ESRAG Task Force

As some of you will know I am a member of the ESRAG Board.  Former RI President Gordon McInally is a member, as is our current DG Graham.

ESRAG organises a growing number of Task Forces and I encourage you to both join ESRAG [www.esrag.org] and also one of the action groups.  This is a run down of the current list of Task Forces which I include in detail to give you a flavour of just a little of   ESRAG activities…

ESRAG Task Forc

Task Force Division Quarterly Summary
By Doug White, Task Force Chair; and Tumpa Mostafa, Task Force Coordinator 

ESRAG Task Forces continue to demonstrate meaningful action across multiple environmental areas — from clean energy and plastic reduction to biodiversity protection and climate action. These efforts combine technical project solutions with education, advocacy, and international collaboration, positioning ESRAG as a catalyst for Rotary-led environmental sustainability worldwide.

Overall Observations Across Task Forces:

• Strong emphasis on education, community engagement, and strategic partnerships (e.g. Rotary Magazine, local NGOs, global grants).
• Expansion of on-the-ground Rotary club projects in multiple countrieswith measurable impact (e.g., CO₂ reduction, pollinator habitat creation, plastic waste management).
• Increased visibility and leadership development, including new ambassadors and co-chairs.
• Clear focus on scaling impact through events like RICON, Zone Institutes, Environmental Summits, and community festivals.

Clean Cooking Quarterly Update
Led by David Knoppert, Maya Smeulders

The Clean Cooking Taskforce focusses on the need for clean cooking and its impact on the environment, health and women's equality. Each of us continues to organise and develop our club projects which range from efficient woodstoves and solar cookers to electric induction and biogas stoves in many different parts of the world.

They all strive to provide environmentally sustainable cooking solutions which best suit local circumstances with a view to reducing CO2 and black carbon emissions, improving women and children's health, and education and economic development.

Pollinators Quarterly Update
Led by Christopher Stein, Elsabe Falkson

The Operation Pollination Partnership  encourages the planting of pollinators.

EndPlasticSoup Update
Led by Tami Mulcahy, Gert-Jan van Dommellen

Supporting our Goals of:

• Grow a global network of clubs and individuals
• Document stories
• Support and/or start 3 new sustainable (District / Global) Grant projects
• Document number of people reached with education and awareness actions/projects
• Grow membership, subscription to newsletters and club registration.

…to reduce the negative impact of plastic on the environment.

Climate Solutions Update
Led by Michael Koch

PRIORITY 1: INCREASE ROTARY’S GLOBAL IMPACT by taking actions to mitigate climate change in your club.
PRIORITY 2: EXPAND OUR REACH to those who are ready to act on climate change. Imagine the new partnerships in your community.
PRIORITY 3: ENGAGE THROUGH CARBON EMISSION REDUCTIONS & NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS such as mangrove restoration, tree planting and sustainable agriculture.
PRIORITY 4: ADAPT BY ALIGNING OUR INVESTMENTS with the environment area of focus in order to save future generations.

Food Waste Update
Led by Joe Richardson

This Task Forceencourages school to look for ways to divert waste, recover uneaten food and decontaminate recycling. Rotary can lead the way by providing instruction, support for teachers and green team, containers and creating food recovery networks.

Renewable Energy Update
Led by Timothy Conners, Aur Beck, Elizabeth Henke

This Task Force encourages Rotarians to install Solar Panels on their houses. The target is 1,000,000 Solar Panels.  So far, over 114,000 panels have been logged across 65 countries and 240 Rotary districts, representing nearly 1 million tonnes of CO2 avoided over 30 years, the equivalent of planting more than 1.2 million trees!

Plant-Rich Diet Update
Led by Scott Nelson, Kris Cameron, Dawn Byford

As it says on the tin, this Task Force encourages switching to plant rich diets and it promotes a 15-Day Plant-Rich Diet Challenge!

ESRAG

The Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) was formed in 2015 and has ambitious plans to make a real difference in creating a world for future generations where our environment thrives. Read more about their work on their website.

Malc Rooney
Rotary Club of Kirriemuir
1010 DEO