4 days Ago
For four weeks, litter pickers in Inverclyde have been taking part in the Keep Scotland Beautiful ‘Big Beach Clean’ campaign, which ended on the Easter weekend. Green Tangerine - formerly known as Literati Guide to Inverclyde - organised 24 events along our coastline, from Finlaystone burn in Port Glasgow to Wemyss Bay beach. Literati volunteers, employees of local companies and others who came along and helped for the first time included 193 adults and 81 children.
They collected 311 bags and a lot of varied large items. To mark this achievement, a celebration picnic with activities is organised for Sunday, May 18 from 12 noon until 3.30pm at Lunderston Bay.
Bring a picnic, blanket, family and friends! You’ll be more than welcome to join a Literati group in your area and help keep Inverclyde litter-free, stop litter blowing onto our coastline and ending up in our river. The group in Gourock which I belong to meets on the last Saturday of the month at 10.30am beside Gourock railway station.
Thanks to the council for picking up for disposal all the bags that are collected across Inverclyde by the groups. Meanwhile, International Dark Skies Week, which ran from April 21 to 28, was marked by Gourock Community Council with a short presentation by local resident Thomas Gavin, who runs an Instagram page called Inverclyde Dark Skies. He told us: "Much of our modern outdoor lighting hides and reduces our appreciation of the wonders of the night sky.
Stars, planets and galaxies all disappear from sight under our artificial lights." We were encouraged to assess our own outdoor lighting, using the ‘five principles for responsible outdoor lighting’ - that it should be useful, targeted, low-level, controlled and warm-coloured - to improve our view of the sky at night. With the intervention of Thomas, and of Stuart McMillan MSP's office, Western Ferries immediately took this on board and adjusted the lighting at their ferry terminal at McInroy's Point to be more compliant.
Many thanks to residents who have contacted me after noticing the difference this has made. Inverclyde Council has also taken these principles on board by the installation of compliant lighting at the Battery Park which also creates a safe place for residents after dusk. More information is available at , or you can contact the Inverclyde Skywatchers who meet at the Inverkip Hub on Mondays from 3-5pm.
On Thursday, April 24, at the Pirrie Hall at the bottom of Campbell Street, Greenock, I attended an event loking at rewilding. We watched a film about the action that is being taken in Scotland to restore our mountains, countryside and biodiversity to their natural state, with examples of projects in Norway, Germany, Poland, Austria and across Europe. We also learned of the fascinating work being done locally by Peter Livingstone and his team at Eadha (the old Gaelic name for Aspen) Enterprises within Clyde Muirshiel Park.
This not-for-profit social enterprise maintains a native tree nursery, specialising in aspen and other rare species. Its aim is to restore degraded lands to vibrant native forests which provide a home to a rich biodiversity and to also provide a range of materials and services to local communities so they can sustain and manage their resources for present and future needs. Healthy peatland captures and stores vast amounts of carbon.
Around 20 per cent of Scotland is covered in peatland which plays a critical part in the drive towards net zero. Restoring valuable peat bogs helps bolster biodiversity and fights climate change. Peatland absorbs water from the heavy rainfall events we increasingly experience, and slows the release back into river networks, helping to address downstream flooding.
Locally, we are part of this vital process with restoration of the peatland in the hills behind Greenock and the upgrade work at Coves Reservoir Local Nature Reserve which includes planting of new woodland blocks, removal of invasive and non-native plants and the creation of a species-rich grassland area. These projects tie in with the council’s climate adaption strategy. Finally, World Earth Day was marked on Tuesday, April 22, with the theme being ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ - a direct challenge to every leader to harness the potential of renewable energy and develop sustainable practices.
Protecting our planet starts with each of us. There are 10 simple things we can do to play our part: conserve water, choose non-toxic chemicals, cut down on the waste we throw away, choose sustainable seafood, use modes of transport that are less polluting, use less energy, fish responsibly, practice 'safe boating', treat our natural habitats with care, and volunteer for beach and litter clean-ups..
