Protecting Our Environment

Protecting the Environment is now the Rotary movements 7th area of focus. Worldwide Rotarians are now dedicating effort and resources to:

• Protecting and restoring land, coastal, marine, and freshwater resources
• Enhancing the capacity of communities to support natural resource management and conservation
• Supporting sustainable agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture practices
• Addressing the cause of climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases
• Strengthening ecosystems and communities affected by climate change
• Supporting education initiatives that promote behaviour that protects the environment
• Advocating for sustainable consumption to build an economy that uses resources more efficiently
• Addressing environmental justice issues and public health concerns

Funds are being made available both locally and internationally to support projects that  address these objectives.

Invicta and the Environment

We are gearing up to place greater emphasis on environmental activities and projects and have:

1. Appointed a Club Environmental Lead and a small team  to drive our activities.
2. Adopted a Club Environmental Policy that will govern our activities to ensure we adhere to the principles of Environmental Sustainability

To date we have taken steps to:

Promote Recycling

Club members are recycling tablet blister packs which are not routinely collected by the Council but are accepted at Supadrug shops. Although quantities are relatively small it still makes a contribution to reducing consumption of resources and litter.

Encourage Biodiversity

Many hedges in Swale are deteriorating and being grubbed out. This is reducing habitats for wildlife and cutting biodiversity. Invicta is supporting Swale Borough Council’s efforts to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency. 

Working with Milton Creek Country Park and Swale BC we will be planting 420 saplings of native British tree species to create new hedges in the park. This will not only improve biodiversity, but also fix CO2 and improve air quality.

Increase awareness of Club members

Councillor Tim Valentine, Swale Borough Council Cabinet lead for the “Climate and Ecological Emergency”, addressed a Club meeting in which he outlined the Council’s response to the emergency. With the evidence for man-made climate change now unequivocal Swale is among the most vulnerable areas in the country with large parts of the borough threatened by flooding. 

Tim said the Council is pushing towards a goal of carbon neutrality; switching to low carbon and renewable energy sources and more energy efficient consumption and Local Plan seeks to encourage energy efficient housing and transport development. He also highlighted local initiatives that move in these directions including the Orchard Community Energy solar array on the roof of the Cook Classic Kitchen on Swale Way and Nicholls Transport use of liquefied natural gas to power some of its lorries.

(Main photo by Flash Dantz on Unsplash)