Friends of the Earth Scotland

Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) is a Scottish charity and an independent member of the Friends of the Earth international network of environmental organisations It is one of the 30 national organisations that Friends of the Earth Europe represents and unites at the European level.

Friends of the Earth Scotland
Formation1980
Legal statuscharity
FocusClimate Justice, Environmental Justice, Environmentalism and Human rights
Area served
Scotland
Members
3,000
Director
Richard Dixon
Head of campaigns
Mary Church
Websitewww.foe.scot

There is a membership of around 3,000 people in Scotland.[1]

History

Scotland’s first Friends of the Earth group was formed in 1972 and the first joint meeting of all Scotland’s local groups was held in 1977.[2] In 1980 it became legally independent of Friends of the Earth Ltd. By 1982 it had a membership of around 1,200.[3] It has been registered as a charity since 1 January 1992, currently registered as a charitable company with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), Scottish charity number SC 003442.[4] The organisation operates separately from Friends of the Earth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI).

In 1991 Kevin Dunion was appointed as their first director, leaving in 2003 to become the Scottish Information Commissioner.[5] Richard Dixon was appointed in 2013 and is the current director.

In 2003 Friends of the Earth Scotland won The Guardian newspaper's "Charity of the Year" Award.[6]

Campaigns

Major campaign issues of Friends of the Earth Scotland include:

  • Fossil free Scotland. Phasing out the use of fossil fuels, promoting the use of renewable energy.[7]
  • Access to environmental justice. They support individuals, communities and NGOs having the right to be involved in planning decisions that affect their environment.[8]
  • Fracking. They have spoken about the environmental dangers of hydraulic fracturing and the pollutants involved.[9][10]

Previous campaigns

Previous high-profile campaigns have included:

  • Clean up RBS. They called for ethical and responsible behaviour from banks who were bailed out with public money.[11]
  • Carbon Dinosaurs. They drew attention to the presence of the most polluting coal-fired power plants in 2003.[12]
  • Hunterston. In 2010 they had campaigned against plans for a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire.[13] In June 2012 Ayrshire Power withdrew their planning application.[14]
  • M74 protests. They were involved with protests against extension of the M74, withdrawing their legal action in 2006.[15]
  • South Harris super quarry. They campaigned against a planned superquarry in South Harris 1994−2004.[16]
  • Climate change legislation. They called for Scotland to have strong climate change legislation. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 was seen as world-leading when it was enacted.[17]

Local groups

Friends of the Earth Scotland has a network of local groups. These help to give the organisation a grassroots presence in communities around Scotland. The local groups are autonomous, but cooperate on national campaigns.[18] There are groups in Aberdeen, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Inverness & Ross, Moray, Stirling and Tayside.

See also

References
  1. "Original tree huggers". Holyrood. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. "About us: Our history". Friends of the Earth Scotland. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. "Ecology group in cash drive". The Glasgow Herald. 30 December 1982. p. 5. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  4. "Search OSCR: Charity Details: Citizens Advice Scotland, SC003442". Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. "Keeping informed: Kevin Dunion". Holyrood. 19 June 2013.
  6. Shifrin, Tash (3 October 2003). "Guardian awards honour outstanding charities". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  7. "Fossil free Scotland". Friends of the Earth Scotland. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  8. "Access to Environmental Justice". Friends of the Earth Scotland. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  9. Armour, Robert (8 October 2014). "Fracking monster used to expose shale gas threat". Third Force News. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  10. Kirkcaldy, Liam (15 July 2015). "Friends of the Earth Scotland calls on SNP to clarify fracking position". Holyrood. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  11. "Osborne told to clean up RBS projects". Edinburgh Evening News. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  12. "Campaigners name 'top polluters'". BBC News. 10 August 2003.
  13. "Hunterston coal-fired power station plan takes step forward". STV News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  14. "Hunterston power station plans withdrawn by Ayrshire Power". BBC News. 26 June 2012.
  15. "Motorway court action abandoned". BBC News. 28 June 2006.
  16. "Superquarry firm admits defeat after Harris application falls on stony ground". The Herald. 3 April 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  17. Miller, David (18 November 2013). "Scotland can still take climate change lead says minister". BBC News.
  18. "Take action: Join your local group". Friends of the Earth Scotland. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
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