ESG Radio Newsletter 12th July 2012 –
Much going on in the environmental scene! Minister John Cortes gave his maiden budget speech for the Environment just a few days ago and the ESG considers there are a lot of positives to be drawn from what the Minister announced. Clearly, however, the fact that the power station project, a priority according to the new government, remains unconfirmed is a cause for concern. We hope the decision IS imminent and we will not be able to rest until we hear Govts plans for energy production for Gibraltar.
This week saw the 1st of three planning sessions for the upcoming Clean up the world. Team Leaders are advised to attend the next mtg which takes place on the 7th August. Projects and sites shall be discussed one final time and allocations made so it is advisable for team leaders to attend. The final planning session is on the 11th September and important info handed out on all final preparations, logistics, etc. We are sure that this year’s campaign will take off with a bang as the Parade and Exhibitions will also add a lot of energy and create awareness about waste and other environmental issues – it also launches the hands on action by the volunteers who year on year do amazing work in helping to clean up Gibraltar. You can sign up by emailing: esg@gibtelecom.net and calling 200-48996, or 54960000.
In the run up to this year’s campaign the ESG visited the waste plant in Los Barrios which recently saw an upgrade with new equipment installed to improve recovery rates of recyclable material from the hundreds of thousands of tons of mixed waste rec’d from all the towns in the Bay, including Gibraltar. A visit to this plant makes a very strong impression on your psyche – you never see rubbish in quite the same way again. The plant is a fascinating place and one that all schools should visit. We shall be issuing a full report on our visit on our website and in the local press with lots of interesting facts and information.
The ESG has received a few complaints from members about the behaviour of some beach goers at local beaches and how careless many are when it comes to removing rubbish from the beach at the end of the day. This is an appeal to all listening to please set good examples to your neighbour on the beach and take your rubbish with you. Remember kids learn from their elders and we need to start taking real pride in our home town. The stark reality is also that even before Master Services get to these bags, seagulls will have beaten them to it, ripped these bags apart and left all types of disgusting rubbish strewn on the beach- some of this will be hazardous to humans (glass, metal, nappies), some will inevitably find its way into the sea and create serous problems for wildlife- if you are in any doubt as to the impact that plastic waste can have on wildlife you should google midway island –trailer on the net and see for yourselves how the volume of waste created by western lifestyles ends up affecting pristine habitats in the middle of vast oceans, creating unspeakable tragedy, over and again.
The importance of recycling and of managing OUR waste in Gibraltar as best we can will feature highly in this years’ Clean up the World campaign.
The ESG believes that locally we should have a litter campaign, focusing on reminding people the importance of keeping Gibraltar’s environment tidy and also applying an enforcement angle. Beaches should be a reasonably easy place to carry out such a campaign and the ESG intends to table this issue at the next Litter Committee mtg although this doesn’t take place until end of August. So in the meantime, please, take your rubbish with you and put it in a bin, and tell your friends to do the same. It could be your child who gets injured next time!
