Holly Smith - 31-May-2007
- The Environment Agency will be at the
Climate Change Fair in Nottingham on Saturday
2 June. This fair, organised by the National
Trust and Nottingham City, will be held
in Old Market Square.
We want to talk to people who are eager
to find out about how to tackle climate
change and to learn about its impacts. From
10.30am to 4pm, Environment Agency staff
will be promoting World Environment Day,
which is on 5 June 2007.
We will give the people in Nottingham a
chance to take part in what we hope will
be the nation’s biggest survey on climate
change ever. We will be challenging everyone
to 'Ask yourself....'
1. What's the number one thing you're doing
to tackle climate change?
2. What one extra thing could you do to
tackle climate change?
3. What's stopping you?
We will be giving a free bag for life to
anyone who completes this survey. Our main
aim is to raise awareness of climate change
and try to help people think the ways they
could help the tackle this issue.
Michelle Dolphin, Environment Agency officer
involved in the Climate Change Fair, said:
’Last year in the Midlands region, people
helped save 613 Olympic-sized swimming pools
full of water, 9.5 million plastic carrier
bags and 298 tonnes of batteries. All of
this was done by people promising to make
small changes to their lifestyle for World
Environment Day 2006.’
The catalyst for the Climate Change Fair
is photographic exhibition, called Exposed:
Climate Change in Britain’s Backyard, commissioned
by the National Trust and Magnum Photography.
This exhibition, being taken on tour, will
be at Nottingham Castle until 1 July.
To find out more about World Environment
Day and support our bid to create the nation’s
biggest climate change survey visit www.mendoftheworld.org.
Notes to editors
World Environment Day
World Environment Day is a United Nations
global celebration that takes place every
year on June 5. In England and Wales the
Environment Agency has been promoting the
campaign since 2004. We’ve seen a huge rise
in the numbers of people taking part, in
2004 it was just 8,000, in 2005, 25,000
and in 2006 58,000.
For 2007, the international theme is climate
change. We’re challenging everyone to ‘ask
yourself’ what you’re currently doing to
tackle climate change, what more you could
be doing and what is stopping you at the
moment?
The Environment Agency
It’s our job to look after your environment
and make it a better place - for you, and
for future generations. Your environment
is the air you breathe, the water you drink
and the ground you walk on. Working with
business, Government and society as a whole,
we are making your environment cleaner and
healthier.
The Environment Agency - out there, making
your environment a better place.
+ More
Shoppers urged to take action for World
Environment Day
Francesca Glyn-Jones - 31-May-2007 - Leeds
shoppers will be urged to make a difference
for World Environment Day when they are
asked to take part in the nation’s biggest
ever survey on public attitudes to climate
change.
Staff from the Environment Agency are taking
part in an event in Briggate for World Environment
Day on Tuesday, June 5.
Officers will be asking people what they
are doing to tackle climate change which
they hope will encourage action. The results
will then be compiled to discover how the
nation is addressing the problem.
The Environment Agency will be at the event
with around 15 other companies which will
be demonstrating how they tackle climate
change. One of the companies includes the
World Wildlife Fund which will be urging
shoppers to try out their new carbon footprint
calculator.
Environment Agency regional director Andrew
Wood said: "Climate change is the biggest
problem facing mankind. It is the subject
on everyone’s lips and we need to adapt
our lifestyle now, and do what we can to
slow down the effects of global warming.
"We are urging everyone to take part
in our climate change survey which will
give us a snapshot of the action being taken
by people on a national scale."
On Briggate, the Environment Agency will
have a polar bear ice sculpture to remind
people of the impact of global warming in
the Arctic.
Climate change is causing Arctic sea ice
to shrink, leaving polar bears without the
ice floes that they need to hunt food from.
On a global scale, scientists believe that
warmer temperatures, and the melting ice
sheets, will increase the rate of sea level
rise - threatening the millions of people
who live and work in low lying areas around
the world.
World Environment Day is a United Nations
global celebration that takes place every
year and the Environment Agency has been
promoting the campaign since 2004.
Last year around 58,000 people participated
in World Environment Day compared with just
8,000 in 2004.
Anyone can take part in the climate change
survey by logging on to the World Environment
Day website at www.mendoftheworld.org
+ More
River Cole gets makeover on World Environment
Day
Holly Smith - 31-May-2007 - On World Environment
Day, 5 June 2007, the River Cole at Shard
End will get its third good seeing to this
year.
This spring cleaning operation at Stechford,
Birmingham, aims to remove large scale litter
from the river bed and land nearby. The
operation will start at 10am. A team of
volunteers, including Environment Agency
staff will be pulling out debris that could
include old bikes, general litter and mattresses
in an effort to ‘do their bit’ for World
Environment Day 2007.
The clean up is part of an ongoing project
led by national charity CSV (Community Service
Volunteers) working in partnership with
the Environment Agency and Birmingham Environment
Partnership.
Sprucing up the area near Stechford by
removing litter is an important part of
keeping the Cole Valley clean and tidy for
people and wildlife.
Mike Williams, Director of CSV Environment,
said; ‘It is great to make a real, visible
difference to the look of the River Cole
which is an important amenity for residents
in East Birmingham.’
Will Groves, an Environment Agency Officer
involved in the clean-up, said; ‘Last year,
local MP, Liam Byrne, raised the idea of
a clean up on this stretch of the River
Cole with the Environment Agency. Two spring-cleans
on the River Cole took place earlier in
2007 with help from local environmental
charity, CSV Environment. The clean ups
were a great success with many local residents
turning out to do their bit and tidy up
on one of Birmingham’s urban rivers.
‘Now we are celebrating World Environment
Day 2007 by getting staff from the Environment
Agency out on to the river banks to make
a real difference. We want to make the River
Cole a great place for local people to enjoy
the river and get out and about!’
Notes to editor
CSV Environment is part of the national
charity CSV (Community Service Volunteers)
and has worked with local communities across
Birmingham to improve their environment
and to promote greater awareness for over
15 years. They are based at St. Peter’s
College in Alum Rock.
World Environment Day
World Environment Day is a United Nations
global celebration that takes place every
year on June 5. In England and Wales the
Environment Agency has been promoting the
campaign since 2004. We’ve seen a huge rise
in the numbers of people taking part, in
2004 it was just 8,000, in 2005, 25,000
and in 2006 58,000.
+ More
Liverpool to host World Environment Day
Celebrations
Kate Selby - 31-May-2007 - The Environment
Agency is teaming up with the prestigious
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
(LIPA) to stage a unique one-day event in
the centre of Liverpool, in recognition
of this year’s World Environment Day.
On Tuesday, 5 June Liverpool’s lunchtime
shoppers will be treated to an exciting
line-up from LIPA set to include live music,
activities and street theatre performance,
Extravaganza. In addition there will be
World Environment Day give-aways, advice
from the Environment Agency and much much
more.
Representatives from the Environment Agency’s
Merseyside Business Resource Efficiency
and Waste project will be available for
interviews in Clayton Square from 12pm –
2pm on the day.
The event will provide a taster for an
exclusive networking business-supper being
held at LIPA on 20 June. Guests will be
treated to a debut performance of an exclusive
and specially written play, performed in
LIPA’s very own Paul McCartney auditorium.
Both events are aimed at raising support
and awareness for the Environment Agency’s
BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste)
campaign, a DEFRA funded programme which
tackles the major environmental problem
of waste crime. The campaign is designed
to encourage and support businesses to make
better use of their resources and manage
their waste more efficiently helping them
to save money and the environment.
