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Publications : SEPA View : 29 : HTML Version
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FOREWORD
The publication of this issue of SEPA View coincides with the 10th anniversary of SEPA’s establishment and we, like Scotland, have come a long way over the past 10 years. We were set up with a remit that included ‘contributing to sustainable development’ and we were one of the public bodies that were given that important responsibility at that time.
It is therefore a particular pleasure for me to be able to report in this issue on a real milestone on the journey to making Scotland truly sustainable – the publication of the Scottish Executive’s Strategy for Sustainable Development ‘Choosing Our Future’. It is introduced by Scotland’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister with the words: “We are determined to lead a government which is an exemplar of sustainability.” The Strategy addresses social, economic and environmental issues and stresses that the ‘global threat of unsustainable development’ cannot be seen as ‘just’ an environmental problem. This means that whilst there are clear roles for SEPA and others in the environmental sector, there is a clear recognition of the responsibilities of others, and this must surely mean that real progress can be made. I congratulate the Executive on the publication and commend it to SEPA View readers. You can find it on the Executive’s website www.scotland.gov.uk.
Many of the other articles in this issue also relate to sustainable development, from EU Directives on public participation and environmental liability to award winning green products and initiatives, and from consultation on waste reduction to securing the sustainable management of Scotland’s water environment. These are the issues to which I, and SEPA staff, along with the Scottish Executive, are committed.
I would like to take this opportunity publicly to pay my personal tribute to one member of SEPA staff, Alison Fry, who died tragically in the course of her work. Alison shared with so many of her colleagues that commitment to the environment. She was an experienced and most valued member of staff: a marine chemist whose work made a huge contribution to our understanding of Scotland’s marine environment.
Thanks to the efforts of many of her friends, family and colleagues, over a thousand pounds has already been raised in her memory for two of her favourite charities, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Kids. She was much loved and respected by all those who knew her and she is sadly missed.
Campbell Gemmell
Chief Executive
A full contents list for this HTML version is available via the navigation bar to the left. Alternatively, you can download the pdf version here
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