Four schools and nurseriesin Edinburgh recognised with Eco-Schools Green Flag Award status
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is delighted to award four schools and nurseries in Edinburgh with an Eco-Schools Green Flag.
The international award recognises nurseries and schools which have demonstrated a commitment to the Eco-Schools Scotland programme and over two years have engaged their whole school community in local climate action.
The schools and nurseries are: Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools, Leith Primary School and Nursery Class, Nether Currie Primary School and Smilechildcare.
All the schools took part in a variety of fantastic litter-busting and climate action activities including litter picks, litter surveys, recycling and community clean ups.
Through the Eco-Schools Scotland programme, Keep Scotland Beautiful aims to make action to tackle climate change and environmental awareness an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of schools, for both pupils and for staff. The programme provides a framework to engage the wider school community in climate action aligned with the purposes of Curriculum for Excellence and Learning for Sustainability.
To complete the Green Flag journey each school has a choice of ten topics to engage with, from climate action, to food and the environment, to litter, to energy. The schools also choose one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to link their Eco-Schools work to.
Catherine Gee, Deputy Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “I’d like to congratulate the Eco-Committee, pupils and staff at each of these schools, who have stepped up to play their part in combatting climate change and achieve their Green Flag Award.
“It’s great to hear about the progress schools have made towards their Green Flags – up and down the country, pupils and staff are working hard growing, litter picking and learning. Thousands have also engaged with our live lessons recently and the next, on Water, is coming up on 6 and 10 June.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful is committed to supporting all our children, young people and educators through our Climate Action Schools activities to develop the capacities, skills and attributes required to protect our planet and work towards our goal of a Net Zero future.”
The Wheatley Group – Scotland’s Leading Housing, Care and Property Group – is embarking on a ‘Week of Action’ across its neighbourhoods as part of environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful’s national Spring Clean campaign.
From 28 March – 2 April, the Wheatley Group will be organising litter-busting activities and events, including litter picks, in its communities throughout Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
A highlight of the week will be the launch of six new Clean Up hubs at Wheatley locations in Glasgow which will empower people to take action to improve their own communities.
Opening on 30 March, the new hubs join over 80 across Scotland, and will host litter picking equipment that will be available for Wheatley customers to borrow.
Keep Scotland Beautiful’s research has revealed that 88% of Scots agree that litter is a problem across Scotland – and 70% are concerned about litter in their area.
For those frustrated by litter in the community or the places they visit, the focused week of action as part of Spring Clean Scotland is the perfect opportunity to make a difference by picking up litter … Get involved and help make the places we care about cleaner and safer for people and animals.
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We’ve been working with the Wheatley Group since 2017 to deliver environmental improvements through initiatives like environmental quality assessments of multi-storey flats and tenements based on the National Award for Environmental Excellence® framework, staff training and the creation of Tenant Improvement Panels.
“We’re delighted to be developing that partnership now by supporting the ‘Week of Action’ and the new Clean Up Hubs.”
Steven Gray, Wheatley’s Director of Environmental Services, said: “Our environmental week of action is about shining a spotlight on environmental services across the Group and engaging with the communities we work in.
“We are proud to work in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, along with local community groups and schools, and look forward to seeing many of those groups out supporting our efforts to deliver safe and tidy communities for our customers.”
There are Community Clean Up Hubs in 28 local authority areas across Scotland, to support community action.
If you’d like to get involved, find your nearest hub:
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater are calling for everyone to make litter history – by joining a Spring Clean challenge from 21 March – 21 April.
Lorna Slater joined the two charities at a launch event yesterday (Friday, 18 March), at the iconic Blackness Castle in Linlithgow, kicking off four weeks of litter-busting action to help clean up Scotland.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce litter and help protect our neighbourhoods and heritage. But Keep Scotland Beautiful’s research has revealed that 88% of Scots agree that litter is a problem across Scotland – including at some of Scotland’s most beautiful sites. And 70% are concerned about litter in their area.
The environmental charity has been working with Historic Environment Scotland to explore ways to reduce litter at visitor attractions and areas of national significance.
If you feel frustrated about litter in your community or the places you visit, you can do something about it. Spring Clean Scotland is the perfect opportunity to make a difference by picking up litter on your local beach, streets, parks and beyond. Get involved and help make the places we care about cleaner and safer for people and animals.
Every action, however small, makes a difference. Just half an hour of picking up litter and disposing of it safely can help an area look cleaner and feel safer, and evidence shows it also prevents more litter being dropped.
Why not organise a litter pick with friends, family, workmates or your wider community? Or find one to join in with on Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Clean Up Scotland map.
We know young people feel strongly about caring for the environment and want to do something about the harmful effects of litter.
Your school can get involved too. As part of Spring Clean, there is a Live Lesson open to all schools across the UK.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slatersaid, “No one should have their visit to one of Scotland’s heritage sites ruined by litter and mess. To help make sure our historic locations are in good condition for others, please put your rubbish in the bin, recycling it where possible.
“We are consulting on proposals to help rid Scotland of the problem of litter and flytipping. I would encourage everyone to have their say and to take part in a Spring Clean near you.”
Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, Barry Fisher, said: “Across Scotland we have seen a steady increase in the amount of litter over the past decade. While this is a real challenge, we are heartened by the incredible work of litter picking heroes up and down the country.
“Our communities already play a vital role in taking action to tackle litter. Across Scotland we have seen lots of people giving up their time to clean up their local areas despite the challenges of the last two years.
“We are delighted to have launched our challenge with Historic Environment Scotland at a beautiful part of our heritage, Blackness Castle, to help highlight this issue. We would love as many people as possible to join in, make litter a thing of the past, and give Scotland a spring clean this March and April.
“For those that wish to take further action, the Scottish Government is currently consulting on a revised National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and you can still respond until the end of March and have #YourSayOnLitter.”
Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships at Historic Environment Scotland, said, “We’re delighted to help launch this year’s Spring Clean at Blackness Castle. Litter can have a big negative impact on historic sites such as this, limiting access and enjoyment for visitors, as well as posing issues of health and safety.
“However, we believe our historic environment is also part of the solution to tackling litter. We want our historic sites to inspire positive behaviour change, connecting communities with their local area and restoring pride in our local environments.
“We hope people across Scotland will be inspired to get involved and help us make litter history.”
Inspired to take positive action? Learn more and sign up to join here:
Just a reminder that there is only one week left to submit an art work for Granton Goes Greener’s CHILDREN ART COMPETITION – “Little steps to save my planet”.
GRANTON Goes Greener are very ecited to be hosting another CREATIVE WRITING workshop with an Edinburgh based climate activist and a writer-@KirstyLewin at @GrantonParish.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is delighted to award twelve schools in Edinburgh with an Eco-Schools Green Flag.
The international award recognises nurseries and schools which have demonstrated a commitment to the Eco-Schools Scotland programme and over two years have engaged their whole school community in local climate action.
The schools are: St David’s RC Primary School (which has held a Green Flag since 2010), Craiglockhart Primary School (which has held a Green Flag since 2016), Granton Primary School (a Green Flag school since 2013), Drummond Community High (achieving its first Green Flag Award), St Cuthbert’s Primary School (a Green Flag school since 2014), Ratho Primary School (a Green Flag school since 2010), Blackhall Nursery (which has held a Green Flag since 2009), St Margaret’s RC Primary School (which has held a Green Flag since 2011), Arbor Green Nursery (a Green Flag school since 2012), Hermitage Park Primary School (which has held a Green Flag since 2007), Kirkliston Nursery School (since 2005) and St Mary’s RC Primary School (since 2012).
All the schools took part in a variety of fantastic litter-busting and climate action activities including litter picks, litter surveys, recycling and community clean ups.
Pupils in the Eco Den at St David’s RC Primary School used their litter picking kit to tidy the playground. The nursery class also carried out a clean up.
Craiglockhart Primary School’s Eco Committee carried out a litter survey and using the results, decided to modify or replace their outdoor bins to prevent the litter from blowing out. They also wrote to the council to ask them to reduce the amount of single use plastics in school lunch boxes.
Granton Primary School’s Eco-Committee solved the problem of seagulls dragging litter out of the playground bins, by sourcing new seagull proof ones to replace them.
Drummond Community High introduced recycling bins to communal areas in the school, to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. St Cuthbert’s Primary School’s Eco-Committee purchased extra bins for the playground after finding there were not enough.
Ratho Primary School started a weekly class litter picking rota, with the nursery children working with their P6 buddies. Blackhall Nursery children learned about the effects of plastics on the environment and wanted to make long term changes at nursery and at home, so the nursery no longer uses plastic glitter or wet wipes. They also filled two perspex boxes with littered items to see which materials decompose and which don’t.
St Margaret’s RC Primary School pupils made posters which were displayed around the school to promote the use of bins. Arbor Green Nursery introduced regular activities promoting the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. At Hermitage Park Primary School there was already a minimal amount of litter in the playground, and pupils aimed to decrease it even more..
Kirkliston Nursery School children joined in with a local community spring walk, talked about the litter in the local community garden and why we shouldn’t drop litter, and did a litter pick, recycling the items they collected. St Mary’s RC Primary School adopted a local street and encouraged residents to join in and pledge to take action on the problem.
Through the Eco-Schools Scotland programme, Keep Scotland Beautiful aims to make action to tackle climate change and environmental awareness an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of schools, for both pupils and for staff.
The programme provides a framework to engage the wider school community in climate action aligned with the purposes of Curriculum for Excellence and Learning for Sustainability.
To complete the Green Flag journey each school has a choice of ten topics to engage with, from climate action, to food and the environment, to litter, to energy. The schools also choose one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to link their Eco-Schools work to.
Catherine Gee, Deputy Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “I’d like to congratulate the Eco-Committee, pupils and staff at each of these schools, who have worked so hard to play their part in combatting climate change and achieve their Green Flag Award.
“This is particularly impressive during a time of unprecedented adjustment and change to education due to the pandemic and is testament to the resilience and creativity of both pupils and educators.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful is committed to supporting all our children, young people and educators through our climate action schools activities to develop the capacities, skills and attributes required to protect our planet and work towards our goal of a Net Zero future.”
Scotland is being urged to bin all wipes – and ban wipes containing plastic – in a major new campaign to help protect the environment.
Scottish Water is asking the public to join forces to avoid sewer blockages, flooding, and pollution by consigning wipes to the bin.
And it is also calling on governments north and south of the border to work together to ban wipes made with plastic.
The new nationwide campaign – Nature Calls – is backed by a range of other organisations, including the Marine Conservation Society, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Zero Waste Scotland.
Join The Wave
Help us reduce the impact of wipes containing plastic by backing our ban.
Douglas Millican, Scottish Water Chief Executive, said: “Our message to our customers is clear: please bin the wipes and help us protect the environment.
“And to policymakers we say now is the time to ban all wipes containing plastic and rid our sewers, rivers and beaches of this needless problem. Last year, more than 10,000 tonnes of material – the equivalent of 80 blue whales – was removed from Scotland’s waste water plants.
“Many thousands of tonnes more ended up blocking sewers, causing flooding, or being flushed into rivers during storms and heavy rain. Research by the Marine Conservation Society shows that wipes are now the most common cause of beach pollution.
“Wipes are an understandable convenience item – but many contain plastic, that cause serious problems when disposed of inappropriately by flushing down the toilet – blocked sewers, homes flooded with sewage, and pollution on our beaches and rivers.
“Every year our teams deal with around 36,000 blockages at a cost to customers of £7 million annually and around 80 per cent of the blockages we attend feature wipes. Members of the public, communities, campaigners, manufacturers, retailers and governments must all work together to do the right thing for nature now and for generations to come.”
The Nature Calls campaign was launched at Cramond this morning supported by Scottish Water volunteers taking part in a beach clean.
The campaign will feature adverts on multiple channels through February and March.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “The actions we take at home can help protect Scotland’s world-renowned rivers, lochs, wetlands and seas.
“Flushing inappropriate items contributes to serious blockages in our sewers, unsightly debris in our rivers and can cause great harm to our marine environment; by being aware of this and changing our habits we can all help protect our precious, rivers seas and wildlife.
“Every year, hundreds of millions of pieces of single-use plastic are wasted in this country – they litter our coasts, pollute our oceans and contribute to the climate emergency. Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds and we have taken action to place market restrictions on plastic microbeads.
“We are pursuing proposals to ban some of the most problematic single-use plastic items, such as straws and plastic cutlery, subject to the impact of the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
“We support the calls to ban wet wipes containing plastic and encourage the UK Government and other administrations to work with us to bring forward bans on unnecessary and environmentally harmful products.”
A wide range of organisations have voiced support for Nature Calls.
Catherine Gemmell, Scotland Conservation Officer for the Marine Conservation Society, said: “A staggering 30,000 wet wipes have been picked up by our volunteers right here on Cramond beach over the last five years. It’s not just a problem here though. At last year’s Great British Beach Clean we found an average of 25 wet wipes for every 100m of Scottish beach surveyed.
“Our toilets can still sadly be gateways to the ocean which is why incorrectly flushed items like plastic wet wipes can be found on beaches across Scotland. We need to stop plastic items, like wet wipes, getting into the sewer system and out in the ocean.
“That’s why we’re supporting the Nature Calls campaign to ban plastic wet wipes and help reduce the number of wipes mis-flushed. Show your support for wet wipe free beaches and seas by supporting the campaign too!”
Keep Scotland Beautiful Chief Executive Barry Fisher said: “I’m delighted to see Scottish Water highlighting this important issue, encouraging everyone to be more conscious of the environmental impact of plastic wipes.
“We want doing the right thing for our environment to be easy and possible for everyone – including manufacturers finding affordable alternatives to plastic free wipes. This will make sure that industry contributes to the future without wipes that clog up our waterways and oceans, harming wildlife and permanently changing our environment.
“Scotland is facing a climate and litter emergency, so action to find affordable solutions to plastic free wipes is needed to protect the future of our country. This campaign will help industry and individuals to understand that their actions can and do make a difference.”
Zero Waste Scotland Chief Executive Iain Gulland said: “It is great to see campaigns like this become more prominent in tackling the urgent problem of single-use items. At Zero Waste Scotland, we understand just how important it is to ban single-use plastic – and single-use items in general.
“We champion more sustainable ways of operating, which is why we love to see efforts, like Nature Calls from Scottish Water, grabbing attention and encouraging us all to think about our throw-away culture. Each time we choose to reuse we are one step closer to a more circular economy that will help alleviate Scotland’s contribution to the climate crisis.”
Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said: “Our lochs and rivers are a crucial part of what makes the National Park, and Scotland, such a special place. Not only beautiful to look at and enjoy, but these water bodies are also vital wildlife habitats and keeping them as healthy as possible helps us tackle both the climate and nature crises.
“Sadly, wipes can get into these water bodies causing harm to water quality, wildlife, and their beauty. We consider them a form of pollution and therefore we are supporting the call for wipes containing plastic to be banned and urge everyone to do their bit by never flushing wipes.”
Lang Banks, Director, WWF Scotland, said: “At every step in its lifecycle, even long after it has been discarded, plastic causes harm to wildlife and contributes to the climate crisis we’re facing today.
“If we’re to stop climate change and eliminate plastic pollution from our oceans, we need to rapidly phase out unnecessary single-use plastics and that includes a ban on wipes made with plastic.”
David Field, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society Scotland, said: “At RZSS we’re inspiring and enabling our visitors and communities to do their bit to protect our planet and the wildlife we share it with. We want to make it as easy as possible to be a champion for nature.
“We’re supporting the Nature Calls campaign because one of the simplest actions we can each take is to stop putting wet wipes and plastic products down our drains and we agree that wipes containing plastic should be banned.
“Not only does flushing these items cause flooding and pollution as they block and break pipes, but they end up littering our beaches and oceans and killing wildlife.”
Does litter bug you? Do you want to do something about it? This spring, environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is calling for Scotland’s communities to join a Spring Clean challenge from 21 March-21 April to help clean up our country.
Spending more time outdoors was an unexpected benefit of lockdown. But along with our renewed appreciation of nature, many of us realised Scotland is facing a huge litter problem. Our research revealed that 88% of Scots agree that litter is a problem across Scotland. And 70% are concerned about litter in their area.
If you feel frustrated about the litter in your community or the places you visit, you can do something about it. Spring Clean Scotland is the perfect opportunity to make a difference by picking up litter on your local beach, streets, parks and beyond. Get involved and help make the places we care about cleaner and safer for people and animals.
Every action, however small, makes a difference. Just half an hour of picking up litter and disposing of it safely can help an area look cleaner and feel safer, and evidence shows it also prevents more litter being dropped.
Why not organise a litter pick with friends, family, workmates or your wider community? Or find one to join in with on Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Clean Up Scotland map.
We know young people feel strongly about caring for the environment and want to do something about the harmful effects of litter in their communities. Your school can get involved too. As part of Spring Clean, there is a Live Lesson open to all schools across the UK.
Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautifulsaid, “Across Scotland we have seen a steady increase in the amount of litter over the past decade. While this is a real challenge, we are heartened by the incredible work of litter picking heroes up and down the country.
“Our communities already play a vital role in taking action to tackle litter, with many people giving up their time to clean up their local areas despite the challenges of the last two years.
“We would love as many people as possible to join in and give Scotland a spring clean this March and April.
“For those that wish to take further action, The Scottish Government is currently consulting on a revised National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and you can still respond until the end of March and have #YourSayOnLitter.”
Inspired to take positive action? Learn more and sign up to join in here:
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is inviting community groups working to boost their areas to join the 2022 Beautiful Scotland and It’s Your Neighbourhood initiatives.
Groups with an interest in improving their local environment – from cities and towns, to villages, parks or community gardens – are welcome to register and take part, with a deadline of 30 April 2022.
Run by the charity in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the projects give volunteers and groups the chance to benefit from expert support, resources and recognition for their efforts to protect and enhance their local places. Our team of expert volunteers also provides mentoring throughout the year.
Following on from the success of last year’s theme of ‘Climate and Nature Friendly’, and joining the national celebration of Scotland’s stories, 2022’s theme will be the ‘Year of Stories’.
Groups will have the option to build on last year’s projects or start new projects and focus activities around this, finding innovative and creative ways to tell the tale of their endeavours. Some ideas are:
install new interpretation panels to showcase your area’s history or natural wonders;
run a poster or short story competition for young people, with the winners displayed in a prominent location; or
use plants to tell a story.
In 2021, Keep Scotland Beautiful supported and celebrated the achievements of over 250 groups across Scotland. The dedicated volunteers overcame the challenges of the last year, finding new ways to look after and enhance the places they care about.
This year a full Beautiful Scotland competition will be held, after a two-year pause, with medal certificates, category awards including the prestigious Rosebowl, and discretionary awards being presented at a ceremony in the autumn. Judging will be held from 1-14 August 2022. There will also be a non-competitive option, allowing groups to connect with others and take part without the pressure of a judge’s visit.
Catherine Gee, Deputy CEO of Keep Scotland Beautifulsaid, “The last year has been very important for action on climate change in communities.
“Volunteers across Scotland make a huge contribution to the essential work being done to tackle the climate and nature emergency we are facing, helping make Scotland clean, green and sustainable for nature and people.
“As a recognition of this and of the challenges faced by groups over the last year, the registration fee for Beautiful Scotland was removed in 2021 and entry will also be free this year.
“We’d love people from well-established groups, through to those just starting out, to register for free support through the Beautiful Scotland or It’s Your Neighbourhood initiatives this year – joining a network of passionate people who they can share their stories with and learn from.”
Kay Clark, RHS Community Development Managersaid, “It is brilliant to see that Keep Scotland Beautiful will be delivering these important campaigns in full this year.
“The standard of entries across Scotland is always incredibly high, and we cannot wait to hear the tales of what all the Scottish groups have been up to in this special story-telling themed year.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said, “Scotland’s Year of Stories is a chance to spotlight and celebrate all of the incredible tales that make our country so special. And stories that connect us to the natural world can help create a more sustainable future for Scotland, and a greener planet.
“We are delighted that Keep Scotland Beautiful is adopting the Themed Year for 2022 and getting involved in our programme, we can’t wait to see what activities and stories local groups come up with.”
Brenda Whitelaw, of Active Arden in Glasgow, said: “We found our assessor’s visit extremely useful in giving us ideas to establish our garden and his terrific knowledge about funders, other similar groups we could learn from, issues we could encounter and plants of course. The assessment report is very comprehensive and so useful to our group.”
An online information session will be held on Thursday 17 February, 18:00-19:00. Come along and find out about the year ahead, the support and resources available, how we’ll recognise your activities through the year and meet other communities and volunteers from across Scotland.
All are welcome – please email for joining instructions if you aren’t already registered with Beautiful Scotland or It’s Your Neighbourhood.
Budding garden designers are invited to tell stories in exciting competition
A nationwide competition has been launched by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful to find school pupils from across Scotland to participate in the seventh annual Pocket Garden Design Competition.
Following the huge success of the online showcase in 2021, when 38 design winners were displayed to allow a public vote, we are inviting children, from as young as three, to design a colourful and sustainable garden.
The best design entries will be selected, and entrants invited to build and grow their garden at school before photographing or filming it to be showcased as part of an online interactive garden which will allow everyone across Scotland to vote for their favourite from 8-19 June inclusive.
This year designs should interpret three interlinked themes: The Year of Stories, One Planet Picnic and Wildlife Gardening.
Stories are a vital part of culture and community from well-loved tales of family and friends to famous fictional characters: they all give a sense of place, history and belonging. There are fables, legends, folklore, news stories, novels, fairy stories, investigative journalism, and myths to draw inspiration from and this competition encourages young people to celebrate that through their designs.
Eve Keepax, Education and Learning Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful , said: “We’re really excited to be able to announce the opening of our Pocket Garden Design Competition for 2022.
“This competition over the years has inspired entries from across the country and we hope that in 2022 it gives educators and pupils a new focus that supports learning for sustainability, outdoor learning and the Curriculum for Excellence.
“What are the stories you and your pupils could tell through a garden design?”
