Fitzgerald Biosphere Group in conjunction with Friends of Wellstead Estuary are distributing complimentary Branded Personal Ashtrays from No BuTTs to visitors and tourists within their reserve to protect the environment from toxic cigarette butt litter and the risk of fires started by discarded butts
Fitzgerald Biosphere Group operates within the Shire of Jerramungup, which is located on the south coast of Western Australia on the western side of the Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve.
"We were looking for a solution to cigarette butt litter and No BuTTs Personal Ashtrays were the obvious solution." said Georgina Griffiths, Project Manager NRM, Fitzgerald Biosphere Group.
"Even though most people don't smoke, obviously many of our visitors and tourists do, so providing No BuTTs Personal Ashtrays to smokers that vist the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group ensures that no cigarette butts end up poisoning our pristine location."
"Also, as environmental guardians, we love the idea that any visitors to the Fitzgerald Biosphere and the Wellstead Estuary who smoke can from that point on always do the right thing with their cigarette butts wherever their travels take them and wherever they smoke."
"Our Personal Ashtrays are not only a handy eco-friendly souvenir for our visitors, they're a gift to our planet because every smoker that receives one can eliminate any butt littering permanently."
The FBG is a community driven organisation focusing on local issues with a 'ground-up' approach.
RESEARCH - Continually working to identify local production and natural resource management issues and then researching, demonstrating and assisting in the implementation of broad scale innovative and sustainable management practices to address these.
MARKETING - Continually working to attract project partners and sponsors to the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group.
EDUCATION - Working at all levels within the community to increase the awareness and level of understanding of production and natural resource management issues and management options through a range of media.
ENVIRONMENT - With a strong Landcare ethic, the group and wider community continues to work towards conserving biodiversity (both at the paddock and landscape scale) recognising the uniqueness of the area and the need for an integrated approach to address production and environmental issues.
"We're thrilled to be able to assist FBG to eliminate the problem of cigarette butt litter with No BuTTs Branded Personal Ashtrays." said No BuTTs Co-Founder, Jack Jacobson.
"Butt litter anywhere is disgusting - and completely preventable, but any cigarette butt litter in a wonderful place as pristine as the Wellstead Estuary and the Fitzgerald Biosphere is an abomination - and No BuTTs Personal Ashtrays eliminate the problem."
The Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG) is a non-profit community organisation that works with farmers, researchers, industry groups and federal and state agencies to address local production (e.g. diseases, pests and nutrient limitations) and natural resource management issues (e.g. salinity and soil acidification).
FBG's mission is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the agricultural industry and the communities within the region. The FBG boasts an active membership, an energetic Management Committee and a team of dedicated staff.
The FBG operates in the western section of the Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve which is locally, nationally and internationally recognised for its high biodiversity values. The FBG are working with the community to capitalise on the opportunities that this presents.
Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as 'living laboratories' for researching and demonstrating the integrated management of land, water and biodiversity in recognition of human interaction and community and economic development.
The Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve (listed as a Biosphere Reserve in 1978 under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program) contains an undisturbed core enclosed by the Fitzgerald River National Park surrounded by additional areas of significant remnant vegetation. Beyond this buffer is the "zone of cooperation', within which the region's agricultural production takes place.
The Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve is referred to as "the most important Mediterranean ecosystem reserve in the world" (Dr Bernd von Drost, 1989) not only for its rich biodiversity, but for the way the community interacts with the environment and how they are all working to ensure long term sustainability.
The FBG and its 'parent' organisations have been recognised on a number of fronts for their successes in project management, awareness raising, innovation and their ability to attract and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships and community support.
The group maintains an excellent track record of locally driven action that has been developed over 20 years, which gives the community a sense of ownership and trust.
For a free information and samples pack on No BuTTs Branded Personal Ashtrays email info@nobutts.com.au or call (+61) 1300 662 888.