Green Legacy Guernsey wins main 2013 Conservation Awards prize

June 14th, 2013 by Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards

The Green Legacy Project organised by Nigel Clarke of Queux Patio Plant Centre won the coveted Insurance Corporation Conservation Award for 2013.

In the first five months of 2013, the Green Legacy Project, now in its fourth year, has provided workshops in Green Legacy’s eco garden at Queux Patio Plants to almost 400 school children. The workshops have covered ‘Wiggly Worms’, ‘Nature’s Recyclers’ and ‘How Plants Grow’.

The Green Legacy Project has also organised Council for Learning Outside the Classroom training for Guernsey school teachers on 20 June and 21 June 2013.

The Green Legacy Project gives both social and economic benefits by educating people about Nature and plants.

This long term project received £2,000 from Insurance Corporation to fund its activities. Continue reading

Friends of the Earth concerned about weed killer in peoples’ urine

June 13th, 2013 by Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth and GM Freeze have expressed concern that laboratory tests have found traces of the weed killer glyphosate in the bodies of people in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK.

Urine tests of 182 volunteers in 18 European countries, found that on average 44% of samples contained traces of glyphosate.

Of the ten samples taken in London in March 2013, seven had weed killer traces.

All the volunteers who gave samples live in cities, and none had handled or used glyphosate products in the run up to the tests.

This is the first time monitoring has been carried out across Europe for the presence of the weed killer in humans.

Glyphosate is one of the most widely-used weed killers in the world, used by farmers, local government and gardeners, as well as sprayed extensively on some genetically modified crops which are then imported into Europe for use as animal Continue reading

Prizes for Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards presented by Deputy Bailiff on 13 June 2013

June 13th, 2013 by Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards

The winners of the Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards will be presented with their prizes by Deputy Bailiff Richard McMahon on Thursday 13 June 2013.

After a successful judging day on 4 June 2013, each winner will be given a cheque from Insurance Corporation to fund their endeavours.

The event, which is in its 23 rd year, is staged to fund projects designed to protect the island’s green spaces and natural habitats.

The winner of the main award will win £2,000 to help fund their projects while the winning school will be awarded £1,000.

A special prize has also been added to the event, which will be announced at the presentation. Continue reading

OECD report on green growth at the heart of development

June 11th, 2013 by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

(click on report cover to go to OECD publication webpage)

With 7 billion people in the world today and 9 billion by 2050, we must invest in development that will meet the growing demands for food, water and energy.

The OECD publication Putting Green Growth at the Heart of Development suggests that these investments could define a path for inclusive growth and sustainable development by focusing on people’s needs and prospects while respecting the environment. It also gives examples of developing countries’ successful initiatives to do so.

Highlighting the nature of the challenges and opportunities in this field, Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary General, said “putting green growth at the heart of the development agenda requires real political leadership to instill change at international, national and local levels.”

“Our report shows that green growth can offer new opportunities for developing countries,” he said. Continue reading

Leatherback turtle egg found on St Brelade’s Beach in Jersey

June 10th, 2013 by Société Jersiaise Marine Biology Section

A broken egg found on St Brelade’s beach, Jersey on 6 June 2013 by Mrs. Carolyn Green. The egg was broken by her dog before she could recover it. (click image to expand – image ©Carolyn Green)

On 6 June 2013 the Société Jersiaise Marine Biology Section received an extraordinary report of a sea turtle’s egg having been washed up on St Brelade’s beach, Jersey.

Andy Farmer, a sea turtle expert living in Jersey, looked at the images and spoke with Mrs Carolyn Green who found the egg while walking her dog on the beach.  She kept the broken egg shell.

Mr Farmer said “first impression, I’m pretty sure it’s a leatherback turtle egg, Dermochelys coriacea. From the images and what Mrs Green told me, I would say it is very fresh, only a couple of days old if that.”

“So that only leaves the small conundrum, what is it doing on St Brelade’s beach in Jersey?” Continue reading

CI Co-operative Society Plan Bee launched at Castel Primary School

June 7th, 2013 by The Channel Islands Co-operative Society Limited

Castel Primary School pupils planted bee friendly wildflower seeds to launch the Channel Islands Co-operative Society Limited Plan Bee (click image to expand – image courtesy of The Channel Islands Co-operative Society Ltd)

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society has launched its Plan Bee project in the Channel Islands at Castel Primary School, following the success of the initiative in 2012.

Colin Macleod, The Channel Islands Co-operative Society’s Chief Executive, and Geraldine Silk, of the Guernsey Bee Keepers’ Association, joined pupils at Castel Primary School to educate them on the plight of the honeybee, and to plant wildflower seeds to encourage bees into the school’s outdoor woodland classroom.

The initiative was set up to help, support and expand the Channel Islands’ struggling bee population. Continue reading

Sigma Wood commemorative stone unveiled at Guernsey’s St Germain Nature Reserve

June 5th, 2013 by The Guernsey Society of the Men of the Trees

Castel Primary school children from year 4; Deputy Robert Sillars, Minister of Guernsey’s Education Department; Chris Stuart, Senior Manager of Sigma Solutions, unveil the commemorative plaque for The Sigma Wood, which Andrew McCutcheon of the Environment Department, and The Guernsey Society of the Men of the Trees coordinated. (click image to expand – ©RLLord)

A commemorative stone to mark the planting of The Sigma Wood at St Germain Nature Reserve was unveiled at midday on Thursday 6 June 2013.

The site was planted at the beginning of 2012 and is located at the eastern end of the St Germain site.

The Sigma Group wanted to provide a long term benefit to the Guernsey community. As it is a major supplier of paper stationery in the island, the company decided to create a new woodland as a way to achieve this aim.

The project was coordinated with the help of The Guernsey Society of the Men of the Trees who worked with the States of Guernsey Environment Department to find a suitable site, and arrange for the most suitable trees to be planted. Continue reading

Herm Island’s Britain In Bloom entry to be helped by Lloyds TSB staff

May 10th, 2013 by Lloyds TSB Offshore Ltd

LLoyds TSB staff plant trees during their ‘Day to Make a Difference’ in Herm in 2012 (click image to expand – image courtesy of LLoyds TSB)

Lloyds TSB staff will be helping Herm with its entry into Britain in Bloom’s Champion of Champions competition.

In recognition of its consistently high standards in the overall Britain in Bloom competition, Herm has been nominated for the Champion of Champions category along with four other communities across the British Isles.

The island’s gardening team, headed up by Brett Moore, is busy preparing for the arrival of the judges later this summer and after a successful volunteering day in Herm last year, Lloyds TSB is sending a team of staff from Guernsey and Jersey to help with the preparations.

“The Day to Make a Difference initiative is one in which the whole of the Lloyds Banking Group takes part and is our way Continue reading

Guernsey’s Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards entry deadline is 28 May 2013

May 9th, 2013 by Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards

Please click image to download Guernsey Conservation Awards 2013 entry form as a PDF file to your computer

Guernsey schools and environmentally friendly islanders have until 28 May 2013 to get their entries in for this years’ Insurance Corporation Conservation Awards.

The event, which is in its 23rd year, is staged to fund projects designed to protect the island’s green spaces and natural habitats.

The winner of the main award could win a cheque for £2,000 to help fund their endeavours while the winning school will be awarded £1,000 over three years.

A tree-planting project in local schools won the award for 2012 and was organised by the Guernsey Society of the Men of the Trees. Continue reading

Common whelk ‘sea wash balls’ on the Guernsey shore

April 30th, 2013 by Richard Lord

A litter pick-up on the sea shore of Champ Rouget, on the path north of the Chouet tea rooms, Vale found eight ‘sea wash balls‘ from the common whelk, Buccinum undatum, three ray (rajidae) mermaid’s purses (egg case), and one cuttlebone from Sepia officinalis.

Eight ‘sea wash balls’ from whelks, three ray egg cases, and one cuttlebone were found during a beach clean on the sea shore at Champ Rouget, Chouet, Vale, Guernsey on 28 April 2013 (click image to expand)

A similar beach clean on the same stretch of shore on 17 February 2013 revealed only three mermaid’s purses and no whelk ‘sea wash balls’.

The common whelk, Buccinum undatum, usually lives on a sea floor of soft sediment. It is one of the larger marine snails in British waters.

Male and female whelks copulate between October and May depending on location in British Isle marine waters, and eggs are deposited in capsules that are glued together to form ‘sea wash balls’. These can be up to 50 cm by 25 cm Continue reading