Tag Archives: Net Zero
Community Growing Forum Scotland: Grow back better
POSTPONED
Unfortunately this event has had to be rescheduled due to technical difficulties at our end.
We will keep you posted of the new date. Please email fill out the registration form below to be updated. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused but look forward to seeing you soon.
Hear from Social Farms and Gardens‘ Karen Davidson and Lou Evans all about the Community Growing Forum Scotland and how to get involved with growing in your area. Home gardens, community gardens and farms, allotments, verges, and windowsills are ways we grow locally, providing us with food, health and leisure activities, beautiful spaces, biodiversity, and opportunities to connect with and protect our natural world.
The Community Growing Forum Scotland aims for all communities to “GetGrowing“, with more able to participate and benefit from food and other growing activities in their local area. Formerly Grow Your Own Scotland and running since 2012, today its priority is to ‘grow back better’ – greener, healthier, fairer, from COVID-19; recovery and renewal through growing.
Interest and participation in gardening, growing food, and exploring nature in our communities is ‘growing’: we know this offers solutions to personal, local and global issues, and how we can all flourish. Whatever your setting rural, urban, suburban, indoors or out, let’s work together and get growing!
Scotland’s Climate Week from 26th September to 2nd October 2022, raises awareness of how people, businesses and organisations can adapt to a low carbon lifestyle. It celebrates and showcases climate action, with support across all our communities, an opportunity to respond to the climate crisis and encourage further action to help Scotland achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
This week, Eco-Congregation Scotland asks everyone to please get involved by having conversations on climate change with colleagues, family and friends – and within all our communities.
We can all work together to reduce our emissions and limit any further damage creating a fair and thriving Net Zero Nation. ‘Let’s Do Net Zero‘ and make that journey together, leaving no one behind.
Alongside the Season of Creation and Scotland’s Climate Week, we continue our September focus on the Climate Fringe Festival, promoting local climate action, sharing community events and connecting around climate change through the Climate Fringe website built by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
Please complete the following form for the Zoom meeting link:
Adaptation Scotland: Supporting climate change resilience
Join Anna Beswick from sustainability charity Sniffer, to help us understand what climate change will mean in your area and across Scotland, and identify the best way to plan for the impact – taking the opportunities and preparing for the risks. Anna leads delivery of the Scottish Government’s Adaptation Scotland programme and specialises in climate resilience and adaptation. Adaptation
Our climate is already changing. While efforts to reduce the rate and scale of climate change continue, we must also adapt to new conditions we are facing – and need to work together to ensure Scotland becomes truly climate ready. The Adaptation Scotland programme helps communities, businesses and the public sector take joint action to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The programme supports a wide range of initiatives from city-wide adaptation planning to producing teaching resources helping children learn about climate change impacts where they live, encouraging collaboration wherever possible. You can read more in a case study on designing the Climate Ready Places awareness raising tool.
Scotland’s Climate Week from 26th September to 2nd October 2022, raises awareness of how people, businesses and organisations can adapt to a low carbon lifestyle. It celebrates and showcases climate action, with support across all our communities, an opportunity to respond to the climate crisis and encourage further action to help Scotland achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
This week, Eco-Congregation Scotland asks everyone to please get involved by having conversations on climate change with colleagues, family and friends – and within all our communities.
We can all work together to reduce our emissions and limit any further damage creating a fair and thriving Net Zero Nation. ‘Let’s Do Net Zero‘ and make that journey together, leaving no one behind.
Alongside the Season of Creation and Scotland’s Climate Week, we continue our September focus on the Climate Fringe Festival, promoting local climate action, sharing community events and connecting around climate change through the Climate Fringe website built by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
Please complete the following form for the Zoom meeting link:
Share and Repair Network – Climate Action
Join us online via Zoom to hear from Emma Erwin of Circular Communities Scotland all about the nationwide sharing library and repair café network, and how you can get involved in your area. Supported by the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland, the new network aims to significantly increase sharing and repair facilities across the country, to reduce consumption and offer Scottish communities sustainable and affordable alternatives to buying new.
Emma Erwin explains: “As Share and Repair Network Coordinator with Circular Communities Scotland, my role is to coordinate a network of sharing libraries and repair projects across Scotland. The network will help new groups to get set up and established groups to grow their impact and become more financially sustainable. I’m passionate about all things that help bring communities together to take action on environmental issues while improving wellbeing, with a particular focus on circular economy initiatives.”
“Previously I worked as Project Manager with Transition Stirling, an environmental charity and community group focusing on improving awareness and providing a postive local response to climate change. Here I managed the team that set up the second tool library in Scotland, some of the first repair cafes, Stirling Community Food which distributes waste food to the community to tackle both food waste and poverty, and several other circular economy schemes.”
“The Share and Repair Network really is revolutionary. It’s the first of its kind in Scotland, and our members are helping transform how we think about and consume goods. There is so much heart in everything they do for the environment and their local communities. It’s an honour to support and celebrate their work.”
All our events and activities this September are part of the Climate Fringe Festival. You can find climate, community and justice events all across Scotland on the events map. We are adding more amazing events each week so please keep an eye on the Climate Fringe and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The festival aims to bring communities together, generate conversation about climate justice, and raise awareness of the need to move towards a green, fair, zero carbon society. Are you planning an event this month? Add it to the calendar and get involved: climatefringe.org/cff-organise-event
To combat climate change, we all need to change our own consumption behaviours. Sharing libraries and repair projects provide simple and effective solutions to do this whilst reducing our carbon footprint. Join us to get involved and support the growth of the new network in your region and across Scotland.
Please register for the Zoom link using the form below:
Decarbonising Energy Systems: District Heating Systems.
The climate emergency means we need to find new ways of doing things, to reduce our impact on the planet. Join us to hear from Ben Carter of Vattenfall to hear about the work they are doing to decarbonise energy systems, and especially the work they are involved in developing a city scale heat network for Edinburgh. There will be time for discussion about Net Zero and for questions too.
Ben will talk about city-scale district heating. This is interesting as it is based on securing lots of abundant local zero carbon energy sources, it replaces gas and can help reduce the cost of living. He will focus on the vision they have developed for a city scale heat network in Edinburgh and talk about where district heating works best and where it doesn’t.
Bio: Ben enjoys delivering on Vattenfall’s vision of a city scale heat network for Edinburgh. He works with a broad range of public, corporate and community stakeholders to understand their journey to zero carbon and how Vattenfall can be their number one decarbonisation partner. He has been in the renewable heating sector since 2010, moving into energy from waste in 2015 and focussing on building decarbonisation and district heating since 2016. Before moving into renewables Ben spent the better part of a decade in beautiful Mexico, in brand licensing and marketing.
Join us via Zoom on Wednesday 14th of September 2022 at 7.30pm.
Please complete the form below to receive the link for this meeting.
Net Zero: Introduction to HeatHack
Improving energy efficiency and thermal comfort in community spaces
DO YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A NET ZERO FUTURE MEANS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY BUILDING?
Join us to hear from HeatHack, partnering with The Surefoot Effect for a new programme funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering recruiting small groups from community buildings including churches to start from September. The remit includes heat loss mitigations, changes in how the building is used, and local generation – and includes the kind of planning plus a community engagement event that helps in accessing grants. HeatHack previously helped solve heating problems and inefficiencies in Edinburgh churches.
You can read more about the programme on this link:
HeatHack – Improving energy efficiency and thermal comfort in community spaces
HeatHack director Jean Carletta explains: “Thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering, we have a new programme of facilitated group sessions that community building operators can use to understand what a Net Zero future holds for their own premises. It will help you understand energy efficiency and thermal comfort in what are often very difficult buildings. It will also help you think about what your local community needs from your buildings, whether that means changes, and how to make change happen. We want to help you devise a plan for the future and equip you with the knowledge and confidence to instruct heating engineers and architects with briefs that will get you where you want to be.”
Each group will link with a volunteer engineer to take them through some simple technical concepts and exercises on heat transfer, health and safety and managing complex projects. Engineers without Borders UK are helping to recruit engineers, but you may know one in your own area to support this work.
Join us on Tuesday to hear more by registering below:
Join us towards Net Zero with HeatHack
Net Zero: Introduction to HeatHack
Improving energy efficiency and thermal comfort in community spaces
Tuesday 16th August 2022
7.00pm – 8.00pm
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/event/introduction-to-heathack/
DO YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A NET ZERO FUTURE MEANS FOR YOUR CHURCH OR COMMUNITY BUILDING?
Join us to hear from HeatHack, partnering with The Surefoot Effect for a new programme funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering recruiting small groups from community buildings including churches to start from September. The remit includes heat loss mitigations, changes in how the building is used, and local generation – and includes the kind of planning plus a community engagement event that helps in accessing grants. HeatHack previously helped solve heating problems and inefficiencies in Edinburgh churches.
You can read more about the programme here:
HeatHack – Improving energy efficiency and thermal comfort in community spaces
HeatHack director Jean Carletta explains: “Thanks to the Royal Academy of Engineering, we have a new programme of facilitated group sessions that community building operators can use to understand what a Net Zero future holds for their own premises.”
“It will help you understand energy efficiency and thermal comfort in what are often very difficult buildings. It will also help you think about what your local community needs from your buildings, whether that means changes, and how to make change happen. We want to help you devise a plan for the future and equip you with the knowledge and confidence to instruct heating engineers and architects with briefs that will get you where you want to be.”
Each group will link with a volunteer engineer to take them through some simple technical concepts and exercises on heat transfer, health and safety and managing complex projects. Engineers Without Borders UK are helping to recruit engineers, but you may know one in your own area to support this work. Join us on Tuesday to hear more by registering here:
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/event/introduction-to-heathack/
Climate Fringe Festival launch
Join us this September at the Climate Fringe Festival! You can find Climate, Community and Justice events all across Scotland on our events map: https://climatefringe.org/cff
The festival aims to bring communities together, generate conversation about Climate Justice, and raise awareness of the need to move towards a green, fair, zero carbon society. Over 50 events have already signed up, including repair workshops, festivals, climate justice talks, live music, and more. Are you planning an event in September? Add it to our calendar and get involved here: climatefringe.org/cff-organise-event/
We are adding more amazing events each week so keep an eye on the Climate Fringe, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Eco-Congregation Scotland is keen to encourage all eco-congregations to please consider holding a Climate Conversation, local activity or event in your own church and community during the Climate Fringe Festival and will be in touch directly to offer ideas and support.
This period also includes Scotland’s Climate Week from 26th September, organised by the Scottish Government to help raise awareness of the global climate emergency and celebrate organisations taking action against climate change.
Our next confirmed events, activities and training are being updated to share online. Please get in touch to share what you are doing locally:
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/upcomingevents
Climate Justice resources
Today we spotlight our partner Christian Aid and their wide range of materials available for churches looking to learn more about climate justice. Whether you’re looking for an all-age arts project or a discussion guide for making a church action plan, you’ll find something to suit on the Climate Justice Church Resources page, or check out video resources on Christian Aid’s YouTube channel.