We were delighted to have Rotarian Gloria Barnett (The Weird Fish Lady) as part of our environmental information pages on Rotary South East's website.
Her monthly ‘blog’ page was hosted here - and Gloria welcomed comments from readers (see below).
She has now suspended her Blog but the pages and comments are still no less relevant
Gloria’s Blog this month rightly further highlights the issue of Global Warming which is so much in evidence by the world wide disasters we are currently witnessing. These events are really brought home to us when it directly impacts on someone we know. Even with Gloria’s knowledge and understanding in what we are doing to our planet recent events have really shocked her.
This month Gloria focusses on Climate Change and what we can all individually do to reduce our Greenhouse Gas emissions and stop the current spate of climate driven global catastrophes. She gives some good advice in respect of Solar Panels. storage batteries and the associated benefit of Electric Cars should you be in the fortunate position to be able to afford one at this time.
Do you remember the olden days – when people were scared to speak out and state clearly that climate change was real and was caused by human activity? In this months blog Gloria shares some exciting news…..
Gloria highlights that we have a top level champion for the Environment in our new King plus catching up on the Environmental good news including the positive news on Green Power Growth
Read Gloria's full article
Glorias post gives us colour coded good and bad news. These include easy ways to connect children to nature, concerns over the industrial farming of octopus and some ideas from EthicalConsumer.org
This month Gloria looks back at the great storm of 1953, the cause and the consequences along with the parallels and what we might learn from the all too familiar named storms we are seeing today
This month Gloria looks at the UK’s efforts to address biodiversity and a more in-depth look at the UK’s green economy.
January 2023
Nature is not just about watching television programmes on cute creatures in the wild. Take a moment to think about the importance of nature.
Do we put nature first - or do we just stand by and watch as natural habitats are converted to urban use?
COP27 meeting has come and gone In case you weren’t keeping
up with the news I will attempt to summarise the outcomes in the next few
paragraphs.....
in her Blog this month Gloria poses a few questions to debate further…
‘Is climate change at the top of the agenda in the UK?’ Do you believe that climate change should be much higher up the agenda for our country.
Read Glorias full article:Blue Sky Thinking -a time for reflection
Breathe in the warm air, feel the sun on your face, relax and remember we live on the most wonderful planet, in an enormous universe and you and I share life…
This month’s blog is being written from my chair
on the side deck of the beautiful Cunard
ship ‘Queen Elizabeth’, floating in the waters of the Mediterranean....Reflections and discusion points
I’m crossing from Southampton to New York giving ‘ocean’ lectures on Queen Mary 2 –
Read more of Gloria’s blog from the mid-Atlantic – well 871 miles from Southampton anyway.
HOT NEWS! some of the latest scientific developments from around the world, which are helping to solve the problems we face. … there is so much to report this month
Please read Gloria’s full article
This month I've listed things that need to be done to help ‘save the life on this planet.’. There are scientists and volunteers working together around the world and what is happening in our wonderful world – right NOW! This Month I’m going to give you some details of what Rotarians are doing around the world.
No doom and gloom here folks – check out some of the science which is increasingly changing our world for the better. I firmly believe we are heading for a better future and I’d love it if you could share the idea too.
Weather pattern or Climate change what’s the difference?
In this month’s blog, Gloria explores the difference
"Positivity is an essential tool in our climate change tool bag. It will keep us working towards solving our climate change problems and it doesn’t take one person doing it perfectly to create change either. Many people trying imperfectly can create the change we need. Just go out, join in and do what you can"
"I’m firmly convinced that once we ALL start to think about our actions – then it will become a rolling program as the character of the human race is to be competitive and no-one likes to be left behind"
Read Gloria's full article
Last month I wrote a pre-COP 26 blog – explaining what we might expect to happen in Glasgow in November 2021. Now it’s Kme to have a post COP 26 blog and see how much further forward we are in the fight against climate change
COP 26 - Just a few days away
Read Gloria's full articleIf the UK is to achieve a zero-carbon target then British people need to both change the systems we use, and our thinking towards a greener, more sustainable world. Governments can take a lead in all of this and help everyone make the necessary changes to our lives, reducing our energy needs, improving transport choice and taking all fossil fuels out of our lives.
Read Gloria's full articleWhy Should I Be The First To Change?
In Europe, August recorded the highest temperatures ever – with a maximum temperature of 48º in Sicily and we saw images of red swathes of high temperatures across the whole continent. Wild fires are not just in Australia, Canada and the western USA – they are in Greece and Turkey and on our doorstep now. We have to change the unsustainable way humans are living by reducing carbon emissions – all of us.
Measure Your Carbon Footprint! Take The Pledge!
Net Zero, or carbon-neutral, refers to achieving a balance between carbon emissions produced from our energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere. We can accomplish this by reducing our emissions (carbon footprint) and removing carbon dioxide through mitigation projects, such as planting trees, building gardens with native plants, recycle or conserving biodiversity.
The problem with plastic in the oceans
When plastic was first invented it was seen as a wonder product and useful for everything - but nobody was thinking about the future of these ‘wonderful products’ and what would happen when they became obsolete. Plastic use took over from common-sense - and the land-fills began to take the strain of unwanted plastic. Only 9% of all the plastic ever created has been recycled.
Do you think you know what "Climate Change" means?
Whenever people talk about climate change, they speak as if the Planet is going to be catastrophically changed. However, this is not the case. The Earth has existed for over 4.6 billion years (that’s a very long time) and over that time the Earth has already changed many times – even at one time being called Snowball Earth – as it was a frozen planet. But Earth, the planet, always survives the different shades of green or blue or white – and all it takes is time to change its face.
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• Gloria Barnet is a member of the Rotary Club of Canterbury Sunrise. She's also an author, speaker, educator and champion for the ocean environment
(Main Photo by Giorgia Doglioni on Unsplash)
back Rotary members are tackling environmental issues the way they always do: coming up with projects, using their connections to change policy and planning for the future.
'What We Do' Main Pages:
The Safeguarding regulations that are observed by Chislehurst Rotary
moreWelcome to the website of the Rotary Club of Chislehurst, a very lively, active club of which I have the honour of being President during the year 2023-2024.
moreThis year we will be doing our usual Xmas Collection from Monday 2th December to Friday 13th December. At weekends we will be at Ruxley Garden Centre on 30th Nov/1st Dec and 8th/9th and outside Sainsbury's 8th/9th.
moreOur members enjoy an active social programme and the opportunity to help others. The Rotary Club encourages service to the community both locally and internationally.
moreRotary Clubs operate within areas of service - to their local, national and international communities and to the Club itself. The service areas within our Club are: Community; International; Foundation (Rotary"™s charity organisation); Club; and Social.
moreCommunity Service is the Club's link with the local community. Emphasis is placed on links within the immediate Chislehurst area, where substantial efforts and contributions are made to help local charities and to undertake projects to help those in need.
moreWe are a small, but enthusiastic, Club with a strong commitment to helping those less fortunate overseas; ensuring that any aid is provided where it is needed and managed locally so that all funds are used wisely and effectively.
moreThe Rotary Foundation is a world wide charity whose aim is to support the efforts of Rotary International in its mission to achieve worldwide understanding and peace through local and national humanitarian, educational and cultural support programmes.
moreThe Club Service Committee works with our elected Club Council to ensure, as far as possible, the smooth running of the Club
moreThe Social team (a sub-committee of Club Service) deals with all the social aspects of the Club. If we can raise some money for charity, then that is an extra bonus!!
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