A major new communications campaign to get people thinking about their legacy for future generations was launched today. Environment Minister Ross Finnie said the Executive's 'Its Our Future' campaign would encourage more people, especially parents and children, to think now about the steps we can all take to live within our environmental means.

Ross Finnie said: "We need to encourage everyone in Scotland to adopt a more sustainable way of life and protect the world we live in.

"Children are at the forefront of this campaign for a good reason - they will live with the consequences of our actions. But they are also showing leadership. Scotland has a higher proportion of eco-schools than any other European country and I have been hugely impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the children Ive met across Scotland. "So we need all to act to protect our future. It is important that each person looks at their behaviour when at work, at home and at leisure to see where we can reduce our impact on the planet. We all need to recognise that it's our future, and start to translate our intentions into action."

New research carried out for the Executive shows that 81 per cent of Scots agree that if they do not start making changes to their lifestyles today, then future generations will not be able to enjoy the same quality of life. The research also shows that 50 per cent of Scots are more aware of the impact that their lifestyle has on the environment that they were a year ago. It also shows that 91 per cent of people acknowledge that the public has a role to play in making sure that Scotland reduces the amount of energy it uses and waste it produces.

The It's Our Future campaign will be backed by a dedicated website - www.infoscotland.com/ourfuture - which provides a range of practical steps that we can all take for a more sustainable Scotland, as well as highlighting projects up and down the country which are helping the environment.

A new TV advert will run for six weeks from October 23. It will be supported by radio and cinema adverts and billboard advertising over the course of the campaign The Survey Shop carried out 502 interviews by telephone over the period October 6 to the October 12, 2006. The interviews were conducted anonymously and the sample was selected at random amongst adults in six cities across Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling.

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