A Sustainable Future For All

As SEPA’s new Chairman, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the spring issue of SEPA View. I feel very privileged to have been appointed Chairman at such an exciting and challenging time. As our name says, we are the body responsible for protecting Scotland’s environment, and I am acutely conscious of the importance of our role. A healthy

environment provides a sound basis for a healthy, thriving economy, and issues like climate change offer economic opportunities as well as environmental challenges. This is reflected in many of the topics covered in this SEPA View.

In 1995, eco house designer Sue Roaf reduced her annual electricity bill to just £5 a year. Now the Professor of Architectural Engineering is leading the UK’s carbon counting initiative. She explains the need for better carbon auditing of organisations and communities in Count down.

At SEPA we already place great value on managing our own environmental impact. Future initiatives to improve our green credentials are revealed in Green light, and we highlight three Scottish businesses recognised for their environmental good practices in Good VIBES.

If we are to secure Scotland’s environmental future, it is vital that all parts of society live in a more sustainable way. The Scottish Government’s proposed National Planning Framework 2 (p8) is an important vehicle for debate about the sort of place we want Scotland to be. We have also taken this opportunity to highlight SEPA’s role as an environmental regulator, and how we are working towards a more effective, streamlined and ‘light touch’ approach that will benefit both the environment and the businesses we regulate. Effective environmental regulation helps support a sustainable economy, and the lead article explains our drive towards continual improvement.

Finally, we would like to invite you to comment on this and other issues of SEPA View. Public participation and consultation are key to SEPA services, and we look forward to receiving your feedback in the questionnaire enclosed.

David Sigsworth

SEPA Chairman