Green Recovery for South Ayrshire

We are committed to making South Ayrshire a better place to live and provide our residents with the opportunity to grow well, live well and age well. As a result, we are working towards a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking opportunities to adapt our operations as an organisation, whilst making simple changes to our everyday lives to become more sustainable.

During May we have focused on the importance of our ecosystems, which play a fundamental role in our way of life. Ecosystems provide us with a host of products that we are dependent on such as food, energy, materials and medicines, whilst also providing habitats to animals. It is therefore crucial that we help our ecosystems to thrive.

The sand dune regeneration project at Ayr beach, which started in January 2020 is showing fantastic progress with a variety of vegetation flowering, providing new habitats for insects and pollinators. Our Food Growing Strategy also supports local people to grow their own produce, as we have increased the number of allotments available across South Ayrshire.

South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment, Councillor Ian Cochrane said: "It is vital that we all play a part in tackling the climate crisis, and we are proud to prioritise our green recovery which will contribute to reducing Council emissions by 75% by 2030, with net zero emissions by 2045.

"We are making promising progress, demonstrated by initiatives such as our sand dune regeneration project and providing opportunities for our local communities to grow their own food, helping to reduce carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted from transporting produce from afar."

To find out more about the simple changes you can make to help our ecosystems, visit our social media channels Facebook and Twitter where you will find a range of information and advice.

Published 24 May 2021.