• promote sustainable development in the Scottish Borders;
• act as a forum for ideas and projects on sustainable development and to help spread and promote these ideas and projects into all parts of the Scottish Borders;
• collaborate with the regional council on the implementation of Local Agenda 21.

The Forum has organised or been involved in the following projects, among others:

• a joint seminar with Borders Friends of the Earth on sustainable transport in the region;
• a project aimed at reducing household waste by encouraging the composting of its organic components, which is currently in the first of its three-year span. This project is financed by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, and aims to supply as many communities as possible with cut-price composters.

The Forum also regularly comments on government consultation papers such as those on Integrated Transport and Rural Development.

Contact:
Cllr. John B. Elliot
Chairman
Scottish Borders Environment Partnership
2 Duns Law
Duns
Scottish Borders
TD11 3SZ
email: jb.elliot@btinternet.com

 

Tweed Forum

Tweed Forum is a non-profit making company limited by guarantee with charitable status and registered as an Environmental Body under the Landfill Tax regulations. It was formed in 1991, as a loose collection of organisations with an interest in the future well-being of the River Tweed catchment area..
The Forum's main objective is "to promote the wise and sustainable use of the whole of the Tweed catchment through holistic and integrated management and planning". It aims to achieve this by providing a forum for sharing ideas and information about the appropriate use and management of Tweed's resources.

Tweed Forum's membership of 29, includes local councils, Government Agencies, Environmental and Recreational Groups and others dedicated to securing the future of the River Tweed.
More information: www.tweedforum.com

Scottish Borders Rural Partnership

Source: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/17108/7478

The Scottish Borders Rural Partnership is a multi-agency group whose core funding is provided by Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Office.  The Partnership is based at the Rural Resource Centre at Tweed Horizons and works with community groups, promoting and developing funding and implementation of community based rural projects; improving rural transport; creation of children's play areas, and environmental and tourism initiatives are priorities for the Centre.

The Executive offered £35,000 over 2001-04 to the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership to employ an Environmental Community Development Worker to inspire communities to understand, value and care for their local natural environment.  The purpose of the Environmental Community Development Fieldworker was to complement the work of the general reactive Community Development Fieldworkers that form the staff of the Scottish Borders Rural Partnerships' Rural Resource Centre. The staff work with community groups to promote and assist the development, funding and implementation of community-based rural development projects. The main aim was to have an employee with specialist environmental knowledge who would be proactive in inspiring communities to understand, value and care for their local natural environment.

The broad remit of the post included awareness raising, community initiatives such as promoting involvement in conservation projects and facilitating networks to aid training, building partnerships with other environmental organisations, and ensuring that projects complemented wider sustainable development initiatives.

The target outputs included: development of community environment projects, recruitment of environmental volunteers, recognition of areas of special local environmental importance and interagency conservation projects.

For more information, contact:
Roger Hemming
Project Co-ordinator
Rural Resource Centre
Tweed Horizons
By Newton St Boswells
Melrose
TD6 05G
Telephone: 01835 824125

Forest Education Initiative, Borders
The aim of the Forest Education Initiative is to bring an understanding and appreciation - particularly of the environmental, social, and economic potential of trees, woodlands and forest - to young people. The initiative encourages all people to use trees, timber and the forest environment for learning, gaining skills within their natural environment.

For more information, contact:
Greg Macfarlane (Chairman)
Forestry Commission Scotland
Telephone: 01896 750222