Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to our planet and wildlife, for years big companies have been criticized for their contributions to waste. Recently Macdonald's introduced paper straws in an effort to reduce their plastic waste, this resulted in a petition to 'bring back plastic straws' which so far has gained nearly 40,000 signatures, if you think this is ridiculous please sign and show your support.

McDonald's sells over 1 Billion happy meals every year around the world. Included in these are hard plastic toys inside plastic packaging, millions going to landfill every year, especially in the western world. We need to educate our children that this fast, throw away attitude is killing the planet. Put pressure on to McDonald's to stop this tradition that has no place in today's world.

Amazon describes itself as the world's largest online retailer, and any small changes it makes could have a substantial impact, for better or worse, on a significant scale. Although Amazon's packaging has long had a tendency to be wasteful, recently matters have become even worse when the company switched from using cardboard sleeves and packets that could be recycled relatively easily to using plastic envelopes and packets that are mostly impossible to recycle. These are harmful to our natural environment in many ways: first, the manufacture of plastic packaging causes toxic micro-plastics to be released into the environment, especially waterways where they can end up poisoning marine life and thus the entire food chain. Next, after use, in the rare cases where the end consumer is able to get the plastic packaging to the appropriate recycling facility, more micro-plastics are released into the environment by the recycling process. Failing that, the packaging ends up in landfill where it will take centuries to break down, or worse still, dumped in developing countries or in the growing toxic monstrosity of plastic choking our oceans. Amazon should listen to the desires of its customers and behave with responsibility towards current and future generations. By choosing packaging without plastic that can be recycled relatively easily, Amazon could make a meaningful difference while setting an excellent example for other online retailers. If Amazon continues to show such disregard for our natural environment, it will continue to do untold harm.

Caged farming on land or water is innately cruel and severely damaging to our environment and the natural habitat of other species. Overcrowding leads to stress, disease and high mortality. Chemicals ineffectively used to treat disease and parasites such as sea lice, (which also transfer to wild fish populations) along with the large amounts of waste material (faeces) pollute the waters, destroy the seabed and biodiversity, wash up along the shore lines and beaches and give rise to health risks to humans and other animals. Dawnfresh Farming Ltd has announced £16 million plans to double their Scottish Trout production, but Rainbow Trout are not native to Scotland (they are larger than our native fish and when they escape their cages predate on the smaller fish). This proposed expansion at Ardentinny and into the Firth of Clyde would be at huge cost to the environment, the existing marine mammal population and human wellbeing and enjoyment of the beautiful coast lines of the West Coast of Scotland adversely affecting Tourism. The intensely populated cages would attract interest from predators such as seals and birds who can became entangled and die in nets and if deemed to be a persistent threat they are shot. An existing seal colony, established over many years and thriving at the proposed site at Ardentinny, Loch Long, would be at significant risk. Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde is one of the last thriving ecosystems for migratory salmonids in the west of Scotland, however Sir David Attenborough has recently accused fish farms of 'threatening the very survival' of wild salmon which is already in decline like everywhere else. The three proposed Firth of Clyde sites (Isle of Bute, Great and Little Cumbrae) at such a narrow point of the Firth means all fish coming from the Atlantic on their way to the river Leven and Loch Lomond are going to pick up sea lice. Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde has seen an increase in populations of porpoises, seals and even pods of dolphins and orcas at times seen far up into the Firth this would be thwarted by use of sonic deterrents at the above proposed sites to protect their stock. Please sign this petition and support me and other concerned parties in protecting our environment for future generations both human and non-human to enjoy safely.

Extinction Rebellion have shown how Waterloo Bridge could function as the people's Garden Bridge. Without traffic the bridge turned into a venue for cycling, walking, gathering, talking, singing and eating. Let's make it permanent.

Southampton airport wants to fell and reduce the height of trees at Marlhill Copse in order to allow shallower take off to the south. This will cause increased noise and nuisance to the whole of Southampton. In 2019 there was a High Court injunction protecting Marlhill Copse from any tree-works, but solicitors from both the airport and city council managed to overturn this on 2 July. The airport were due to submit a planning application to demolish around 20 large pines and hope it could be approved by a single Council officer with the minimum of formal public consultation. The planning panel has effectively agreed to a total of 219 trees having their height reduced - 93 trees by more than 10 metres. Marlhill Copse is a conservation area with Tree Preservation Orders. It is vital that any request for felling or crown-reduction is subject to the utmost scrutiny and that decision-making is absolutely transparent. There should be the fullest public consultation as it would be absurd to demolish the very carbon-capturing organisms that a Green City should be cherishing . The fate of Marlhill Copse is too important to be delegated to an officer or the planning panel. Marlhill Copse is a whole-city issue. It needs a whole-city response. If you can pledge to a fighting fund please email: [email protected] For updates please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/protect-marlhill-copse/home

Insect numbers have plummeted by 60% in the last 40 years. Biodiversity has reduced through poisoning with pesticides and the over-management of grassland areas. Kirklees owned land could become a haven for insects and other wildlife. Citizens could be made aware of the positive approach to biodiversity that has been adopted by the council and, as a bonus, it would save money by reducing the amount of times areas are mowed and ceasing the purchase of pesticides. There are other methods to control weeds where this is absolutely necessary, such as hot foam application and manual cutting. Hundreds of councils are already pesticide free, including Wadebridge, Lewes and Hammersmith so there is a precedent.

Glyphosate-based herbicides such as Round Up and Touch down pose a real risk to the public, our environment and horticultural workers. Calderdale’s Wildflower areas have all been treated with glyphosate to prepare for new seeds. This is irresponsible towards our people and insects. Roundup kills beneficial insects, it has been proven to cause mortality of live beneficial species including bees, thrichgramma, predatory mites, lacewings, ladybugs, and predatory beetles. Glyphosate in soil takes 140 days to break down to half its toxicity and will continue to be taken up by plants from the soil for 2 years and longer. It’s toxic to earthworms and inhibits mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for tree health, collecting nutrients and water to feed their host plant and protecting tree roots from harmful fungi and root rot diseases. Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that it was “probably carcinogenic”. Recently a break through court case against Monsanto was won by a man who developed cancer after using Roundup. He was awarded $289 million in damages. We know that in Hebden Bridge, Calderdale Council have sprayed Glyphosate each year on the following sites: Calder Holmes Park - wildflowers lawn Stubbings wharf – Heptonstall Turning circle wildflowers microsite Oldgate – wildflowers lawns In 2016 Calderdale Council announced a plan to reduce the use of glyphosate by 15% year, however figures show that in 2017 the amount used increased. Other councils now use the eco-friendly alternatives such as non-toxic Foamstream.

We want to safeguard our public spaces and local wildlife for all generations and encourage biodiversity in our environment by eliminating the use of pesticides in the Wychavon District. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 350,000 people die every year from acute pesticide poisoning. Moreover, this figure does not include deaths from cancer or other chronic diseases caused by pesticide exposure. Glyphosphate has been identified and declared by the WHO to 'probably' cause cancer, but it has also been linked to infertility problems, respiratory issues and birth defects. Whilst Glyphosphate has more publicly been subject to scrutiny, in the most recent UK-wide survey, there were a reported 38 different types of pesticide used in the towns and cities of the UK. Pesticides can also easily contaminate the air, ground and water having a devastating effect on our local wildlife (insects, birds, animals and aquatic life) and the environment. Pollinators such as bees and butterflies are also suffering severe population losses too. There is a wealth of information and research available from other controlled studies to show that it is possible to control unwanted weeds and pests with pesticide-free methods. One of these adopted by other UK councils is the use of Hot Foam. This has been put into place by Lewes District Council, Wadebridge town, Glastonbury council and Hammersmith and Fulham. So, why not Wychavon, too? We want our children, families, pets and visitors to our local parks and public places to be able to live, work and play in these areas safely without the risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. More information can be found on the Pesticide Actions Network UK website: http://www.pan-uk.org

Noise from motorcycles and sports cars have increased in London over the last decade. Leaving your window open on a sunny night is no longer an option for people who don't want to be woken up by someone who has intentionally made their motorbike/car noisier than it needs to be. Motorcyclists with loud exhausts wear especially designed ear plugs to protect their hearing from their own exhaust pipes. But pedestrians, cyclists, children and old people simply have to put up with with it. You may know the feeling, as you walk along the street, suddenly the loud bang of a motorbike or sports-car revs up right behind you from nowhere. That feeling is the stress hormone cortisol being released into your blood stream. Research from universities including Oxford and Imperial College has found that that unnecessary stress from traffic noise has become one of the country's most significant urban health threats, increasing the prevalence of heart disease, stroke and even diabetes. This is all the more frustrating because the motorbikes and cars that are making the most noise were built to regulation with mufflers, and then illegally modified to make them as noisy as possible. This is not just an avoidable problem, it's a problem that has been deliberately created just because a few people like it at the expense of everybody else's mental and physical health.

A number of cities, counties, states and countries throughout the world have taken steps to either restrict or ban glyphosate the active ingredient in weed killer (such as Roundup). Glyphosate has been designated as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has also been linked to the decline in populations of the honey bee and other insects. Some of us remember when driving our windscreen would be covered with insects. It is now well documented that we are facing an enormous loss of insect life in the UK, some estimate an 80% loss in the last 30 years. This is due to pollution, loss of habitat, global warming and particularly to the over-use of pesticides/insecticides. The glyphosate used in weed killer has been linked to a decline in insect populations including our pollinators. We understand that on average four times yearly, Reading Borough Council sprays glyphosate weed killer around our park benches and at the base of many of our parkland trees and trees around our town. We, the undersigned would like Reading Borough Council to cease the use of Glyphosate products and allow weeds to grow around the base of trees as have they have for millennia as part of natural biodiversity and to use the money saved by doing this to use alternative methods for cutting back grasses close to park benches.

To protect the health of those who do not smoke