A small office at Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian is taking on a larger role in helping to safeguard biodiversity in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The Lothian Wildlife Information Centre has been given a grant of £42,000 by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to help fund its work over the next three years.

The Scottish Government published its Climate Change Bill yesterday. The Bill lays out a legal framework for ambitious reductions of Scottish greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of 80% below 1990 levels* by 2050.

Celebrations took place yesterday on one of the largest and best examples of lowland raised peat bogs in the Lothians to mark its re-declaration as a National Nature Reserve (NNR). The 110 hectare Blawhorn Moss is owned by Scottish Natural Heritage and the organisation is keen for people to visit this internationally recognised reserve.

Shoppers of the world are being asked to put down their carrier bags on what is traditionally one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, put up their feet and/or do something fun and free fo

Work to reduce journey times and increase frequency of the railway service between Glasgow and Edinburgh is ahead of schedule and key design contracts will be signed next month, Glasgow's Eleventh State of the City Economy Conference was told yesterday.

One of the Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins has been positively identified, using photographs of her fin, for the first time off the North Berwick coast.

There are only about 1600 giant pandas (Aliurapoda melanoleuca) left in the wild - the fragility of its existence in the mountainous bamboo forests of Sichuan province in China make it one of the

Edinburgh has been praised for its green credentials in a round-up of the world's most sustainable cities.

As part of the Edinburgh Lecture series Dr Linda Yueh, author of Globalisation and Economic Growth in China, talks about ties between the "the birthplace of modern economics" as expounded by Adam S

Professor Stephen Blackmore, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, leads a world class rese

One aspect of living in a windy city such as Edinburgh is that disposable plastic bags are always on the loose.

Environmental organisations are marking today, 23rd September, as "Earth Overshoot Day". Overshoot is the point at which humanity has used up all the planet's resources in a sustainable way and starts consuming the natural capital of the planet, weakening its capacity to replenish itself.

The City of Edinburgh Council plans to start a kerbside pickup of food waste to boost the capital's recycling rate. Up to a quarter of Edinburgh's waste, that currently ends up in landfill, consists of biodegradable food waste.

The exceedingly wet August which saw more than three times normal rain fall, and flooding in Edinburgh and around Scotland, is an example of climate change taking hold say environmental group WWF. The organisation, who provide a monthly Climate Change Update, say it was the 6th dullest and the 10th wettest August ever recorded.

Take One: Action! is the UK's first major film festival all about people and movies that are changing the world. The festival celebrates Scotland's global connections - from South Africa to Nicaragua - and explores global challenges in which Scotland has a vital role to play - from climate change to the rules about how poor nations trade.

A Seagull Task Force is being set up to look at ways in which urban gulls can be prevented from nesting and how nests can be effectively destroyed. A pilot project will begin in Dumfries next Spring to coincide with the breeding season.

The City of Edinburgh has seen the biggest increase in population numbers in Scotland over the decade to June 2007, according to statistics released earlier today by the General Register for Scotland.

The Pentland Hills Regional Park has become the largest park in the UK to be presented with a Green Flag award by the Civic Trust. The 10,000 hectare country park is Edinburgh's third to get a green flag. Harrison Park in the Polwarth area and Braidburn Valley Park in South Morningside have gained the accolade for the second year running.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival pitches camp in Charlotte Square Gardens this year between 9th and 25th August, hosting a staggering 800 authors from around the world. The quality and range of authors always draws wide interest, and this year is no exception. Following the launch of ticket sales last month, heavy traffic made the web site inaccessible for a while and a good number of events have already sold out.

As the clock ticks down to the Edinburgh Fringe, EG asks Fringe director Jon Morgan what we can expect this year. Morgan says, in spite of the credit crunch, and fears over a "breakaway" Comedy Festival, the Fringe appears to be appear in good health with around 2,000 shows coming to the city in August.