last few years and, with the government’s ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles looming, motorists are being encouraged to consider switching. However, Which? found there are stark contrasts between different groups of consumers and how they view the transition to electric vehicles.

The mass adoption of electric vehicles is a critical aspect of the government’s net-zero strategy and will benefit consumers who want to lead more sustainable lives, while also potentially reducing their motoring costs.

A new Which? survey found that while two in five people (44%) are comfortable switching to electric vehicles, almost half (49%) are not. The consumer champion found seven in 10 (71%) 18-24-year-olds are comfortable switching to electric vehicles and around half (56%) of those aged between 18 and 39 said they intended to buy one in the future.

However, only a quarter of those aged 65 and above are comfortable switching (26%) or intend to buy an electric vehicle (23%). More than half (52%) of respondents aged 65 and above do not intend to buy an electric vehicle in the future.

Urban dwellers are also more comfortable transitioning to electric vehicles than rural residents, with almost half (47%) of those living in urban areas open to switching and two-fifths (42%) planning to buy one. However, only a third of those living in rural areas felt comfortable switching (34%) or intend to buy an electric vehicle (36%).

Electric cars are currently more expensive to buy compared to petrol or diesel vehicles – a possible contributing factor to lower enthusiasm levels for switching among lower-income households.

The consumer champion found just a third of households (32%) on lower incomes (£21,000 and below) intend to make their next car an electric vehicle and two-fifths (41%) said they have no intention of buying one. This compares to more than half (57%) in more affluent households (more than £48,000) saying they would buy an electric car in the future and only a fifth (21%) saying they had no intention of buying one.

While the upfront cost of an electric car is one reason many people are reluctant to switch, the most common is related to perceptions about inferior performance. Two in five (44%) said concerns about battery range put them off switching to an electric vehicle, while a third (34%) cited the upfront cost.

The UK’s charging infrastructure is also a concern for motorists, with a third (33%) stating they are put off buying an electric car as they are worried about accessing charge points away from home or on long journeys.

In a market study published earlier this year, the Competition and Markets Authority suggested there needs to be a tenfold increase in the number of charge points across the UK by 2030 and that more needs to be done to address the “postcode lottery” of finding a charge point.

The UK government and Ofgem, the energy regulator, have pledged to invest millions of pounds to expand Britain’s public charging network. While Which? supports this move, it also believes the current infrastructure is difficult to navigate, disjointed and must be overhauled to ensure motorists have easy and convenient access to the charge points they need, wherever they live in the UK.

Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Rights and Food Policy, said: “The mass adoption of electric vehicles is a key element of the government’s net-zero strategy, but while some consumers are ready to switch, our research shows older consumers and those from lower-income or rural households are less inclined to embrace the electric car revolution.

“It is vital that action is taken to address significant barriers including concerns about battery range, cost and the UK’s charging infrastructure that could deter motorists from switching to electric vehicles. Consumers also need more support to ensure they can make the decision to buy an electric car.”

Local High Schools to take part in nationwide Hydrogen challenge

Secondary school pupils will compete against thousands from across Scotland to build the best green-hydrogen powered Lego vehicle to highlight the role the fuel could play in tackling climate change.

More than 700 pupils from across the city will have just two hours to design, build and race a green hydrogen-fuelled vehicle of their own design as part of the nationwide Scottish Schools Hydrogen Challenge.

And over the next two weeks, competitors will be challenged to design vehicles that can travel the furthest on the zero-emission fuel, for a spot in the regional final at the Assembly Rooms on October 8th.

The three best teams from the regionals will then take part in a grand final in Glasgow during the COP26 climate conference in November where they will be pitted against pupils from Fort William, Wick, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and Stirling and Glasgow.

Councillor Ian Perry, Education, Children and Families convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Engaging and empowering young people on climate change is vital as Edinburgh transitions towards net zero by 2030.

“Green hydrogen has the potential to prevent millions of tonnes from being released into the atmosphere. This competition is an excellent opportunity to engage young people ion innovating for a net zero future whilst also creating a learning environment which will drive higher levels of creativity and improve peer collaboration.”

Councillor Adam McVey, Leader of City of Edinburgh Council, added: “We know that climate change is a subject which is really important to young people across our city.

“This national challenge not only provides young people with opportunities to apply learning from STEM subjects to this competition but will help to highlight the role that new technologies such as green-hydrogen play in helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change.

“It will also provide the finalists with a unique and memorable experience of competing at COP26 during the global conference and show we can be inspired by the solutions to climate change.”

Pupils from James Gillespie’s High School, Broughton High School, The Royal High School, Leith Academy, Liberton High School, St Augustine’s High School, Portobello High School and Drummond High School will all take part in the national challenge which is run in partnership with  Arcola Energy, ITM Power and ScottishPower.

Bestselling author to host Magical Beast Workshops at Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday

Environmental focus next up for the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour

From Monday 27 September to Saturday 2 October, the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will visit primary school pupils across the country as it continues its series of virtual events.

The tour will focus on the environment, with talks from conservationist, vet, TV presenter and author Jess French, author and rewilding pioneer Isabella Tree with d illustrator Allira Tee, and adventurer and bestselling author Abi Elphinstone.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.

During the pandemic, the tour has been delivered virtually, live streaming into classrooms and living rooms across Scotland and the rest of the UK, with educational watch on demand video content viewed over 100,000 times.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will host virtual events on the environment for schools across Scotland, with an audience of around 5,000 pupils.

Jess French will talk to young people about the world’s incredible forests and how they can get involved and learn how to protect them. She will share educational extracts from her book: ‘Let’s Save Our Planet: Forests: Uncover the Facts. Be Inspired. Make A Difference.’

Isabella Tree and Allira Tree will discuss insights from her book: ‘When We Went Wild’, a joyful, sustainably printed picture book about two farmers who decide to let their farm run wild, inspired in part by Isabella’s own experience at the world-renowned Knepp rewidling project in West Sussex.

Isabella will also show pupils around the farm via a virtual video tour before reading the book and sharing how she and her husband turned a loss-making farm into a sustainable, wildlife enterprise. This will be followed by an interactive drawalong with the book’s illustrator Allira Tee, who joins the tour live from Melbourne, Australia.

Author Abi Elphinstone will virtually visit P4–7 pupils about her real-life adventures, living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia to kayaking through the Norwegian fjords.

Abi will also discuss her Unmapped Chronicles series: ‘The Crackledawn Dragon’ – a voyage across a secret kingdom full of silver whales, fire krakens, and underwater palaces. She will share how her own experiences and adventures in the natural world inspire her magical realms and beasts, as well as showing pupils how easy it is to leap into stories of their own.

Authors Live will also return on Thursday 30 September with Abi Elphinstone. schools across Scotland can sign up for P4–7 classes and watch the event live from their classrooms. There will also be a chance to ask the author questions during the event through a Twitter Q&A.

Magical Beasts at Edinburgh Zoo

For budding young writers and animal lovers, Abi Elphinstone will also host Inventing Magical Beasts workshops at Edinburgh Zoo (Budongo Theatre) on Saturday 2 October, starting at 10am and 11.30am.

The event is included in the price of zoo admission, and families are invited to come along and meet the author. Abi will demonstrate how young people can invent their own magical beasts, using animals from Edinburgh Zoo as inspiration. There will also be signed copies of the author’s book available to purchase.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is focusing on the environment, a topic that young people are incredibly engaged with.

“We’re pleased to have  experts in both conservation and rewilding joining the tour. The pupils are sure to learn more about their planet and how to protect it for many years to come.

“We hope families can join our event at Edinburgh Zoo, where Abi Elphinstone will help inspire the next generation of budding writers.”

Beccy Angus, Head of Discovery and Learning at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the wildlife conservation charity which leads Edinburgh Zoo, said: “It is wonderful to welcome Abi Elphinstone to the zoo.

“As a wildlife conservation charity, education is at the heart of what we do. We hope this event will help our visitors learn more about the spectacular species in our zoos and around the world, and inspire the next generation of conservationists.”

Don’t punish children for taking part in climate action, urges Children’s Commissioner

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Bruce Adamson has written to every Director of Education in Scotland urging them to support children taking part in the global climate strike tomorrow (Friday 24th September). 

In the letter the Commissioner stressed that children’s right to peaceful protest should be respected by adults and that a key part of education is to ensure that children are supported to develop an understanding of human rights and a respect for the natural environment.

Commissioner Bruce Adamson: “Student protests have been recognised as having a high educational value as they are often among the first experiences of public participation and human rights defence that children take. This activity can contribute to, rather than detract from children’s enjoyment of their right to education.”

Commending the positive approach some schools have taken to enable students to exercise their rights to peaceful assembly, participation and freedom of expression, he pressed that no punitive action be taken against children for striking. 

Commissioner, Bruce Adamson: “It is important that when children and young people take these peaceful and powerful actions, they are not silenced, discouraged or punished.

“I trust that you as education leaders will recognise the importance of this urgent global issue and will ensure that the children and young people taking part in climate strikes are given the support to which they are entitled.”

Acknowledging that striking may have a short-term impact on education, the Commissioner writes that: “Choosing to strike will undoubtedly have a short-term impact on children and young people’s school-based learning. However, their actions as human rights defenders in bringing attention to the threat of climate change and their demands for those in power to take action is part of their broader education.”

“We should recognise the courage that children and young people are demonstrating in their commitment to addressing climate change as an urgent and acute human rights issue.”

The Commissioner joined the calls of other global human rights leaders to support action including United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. Children’s actions in climate justice have been recognised and supported by the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Scottish Parliament through its engagement of children in the Scottish Climate Assembly.

The Commissioner will be publishing a report on young climate activists’ right to protest in Scotland ahead of COP-26 and pressed the education leaders to support children this week and beyond. 

Commissioner, Bruce Adamson: “Children and young people do not have the same political or economic power as adults, but by acting as human rights defenders, raising their voices and demanding change, they are demonstrating the power of their voices. I urge you to respect and support children and young people’s right to peaceful protest.”

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