Roll out of Household Food Waste Recycling

Whilst I was jogging around the Woodside area, today, I noticed new grey food waste recycling bins in several backcourts. 

Grey bins for food waste installed in backcourts.

There is a roll out of a food waste recycling service across households in Glasgow in the next year. This is a welcome investment to help residents to reduce waste going to landfill.

White Cart Flood Prevention Scheme Visit

On Friday, I attended a tour of sites within the White Cart Flood Prevention Scheme. It was very informative and highlighted the huge benefits of investment to manage the river catchment of the Auldhouse Burn and White Cart River. I visited one of the three flood storage areas upstream of Glasgow, which temporarily holds back the flood water arising from extreme rainfall. The storage facilities are able to control the release of water passing downstream through Glasgow.

View of a storage area on the outskirts of Glasgow.

There is still a possibility of flooding within Glasgow, and there are flood defences created by low walls and embankments along the banks of the White Cart River. I was shown the flood defences within Spean Street, Langside.

View of walls along the river at Spean Street.

The current scheme has been operational since September 2011. A further phase of flood defences is planned within the southside of Glasgow in 2017.

Useful link:

Support for flood risk communities - http://www.scottishfloodforum.org/

Strathclyde Pension Fund - Divest from Fossil Fuels

Today, I attended the May Day March in Glasgow. There was a stall handing out information about the campaign asking for Strathclyde Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuels. This campaign builds on the efforts of students to secure divestment from fossil fuels by Glasgow University and has been gathering momentum over the last 6 months.

Banner on display at entrance to the May Day Rally.

 Leaflet with information about the campaign.

Fossil Free Strathclyde is calling on Strathclyde Pension Funds (SPF) to divest all current holdings in fossil fuel companies. By taking this action, SPF would show their social and environmental responsibility, and help to secure a stable and better future for its members, Scotland, and the international community.

Further Information is available from Fossil Free Strathclyde's campaign at:

https://fossilfreestrathclyde.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/fossil-free-future-to-strathclyde-pension-fund/

Pushing for gender equality

I have been on a panel at three hustings for the Scottish Parliament's Elections 2016 which have involved a women only audience. Women-only hustings can help to involve women in political discussions, building their skills and confidence to join in debates and ask questions of candidates. I have found that women-only events assist in building a supportive community of women interested in politics. For women with experience of domestic abuse or hate crimes, women-only hustings can provide a safe space to raise their concerns.

When speaking about Scottish Green Party policies, I have highlighted key priorities that aim to demonstrate real commitment to tackling both gender and wealth inequality in Scotland, as the two are closely linked.

Scottish Greens support the introduction of a Gender Equality Bill. Gender inequality is deeply entrenched in Scotland’s economy, politics and culture. There has been some progress, but diverse groups of women, including disabled women, refugee women, unpaid carers, older women and lone parents still experience discrimination, poverty and insecurity. A Gender Equality Bill would help to drive progress for women’s equality.

We recognise the damage wealth inequality is having on Scotland's people and communities. The tax proposals from the Scottish Greens are put forward to both raise revenue and reduce the wealth gap between the richest and poorest in society.  This involves a higher rate of tax of 60p in every pound for those earning over £150,00. Those earning less than £26,500, which is more likely to be women, pay less. Those who can afford it, like our MSPs, will pay a bit more in the pound to protect and invest in the public services we all care about and use every day. 

There is also a commitment to improve the lives of women through valuing paid and unpaid care work - traditional women’s work that is often unpaid, always underpaid and under valued. Care work is essential for our society and economy. Better conditions are needed for both professional care workers and unpaid carers attending to family and friends. We must seek wider recognition of Scotland’s carers and push for increased financial and practical support.

Social care workers do hard and vital work in people’s homes, care homes and every community. They are employed in one of the lowest paid sectors, which fuels the gender pay gap. To bring about the much needed change, all care and support workers should be paid significantly above the Living Wage. Scottish Greens are proposing a living wage plus of £9 an hour minimum wage for people who are employed as social care staff. Not only will this improve the lives of people in the care sector, it will also help to improve the quality of care provided to people.

We are also pushing for a 50% increase in carers allowance to improve the lives of unpaid Carers, again often women. We need a better deal for carers. Power to increase Carers Allowance will soon be devolved to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Greens are campaigning for a 50% increase in payments to £93.15 per week.

Also, there is a commitment to create a new ‘Women in the Media’ watchdog to tackle sexism and stereotyping of women and girls. The new body is needed to stop the profoundly negative impact of how females are portrayed in the media.

A better Scotland, and a better Scotland for women, needs a bolder Holyrood.

Useful link:

Scotland Can Achieve Gender Equality - 

https://www.greens.scot/scotland-can/achieve-gender-equality

Support Nursing Scotland's Future

The Royal College of Nursing Scotland's campaign's manifesto Professional voices: practical solutions, sets out key demands. I have given my support to the issues raised in this manifesto:-

• decisions are made to shape health and care for generations to come, rather than focusing on short-term goals

• a Scottish Government-led workforce and skills impact assessment is carried out each time a new health or social care policy is proposed
• digital technologies are used to open up new, smarter ways of working for health care teams, especially those operating in the community
• the pivotal role of senior charge nurses in leading safe, effective, patient-centred care is recognised, respected and properly remunerated
• Scotland’s politicians champion better pay, terms and conditions for members of nursing teams, no matter their grade or where they work

Further information about the campaign at: www.rcn.org.uk/scotland.

Life is better with trees

I am supporting calls for use of trees as a policy resource for tackling a range of public concerns including improving air quality and reducing flood risk. We can support the following initiatives:-

- Promote natural flood resistance

There is a need to support the planning system so it works for people and nature. And we shouldn’t stop at protecting our existing green spaces. A stronger, more accountable planning system, with local people at its heart, can deliver housing in the right places, whilst creating and connecting new wildlife sites, woodlands, wetlands and other green spaces. This, in turn, will help provide natural flood defences, to help cope with our changing climate.

- Support strategic deer management

We must protect and restore important habitats in order to foster effective deer management, good water quality, and species reintroduction. Support can be given for the sustainable management of wild deer populations.

- Take action for tree health

The good management of existing woods, orchards and hedges should be encouraged. Developing maintenance of species diversity and the vigorous protection of wild habitats should be prioritised. There is a need to support restrictions in the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers, and promote research into the biological control of pests.

- Restore damaged woodland

Farmers and landowners should be encouraged to restore woodland and increase tree cover generally. Support is needed for appropriate tree planting or woodland creation from natural regeneration on agricultural and non-agricultural land, including fruit and nut orchards, copses, hedgerows, small farm woods and shade and windbreak trees.

- Expand our woodland

Substantially expanding wooded areas can capture carbon, increase the local energy supply, improve biodiversity, provide wood products for buildings and infrastructure, improve flood management and provide more natural spaces for everybody to enjoy.

Scotland has a low percentage of woodland cover compared with other countries in Europe; only 17% compared to the EU average of 37%. Also, relatively little new forest has been planted over recent decades, and the majority of British conifer forests are due for felling in the next 10-20 years.

Any significant increase in woodland will require careful management and siting to balance land-use needs and to maximise economic, social and environmental benefits. The expansion of woodland should run alongside a significant expansion of the existing Peatland Action Restoration Programme.

- Protect Scotland's most precious woods and trees

Educational policies and information campaigns can increase the protection and promotion of our woods and trees, particularly to our young people and those involved in local enterprise. We can encourage more use of private woodlands and further support the development of community woodlands. Efforts to bring about wider public recognition that woodlands and forests offer important environments for education, recreation, health, and celebration should be supported.

Cherry Blossom in Dowanhill.

Fox hunting in Scotland

I have seen the video evidence that the League Against Cruel Sports is submitting to the official Government review of the fox hunting ban in Scotland. You can view the video yourself here >> https://youtu.be/QzjCGV37Iwk

There are calls for the next Scottish Parliament to strengthen the existing legislation to ensure that packs of hounds are no longer encouraged to chase and kill wild mammals across the countryside. I have given my support to the strengthening of the hunting ban in Scotland.