The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
A diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church

Aberdeen - St Andrew’s Aberdeen - St Clement's Church Aberdeen - St James' Church Aberdeen - St John's Church Bucksburn - St Machar's Church Aberdeen - St Margaret's Church Aberdeen - St Mary's Pro-Cathedral (Carden Place) Aberdeen - St Ninian's Church Aboyne - St Thomas' Church Alford - St Andrew's Church Auchindoir - St Mary's Church Ballater - St Kentigern's Church Banff - St Andrew's Church Banchory - St Ternan's Church Bieldside - St Devenick's Church Braemar - Chapel of St Ninian Buckie - All Saints Church Burravoe - St Colman's Church Cruden Bay - St James' Church Cuminestown - St Luke's Church Ellon - St Mary's Church Fraserburgh - St Peter's Church Insch - St Drostan's Church Inverurie - St Mary's Church Kemnay - St Anne's Church Kincardine O'Neil - Christ Church Kirkwall - St Olaf's Church Lerwick - St Magnus' Church Longside - St John's Church New Pitsligo - St John's Church Old Deer - St Drostan's Church Oldmeldrum - St Matthew and St George's Church Peterhead - St Peter's Church Strichen - All Saints Church Stromness - St Mary's Church Turriff - St Congan's Church Whiterashes - All Saints Church Woodhead of Fyvie - All Saints Church

Rubbish Challenge

Currently on display in Ballater Library is a bag of rubbish. The Rev Canon Vittoria Hancock and Ballater CAN are challenging the people of Upper Deeside to save their non-recyclable and non-reusable rubbish from 6^th June – 28^th June, to see how low they can go.

Canon Vittoria with her non-recyclable rubbish collected over a period of 6 weeks. Can you collect less?

For the last 6 weeks, Vittoria has been collecting her non-recyclable and non-reusable rubbish. Her rubbish – including bag – has been weighed. The task is to collect less rubbish than she has. In association with Ballater Climate Action Now (Ballater CAN), the people of Upper Deeside are being challenged to collect their non-recyclable and non-reusable rubbish in a separate bag, making sure it is washed if it has food residue on it. At the end of the month there will be a weigh-in, and the person with the lowest weight of rubbish will receive a prize. The weigh-in

will take place on Friday 28^th June, 7.30pm, at the Victoria and Albert Halls, Ballater, when there will also be a showing of the documentary film ‘Tomorrow’.

Vittoria says: “As a Christian, I see part of the job as looking after this planet in which we live – there is no planet B. So in an attempt to be a bit more environmentally aware, I decided to collect all those bits and pieces of rubbish that weren’t recyclable or reusable in any form and keep them for a month, seeing how low I could go. Most of my rubbish is made of non-recyclable plastics, such as food containers or plastic wrap, along with some crisp packets and chocolate wrappers. While I already buy things in a way that tries to be ethically and environmentally sustainable, I still have some way to go. I’m delighted to be working with the Ballater CAN group in this challenge, and grateful to Ballater Library for allowing us to display the rubbish.”

“This year I have working on cutting down my environmental footprint in small ways – I have bought and made beeswax wraps to replace cling-film, I have exchanged tea-leaves for teabags, and started to eat food that is in season, which means it is less likely to have been imported. The Highlanders Bakehouse in Crathie has started selling dry goods by weight – you take your own container – so I have been using that as well. Saving the planet starts with little steps like these.”