Many jobs and much of Scotland's iconic wildlife depend on the health of our coastal environment. But Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy & Connectivity (REC) is determined to expand Scotland’s production of farmed salmon by 2030. This would be an act of sheer recklessness given the grave concerns surrounding the industry as it is practised today. The REC committee will hold an inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland later this year. It is vital that we make our voices heard and let our MSPs know that there can be no expansion of salmon farming without radical reform. Here are the issues at stake: • Scotland's seas are home to incredible wildlife, including wild salmon, sea trout, porpoises, dolphins, whales and seals and are home to a wealth of life on the seabed which is vital to our valuable crab, prawn and lobster fisheries. They are under acute threat because of the harmful impacts of open net salmon farming. • A truly sustainable coastal economy can regenerate around many uses of restored seas and fisheries. Jobs are precious in rural areas. By allowing one industry to pollute the sea, we threaten jobs that use the sea sustainably, such as well-managed fisheries and wildlife tourism. By protecting them, the coastal economy can thrive long term. • Parasitic sea lice, thriving in overcrowded open net salmon pens, are driving wild salmon and sea trout numbers to dangerously low levels. • Toxic chemicals to treat sea lice now exceed safe levels in at least 45 Scottish sea lochs, and studies implicate them in harm to crustaceans and other forms of marine life far from the farm cages. • Some 130 salmon farms on Scotland's west coast use Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) to scare away seals with loud underwater noises. If the ADDs don’t work, fish farmers are permitted to simply shoot them.These ADDs also affect porpoises, dolphins and whales, even though it is illegal to disturb them. • Now the industry, with the government's support, wants to double its annual production to around 300,000 tonnes of salmon by 2030. The environmental impacts are already dangerous, so if you care about the health of our marine environment, please act now! Tell the Scottish Government that salmon farmers must clean up their act before they are allowed to expand. The Salmon Aquaculture Reform Network Scotland (SARNS) is a growing coalition of community, coastal and environmental groups and concerned individuals from all over the west coast and islands of Scotland. We are campaigning for immediate reform of the salmon farming industry. Find out more here: https://salmonaquaculturescotland.wordpress.com/clean-up-scotlands-unsustainable-fish-farming-industry/ Thank you!

Bakkavor Alresford Salads have applied to the Environment Agency for a renewal licence to continue to put into the river their daily factory wash down described as TRADE EFFLUENT containing a cocktail of powerful chemicals to replace and supposedly improve on the chlorine based biocide they have been using for years. Their impenetrable application can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/so24-9dz-bakkavor-foods-limited-environmental-permit-application-advertisement This application is important to the river and the environment and raises many questions, some of which are listed below; Is the quality of the river Itchen important? YES. It is protected by being in a Site Special Scientific Interest and has the highest European rating as a Special Area of Conservation. Has the Environment Agency, charged with protection of this pristine and iconic river, been successful over the last twenty years? NO. Alresford Pond is now full of man made chemicals and the Upper Itchen fails water quality objectives under the Water Framework Directive and falls short of conservation objectives under the EU Habitats Directive. How does the Upper Itchen compare with other rivers? VERY BADLY. Directly comparable sampling has shown that the Upper Itchen carries about 5% of the shrimp population in the upper river Meon which has no washing plant. This is indicative of what is happening to all fly and bug life in the Itchen. Is the water quality in the Itchen improving? There is NO EVIDENCE that it is and much evidence of a thirty year uninterrupted decline. Does polluting the river matter? YES. It matters to all aquatic life from sticklebacks to trout and much bird life from king fishers to swifts. Does chlorine discharged from the factory dissipate? YES after years if discontinued. If this licence renewal is refused is there an alternative? YES. The factory should connect to the sewer for all contaminated water. Has the Environment Agency required any other company to do this? YES. The salad washing plant at St Mary Bourne was obliged to make this connection years ago despite the Bourne not having the environmental protection of the Itchen.. Can the company afford the cost of making the connection? YES. The owners Bakkovor, a multinational company, has an income of £1.7billion a year. If the contaminated factory discharge went to the sewer would it resolve the river’s pollution problem? Probably not but it would be a first step. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS LICENCE SHOULD NOT BE ISSUED BY THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY YOU SHOULD WRITE TO: ENVIRONMENT AGENCY, Permitting and Support Centre, WQ Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, SHEFFIELD , S9 4WF Although not directly relevant to this licence you might also ask yourself whether you think that the pesticides, insecticides, fertilizer, soil or whatever, should not be washed off these salad vegetables in the various countries of their origin rather than trucked or flown and trucked to Alresford to be washed into the pure spring water of the River Itchen.

It is now well recognised that single use plastic has become a major threat to global ecosystems especially in the sea. Many of us have been shocked to see films and photographs showing the impact on marine life but also frustrated and helpless when we go shopping to find it impossible to avoid plastic packaging. We are pleased to see that the government is finally talking about reducing plastic but we need action now! Supermarkets are the single biggest source of plastic litter in this country and could move quickly to eliminate huge amounts of it. We therefore call on all supermarket chains to take steps to eliminate this environmental scourge.

Our parks are important spaces for our physical and mental wellbeing; places where we go to play, relax, connect with nature and escape the pressures of modern life. We feel that introducing commercial advertising would undermine these emotional, psychological and health benefits – especially in areas where children play. The Council is accepting responses until Monday 29th January 2018. Let's tell them that we want to keep Bristol's parks ad free. To use the terminology in the Council's consultation, we "Strongly Disagree" with Proposal 2 (introducing ads to parks and green spaces). You can see the full consultation here: https://bristol.citizenspace.com/neighbourhoods/parks-and-green-spaces/

These are busy, dangerous junctions with no way of crossing safely apart from dashing across the road. These crossings are particularly dangerous for children, the elderly and people with mobility issues. It's critical that the residents of Trafford are able to cross the road in the safety, knowing the traffic has stopped. There are currently no measures for crossing at these junctions and it's a case of dashing across and risking life when the other cars are turning into the road from the other-side of the junction.

Transport for London’s (TfL) commercial development wing formed a joint venture with Capital & Counties Properties PLC to redevelop the TfL-owned site of the now-demolished Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which forms a large part of the scheme known as the Earls Court Masterplan. Mayor Khan is Chair of Transport for London. Recent press reports range from an enhanced Earls Court Masterplan being brought forward to part of it being sold to a Saudi Arabian investment and property firm. This uncertainty over the future of the site does not help residents and businesses. The West Kensington and Gibbs Green housing estates are threatened with demolition as is the Lillie Bridge depot – all for luxury flats. The destruction of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre has led to the loss of 30% of London’s and 16% of the UK’s vital exhibition space and over £1bn annually to the local and national economy. Londoners were promised that "Earl’s Court will remain the location for a large convention centre or exhibition function" in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s 2015 Consolidated Local Plan. Instead permission was granted last year by the Royal Borough for a 644 sq m cultural venue, like a souped up Starbucks on the site of the iconic Exhibition Centre which was 40,000 sq m! There is no step-free access from the Earl's Court tube station to the development to help those with disabilities. There is no significant destination venue in the current Earls Court Masterplan. When the Earls Court Masterplan is revised, we ask that Mayor Khan supports building the world’s greenest venue which will generate overnight stays and support the night-time economy. Profits from the venue should be used to improve London's transport network and to benefit the common good.

Leith Hill is a landmark beauty spot in The Green Belt of the Surrey Hills and is topped by Leith Hill Tower. The tower was built in 1765 by Richard Hull of Leith Hill Place as “a place for people to enjoy the glory of the English countryside”. Hundreds of thousands of people visit this area year round. Walkers, horseback riders, cyclists, motorcyclists, families on a day out, day trip coach tours, tourists and locals. They all come here to do just what Richard Hull hoped his tower would inspire. Oil & gas exploration is a commercial investment in the fossil fuel industry. Bury Hill, Leith Hill and the surrounding countryside are AONB designated sites and in The Green Belt. It is difficult to find land where the legal statutes are more set against industrial and commercial development. Surly sustainable, ethical, recreational and woodland based small businesses would be a better example for you to generate income. Sutton & East Surrey Water have stated that there is a very real risk of contamination to the water supply and the ancient and narrow sunken lanes are not appropriate for industrial HGV traffic. The logistics operation for the traffic management alone will make Coldharbour Lane impassable, causing detours and traffic disruption throughout the surrounding area. The District Council, The County Council, The National Trust and local Parish Councils are against it. For nine years local residents have managed to delay production and opposition is growing as we get national press and media. The amount of activity, the number of HGV journeys and a 35m high derrick in this beautiful landscape will make a travesty of its AONB & Green Belt designations. Exploration and possible extraction of fossil fuels contradicts your mission statement and our international commitment to reduce carbon emissions. If the Forestry Commission is truly the steward for forests and the people, then how can you go against the wishes of the local population and their elected representatives in this way?

We feel that the experimental fracking process is dangerous there are a host of examples in the USA and Australia where people living near wells have become ill and their environment has been polluted and water supplies poisoned with toxic chemicals. There is an excess of shale gas as is evidenced by the activities of Exxon and Shell who are building multi million dollar plants to produce plastics with the gas. We don't need dirty fossil fuels or more plastic pollution, the link has been established.

If everyone who saw this, signed and shared it would achieve its objective within the hour! NO WASTE INCINERATOR IN CAMBRIDGE: PROTECT OUR AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH Unborn babies, infants and children are most at risk from incinerator emissions research has proven. Waste incinerators are associated with direct causal links to all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and mortality from lung cancer, higher rates of adult and childhood cancer, birth defects, increased respiratory hospital admissions, a range of emotional and behavioural problems in children, learning difficulties, and delinquency, cell level genetic changes which pose a risk to future generations , and in problems in adults including violence, dementia, depression and Parkinson’s disease, after adjustment for other factors. These findings come from a wide variety of peer reviewed research, meta-analysis and reports conducted by The World Health Organisation (WHO), British Heart Foundation, British Lung Foundation, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, The British Society for Ecological Medicine, DEFRA, Asthma UK, Client Earth. All conclude that incinerators should NOT be approved. This directly affects your health and that of your family and friends. Don’t say you weren’t warned! YOUR VOICE MATTERS and IT DOES COUNT. If approved against all advice from world leading environment, climate change and health advisory bodies, Cambridge air pollution WILL increase, forever, with significant and predictable life threatening and life changing health consequences for many, particularly affecting the most vulnerable youngest members of society. Amey Cespa proposes a £200M waste incinerator in Cambridge that will burn 250,000 tonnes commercial and household waste /yr, from 5 counties incl. Isle of Wight (selling surplus to China), fed at this rate minimum to justify investment. AC already provides facilities for waste recycling, composting, landfill and mechanical biological treatment. Yes, it proposes energy for 45,000 homes and 300 jobs during construction and operations but does that justify proven and predictable health effects above? Read them again – all-cause mortality, cancer, mental health, adverse effects in unborn babies, infants and children who by nature are in a biological window of vulnerability. AC submitted their application 20th Dec for a 21 day public consultation, just before the busiest holiday period of the year. They have followed min. statutory requirements to notify the public. For such a major infrastructure application that presents enormous city wide public health and environmental impact, providing 2 short notice site public information meetings (advertised briefly in neighbouring villages) and 2 recent short notice neighbouring parish council meetings, it does appear like AC would rather prefer the application flew very much under the public radar. The UK and Cambridge has a problem with waste management but if incineration is the answer, somebody asked the wrong question. Waste incineration in Cambridge will produce an unprecedented health risk for people living in and around the city, air pollution WILL increase and forever with significant and predictable health consequences. AC cannot guarantee that waste incineration is safe for public health. Toxin emissions and particulate pollution have to go somewhere. EC reports advise reducing NOT increasing air pollution to reduce and prevent land, coast and sea ecosystem damage due to acidification, thus also protecting water, food chains and organic farmers. There is already local evidence of significant health impacts from the AC Cambridge waste management site. 2016- AC was fined by Cambridge magistrates £50,000 for causing sickness and adverse effects on human health, and prior to these incidents, received 3 enforcement notices 2015 by the Environment Agency. ‘AC fined £50,000’ by F Snoad, Cambridge Evening News, Sep 2016. The environment agency continues to receive regular calls reporting problems with air quality relating to this site. Local newspapers have reported ongoing problems with local residents and workers complaining of feeling sick, gagging, wheezing, sore eyes and throats, constant unpleasant smells causing them to have to keep windows shut. ‘The waste park is poisoning us: Cambridgeshire villagers concern at Amey recycling centre’ by Samar Maguire, Cambridge Evening News, Sep 2017. It is enshrined in EC and UK legislation that reducing emissions produces true health benefits, prevents unnecessary burden on healthcare, and protects against the impacts of acid air and water on local and wide ranging ecosystems including land, coast and sea. Costs of incineration, together with research investigating nonstandard emissions from incinerators, has demonstrated that the hazards of incineration are greater than previously realised including that relating to fine and ultrafine particulates. Operating waste incinerators in urban areas results in dangerous health and environmental consequences from both construction and operation. The accumulated evidence on the health risks of incinerators is simply too strong to ignore and their use in Cambridge cannot be justified now that better, cheaper and far less hazardous methods of waste disposal have become available. The planned chimney stack height is out of keeping with surrounding local village architecture and the Fenland landscape: contravening NPPF guidelines. The proposed site is greenfield which will potentially be adjacent to major new residential areas. Waste minimisation, recycling and composting through innovation and behavioural change are the answer not incineration and certainly not in urban areas. Residents of Cambridge have human right to clean air and their health protected.

The removal of the bus stop is important for several reasons: 1. Pollution levels at the school are over the legal limit. 2. 44% of the pollution at the school comes from buses. And as much as 25% of pollution from buses travelling on their route is caused by them idling at bus stops. The potential for reducing pollution by removing the bus stop is therefore significant. 3. Children are especially vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution, which include cardio-respiratory illnesses. This is because their immune systems and lungs are still developing. 3. A study has shown that children at school in high-pollution areas are slower to develop cognitively (i.e. their attentiveness, memory and brain development). 4. Removing the bus stop is one of the only ways to reduce the amount of toxic air our children are inhaling. We want action now!

Apart from being an example of prime pasture land, the marshes contain a concentrated diverse range of protected British wildlife that is equalled nowhere else in the country. Many of the identified creatures that thrive there are protected by law. Braunton Marshes are a prime example of how traditional farming methods have sustained wildlife for over a century. Grazing Marsh is identified as a priority habitat within the Devon BAP (Biodiversity Action Plans). It is part of our history and heritage, and arguably a habitat of national importance. There are various buildings that are Grade 2 listed on the Marshes. Safe public access to the iconic Crow Point Beach (AONB and SSSI) will be eradicated. This situation has been allowed to escalate to a point where immediate action must now be taken or we lose it forever.

The BBC recently published a review of its religious programming however despite getting the views from a range of religious leaders, no Pagans were consulted. Thought for the Day (T4tD) goes out on Radio 4 and despite it being multi-faith it has no Pagan voices on it. According to the 2011 Census, Pagans make up 0.2% of all people in the UK expressing a religion (this will be understated given our natural reluctance to make ourselves know!). By comparison 0.6% identified as Buddhists but had 3% of T4tD broadcasts and 0.7% identified as Jewish with 5% of T4tD broadcasts. It is clear we are being discriminated against. Nature based religions have never had more relevance than now with climate change hurting the world and plastic soup killing our oceans. Human animals are failing to honour Nature despite us being part of her. Having voices in the media that have a different regard to the world of which we are part is more necessary now than ever.