Scottish Government’s plans for energy-saving loans slammed by Labour

By Oliver Farrimond

THE Scottish Government was accused of letting down OAPs over fuel yesterday – as they launched a radical new scheme aimed at improving energy consumption.

Scottish Finance Minister John Swinney unveiled a plan to lend cash to homeowners to help them install double-glazing, replace faulty boilers and fit eco-friendly wind turbines or solar panels.

The package would see interest-free loan of between £500 and £10,000, allowing householders to improve their carbon footprint and cut their fuel bills while reducing emissions.

But Scottish Labour’s Andy Kerr condemned the scheme, and said that the SNP government offers “cold comfort” to Scotland’s householders.

Mr Kerr, Shadow Finance Secretary and MSP for East Kilbride, said: “A pilot scheme to provide loans is cold comfort to many and not an adequate response to this Government’s failure.

Gail Porter makes a splash

By Oliver Farrimond

ONE-TIME FHM honey Gail Porter made a splash at an Edinburgh swimming pool yesterday while teaching kids about how to save water.

Edinburgh-born Porter, along with Scottish Government minister Stewart Stevenson MSP, dropped into Drumbrae Leisure Centre to promote shorter showers and using less hot water.

Their visit comes as news of Scots’ shower habits was released.

According to a nationwide survey, Scots claim to spend roughly 50 hours a year in the shower – 12 hours longer than their English counterparts.

38-year-old Porter, who has battled alopecia since 2005, said that having no hair had made her cut down massively on her shower times.

Council ditches desks in home-working eco drive

By Alexander Lawrie

A SCOTS council is looking for hundreds of staff to start working from home or on the move – so it can axe 1000 desks.

The eco plan is from Edinburgh City Council which wants to improve its green credentials and help drive down rising costs.

The council wants to identify around 1,300 members of staff who they believe can work without the need for a desk.

And in the longer term, authority chiefs believe a third of their workforce – almost 6,500 staff – will be able to do their jobs without sitting at a permanent berth.

Beaver introduced to the wild missing, feared shot

By Daniel Maguire

FEARS are growing for a missing family of beavers in Argyll – and police fear that one may even have been SHOT.

There is increasing concern for the family, which was historically re-introduced to Scotland along with eight other beavers earlier this year.

The adult female disappeared only two weeks after the Scottish Beaver Trial re-introduced the family.

And it is feared that the female’s disappearance may be connected to an illegal shooting heard in the same area.

Experts believe the sudden disappearance of the female unsettled the adult male prompting it to move away from the area.

Haggis starting to be more popular south of the border

By Cara Sulieman

THE SCOTTISH Government is dishing out £400,000 in grant money to help haggis makers Macsween invade England’s dinner tables.

The cash – for a new packing facility – will see the company up its exports south after a surge in interest for so called stealth foods like haggis pakora, haggis pies and even haggis lasagne.

And with most of the supermarkets and independent shops across the UK now stocking the Edinburgh produce, Macsween is struggling to keep up with demand.

To cope they will be building a new packing plant and employing 12 new members of staff to up production of the tasty treat.

Army to clear up streets of capital

By Cara Sulieman

THE Army could be deployed onto the streets of Edinburgh to collect rubbish bins as a battle over pay escalates, according to claims by staff.

Angry worker say council bosses told them that if proposed strike action goes ahead next month they will look to call in reinforcements – from the Army.

City of Edinburgh City Council have so far distanced themselves from the claim officially.

But protocol exists using what is known as a Military Aid to Another Government Department request which would be considered by top brass.

Alex Salmond launches new Tesco HQ in Edinburgh

By Oliver Farrimond

EVERY little helps and Scotland’s embattled financial services industry received a much needed boost yesterday as First Minister Alex Salmond officially unveiled the new Tesco Personal Finance headquarters in Edinburgh.

Situated next to the busy Haymarket rail hub, the centre will house almost 500 staff and save almost half a million miles’ worth of driving time a year.

The new headquarters will be one of Tesco’s main offices outside of London, and is expected to drastically reduce congestion, as well as providing a base for the supermarket bank to expand its services.

Unveiling the headquarters’ opening plaque, First Minister Salmond said: “Tesco’s decision to establish its personal finance headquarters in Edinburgh signifies its commitment to building its business in Scotland.”

“Having seen their track record and approach to business, I am absolutely certain that they will be one of the fastest-expanding financial organisations in the country.

Life-size replica of Edinburgh tram finds new home in Leith

By Oliver Farrimond

A LIFE-SIZE replica of Edinburgh’s controversial tram system was lowered into place in the Capital’s busy Leith Walk area yesterday.

The 15m mock-up, which was moved from its previous home on Princes Street, is expected to show local residents and businesses how the tram can run in narrow streets.

However local business leaders expressed scepticism about the project, which has been at the centre of an angry dispute between contractors and council bosses for much of the year.

Alan Rudland from the Leith Business Association said that the association had asked for the tram to be brought down from Princes Street after seeing the popularity of the mock-up.

Mr Rudland, 43, said: “The Princes Street tram had more than 70,000 visitors, and we’re keen to see the effect this will have on businesses in Leith.

“However I remain unconvinced about the project – people will get used to them but we’re concerned that they will cause a lot of problems for local businesses.

Penguins protest outside Scottish Parliament

By Oliver Farrimond

HOLYROOD was given the cold shoulder yesterday as a group of penguins visited the Scottish parliament in a bid to raise awareness of climate change.

The seven furry activists built a fake Antarctic habitat using snow machines and icebergs.

Organised by Friends of the Earth Scotland, the event was aimed to urge Scottish politicians to back the upcoming Scottish Climate Change Bill.

Corinne Evans, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “We’re honoured that these animals have taken time out from fighting for their own survival to come to remind us that we don’t have to suffer the same fate.

“The message is clear – we need urgent action on climate change, and we need the MSPs in the Paliament to rise to the challenge and make sure we have it.

“The world’s eyes are on Scotland – a strong law here will have a massive knock-on effect on forthcoming laws around the world.”

Brian’s blank paper art stunt

By Michael MacLeod

A STUDENT admits he is “wasting” an ocean of paper in the name of art.

Swathes of glossy BLANK white paper are being used to promote Edinburgh-based American artist Brian Hewitt’s ‘Life Time’ exhibition.

His display features random countdowns, including figures predicting the date of his death.

But the minimalist fliers promoting the exhibition are the size of 20 A4 sheets of paper, and only feature writing in the top corner.

When confronted over the fliers, Hewitt, 29, tried to justify their use by saying the blank space was “interesting” and helped raise awareness of environmental waste.

He said: “While I admit I have mixed feelings about the fliers, they are for impact. I know I’m not the world’s most green person but I do what I can. Luckily it is recycled paper, but yes, it is a lot of paper, I concede that.

“From a divine point of view, I think it’s interesting to notice that if you give somebody a sheet of paper and it’s full of ink, they usually don’t have a problem with it.

“But if it’s full of white, somehow it’s seen as a waste. I can see why people might see the promotional stuff that way.”

Hewitt’s show opens today at the captial’s Corn Exchange gallery and predicts that he will die on 30 December, 2043.

His calculations are all based on the span of his life, from birth to the present millisecond, with numbers projected on three walls, constantly calculated and updated as every second passes.

He displays his total heart beats, breaths, blinks, complete skin replacements and the total amount of radiation he’s been exposed to.

The numbers are lengthy, including the number of seconds he has left to live – 1,098,835,280 at midday on March 5 – , but he says when it’s your own life counting down, those seconds are precious.

Despite admitting the promotional fliers could be seen as a waste, he insists part of the aim of the show is to raise environmental awareness.

He added: “I came on a bike today. I am environmentally conscious. I did environmental journalism for a number of years actually and it’s hard to even read the newspapers on a daily basis and not be alarmed by everything you see.

“I think the environment is a hugely important issue, not just because trees are nice and animals are nice or whatever but because this is our legacy for our children.”

Of the countdown to his death, Hewitt also admits to being “morbidly fascinated” with death.

He said: “Obviously the number that everybody grabs onto is the date of my death.

Maybe it’s a morbid thing to do but that for me is just one of many numbers in there.

“The work is about putting human life into scale and context, not just that I have some kind of morbid fascination with mortality.

“The whole thing is about how small and precious human life is in general compared to the vast number of stars in the universe and the shrinking number of species out there.

“For me it’s important to understand my place in the world by looking at these things.”

Hewitt, who originates from Chicago, recently won an international scholarship to complete a Masters of Fine Art degree at Edinburgh College of Art.