Council signs up to climate declaration
West Lothian Council has signed the ‘Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration’.
It marks a further commitment to reducing carbon emissions at a local level and will see a community garden built in West Lothian.
The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration brings together local and regional authorities from across the world to commit to putting into practice integrated food policies to tackle the climate emergency.
Launched at the UN COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow - the declaration encourages national governments to take joined-up action on food and climate.
This commitment will see the council enhancing its work with local organisations on initiatives that promote the sustainable production of food.
Through the West Lothian Food Growing Strategy - the council has outlined its support to community food growing.
This has so far taken the form of local allotments, community gardens, community planters, and fruit trees in public spaces.
The Whitburn and District Community Development Trust (WCDT) have benefitted from the council’s signing of the declaration with a new community garden set to be built.
The WCDT secured the funding from the Scottish Government’s Town Capital Grant Fund and the West Lothian Town Centre Improvement Fund to create a Community Garden within the town.
Whitburn and District Community Development Trust, community development worker, David MacDonald said: “Through both our community garden and community fridge project, Whitburn and District Community Development Trust are striving to reduce food waste in our community by redistributing surplus food from local supermarkets and then ensuring that any waste is being used to compost to make more soil for our raised beds. We are also excited for our first growing season to be able to grow some fruit, vegetables and flowers at a local level to then be available to the members of our community fridge project.”