Clean up the World news:  

Flat Bastion ‘Over the Wall’ site is one of our CUTW’s hotspots which we have tackled every few years. In the past few weeks however the area has seen unprecedented dumping of household furniture and assorted waste to a level not seen before. The ESG welcomes Governments response in both arranging for Master Services to tackle waste removal in what is a very awkward site to clean, and also to install a camera to deter or catch anyone thinking about fly tipping in this area again.

The site, a vacant Government plot, is a green area visible from various vantage points, with the recent fly tipping eyesore clearly seen by the public and tourists.

The ESG will be monitoring this and other litter hotspots ahead of September’s CUTW action and hopes such acts of illegal fly tipping do not recur and if they do, that perpetrators will be caught and heavily fined.

ESG Radio Newsletter 16^th August 2018  

Hi there. A quick update on issues of interest to the ESG and its members. We start with Clean up the World preparations and can that confirm more and more teams are signing up which demonstrates the interest and concern many of us have for a clean and healthy environment. The date is set for the 29^th September – why so late you may ask? While the global date is set earlier National Day and the Music Festival take up the two earlier weekends and so we have chosen the 29^th as the clearest weekend for our activity. Please get in touch if you wish to volunteer and or help with preparations by emailing esg@gibtelecom.net . Main planning meeting date will soon be confirmed for the beginning of September.

Have to say that once again sea facing estates are being affected by noxious fumes during the very calm and warm nights with complaints being made either directly to us, or, online. We are following up with the authorities but believe that industry must also realise it needs to change and adopt safer working practices that have less of an environmental impact than currently occurring.

We are referring of course to the Dockyard and to the shipping activity in general and the August climate. Heat and lack of wind exaggerates what are already considerable fumes produced by vessels either receiving bunker, or large-scale works carried out at the dockyard. There are a growing number of voices out there expressing concern and anger about this high impacting pollution and it is time for change.

Must say something positive about how beaches are seen to be cleaner this year. One hopes that a combination of growing international awareness about waste impacts on the marine environment, posters and recycling bins provided by Govt and the dedicated cleaning services are all resulting in more responsible behaviour. This does not apply to all beaches and to all beachgoers – the shame is you only need a handful of people to create an eyesore. We urge everyone to please look after our planet and keep our beaches clean.

Planning issues rumble along and are a real talking point on the Rock. Can’t avoid it as we are a very small land area and there are large projects going on in every corner – so, we are all affected. Despite the obvious gains to most of us regarding new schools, enhanced sports facilities, housing, and new power station, the ESG would like to see holistic planning on a short, medium to long-term basis supported by the community, delivering on our needs while maintaining our special character and vistas. This should not be impossible.

News this week of real-time monitoring at the border by the authorities starting in September is good news and welcomed by the group who would like to see similar assessments carried out at various hotspots on the Rock.

Watch out for next DPC meetings in September, as August will not see any meetings held. For more news and press releases please visit: www.esg-gib.net

Thanks for listening.

Hi there.

As Europe very worryingly sizzles, we take a quick look at our environment with air pollution, litter, cleanliness issues and cycle lanes very much on people’s minds at present.

We have rec’d a number of complaints of fumes from residents over the past few weeks from different parts of Gibraltar occurring at different times of the day. Investigations have been undertaken and the ESG is following up on reporting protocols it believes need to somehow be improved together with guidelines provided to the public as to how reports should be filed. This for example could include type of smell (as there are a few)/wind direction as well as time of incident. Gibraltar has a number of polluting sources including immediate, offshore and at cross border level and tracing a particular smell can be very challenging, especially as these are airborne. The group recalls its bucket brigade activity some years ago when we distributed forms to hotspot areas outlining typical chemical smells and other details, which advised the citizen how to submit information in a report. This in turn, could help the authorities respond more effectively. More news on this soon.

The ESG understands progress is being made with respect to real-time monitoring and of a mobile nature, which is positive news, and we look forward to enhanced air quality data to be made available soon.

As many of us are spending more time outdoors we can see the impact this is having as cleaning services strain to keep up not only with the overfull bins but carelessly discarded rubbish. Yes we need more hosing down of pavements and yes we need ALL dog owners to use best practice followed by many and flush and remove their animals’ waste. But we also call for citizen pride and care in helping our town in being neat and tidy by using common sense on placing rubbish at the correct times, folding cardboard and other bulky waste, using the recycling bins correctly and generally being more mindful of how we look after our environment. Enforcement is also clearly needed. Clean up the World Campaign which takes place in September 29^th will be promoting and highlighting these issues. Please sign up by emailing esg@gibtelecom.net. We have seen the ashtray containers available at the lifeguard posts on the beaches and think this is a great idea – hope all smokers avail themselves of this service – butt ends are toxic for the environment too!!

There has been much discussion out there about the proposed cycle lanes for Main Street and Irish Town. We are slowly seeing the measures being put in place and expect to see clear signage informing visiting cyclists of the rules- this is also crucial for local cyclists and pedestrians from a safety angle. The ESG issued a press release on this issue because we support cycle lanes to encourage more cycling in Gibraltar but think the area available and joint use of space in town raises a number of safety issues, and importantly has to be policed etc. Visit our website for full statement on this issue: esg-gib.net.

Lets take heart however that we are still managing to live our lives in relative peace and comfort as many countries around Europe and further afield are literally burning up as temperatures continue to soar. Action on climate change has never seemed as urgent as it does today….

Thanks for listening..

The ESG considers that there are two main issues regarding the introduction of cycle lanes in Main Street and Irish Town:

     1. Whether the initiative can be introduced effectively and safely without causing problems for pedestrians;

2. Whether the initiative will actually have any impact on the reduction of traffic.

The ESG considers that the initiative to open up cycle lanes on Main Street and Irish Town, at prescribed times, will be a welcome step to those who choose the bicycle, rather than a car or motorbike, to get around our heavily congested city. If more people decide to cycle as a result of this concession, it will be a positive thing. Having said this, the ESG has some serious reservations as to the practical applications of this initiative, given how busy both these streets can be, even after 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays and 7pm on weekdays. It is also concerned that some cyclists may not respect the set times.

If these cycle lanes are going to be successfully integrated into our way of circulating, the ESG considers it essential for the police to monitor the system and protocols set and ensure that demarcated spaces are respected by cyclists and pedestrians alike, during the prescribed times. In many cities in the world, pedestrians and cyclists manage to co-exist respectfully. There is no reason why we cannot learn to do the same. However, in Gibraltar we have less space to work with than in most places so in order to avoid accidents we need to get it right from the start.

On the second point, the ESG considers that In order to have a significant impact on reducing car use, which is what is desperately needed in our polluted city, there would need to be dedicated cycle lanes on roads also. This is the only measure that could actually get more people to opt for cycling.

ESG on Budget Vehicle and Plastic Matters

The various budgetary environmental measures announced by the Chief Minister on greening up Gibraltar’s vehicles, is welcome news to the ESG. We have campaigned for such measures in fuel type used by local vehicles in line with a number of other European cities.

Industry has been given substantial time to achieve these goals and we welcome and applaud the visionary plan to take our own community towards eventual, fully electrically powered transport.

We would, however, like to see hybrid and plug-in-hybrid vehicles continue to be strongly incentivised and supported as part of the short to medium term plan given the necessary lead up time to full provision of facilities to power electric-only vehicles.

The ESG urges Government to rethink this aspect of an otherwise positive and welcomed set of environmental measures announced to green up transport in Gibraltar.

Measures on reducing single use plastics are also strongly welcomed.

ESG Radio Newsletter

Key words- Summer temps/floral explosion/pollution rise/shipping activity and protocols/ Litter and civic pride- CUTW / New ESG Objectives List coming soon

Hello there- The summer season has finally arrived and with it major outdoor activity and increased littering, wonderful tree blossom and also amplification of pollution in raised temperatures and calmer wind scenarios.

We can solve some of our problems, but there are some we cannot tackle ourselves. Using public transport/ disposing of rubbish responsibly/ using less packaging at point of purchase/ encouraging others to do the same; all these actions help. In our annual Clean Up awareness campaign we aim to highlight positive actions and progress as well as actions needed by Govt, businesses and industry for all to play their part in looking after our environment. Our volunteer teams will help clean up nature, coastal and underwater sites as tackled every year.

Date for this year is 29^th September. Campaign will kick off with a March up Main Street as from 11am. and related activity will follow at the John Mackintosh Square for a few hours. Hope you can join us on the day! Plse register by emailing esg@gibtelecom.net as teams are now signing up.

As an extremely busy Mediterranean Port, Gibraltar’s shipping activity is significant. Despite following strict Codes of Practice monitored by the Port and Maritime Agency, the volume and proximity of the ships mean that pollution will affect us on an on-going basis. There are always some vessels that break the rules and these should be reported – not necessarily via FB, but direct to the Port or Dept. of Environment. Examples could be endless smoke emissions from nearby vessels, which clearly are not circumstances of mere start up of engines.

Contact us for information on how to make such reports. Another factor is that Gibraltar needs to apply more stringent controls than are required whether by the EU or International conventions – simply because of the proximity of berthing and shipping activity to residential areas. The ESG is following up on all these issues with the authorities as well as seeking provision of onshore electricity connection throughout the Port area.

Since 2003 the ESG has set out its “Shopping Cart” of Objectives for Gibraltar and the regional environment and we try and update this as frequently as possible.

Our 2017 List is now being reviewed and will be available online soon. We know from feedback from the community that this resource is very useful to people interested in finding out more about the issues on the ground including students both here and abroad. The 2018 paper will be available online at www.esg-gib.net with issues covered such as : Climate Change, Energy, Waste, Sewage, Pollution, Transport, Cross Border Issues, Govt Environmental Management Plan and many more.

Thank you for listening..!

JOINT STATEMENT ON GRAND PARADE

The GONHS, Gibraltar Heritage Trust and ESG welcome the exchange in Parliament on the 18^th May highlighting a meeting held between the Chief Minister and the three groups in November 2017 to discuss the issue of the Grand Parade Car Parking Project.

The groups were very grateful to be able to present their views and concerns directly, and in some detail, which included viability of going underground, importance for current and future generations of preserving this important open space, and the added advantage this gave of creating an attractively landscaped area for both residents and the many thousands of tourists that will visit the Botanic Gardens and Upper Rock via the Cable Car.

All three NGOs sincerely hope that the outcome of the investigations into the viability of an underground car park facility at this site will be successful.

ESG Radio Newsletter May 30^th 2018

Keywords:    World Environment Day 2018    Grand Parade Car Park    Clean up 2018

We start today’s newsletter by highlighting World Environment Day event next week supported by a number of NGOs, schools and more. Event is organised by the Dept of Environment and promises to showcase the extensive efforts now being carried out at citizen level on environmental causes and targets – which is also growing year by year. The ESG will use this opportunity to promote its aims and objectives it works on year round for a better environment as well as its direct efforts through the Clean up the World Campaign to reduce plastic waste which is also the theme for World Environment Day this year. The date for this event is the 5^th June – and is being held at the Commonwealth Park from 9am to 3.30pm.

An important issue for us is use of space and the protection of open and green areas and liveability. We were therefore very pleased to hear the exchanges at Parliament last week confirming that fresh investigation is now underway to establish the viability of an underground Grand Parade Car Park. The ESG, together with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust and GONHS met end of last year with the Chief Minister to directly present joint concerns about the loss of this valued open space. The groups believe preserving the space and parking underground is important for both current and future generations. It would also provide an opportunity to landscape the area for the benefit of locals and the many thousands of tourists that will access the Upper Rock via the Cable Car and visit the Botanic Gardens.

Clean up 2018 planning is on-going and we are very pleased with the progress being made. Volunteers have started to register and we remind you that you can do this by emailing us at esg@gibtelecom.net. The Gibraltar wide clean up has taken place each year since 2005 and there have been many great gains achieved in addressing litter and waste issues – there is more work to do and we thank all volunteers and supporters for helping us maintain the valuable Gibraltar wide focus that the Clean up Campaign provides.

Date for this year is Saturday the 29^th of September, and will be launched by an exciting Parade with just a few surprises all aimed at raising awareness about how we need to work a lot harder to clean and protect our living environment! Hope you can join us once again this year. Details of workshops for August will be published soon.

For more information on our on-going issues please visit our website at: esg-gib.net.

Thanks for listening!

The ESG strongly welcomes the extensive solar power project which has been set up on the roof of New Harbours.

The group believes Solar is the future and is very pleased to see what it hopes is one of many similar projects to follow.

ESG Radio Newsletter 17^th May 2018

Key words:  CUTW 2018 update      World Environment Day     Bathing Water Data     DPC    Wildflowers       Various Projects           

Since our last newsletter the ESG has been busy pushing forward with its usual focus on local and regional environmental issues, works at our new premises, and setting up all provision for the Clean up Event in September. This last project is set to change this year with our Zero Waste target to reduce the amount of single use plastic we actually use when clearing up litter in the natural environment. Progress is being made and we are getting great support from the community at every level and are confident we can achieve this target.

The date for our awareness parade and clean up event is the 29^th September. This will be our 14^th year running – we already have volunteers signing up and we invite you to contact us to register at: esg@gibtelecom.net. Long-term partners will be contacted before the end of May and planning sessions for July and August will be published soon.

World Environment Day is coming up on the 5^th June at the Commonwealth Park. This event is organised by the Dept. of Environment and involves many local NGOs and schools. With our schools developing their own, and growing, year round environmental programmes, the 5^th June will no doubt be a great event reflecting this successful effort. The ESG will be supporting World Environment Day with our own stall aimed at sharing our interests and promoting our group’s key messages. Hope you will find time to pop round on the 5^th – it is being run the whole day, from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

With the weather picking up more and more of us are heading to our shores to cool down and a timely reminder therefore to check the bathing water monitoring site where you can find data on past and current water quality at your beach of choice. While in the main most Gibraltar beaches are in good health, the one that has been highly problematic for the past 8 years has been Western Beach and records show that during 2018 winter months, and rainfall conditions, sewage contamination persists. Therefore it is useful to check available data and also to avoid the area during any rainfall. No final solution has yet been achieved despite NGO and Govt action and indeed EU legal action proceedings started against Spain on this. The ESG hopes that with the progress on cross border business cooperation currently underway due to Brexit matters that this issue will be also given necessary attention.

For bathing water data simply search for: environmental-agency.gi, go to monitoring and click on bathing water.

DPC – that’s the Development and Planning Commission- meet for their monthly session on the 23^rd May as from 9.30am at the John Mackintosh Hall, Charles Hunt Room. These meetings are open to the public and you can find the agenda on the DPC Town Planning Website.

It continues to be a walker and birders season at present with an explosion of wildflowers everywhere and birds gracing our skies. The heavy and persistent rains have transformed many of our nature spots to tropical and vibrant conditions – life is truly abuzz! right now, very special indeed. Get out there if you can- Upper Rock, Europa Foreshore, Botanic Gardens and our coastline are just some examples.

We continue to follow and monitor progress on the upcoming Waste Plant, Sewage Treatment Plant, LNG Power Station, New Cleaning Contract and others. We also remain vigilant on heavy pollution incidences and act on reports received etc.

Please visit our own website at esg-gib.net where we post all Radio Newsletters and Press Statements for more information and for our comprehensive List of Objectives which sets out our views on Gibraltar’s environmental challenges. Thanks for listening.