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are relevant to UNISON members, sign up
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Just send your email address to Fiona
Montgomery f.montgomery@unison.co.uk
asking to be added to the mailing list |
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland: Durban:
disappointment as climate talks end
Sunday 11th December 2011: Stop
Climate Chaos Scotland today expressed
disappointment at the desperate lack of
ambition contained within the UN climate
agreement in Durban.
Despite the growing warning from scientists,
the reality is that this will be woefully
insufficient to avoid global temperatures
rising by more than 2 degrees, as was
committed to at the talks last year
in Cancun.
Tom Ballantine, Chair of Stop Climate
Chaos Scotland said:
"It is really disappointing to
see such a desperate lack of ambition
resulting from the Durban talks. What
we are left with falls short of what
scientists say will be needed to avoid
runaway climate change.
Read
more and the SCCS blog
from the talks. Also International Trade
Union Confederation response to Durban
outcome is here
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Two ways to help keep the pressure
on... SCCS bike stunt and Earth Hour
2012
Get on
yer bike on 11th January!
SCCS needs your help with our campaign
stunt
When: Wednesday 11th
January 2012, 1pm
Where: St
Andrews House, Regent Road, Edinburgh
We need your help for just one hour
to urge Scottish Ministers to increase
funding for cycling and walking instead
of funding expensive road-building programmes
that will increase Scotland’s
carbon footprint.
Scotland has shown global leadership
by setting the most ambitious emissions
reduction targets in the world. But
our Climate Change Act can only set
a good example if we actually achieve
what we’ve committed to do –
and that’s under threat, as the
Scottish Government has failed to fund
its own plans to reduce emissions.
(Thanks to all those who helped ask
the Scottish Government to put its money
where its mouth is. The Scottish Parliament
Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment
Committee has urged the Scottish Government
to ensure that all proposals and policies
in the RPP, and any future revisions
of the RPP, are fully funded, in order
to meet the targets set out in the Climate
Change (Scotland) Act 2009.)
Read
more...
Earth Hour 2012
 Earth
Hour 2012 takes place on Saturday 31
March and branches are being encouraged
to get involved.
The annual WWF hour-long power switch-off
has become a global phenomenon with
a key environmental message.Last year
saw iconic landmarks around the world,
including Edinburgh Castle, Sydney Opera
House and the Great Pyramids in Egypt
plunged into darkness, as well as hundreds
of local landmarks in Scotland.
UNISON Scotland supports Earth Hour
and works with WWF to encourage branches
to promote the event and include it
in Green Workplace action.This year
a special WWF / UNISON Earth Hour toolkit
is available for branches with ideas
for activities that could help raise
awareness and involve members and the
public in taking action on climate change.
It’s a great opportunity to get
people talking and provide information
on why climate change is such a threat
and what we can do about it.Public bodies
in Scotland have a strong track record
now of supporting Earth Hours, with
all councils signing up last year. But
branches can encourage joint planning
with employers for the 8.30pm one hour
electricity switch off and for events
organised in the run up to 31 March
to promote Earth Hour.
This year the UNISON Scotland website
will also support Earth Hour on the
day, with a dark starlit background
to symbolise switching the lights off.
Full details, including resources and
sign up information, are on the WWF
website at http://scotland.wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/earth_hour_201222/
The
WWF UNISON toolkit is here 
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SCCS E-Action: Ask the Government to
put its money where its mouth is
| Autumn
update
7 September 2011
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Scotland’s Climate Change Act is
world-leading but it'll be impossible
to meet our commitments if there isn't
adequate funding. UNISON and other
organisations in the Stop Climate Chaos
Scotland coalition are urging members
and supporters to write to MSPs in September,
calling for climate change action to
be properly funded.
The Scottish Government is planning
next year's budget now for Parliament
to consider – you can help put
the pressure on to ensure they allocate
enough money for action on climate change
- such as insulating housing and providing
better public transport.
To take part in the SCCS E-Action click
here (A full briefing
on the budget letter writing campaign
is here)
SCCS
evidence to Finance Committee on preventative
spending
SCCS told MSPs that tackling climate
change is one of the most important
pieces of preventative spending that
Scotland, and the rest of the world,
must make in order to avoid disastrous
social and economic impacts, many of
which will fall hardest on the poorest
and least able to respond.
The key point: SCCS calls on the Finance
Committee to recommend that this budget
must, as a minimum, fully fund all of
the measures set out in the Government’s
own plans to meet our climate change
targets as set out in Low Carbon Scotland:
The Report on Proposals and Policies.
SCCS evidence
in full. UNISON Scotland evidence,
including a section on climate change.
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STUC
conference on low carbon economy, green
workplaces, skills and Just Transition
Trade unionists from across Scotland
will be taking part in the STUC climate
change conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday
4 October. Details
here.
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Update Spring 2011 - Climate change and the Scottish elections
Spring update
21 Feb 2011
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All five political parties currently represented in the Scottish Parliament supported the Scottish Climate Change Act (pdf), the most progressive climate change legislation in the world. But now that Scotland has these important emissions reduction targets, we need strong political will to make the right decisions to enable us to meet these targets and play our part in avoiding dangerous climate change.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) will work hard to ensure that climate change does not fall off the political agenda during the Scottish election campaign.
UNISON Scotland has already worked with other SCCS members to agree on the SCCS manifesto for the 2011 elections. This sets out what coalition members collectively believe to be the top ten priorities that must be addressed if Scotland is to truly become a low carbon society. Thanks to the hundreds of people across Scotland who took our email action about the manifesto demands, we’ve let the political parties know that there is public support for these actions.
In the run-up to the election on 5 May 2011, we want to ramp up the pressure and have two exciting parts to the campaign that we hope members across Scotland will want to get involved in: Election Climate Cafes and 2011 elections online & Climate Day 2011
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Help keep climate change high on politicians’ agendas. Come to an election climate café!
Looking for an interesting way to talk to your future politicians?
Then come to one of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Climate Cafés. You’re invited to take part in an informal and engaging way to ask your parliamentary candidates how they plan to tackle climate change issues if they are elected in the Scottish elections this May.
Climate Cafés are based on the concept of “speed dating”. With a small group of people, you’ll get ten or fifteen minutes to ask questions of your candidate before a bell rings and you move to another table and another candidate. We think that the discussions will be pretty lively, and really show candidates why they should do all they can to tackle climate change should they be elected.
Climate Cafés have already been organised for some of the constituencies where the election battles will be hardest fought: Aberdeen South, East Lothian, Edinburgh Central, Falkirk West, Glasgow Southside and Perthshire North.
You can find out about these and others, and find out how to organise your own climate café, at the SCCS website at www.stopclimatechaos.org/scottish-elections
Details of confirmed climate cafes:
Glasgow Southside - Note change of
venue***
Monday 28th February, 7-8.30pm
Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals St, Glasgow
G5 9DS.
Falkirk West
Monday 7th March, 7.30-9pm,
St Mungo’s High School, Merchiston Avenue, Falkirk, FK2 7JT
East Lothian
Thursday 10th March, 7-9pm
Haddington Townhouse, High Street, Haddington, EH41 4DA
Edinburgh Central
Monday 21st March, 6.30-8.30pm,
Henderson's Cafe, under St John's Church, 3 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ
Perthshire North
Monday 21st March, 7.30-9.30pm
Airlie Street Hall, Alyth, PH11 8AH
Aberdeen South
Date and venue TBC – check website for details
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2011 Scottish Elections Online – and Climate Day Wed 13 April 2011
From March onwards, you can get involved in Scottish Elections Online: a ground-breaking initiative which will enable you to follow and play a vital role in all campaign activities live from your computer or smartphone.
This will include an online climate debate on the evening of Wednesday 13th April. Leading political figures will discuss and debate the questions that you want to ask them via a live online forum where you’ll be able to ask questions while the debate is taking place.
More details will be posted here soon or check for updates at www.stopclimatechaos.org/scottish-elections
To sign up for email updates about the SCCS election campaign, contact gail[at]stopclimatechaosscotland.org (replacing [at] with @)
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Earth Hour 2011
UNISON also supports WWF’s Earth Hour. This year it is on the same day as the TUC March For the Alternative on 26 March. You can ask any family,friends and colleagues who aren’t going to London for the march with you to sign up and switch off their lights for an hour that evening. Full details on the Earth Hour 2011 website
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Guidance for public bodies on their climate change duties
The Scottish Government has published guidance for public bodies on how they should be putting their climate change duties into practice. UNISON lobbied hard for the duties to be in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act. They will be useful for branches to know about in local campaigns on cuts. The guidance is online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/02/04093254/0
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STUC climate change conference
Watch this space for details soon of a major STUC climate change conference in May or June 2011. It will focus on job opportunities and threats, identifying how to enhance the STUC-Scottish Government 2009 communiqué on climate change and build TU capacity in workplace and community initiatives.
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Autumn 2010 action on climate
change – manifestos and MPs
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has launched
a new manifesto E-action for supporters to
help set the agenda for the next Scottish
Government. SCCS is also organising the Big
Climate Connection lobby of MPs on Saturday
5 and Sunday 6 November 2010.
UNISON Scotland is part of the SCCS coalition
that helped secure the world-leading Climate
Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Now we need political
parties to deliver policies that will help
meet the targets in the Act and prevent runaway
dangerous climate change.
 SCCS
has a 10
point manifesto setting out ways in which
the Scottish Government, local authorities
and communities can all help to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
The adoption and implementation of the measures
in the manifesto will help to ensure Scotland
not only meets its legal responsibilities,
but: continues to demonstrate international
leadership on climate change; supports poor
communities living in developing countries
to survive and adapt to the effects of climate
change; and secures a sustainable, just and
prosperous future for people living in Scotland.
‘From rhetoric to reality: a manifesto for
climate action’ includes proposals for action
on Just Transition, a strategic climate fund
for local authorities, green procurement and
the integration of health and climate change
policies.
Click
here to find out more and to take part in
the October E-action. This will send a
letter from you to the leaders of Scotland’s
five main political parties. You will be able
to pick your top policy choices from the SCCS
manifesto, to ask the political leaders to
include those policies in their manifesto
for the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.
And on November 5th and 6th 2010, supporters are
being urged to join with others to lobby MPs
in their constituencies as part of the Big
Climate Connection lobby.
With supporters from more than 100 organisations,
Stop Climate Chaos can show MPs that people
from all walks of life – from environment
to development groups, from unions to local
community and health groups - are calling
for action on climate change.
November is a key time for climate politics
and the lobby aims to influence some big issues:
International: The Big Climate Connection
will take place three weeks before the
UN Climate Change talks in Cancun, Mexico.
The UK should commit to pay its fair share
of the money needed to support poor countries
who are already affected by climate change.
UK: A new UK
Energy Bill will be before Parliament
in November.
Scotland: Scotland has the strongest
climate change laws in the world and we want
to encourage the UK Government and the EU,
ahead of the climate change negotiations in
Cancun, to follow Scotland’s lead.
Sign
up to take part in the Big Climate
Connection on 5th or 6th November 2010 or
click here to find out more.
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UNISON’s green workplace project wins
Climate Challenge funding
Wednesday 31 March 2010:
Public service workers in Lanarkshire today won more than £60,000 for a trade union climate change project UNISON Scotland has congratulated branch members in South Lanarkshire on their successful Climate Challenge Fund bid. The ideas they come up with for greening the workplace could lead the way for similar union work across the public sector.
UNISON South Lanarkshire Branch Secretary Stephen Smellie said:
“We are very pleased to have been awarded funding for our Green Workers project which will help contribute to Scottish climate change targets.
Click
here for full press release and links
The wave floods into Glasgow to demand action on climate change
Saturday 5 Dec 2009: 8000
joined The Wave, Scotland's biggest ever demonstration
to demand action on climate change - Click
here for report and pictures.
UNISON Scotland is urging strong support from branches
for The Wave, Scotland's biggest ever demonstration
in support of action on climate change.
The Wave takes place on Saturday
5 December 2009 in Glasgow.
- Assemble 10.30am Bellahouston Park (south
of River Clyde) (getting to Bellahouston
info here) (link to bottom of page where
info is please)
- March at 11am to Kelvingrove Park (West
End) Rally at Kelvingrove Park from 12.30pm
with live music, speakers, a children's
tent with activities and other marquees
and actions.
- Full details below and on The Wave website
www.the-wave.org.uk/scotland
What's the Wave?
On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the
crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, thousands
of people from across Scotland, from all walks
of life, will flow through the streets of
Glasgow to demonstrate their support for a
safe climate future for all. The Wave is organised
by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
When and where
Please assemble at Bellahouston Park (north
side, near the Palace of Art Centre for Sports
Excellence) at 10.30am on Saturday 5th December.
The Wave will start at 11am in Bellahouston
Park, south of the River Clyde, and finish
in Kelvingrove Park, in the West End, where
there will be live music, speakers, a children’s
tent with activities and other marquees with
members of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
coalition waiting to greet you.
The distance from Bellahouston Park to Kelvingrove
Park is around 2½ miles, although the exact
route is still being finalised with Glasgow
City Council and Strathclyde Police.
Details of the route will be published on
The
Wave website as soon as they are available.
Find out how to get to Bellahouston
Park.
Join The Wave - Scotland’s biggest ever demonstration
in support of action on climate change.
We want the UK Government to Share Scotland’s
Ambition, Protect the Poorest and Act Fair
& Fast.
Branches have been sent posters and flyers.
Click
here for poster (pdf) and
here for A6 flyer (pdf).
Scotland recently passed the toughest climate
change laws of any industrialised country
in the world. This could help set an example
for other wealthy nations - and persuade developing
countries, concerned that industrialised countries
are not doing enough to prevent runaway climate
change, that we are willing to do our bit.
The Wave will be a fun, family-friendly march
in Glasgow city centre, where people of all
ages and from all walks of life can come together
to show their concern about climate change.
It coincides with The Wave demonstration in
London, organised by Stop Climate Chaos.
Similar demonstrations will be taking place
across the world at this time. In order to
demonstrate that this issue is important to
Scotland, we need as many people as possible
to turn out on the streets of Glasgow on 5th
December.
Can you help with stewarding?
Click here.
If you can help spread the word, see the
SCCS mobilisation guide here (click
here - pdf)
Let SCCS know you are coming To sign
up for the Wave click here www.stopclimatechaos.org/09/oct/wave-scotland-sign-form
Also, you can send an E postcard to help
tell people about The Wave and about Scotland’s
Climate Change Act. www.foe-scotland.org.uk/thewave
And send us your Mexican waves!!
The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition is building
a massive online Mexican wave to show support
for The Wave. Everyone’s online waves will
spread the word about The Wave. Get on board!
Video you and your friends/colleagues doing
a Mexican Wave and send it to SCCS
to be put onto You Tube and The Wave Scotland
Facebook event. Email them to: mexicanwave@stopclimatechaosscotland.org
with your name and where you’re from in Scotland.
Video your wave…
- Make it fun!
- Keep it short – 4 seconds or less
- Film in landscape, not portrait
- Feature 1-5 people
- Film the wave starting from the left
In need of some inspiration?
Check out some London Mexican waves here:
http://the-wave.org.uk/
For information about discounts on coach
travel to Glasgow, or to London if you are
joining The Wave demonstration there instead,
click here.
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Stewarding information
Help get the wave
rolling!
To show that Scotland cares about a safe
climate future for all, we want to get thousands
of people to join the march. To do that, we
need volunteer stewards to come along on the
day and make sure everyone is safe, has a
fun day out, and knows where to go.
We'll make sure you know everything you need
to help the campaign and steward the march.
What do you need
to do?
Commit to arriving in Glasgow early on the
morning of Saturday 5th December and staying
until the march is over and everyone has dispersed
(from about 9.30am till 3pm).
What's in it for
you?
- Be part of the biggest climate change
demonstration in Scotland, ever.
- Make some excellent contacts.
- Have fun, and meet like-minded people.
Get involved!
Send a quick email to Gail Wilson at gail@stopclimatechaosscotland.org
to let us know you’d like to help out. Please
make sure you put "Stewarding the Wave" in
the subject field.
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Coach offers
Transport Group Stagecoach is supporting
The Wave by offering reduced price coach travel
to both London and Glasgow on its popular
megabus.com services.
The special offer means it will cost you
just £2 each way plus a 50p booking fee! Book
online at www.megabus.com/uk
or by calling 0900 160 0900 (calls cost 60p
per minute from landlines, mobile rates may
vary).
Bookings can also be made at megabus.com
ticket agencies which are located at the majority
of the major stops on the megabus.com network.
To get this great offer, when booking,
you must quote the promotion code ' RSPB01'
This promotion covers travel from anywhere
on the megabus.com network to London and Glasgow
only and applies only to travel between the
first service on 4.12.09 and the last service
on 6.12.09.
Passengers travelling to London will be dropped
off and picked up at Victoria Coach Station
while those travelling to Glasgow will be
dropped off and picked up at Buchanan Bus
Station.
All megabus.com bookings are subject to the
standard terms and conditions - visit www.megabus.com
for more information.
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Getting to Bellahouston
Park from within Glasgow
Buses There are various buses routes
from the city centre to the Bellahouston Park.
Glasgow Queen Street and Glasgow Central railway
stations and Buchanan Bus Station are all
only a few minutes walk from these bus routes:
- First Glasgow Buses: number 3 from Renfield
Street or numbers 9, 54 and 56 from Union
Street.
- Arriva buses: number 36 from Union Street.
- All of these buses travel along Paisley
Road West. Get off at the first stop after
you cross the M8 motorway, this is the ‘Palace
of Art’ bus stop.
Subway If you are arriving in Glasgow
by train at Queen Street Railway Station or
by bus at Buchanan Bus Station, take the subway
from Buchanan Street. If you are arriving
by train at Central Station, take the subway
from St Enoch. Get off at Ibrox subway station,
which is a five minute walk away along Copland
Road and then Paisley Road West.
Cycling The park forms part of the
Glasgow to Irvine and Ardrossan Cycle Route
(Number 75).
Walking access to the park Bellahouston
Park can be accessed from Dumbreck Road, Paisley
Road West, Bellahouston Drive and Mosspark
Boulevard.
Click here
for Fiona Montgomery's article in Scotland
inUNISON
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Scotland's
biggest public service union
The
Green Workplace
David
Wilkinson is a Project Engineer with Scottish
Water Solutions, based in Aberdeen. Teams
like his around Scotland have made hundreds
of environmental improvements in the last
few years.These include projects to upgrade
waste water treatment facilities so that Scotland
can meet new European laws on waste water.
Benefits include: cleaner beaches and seas;
preventing pollution getting into water courses;
protecting key Sites of Special Scientific
Interest, bird sanctuaries and other important
areas. 
North
Lanarkshire Council's Environmental Wardens
won a top Keep Scotland Beautiful People and
Places Award in 2007. UNISON members Catherine
Di Nardo,Angela Jeffrey, and Nykola Munro,
are part of the award-winning team of ten
wardens, whose efforts improve the environment
for people at home and at work. 
Peter
Singleton heads up climate change and energy
policy at the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency. His team in the Emerging Issues Unit
look at what changes are already underway
on rainfall and riverflow in Scotland and
plan for adapting to those. 
Senior
Countryside Ranger Graeme Archibald helps
protect one of Scotland's most beautiful lochs.
He works with nearly 30 rangers who cover
the whole of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
National Park. Nearly all are UNISON members.
Graeme and his team on the loch itself ensure
the safe and proper use of the water by all
visitors, particularly the owners of the 5,500
boats registered there.The National Park's
aims include the sustainable use of the area's
natural resources and promoting the public's
enjoyment and recreational use of all that
is on offer there."We offer information
and assistance to people using boats.We can
support the rescue service by responding to
emergency calls.We also do a lot of educational
work with schools.” Other staff include wardens
who have a range of duties including keeping
the loch shores and picnic areas and other
parts of the park clear of litter. Sadly too
many people drop litter even in such lovely
surroundings. However Graeme says his must
be the best job in Scotland - to be out in
such a scenic area encouraging people to look
after the environment globally and locally.
Some tasks might seem small - things like
advising boat owners against refuelling on
the loch due to the risk of spilling, but
he says it is all "part of the bigger
fight against climate change.”
