INTRODUCTION

One of the most common environmental actions taken by rotarians is to reduce waste & pollution within our environment.  This can be done at the individual level, with many rotarians seeing the picking up of litter as part of their civic responsibilities. Virtually all rotarians, and most of the general public for that matter, have taken action to reduce the waste of domestic energy & other resources in order to reduce household expenditure.  In recent years many have linked this ‘common sense’ reduction of waste to the urgent need for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and lowering of an individual’s carbon footprint.  It seems likely that most rotarian action against waste & pollution is carried out at this individual-household level.  Please continue such important work!

This section of the website deals with projects undertaken at club level or above.  This includes occasional action to remove litter from beaches, riverbanks, or indeed any place where humans scatter their rubbish.  Click here for examples of Rotary club action.  For some Rotary clubs the issues of waste reduction, recycling and removal has become a regular, longer-term project. In such cases clubs are likely that they will seek partners with similar aims in order to be more effective. Click here for some details of District 1070’s Plastics Initiative programme, which already has 10 Rotary clubs involved. Some Rotary clubs are looking at litter, waste & pollution in general for a specific area.  Others are concerned with one form of pollution everywhere.  A good example of the latter is the international “End Plastic Soup” campaign.  There are now a wealth of resources concerning plastic available to rotarians, so click here for some details to help your club get started with this campaign.

Space here to put the 3 above links to specific projects STORIES FROM LAST MONTH’S ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR: In March we had the ZERO FOOD WASTE Week. We asked you for some tips on how not to waste food: -Leftovers from Joints of meat are used again the next day in an alternative dish, a curry or a stew. -Rotten bananas are reused to make Banana Cake. -Regularly check your food cupboards so we are clearer on what stocks you have and what you need. -Freeze excess bread to toast and eat later. -Let family members serve their own meal portions, then save leftovers (good for lunch the next day). -Freezing some excess foods in a container, or even an ice cube tray is useful. Examples are whisked eggs, garlic, peeled and made into a paste, herbs covered with a little olive oil and grated ginger. -Cravendale milk has long “use by” dates and ensures milk is not wasted. -Use excess potatoes – deep-fried and simmered in curry (Dum Aloo) or in bubble and squeak or in fishcakes – especially if you have leftover fish too. -When small amounts of vegetables are left over, grate them and use them to make patties, eg, courgette patties or add eggplant into pasta sauce. -Dry leftover fresh mint or basil to use later. -Apple peels and cherry stalks make good tea. -Another tip to help avoid food waste is to sign up to Olio or TooGoodToGo, where you can give away spare food to someone in your neighbourhood, or purchase discounted groceries or takeaway food that would otherwise be thrown away by the shop. You need to download their mobile app. -Feed old bread to the ducks!!! (Thanks go to Gary, John, Marcel and Suzan for their tips)