Rotary GB&I Environmental Sustainability Mid-Year Review Survey and April Newsletter
The District Environmental Officer would be pleased to learn of your club's current projects and future plans. Please send relevant information using the form at the link below:
/upimages/distreps/1020//Environmental Half Year Clubs Survey Form.doc
Rotary GB&I ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GROUPNEWSLETTER FOR CLUBS & DISTRICTS APRIL 2013
HIMALAYAN BALSAM
I have now produced the leaflet on the reduction of Himalayan Balsam. Thanks to help from various quarters, the leaflet has been revised to show other possible ways of dealing with the weed other than the various laborious method of pulling by hand. Clubs should be encouraged to get in touch with other local environmental organisations to see what can be done to take action in their area. There are also other groups like Scouts and Guides who could participate. As suggested in the leaflet, if efforts can be concentrated on particular areas this is the most effective way. Also the opportunity of doing a survey of where the weed exists in your area is a good way of planning for the following year once it starts to flower in June/July.
ROTARY SPRING CLEAN
Rather on similar lines to Himalayan Balsam, areas which need cleaning up can now be identified while the undergrowth is at its lowest ebb. Streams and rivers are popular dumping places, as are woods. Again this affords an opportunity for Rotary to work with other organisations.
The Spring Clean can also be a good opportunity to revisit sites where trees have been planted in the last year or two to ensure that supports are in place and weed is cleared from around the trees which would otherwise stifle growth.
CLIMATE WEEK
This was a huge success with over 3400 different projects being undertaken during the week of the 4th to 10th March, and involving over half a million people. I think there is still time to register your project if you have not done so already. One of my own Club events, a bicycle collection of second hand bikes, was featured second in the list of things to do! In fact we collected 200 bikes over two Saturdays and have another 100 more to collect from people who could not bring them. (See Bicycle Recycling Leaflet for more information).
Many schools also entered the Climate Week Challenge which was