Hello, in today’s Radio Newsletter, we would like to share with you some of the issues of interest and concern to the ESG and its members.

Firstly, we wanted to highlight some of the field work we are doing related to Clean up the World, one of our key awareness campaigns. Talks and Film screenings on this campaign are ongoing, most recently to the Governor, his wife, and staff, who between them tackled a large project in the Botanic Gardens in preparation for the development of exciting, new projects. These are to be run by the Wildlife Park. More talks are underway to schools, clubs, and the Gibraltar College on local environmental issues, Climate Change and the Clean Up itself.

We have also been surveying many of the CUTW hotspots and find that, in general, most appear to be relatively clean. However, a few, like Green Lane, or the Skate Park, are in a shocking state. A full report is now being finalised, will be published on our website and sent to Government.

The ESG role within the DPC is also beginning to take shape with applications coming before the Commission requiring ESG assessment, follow up and delivery of our position to all ESG members. For us, the need for review of the Planning Act and Policy and implementation of the environmental guidelines set out by the impressive Strategic Environmental Plan continue to be our priority here.

Issues such as installation of mobile phone technology in Gibraltar, and the new Tank Farm proposal for the Port area are some of our considerations here. These have highlighted to us the lack of holistic planning in Gibraltar, an issue that we are currently taking up with the new Government.

Finally we would like to invite those interested in visiting the waste separation plant at Los Barrios to call us and register. You can leave a message on 200-48996. The waste plant receives mixed waste from Gibraltar and Spanish towns on the Bay and carries out mechanised and some manual separation of waste into recyclable materials with the rest destined for landfill. Fascinating to see this at least the once!!

Duration of trip is approximately 3 hours including visit and some costs are involved, though not much.

Please call us!!

Thanks for listening.

24th February 2012

“The ESG continues to be very concerned about the high levels of raw sewage at Western Beach. A visit to the Env Agency website at:

http://www.environmental-agency.gi/beachresult.php?beachid=6 confirms the problem is severe and needs to be dealt with.

Given the Chief Minister is meeting with La Linea Mayor today to discuss cross border issues, we urge him to please raise this issue as a matter of priority.”

Visit Gibraltar Environmental Agency website at :- http://www.environmental-agency.gi/beachresult.php?beachid=6

With levels of sewage still registering high the ESG hopes that Government will be taking action to address this problem before the weather improves and people take to the seas to cool off!
We shall continue to monitor the situation and will call on Governemnt and Brussels to do whatever is necessary to tackle this problem once and for all

The ESG’s environmental awareness programme kicked off in 2012 with a private screening in January of our film on the CUTW Campaign to his Excellency the Governor and his team.

The ESG delivered a short presentation and showed the special film which features the Governor and his team hard at work at the Botanic Gardens as part of the community wide hands on event. Janet Howitt also presented a brochure to his Excellency containing media coverage of the efforts of the 500 plus volunteers working hard to help clean up Gibraltar.
The brochure, film and its message was well received and it is hoped that similar presentations will take place throughout 2012.

See: www.esg-gib.net and click on link on Home Page for an online version of the film

Click on following link for details of next DPC meeting to be held on the 10th February 2012 at 10.30am. You will note that we shall be raising concerns about the standards applied in Gibraltar concerning mobie phone technology.

http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/images/stories/PDF/town_planning/DPC/DPC-Agenda3_10_02_12.pdf