ScotRail has been recognised for its commitment to improving the environment with two prestigious Green Apple awards.

Green Apple Environment Awards are annual international campaigns that recognise, reward, and promote environmental best practice around the world.

They were launched in 1994 by The Green Organisation and have become well established as one of the most popular environmental campaigns in the world.

In a ceremony that had been delayed from 2020 by the pandemic, ScotRail was awarded Scottish “Gold Green Apple” and “National Green Champion” (Champion of Champions) awards.

The Gold Green Apple award recognised ScotRail’s work in biodiversity, whilst the Green Organisation’s Champion of Champions award acknowledged how ScotRail protects habitats, supports the work of environmental charities, and provides valuable materials for habitat creation.

ScotRail has a Biodiversity Fund that offers learning and development opportunities to school children, the long-term unemployed, and vulnerable individuals, particularly in deprived areas.

The biodiversity enhancement programme has:

• invested £40,000 annually supporting Scottish organisations and charities;
• engaged with and upskilled 188 volunteers, and dedicated 752 volunteer hours to ScotRail’s biodiversity projects;
• engaged with schools in deprived areas to promote biodiversity learning, and provided travel facilities to 328 school children and 191 adults;
• provided financial support to Sunnyside Primary School in Glasgow’s Craigend, to help it deliver its award-winning #NaeStrawAtAw campaign to reduce single use plastics;
• supported biodiversity improvement projects at four depots and 32 stations, covering the length and breadth of the country;
• funded peat bog restoration at Forsinard Flows in Caithness, one of the largest raised bogs in Europe and an important carbon sink.

ScotRail works closely with a number of partner organisations to help achieve its biodiversity targets, including the RSPB and The Conservation Volunteers group (TCV), which provides volunteer work parties to carry out biodiversity improvements on-site. TCV teams visited four ScotRail depots to help create wildflower spaces, orchards, and ponds. Incredibly, the change in land management at Yoker depot has led to field voles inhabiting one of the depot’s embankments.

Also supported through the Biodiversity Fund was a new method of improving the habitat for breeding birds, which was trialled at the RSPB reserve at Achanalt Marshes in Ross and Cromarty, whilst habitat improvement was carried out at Black Devon Wetlands RSPB reserve in Clackmannanshire, which is an important area for overwintering wildfowl.

At ScotRail stations, station adopters carry out gardening activities, including maintaining planters and green spaces. At Perth station, the adopters have transformed an area of derelict land into an award-winning biodiversity garden, with two ponds, an orchard, a wildflower meadow, vegetable beds, nest boxes, and bug hotels. Station staff use the garden during their breaks and hold meetings in a relaxed environment.

Nicole Tyson, ScotRail Sustainability Manager, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition of the important work we are doing to support biodiversity improvement throughout Scotland.

“The project has grown from a few stations to many of our depots and projects outside of our own portfolio.

“We will continue to develop current projects and the example of partnership working at Perth Station Garden will be followed to encourage staff and community engagement at other locations.”

Where Next on RailAdvent?

Subscribe for More
Railway News
DVDs, Prints, Cards, Gifts and more
MAINLINE STEAM INFO
Competition Time!
COMMUNITY PHOTOS
FREE NEWSLETTERS