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Protecting the countryside and green spaces, supporting local communities, addressing our future energy needs and tackling climate change, just some of the issues likely to be debated at
a special environmental ‘Question Time’ meeting in East Lothian this week (21st April), organised by RSPB Scotland and Sustainable Haddington.
Voters are being offered the chance to put their concerns directly to politicians campaigning to be their MP at the event on Wednesday 21 April at Haddington Townhouse.
Candidates from the five leading parties will be asked to outline their climate commitments, as well as debate the environmental issues affecting the region today and in the future.
East Lothian is renowned for its strong passion for wildlife and its concern about global warming. Last month the local authority claimed the top spot in Earth Hour, an eco-friendly competition where participants had to switch off their lights for an hour on Saturday 27th March. Some of UK’s biggest cities and regions were involved, but it was residents in East Lothian that were crowned the UK’s first unofficial ‘lights-out’ champions, by organisers WWF Scotland.
RSPB Scotland’s Lloyd Austin, Head of Conservation Policy, said: We want to invite all voters to this exciting event and get some clear and straight answers from the party candidates about just exactly how they will tackle the environmental issues on their doorsteps.
We know that people here are concerned for their local environment and this event offers a great opportunity to show the huge level of feeling for urgent action to tackle climate change. We would urge voters to come along and show candidates that environment is an issue that residents in East Lothian really care about.”
Sustainable Haddington’s Abbie Marland added: “This UK election appears to be focused on a narrow vision of the economy. Little attention is being paid to the environment and resources on which our communities rely, and even less on how to move away from the conditions driving the twin damage of “boom” and “bust”.
So let’s ask the East Lothian Question: How do the Westminster candidates propose to support us as a “One Planet” region, fit for a resilient and prosperous future.”
The ‘One Planet’ Question Time in East Lothian will be held 7pm-9pm Wednesday 21 April in Haddington Townhouse and will be chaired by journalist and broadcaster Louise Batchelor.
Just turn up on the night, or for further details please call Julia at RSPB on 0131 311 6538 or julia.harrison@rspb.org.uk
For more information/interviews/images, please contact RSPB Scotland’s National Media Officer Louise Smith on 0131 311 6536 or 07540 121 457
Notes
The parliamentary candidates standing in East Lothian are:
(in alphabetical order by surname)
- James MacKenzie for the Scottish Green Party
- Fiona O’Donnell for the Scottish Labour Party
- Stuart Ritchie for the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Andrew Sharp for the Scottish National Party
- Michael Veitch for the Scottish Conservative Party
The ‘One Planet’ Question Time is organized by RSPB Scotland, Sustainable Haddington, with support from the East Lothian Transition Towns Network, including Transition North Berwick and Sustaining Dunbar.
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East Lothian claims top spot as global climate switch off breaks all records
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Six Scottish communities finish in top-ten of UK ‘lights-out’ league table
The residents of a Scottish local authority area were today crowned the UK’s first unofficial ‘lights-out’ champions, by environmental charity WWF Scotland. In a UK-wide, eco-friendly competition to see which part of the country would sign up the largest proportion of its population to take part in WWF’s Earth Hour on Saturday (27 March), East Lothian topped WWF’s ‘lights-out’ league table of 100 authorities during the final crucial hour (8:30pm – 9:30pm).
The east coast authority area pipped Greater London to the top spot and five other Scottish local authority areas (Edinburgh (3rd), West Lothian (4th), Perth & Kinross (5th), Stirling (6th) and Shetland Islands (10th)) that also finished in the UK top ten.
The East Lothian result capped a record-breaking night for the annual global awareness-raising event and a night of record-breaking support in Scotland. The people of Scotland joined hundreds of millions of people in 4,000 towns and cities in a record 125 countries and regions around the world on Saturday night in switching off their lights for WWF’s Earth Hour in an historic moment of global unity.
From Edinburgh and Inverness Castles to the Scottish Parliament and Wallace Monument thousands of people from all walks of life joined together in switching their lights off for 60 minutes in a graphic demonstration of support for people and wildlife threatened by climate change. Many of the nation’s most iconic structures and buildings were plunged into darkness along with global icons such as the Sydney Opera House, the pyramids of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Forbidden City in Bejiing.
Here in Scotland, former weather presenter Heather Reid joined WWF supporters for an amazing light-show and countdown event at the Falkirk Wheel.
Other events that took place in Scotland included a night golf charity event at Fairmont St Andrews, candle-lit meals, topical film screenings and torch-lit walks. There were also several competing Earth Hour pub quizzes and Earth Hour cocktail parties. The event was also supported in Scotland by the Scottish Government, 29 local authorities, over 300 schools and nearly two hundred businesses, public bodies and other organisations.
WWF Scotland’s Director, Dr Richard Dixon said:
“Congratulations to the residents of East Lothian and to the thousands of others who took part right across Scotland. We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make Earth Hour in Scotland such a massive success. WWF’s Earth Hour 2010 was truly a record breaker with 125 countries and territories across all seven continents taking part. The record support for WWF’s Earth Hour really does demonstrate that people recognise climate change as one of the most serious threats facing people and nature. Last year, world leaders missed a key opportunity to agree a global climate deal in Copenhagen. By switching off their lights on Saturday the people of Scotland have joined hundreds of millions around the world in sending a strong call to action on climate to world leaders.”
East Lothian resident and member of Sustainable Haddington, Abbie Marland, said:
“To finish top for the entire UK was a fantastic achievement, and just shows how deeply the people of East Lothian and the rest of Scotland care about the environment. This was a really powerful message, delivered by working together at the heart of community. Local support was brilliant – from schools, businesses, our local Council and so many residents. Climate change needs action at every level. We had fun with WWF’s Earth Hour – now we need to make sure East Lothian and the rest of Scotland now lead the way with sustainable living.”
The Council and the Sustainable Haddington community group have got together to welcome back the town’s swifts from their winter break in Africa by providing nesting boxes at John Muir House, Council’s HQ.
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The Sustainable Haddington community group will be joined by Iain Gray MSP, Provost Sheena Richardson and Council environment spokesman Cllr Paul McLennan at the Farmers’ Market on December 20th for the launch of the “Haddington Bag”.
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The community group Sustainable Haddington this week was celebrating the success of its £5,000 bid to the national Climate Challenge Fund. The group plans to establish a limited company with charitable status, to support and deliver projects for local action on climate change and sustainable living in the Haddington area.
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Sustainable Haddington, a new community group, was formally constituted at a meeting in the Bridge Centre on Monday evening. Its main aim is to tackle climate change through positive local community action and information. Plans are already afoot to help householders reduce their energy bills – a bulk-buy discount scheme for insulation measures in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust is coming soon. Projects on renewable energy, waste, food and biodiversity are also being developed.
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Protecting the countryside and green spaces, supporting local communities, addressing our future energy needs and tackling climate change, just some of the issues likely to be debated at a special environmental ‘Question Time’ meeting in East Lothian this week (21st April), organised by RSPB Scotland and Sustainable Haddington.
