March 2018
Time for a Spring Clean!
Dear <<Name>>
Talk of spring seems a little premature perhaps, given the recent extreme wintry weather, but longer days and warmer conditions are surely coming! This is traditionally the time of year to do a through spring clean and tidy-up, our focus for this month's e-newsletter.
Much attention is now being given to tackling the scourge of litter in our public spaces, as well as the issue of plastic waste in the sea that is very much in the headlines following the broadcast of 'Blue Planet 2'.
When we asked local people what local environmental improvements they wanted to see, as part the consultation on our proposed Biosphere bid in 2013, the main concern was "dealing better with waste" as well as "more sustainable transport options". Recent research by the city council confirms the ongoing significance of this issue, with 8 out of 10 residents fed up with the amount of litter in Brighton & Hove.
Local councils obviously have a principal role to play to tackle this problem, however they can't do it without the support of the public and so are actively seeking people to engage and volunteer their support. Our Bio Blog this month, by Vicky Karidopolou from CityClean at Brighton & Hove City Council, details the innovative #StreetsAhead public campaign designed to encourage us all to clean up our act! (see excerpt below right)
If you're willing to lend a hand, then there are number of public initiatives you can get involved with where your help will be very much welcomed - take a look at our 'WoW' section (below left) for inspiration.
The Great British Spring Clean launches this weekend and runs for the next three weeks of March, to encourage people nationwide to help tidy up their local area. There are a number of public events planned in our area of The Living Coast (TLC), details of which you can find on the Keep Britain Tidy website as well as our own TLC calendar too. Beyond public tidy-ups, there is a host of other eco-events also going on this month included in our Calendar (selected summary list, left) for your enjoyment.
Looking further ahead to the summer, we're delighted to announce the Greater Brighton Cycling Challenge charitable event on 1st July, including two beautiful rides Around The Living Coast - please register to be involved.
So don't despair at winter's last gasp, you can still get out to enjoy the great outdoors - and if you look carefully you might be lucky enough to find some signs of spring. Take a look at our monthly Nature Now diary for what you might discover!
Looking forward to the spring proper!
Rich Howorth
Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere Partnership
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Window On
Our World
Public Beach & Park Cleans
There's a range of groups you can volunteer with to help tackle litter in public spaces across The Living Coast, including:
~ Pier 2 Pier beach clean, Brighton – monthly mass litter picks between the Palace and West Piers
~ Tidy Up Team, Brighton & Hove – a new initiative to tackle litter in the city's parks, led by council rangers
~ Ovingdean beach cleans – regular events run by the Deans Beach & Environment Volunteers
~ Newhaven beach cleans – seasonal events organised by the rangers at Lewes District Council
~ Adur & Worthing community cleans – various events being held, including at Shoreham Beach local nature reserve
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Bio Blog
Get Streets Ahead on Litter
Brighton and Hove City Council’s anti-littering public campaign #StreetsAhead was introduced in 2017 to encourage the responsible disposal of litter and prevent it being washed out to sea.
Litter travels – from our hand, to the ground, to the storm drain and then out to sea – with 35% of fish caught off our local coast found to have plastic in their gut!
This campaign aims to capture the public’s imagination and change behaviour through interactive approaches. For example, silent disco beach cleans have involved 250 people clearing 600kg of litter from the city’s beach!
#StreetsAhead is calling on Brighton’s residents, businesses and visitors to help stop the flow of litter into the sea by:
-Using bins, not pavements
- Picking up others' litter
- Getting active on social media with #StreetsAhead
For more read the full blog.
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