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Landing in Edinburg for a green visit I come immediately face-to-face with an inspiring show of climate solidarity on behalf of both government and civil society on the green in front of the modern Holyrood parliament building. Plaintive voices of two local singers drift in the wind against the backdrop of the Crags, next to Arthur’s Seat.

The occasion is a Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) event, where green politicians and all the country’s environmental organisations come together to make a plea for a more constructive response to the climate crisis. Everyone stands in a big white heart, signifying the combined earth care of all those represented.

“The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets the world’s most ambitious climate targets to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 42% by 2020, as a step toward 80% reduction by 2050,” said Patrick Harvey from the Green Party. “Yet it has been failing ever since, as time and again yearly targets are not met.“




He also said government is investing money into development goals, which in fact makes the climate worse, instead of supporting the lowering of the country’s footprint. “We need to be divesting from fossil fuels urgently”.

“If our targets were easy they would not be ambitious enough,” said Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

It was an occasion for Scots to tell their First Minister why they care about climate change during their ‘2 minutes to save the earth’ slots. SCCS handed over thousands of postcards addressed to Nicola Sturgeon, detailing the things people care about that are threatened by climate change.



The ‘For the Love of’ campaign encouraged people across the country to let the Scottish Government know they want delivery on Scotland’s climate commitments and to push for leadership on climate change internationally.

“For me it’s my love of wild land, for others it’s Scottish landscapes and someone else it’s communities in the developing world,” said Tom Ballantine, Chair of SCCS.



The next day we experienced the Critical Mass event, where the city's cyclists converge once a month and 'command the streets' en masse, as they drive home the need for carbon-free transport. What an honour to meet those who don't only talk, but walk the talk.

Enjoy this monthly sweep, which necessarily  means that some stories are no longer current. We share them with you nonetheless.


With love from



Elma and the team
Please forward to your concerned friends xx

PS. Remember to check out the green events on our calendar and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+  and Youtube.


Take action on climate change

 

What are the things you love? Friends, family and pets go without saying – but what about the other things that bring us joy, things we often take for granted?

Heat wave eases in India after killing nearly 2,000 people

 

Showers and thunderstorms in parts of southern India on Saturday helped eased a weekslong summer heat wave that has claimed nearly 2,000 lives.

Texas flooding: death toll rises to 24

 

Three more bodies have been found in the flooding in Texas, officials said Saturday, bringing the total to 24 in a state walloped this week by heavy rains and powerful storms.

The Great Grief: How To Cope with Losing Our World

 

Climate scientists overwhelmingly say that we will face unprecedented warming in the coming decades. Those same scientists, just like you or I, struggle with the emotions that are evoked by these facts and dire projections.

African nations join global march against GMO giant

 

African nations joined tens of thousands of people across the world on Saturday to protest against the American biotechnology giant Monsanto and its genetically modified crops and pesticides.

HOW TO SERIES PART 2: Going off the grid with solar

 

In Part 2 we get to grips with the different types of currents and how to install your batteries to store your solar energy.

Join the Earth Imagineers and reclaim your future

 

Its time for humans to awaken to their true role on the planet, as we become the tools of nature and dance to the tune of the sun.

Overcoming exploitation and other major threats to biodiversity

 

Can the planet still bear the growing human population and sustain plant and animal species to the benefit of all?

Africa’s first Bottle-2-Bottle plastic recycling plant opens its doors

 

The first Bottle-2-Bottle recycling plant in Africa was officially opened by Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa in Wadeville, Johannesburg, with an investment of R75 million and the capability to produce resin that will be suitable for the carbonated drink sector.

Youngster wins award for inventing oil spill detection device

 

An 18-year-old Indian-American boy has won the prestigious Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award in the US for inventing a device that quickly shuts down undersea oil spills.

Climate depression is for real – ask a scientist

 

If you discover negative trends with obviously serious implications, and nobody’s listening to you, you end up feeling powerless.

Join the climate coalition

 

The Road to Paris campaign urges SA's negotiators to achieve a fair and meaningful agreement in Paris. It further aims for the achievable goal of reducing our carbon (or GHG) emissions by implementing 40% renewable energy (RE) by 2030.

Seattle ‘kayak-tivists’ take on Arctic oil drilling

 

Hundreds of Seattle kayakers went to “shake their paddles” in protest over a new Arctic oil rig, with hundreds – perhaps thousands – more scheduled to attend on dry land.

Viva la fashion revolution

 

Recently the world celebrated International Fashion Revolution Day. This day was held in honour of the 1 129 factory workers who died and the 2 515 who were injured when Rana Plaza clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed in April 2013.

Building a better future for under privileged schools

 

Cool upcycling projects brought home the value of waste in creative ways at Redhill school during a collaboration with Green Beings over 3 days.
 

Hemp house coming for Khayelitsha soup kitchen


The Yiza Ekhaya Soup Kitchen feeds, cares for and offers a safe place for around 200 – 250 children in the local community. Recently, some of the children have started sleeping there as their home situations are unsafe.

Hospitals to recycle high performance PVC

 

The rising costs of healthcare waste management in South Africa and the rest of the world are forcing hospitals and clinics to rethink the way in which they deal with their healthcare waste.
 

At least four dead as earthquake hits Nepal again

 

At least four people have been killed and a number of buildings have collapsed in the town of Chautara, Nepal, after the country was struck by a powerful earthquake and two major aftershocks.

 

Brave women are changing our perspectives on rape

 

Shame is a big reason why women don’t reveal their experiences of sexual assault. Now some remarkable young women are breaking that mould.

Global campaign calls for strong emissions reductions

 

The Climate Reality Project recently announced its Road to Paris effort. This is a major international campaign that will bring together citizens, business leaders, non-profit organizations, and NGOs to galvanize climate action.

Oklahoma earthquakes caused by wastewater disposal

 

Scientists say they have uncovered the root cause of Oklahoma’s recent onslaught of seismic activity: the oil and gas industry’s disposal of billions of barrels of water underground.
 

Nepal death toll climbs as world responds to earthquake

 

The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Nepal climbed above 1,900 on Sunday and was continuing to rise as officials struggled to gauge the full scale of the disaster and the world rushed to provide desperately needed aid.

 

State of emergency in Calbuco after volcano eruption

 

The tension and fear was palpable in towns surrounding Chile's Calbuco volcano, after the sleeping giant awoke last month, erupting for the first time in 42 years.

 
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