http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.orgScotland's environmental charityKeep Scotland Beautiful: All Rights Reserved.en-gbhttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=109*more*
Young Scot is holding their eighth annual Young Scot Awards for 2013 – in partnership with The Sunday Mail. The event aim is to challenge and change negative perceptions of young people through telling positive stories of young people in the media. The awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of young people aged 11-26 years in Scotland.

It would be a fantastic prospect for a young person you know to be recognised for an achievement, contribution or effort. Young Scot wants to know about the young people who make Scotland proud.

Examples of the award categories to place nominations in are:

ENVIRONMENT: Do you know a young person who is pro-active in helping the environment to protect the world for future generations? This could be related to recycling, global sustainability, ecology or perhaps something else entirely.

COMMUNITY: Can you recognise a young person who has participated in helping decisions to improve the local community? This person may have demonstrated good citizenship that has made a huge difference for others in their community.

HERITAGE HERO: Do you know a young person that has ran a project that aims to protect, maintain and support Scotland’s historic environment?

ENTERPRISE: Can you recognise a young person that has showcased their entrepreneurial flair in the local community?

CULTURAL DIVERSITY: Do you know a young person that raises awareness of culture or speaks out against inequalities in their local community? Do they spend time embracing other cultures and create equal opportunities for others?

To nominate a friend, family member or someone in the public eye aged 11-26 who is truly inspirational, please nominate them by following these simple steps...

• Log on to the event website at: www.youngscotawards.co.uk
• Select the category that your nominee is best suited to
• Fill in your personal contact details
• Fill in your nominee’s contact details
• Give an explanation why your nominee deserves to be recognised
• Click submit – it’s as simple as that!

All nominations must be submitted by midnight on Sunday 17th February 2013.

Finalists will be asked to take part in filming which will take place during the month of March and all finalists should be able to attend the event on the 19th April 2013 in Glasgow. As well as celebrating the efforts of young people, the event itself is an exciting occasion for the finalists to meet other young people and to enjoy the show – with special guests, celebs, surprise pop acts and much more. The information provided may be used as part of an editorial feature within the Sunday Mail.]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=109Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:54:00 GMThttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=69*more*
Yes, our National Spring Clean is BACK, and our aim is to make 2012’s campaign the biggest and best yet. Last year, over 97,000 volunteers - including 76,000 pupils from nearly 1,000 schools took part - was your school one of them?? If not, why not make 2012 the year that you get out there and do your bit?

Remember, Litter is the ONLY mandatory Topic for Scottish schools when it comes to Eco-Schools Green Flag Award Status, and taking part in National Spring Clean is one of the ways in which you can show how your school is taking action to deal with it. And if your school grounds are Litter-free, then this is an ideal opportunity to show everyone else just how it should be done!

Why not join forces with the school down the road, or conduct a joint litter pick with other groups in your community? Mobilise mums and dads, grannies and granddads, and the people who live nearby. Have prizes for the ‘daftest’ piece of litter, or the person who finds the most recyclable ‘stuff’. See if you can persuade the budding chefs in your school to provide snacks for everyone afterwards, and take the opportunity to celebrate all your good work!

How to take part

Click here to register your National Spring Clean event, and here to download loads of useful information and advice on how to organise it.

Don’t forget to order your FREE clean-up kit!

Good luck, have fun – and THANK YOU!]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=69Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:45:00 GMThttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=67
‘Hmm, a sticky issue’ you may think, but actors and facilitators Paul and Amy did a fantastic and most entertaining job of building up the story of a street sweeper telling it how it is on littering gum. Plenty of audience interaction helped to keep it a lively affair, with pupils building up the profile of the litterer – his dad was called JimenyBillyBob, he played ice hockey and his favourite groups were One Direction and JLS.

The pupils had previously had a presentation from the Highland Council’s Education and Enforcement Officers James Sanderson and Ian Wilson on littering, and scored 10 out of 10 on questions on how to dispose of litter responsibly and £50 fines for those seen littering. Congratulations to Wrigley and EdComs for a well-designed and executed workshop which effectively combined a serious message with a sense of humour.

I was watched closely by James and Ian as I disposed of my gum (responsibly of course) outside the school afterwards!

Today’s workshop was one of ten that Wrigley is funding in Highland schools and is linked to the Council’s forthcoming ‘Chew It, Wrap It, Bin It’ campaign that will take place next month.





By Rachel Kerr









]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=67Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:33:00 GMThttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=57*more*
Friends, family, hairdressers, shop assistants, ….everybody I met over the festive period all politely listened to me talk (at length!) about Eco-Schools Scotland and how excited I was to be joining the team.

And now, everybody, get ready…because at the end of my first week I still can’t stop talking about Eco-Schools Scotland!

At the Keep Scotland Beautiful office I’ve been learning more about the organisation and I’ve been amazed by the span and diversity of the various programmes - such as National Spring Clean, the Junior Climate Challenge Fund and the Schools’ Global Footprint initiative - and how they interlink to the Eco-Schools programme.

So far I’ve been on three assessment visits and it’s been a joy to see how motivated and enthusiastic Eco Committees, and the wider school community, are in implementing the seven elements of the Eco-Schools programme. I’ve also enjoyed seeing the creative ways in which schools and nurseries are learning about the Eco topics. On my first visit, I was impressed by how confidently the nursery children led me round their garden and proudly told me about the vegetables they had grown and used to made delicious soup.

What I’ve found most exciting this week is that there is lots of innovative and dedicated work taking place in schools and nurseries and I can’t wait to get out and discover it. My wellies and waterproofs are packed – I’m ready for anything!


By Laura Kneale]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=57Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:37:00 GMThttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=17
No, not the latest tagline for some sports car advert, but just some of the qualities that Keep Scotland Beautiful staff members see on an almost daily basis when they visit Scottish schools to assess them for the Green Flag Award: the highest accolade in the international Eco-Schools programme.*more*

Our young people are so often vilified by society. Open any tabloid newspaper and you’ll find frequent references to the supposed misdemeanours and shortcomings of ‘the youth of today’. They’re lazy, disrespectful, materialistic, celebrity-obsessed, interested only in the latest designer bling. Undoubtedly, there will be some young people that conform to this stereotype, but it’s important to remember that it is just that – a stereotype. And like all stereotypes, it’s only applicable to a very small minority.

Here at Keep Scotland Beautiful, we’re constantly humbled and amazed at the ‘can-do’ attitude that we see in our schools, and the way in which our pupils seem to be able to see the ‘bigger picture’, and make the links between their behaviours and the environmental, social, and economic impact of these on a global scale.

Age is no barrier to ‘doing your bit’ to make the world a better place. Pupils from all sectors participate in a way that is appropriate to them, and contribute what they can to the wider good. Whether it’s nursery children making bird cakes to help our feathered friends through the winter; primary pupils reading energy meters and working out how best to save electricity; or secondary pupils raising awareness of Fair Trade issues, or looking at the science behind renewable technologies – every pupil of any age or ability can – and does - get involved.

And we reckon they could teach their elders a thing or two…
]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=17Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:03:00 GMThttp://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=16
Meet your bloggers…

Kirsten Leask is Assistant Manager with the Eco-Schools Scotland department…

‘When I joined Keep Scotland Beautiful in 2005, just over 1,600 Scottish schools were registered with the Eco-Schools programme, and we had just awarded our 100th Green Flag. Now, six years later, we have over 3,700 schools taking part – including over 98% of Scotland’s local authority schools - and we’re well on our way to awarding our 1,400th Green Flag. We’re absolutely delighted with the way in which Scotland’s young people have embraced the ‘eco ethos’ and with the commitment, passion, knowledge and professionalism that we see every day in our schools.

Our role is to advise, support, assess and provide feedback to our schools, and we’re extremely fortunate to be able to draw on an incredibly wide range of expertise and assistance from other Keep Scotland Beautiful staff. Whether it’s the Sustainable Scotland Network’s invaluable assistance with the Schools’ Global Footprinting initiative, Campaigns and Contracts’ knowledge of and support with the mandatory Eco-Schools Litter topic, Going Carbon Neutral Stirling’s hands-on work with local schools to help them cut their carbon emissions, or the way in which the Climate Challenge Fund encourages its community groups to support schools in their area – this ‘cross-departmental’ support and sharing is what makes Keep Scotland Beautiful such a success.’


Catriona Rae is an Administrator with the Eco-Schools Scotland department…

My role with Keep Scotland Beautiful involves checking applications for Green Flag awards and providing support to schools. In my five years with Keep Scotland Beautiful, I have read quite a few Green Flag applications and visited many schools, but I am constantly amazed by the creativity of Eco-Schools projects going on in schools all over Scotland. I’ve seen bug hotels, and trash fashion shows, composters and vegetable gardens, trim trails and bottle greenhouses. Most of all, I have seen pupils having fun, learning about environmental issues, and taking ownership of their school and its grounds.

Perhaps the best part of my job is listening to pupils proudly describe their Eco-Schools projects and seeing the enthusiasm on their faces. Everyone from Early Years to Secondary can get involved in Eco-Schools and the level of commitment from young people of all ages is inspiring. I’m looking forward to awarding our 1400th Green Flag award – will it be your school?
]]>http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog.aspx?id=16Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:01:00 GMT