Energy without costing the Earth

What makes a difference?

2011-03-19T09:26:00.012+00:00

Despite a day of squalls and showers, there was a healthy turnout for the open house at Strathaird.

The log boiler

house, focus of the 'opening' , was crammed full of people of all ages. Pupils from Elgol Primary attended and were knowledgeable and interested in matters relating to renewable energy - that is until the home baking appeared - at which point, all attention was diverted. But not before they had heard from "Clean Sleat" - a neighbouring community - about their endeavours to reduce their carbon footprint. It turns out the most effective things they have done have been to insulate homes and switch to wood for fuel.

The recently installed log boiler that serves the two properties owned by the John Muir Trust will help reduce the footprint of the Trust. However insulation still remains the most cost

effective measure.

One property is home to a family and the other is the office base and occasional base for visitors. Both buildings are poured concrete and, despite the thickness of the walls, they leak heat.

As a way of dealing with this leakage, some solid wall insulation has been applied to some walls in the family house. We used a material called 'sempatap'. It is like a thick wallpaper that is put straight onto walls with a glue like substance similar to copydex. This, according to Drew who lives in the house and put it up is, 'a bit of a pig to handle'. Once it hits the wall it sticks so two rather than one pair of hands would definitely help.' But does it make a difference?

George, Drew's 11 year old son who lives in the previously cold extension room, having sempatap has definitely made a difference.

"My room is a lot warmer now and I'm not cold when I get up in the morning anymore.

The log boiler is much better. In the kitchen, the oil boiler used to roar away and make a racquet and now it is very quiet and we are much warmer. I like being in the boiler room. It is nice and warm. I help stack the logs and wheel barrow them and I also help split them."

The objective evidence supports what George says. We took thermal imaging pictures before and after insulation and it was clear that loft insulation was most effective but that there was also a difference with the solid wall insulation. The Purple tells us heat is retained (right picture) - yellow tells us it is leaking heat (left picture). See previous blog.

And the log boiler - does it make a difference? It will certainly reduce the carbon footprint considerably, assuming the trees burnt are replaced. It is an expensive bit of kit but has a long predicted life and could have heated 3 properties. It has an impressive efficiency rate of 92% and only needs loading once a day to heat the properties and probably less in warmer months. ESSENTIAL to its effective functioning is DRY wood as that burns most efficiently.

Alastair Robertson from Highland Eco-Heat who fitted it reckons that it will payback its costs in 5-6 years. This assumes that the cost of oil will keep rising, that the wood is free and that we can access the renewable heat incentive, all of which seem likely. But the capital of £28K plus is quite a serious consideration for anyone. When we set out down this road - it seemed that there would be continued interest free loans for renewables. Then they were withdrawn. Then there was talk of loans that would go with the property rather than the owner so that repayment would be assigned to the value of a property rather than being something for the owner to be left to deal with but all has gone quiet on that front too.

The cost reflects the quality of equipment which we expect to last at least some 20 plus years. It is worth noting that the accreditation scheme for installation doesn't accredit the quality of the equipment as such and it is still in the UK a new area so lots to learn. We have been lucky in finding a reliable local installer on Skye who has researched equipment for us. The Trust is in many ways acting as a guinea pig for this. A bold move. Will it make a difference?

In the long run, this is certainly one way for people to go in rural areas where they have ready access to wood for fuel. More co-operation in how we approach issues like heating homes could also make this manageable as a boiler heating several properties would be cost effective. The idea of 'district heating systems' where one larger piece of kit heats several properties in not new. Much of the continent functions effectively on this basis and we could too - if only we could find a way to co-operate in these matters. Perhaps a time will come when this will be feasible for more places. Meantime, a small difference is being made in this corner of Scotland and aspects of that are replicable. Especially the basic insulation measures.

Heating up

2011-03-08T14:32:00.007+00:00

As the cost of oil starts to spiral again and a bitter winter has almost left these shores, it is a good time to review how we heat our properties in preparation for future years.

On Skye, the John Muir Trust has done just that and the two properties at Strathaird are benefiting from a newly installed log boiler.

An open house on Friday 18th March 2-4pm and on Saturday 19th March 10 -12 noon will give both local people and visitors a chance to see what this is like in action and discover some of the benefits of this carbon neutral form of heating.

Angus Robertson of Clean Sleat will share some of their experiences of making changes towards a low carbon community on the Friday and there will be demonstrations from Skye installer Alastair Robertson of Highland Eco Heat of how the boiler works. There will also be information about various aspects of insulation and renewable installations from Community Energy Scotland (who provided a grant through the CARES programme) and from the Energy Savings Trust Scotland. In addition there will be displays of other initiatives from the Highlands and Islands including Assynt Renewables. And essentially, there will be HOME BAKING and teas and coffees.

Hope you can join us there.

Some reflections

2010-07-27T14:27:00.015+01:00

It is a funny old thing when it comes time to move on - as I will do today. One is tempted to do some deep and meaningful reflections on the value of ones work.

So here goes: I came to this work just over two years ago with more background in working with communities than on climate change. But it didn't take long to gather in the facts and see that this was a real phenomena with real evidence to substantiate the facts.

I also came neutral on the issue of wind farms - vaguely thinking that if it somehow made things better in the long run, a bit of impairment on the horizon for the greater good was an acceptable sacrifice. Today, the go ahead has been given to Calliachar Wind farm in Highland Perthshire. This will sit alongside Griffin Wind farm providing an industrial landscape where previously there was little.

My views are different now and I harbour thoughts of ill will towards inappropriate development as I imagine it delivering little and damaging much. Small scale turbines appropriately sited for communities are a different matter.......as with other renewables, appropriately sited.

Ill thoughts now harboured - I can move on.

Seriously though, this blog was set up as a way for various communities associated with the John Muir Trust to share their experiences of moving towards a more sustainable futures. It soon became clear that a number of communities - primarily those that own land were moving well in that direction - and aretapping into a range of resources. They provide inspiration to many others and I hope that these pages have helped in sharing information. From production of fuel from recycled oil in North Harris, a low carbon lunch in Galson, community garden at Knoydart, energy audits in Assynt and Eigg's big green challenge I have certainly been inspired.

It has also been great to hear from other communities who have shared what they are about - for instance Sleat - who have worked on carbon foot printing and Glen Lyon who are exploring wood fuel options and have some innovative ideas around drying wood (ring barking) - check out Tom Beel's blog just released on this issue. An informative read.

I have enjoyed - for the most part - reporting on the work I have been undertaking - most recently on Skye. This has been two-fold: Looking at the long-term viability of a wood fuel supply for the Elgol peninsula and helping the Trust to lead by example, showing what is possible to do with an energy inefficient house (on Skye) that leaks heat etc. by insulating it and coverting it from oil to wood for heat. Thanks to support from Andrew Campbell, Head of Land Management( and soon to move on too) and to Helen McDade, Head of Policy this looks likely to proceed.

For me the connection between this work with communities on energy related issues and wild land has been obvious:

Wild land, which is intrinsically linked to the quality of the ecosystems upon which our lives depend, is under threat. The biggest threat is from our energy demands/needs. All the evidence seems to suggest the more we have the more we want. As appliances become more efficient we want more of them and so it spirals on. Like many aspects of modern day life we have lost our connection with where things come from and our connection to consequence is also lost.

Now, it is a flick of the switch - who cares where it comes from...In some communities the connection is stronger and, as has been illustrated through these pages, small scale schemes can provide some answers for smaller rural communities.

The real challenge however is how the majority live more sustainably. Some people just don't want to hear what needs to be done.

Perhaps with a little imagination we can get by without all the things we think we need....

It is difficult to avoid being santimonious at times. On a personal level I vary from feeling smug, suffering the resultant repetitive strain injury as I wander around my house switching off the many appliances left on by my family to dreaming of zooming off around the globe to far flung corners- probably only accessible by plane. A gal has gotta live, and dream.

This will be the last post for some time to this blog - and perhaps for good. The project funding for this work, like many things, has been affected by the recession and this work does not fit into the recent restructure within the John Muir Trust so, it remains for me to thank people for visiting this site and take the chance to reflect a little on the past couple of years.

I hope to do a final couple of blogs to update people what happens there so this is more, in the words of Fagan, a case of cheerio but be back soon....

Meantime if anyone has deep and meaningful comments about what makes for a sustainable community - feel free to comment.

Developing a Trust - Sustainable Futures

2010-07-20T15:03:00.007+01:00

What makes some communities stronger and more vibrant than others?

Certainly having ideas and support to see them through to fruition helps, as does being able to learn from others doing similar things.

In this guest blog, Ian Cooke, Director of Development Trust Association Scotland, shares some of the benefits of being part of an organisation supporting communities to do just this.

Picture of Easdale Community Hall,, developed by the local development trust.

The John Muir Trust blog features a number of organisations such as the Knoydart Foundation and Assynt Foundation who are members of the Development Trust Association Scotland, but what is a development trust and what does DTA Scotland do?

Essentially, development trusts are independent, community led organisations that use a combination of enterprise, creativity and voluntary effort to address local issues and improve the quality of life in their respective communities. The use of enterprise often includes the acquisition and development of physical assets such as buildings, land or woodland - to generate income, house activities and services and provide jobs - and this is the characteristic for which development trusts are perhaps best known.

Picture of Westray Development Trust celebrating the opening of a care centre.

DTA Scotland is the networking and representative organisation for development trusts, with over 145 members located throughout Scotland. About two thirds of our member development trusts operate in rural and island communities, and many have made a significant contribution towards improving the fortunes of their respective communities.

DTA Scotland is an independent, member-led organisation which has three main areas of activity:

Meeting with interested community groups and helping them set up a development trust.

Supporting and strengthening established development trusts, through networking, training, resources, information and arrange of other exciting opportunities.

Providing a national voice for development trusts and communities, and promoting and representing their interests.

“There’s so much to be gained from development trusts coming together, sharing our knowledge and experience, and working together for the benefit of the movement. Individually we can be isolated community organisations; working together we have collective strength and can punch above our weight.”
Henry Mains, Sleat Community Trust

To find out more about development trusts, or what DTA Scotland has to offer, or to subscribe to our free quarterly e-bulletin, visit our website, phone 0131 220 2456, or e-mail info@dtascot.org.uk

What are your experiences of making your community more sustainable? Would establishing a development trust make a difference? Or if you are a development trust - has it made a difference?

Glenlyon Woodfuel Initiative

2010-07-01T12:29:00.013+01:00

Some of you will recall Jamie Grant who previously was the John Muir Trust Communications Officer.

Jamie took great interest in what was happening in communities around sustainability. Inspired by meeting and speaking to various people he encouraged action in his own community of Glen Lyon.

As a result, in March this year, Tom Beels was appointed through climate challenge funding to look at future sustainability. Thanks to Tom for information about the project and forthcoming woodfuel event on 17th July.

Glen Lyon, in Highland Perthshire, is a remote community of around 90 residents, strung along 22 miles of single-track road.

We have received Climate Challenge Funding to see whether it is feasible for the community in Glen Lyon to reduce its dependence on oil as a main heating source, by burning some of the low value timber that surrounds them.

The initiative is also aimed at reducing the community’s carbon footprint and encouraging native woodlands in the area.

Glen Lyon has recently been found to have some of the most intact woodland habitats in Scotland. By re-introducing traditional management techniques, such as coppicing, we hope to enhance and complement the wildlife around us. We are also involving local children in tree planting and hope they will see the fruits of their labour.

We are holding a woodfuel event on Saturday July 17th from 12 noon until 5pm at Glenlyon Kirk.

A number of heat surveys have been completed in Glenlyon to look at the potential for a change from oil to wood heating systems with more surveys planned. Initial results suggest the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) could make the payback time for installing a wood boiler as little as 3 to 4 years.

Steve Luker a consultant to the forestry industry on RHI will be joining us to answer questions and provide information on RHI. A valuable opportunity for you to hear from an expert about a scheme that will pay you for burning wood efficiently.
Heating systems expert Bernd Pinamonti of Thermotec Ecosystems LTD will give advice on the components and costs involved in installing and maintaining modern wood fired systems.

Plans for a woodfuel supply within the glen will be outlined, accompanied by a demonstration of an “Iron Horse” timber extraction machine. Locally made small roundwood craft items such as hurdles, pea sticks and staffs will be on display and available to buy.

And if this were not enough, representatives of The Big Shed and Loch Tay Food Chain will also give talks and answer questions about the exciting projects unfolding “over the hill”.

We hope to have even more attractions nearer the date so if you think you could add to our highly informative afternoon or would like more details, please contact Tom Beels on 01887 866291

Knoydart Hydro Open Day

2010-06-29T12:27:00.004+01:00

A quick update from Gwen Barrell at Knoydart about a recent open day as part of the Scottish Renewables Festival.

On Wednesday June 15th Knoydart Renewables Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary company of Knoydart Foundation) held an open day at its turbine house as part of the Scottish Renewables Festival.

Tommy McManmon, Knoydart Ranger writes, “We had five people and a couple of dogs who really enjoyed the day. Angela Williams, our Development Manager, gave an introductory talk in the village hall, where people had the chance to browse the display boards. We travelled up to the turbine by Landrover. One visitor had worked in construction of hydro schemes in the past, so was happy to look around the turbine shed and tell us what things were! The turbine wasn’t running because it was under maintenance, but this was actually ideal as it meant we could have conversations with each other. People were interested in how many properties were supplied by the system, and how often shut-downs occurred. All were very impressed by a community running such a large electricity scheme.”

The visit coincided with some works on the dam, and in a scheduled shut-down of the turbine which worked out beautifully for the visit. The Turbine House is not open to the public though we have been holding an annual “Tea at the Turbine House” guided walk for the past couple of years in order to educate local people and visitors about the scheme. Since its refurbishment in 2002 the hydro has provided over 4,750,000 kWh of (next to) zero carbon electricity. (We obviously use a bit of oil for lubrication, diesel for the back up generator, and to get to and from the turbine which is situated “up the glen” towards Gleann Meadall.

In addition to the community owned hydro there are two micro hydros in Knoydart for those outwith our system, and interest in developing some more micro systems. A recent study of Airor burn under the auspices of the Powerdown project showed that there is potential there to assist the community at Airor to cut its carbon footprint and use diesel generators substantially less.

More information http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/

Changing Gears

2010-06-23T16:08:00.021+01:00

The Parent Council at Elgol Primary School held a jumble sale recently to raise funds for the school. Top this off with teas, coffees and home baking and there is bound to be an audience.

Also present at the jumble sale and looking for an audience were energy and wood fuel related stalls the Parent Council had agreed could be part of the event.

Energy Saving Trust had a model house -showing how to reduce energy bills and an eco-driving simulator showing how to reduce fuel bills. The John Muir Trust had a display showing the heat leaking out of its, as then, uninsulated, property at Strathaird whilst there were displays from Wood Energy Scotland and Alastair Robertson from Highland Eco-Heat a Skye based wood fuel installer.

The biggest hit was the eco-driving simulator which caused much mirth and merriment as various people tried their hand at driving to reduce fuel costs and carbon.

Top tip is all about changing gears.
- Shift into a higher gear as soon as possible - changing up between 2,000 and 2,5000 rpm.

Another tip to lower your fuel bills and carbon footprint: Drive more smoothly - anticipating road conditions and taking your foot off the throttle gradually rather than braking suddenly.

Did you know that if you drive at 50mph rather than 70 mph - this reduces your fuel consumption by 10%?

The school children were largely determined to test the speed limits!More tips are to be found at the Eco Drive website.

Gardens take off in Knoydart

2010-06-14T12:02:00.006+01:00

A quick update from Gwen Barrell at Knoydart about the progress of the community garden which only received funding a few months ago. Already things are flourishing.

Knoydart Gardeners headed for the Road to the Isles Agricultural Show recently to meet up with other gardeners and display their progress in the garden since receiving Climate Challenge Funding.

A team of volunteers helped re-cover an old polytunnel at the end of last month, and already the tunnel is under cultivation by keen community members who have also been busy working on their outdoor veg plots. A wide range of fruit and vegetables are under cultivation – cutting down on food miles. Whilst gardening takes some effort, it saves time, carrying boxes of shopping from the ferry – a time consuming task!

A garden open day is planned for Saturday August 28th with a band in the evening too. More info from gwen@knoydart.org

Wet and wild in Kinlochbervie

2010-05-14T09:54:00.014+01:00

If you are out and about in Kinlochbervie over this weekend there are a series of activities celebrating International Biodiversity week. From ranger led walk to boat trips.

Saturday, 15 May 2010 and Sunday, 16 May 2010

Activities from 10am till 4pm

Kinlochbervie Village Hall and Loch Innis
A programme of Events is available from http://www.kinlochbervie.info/

See previous blog on what biodiversity has to do with you...

What a lot of rubbish

2010-05-01T12:00:00.009+01:00

Sea borders many of the areas that the John Muir Trust owns or has partnerships with. The beauty of wild landscape combined with seascape attracts many visitors to these areas and is a vital part of the tourism economy that sustains local communities.

In this guest blog, Rory Syme, Communications Officer for the John Muir Trust, reflects on a recent Trust work party to clear litter from Camasunary, near Elgol on the Isle of Skye.

Over Easter Weekend 17 volunteers took part in a litter pick on Camasunary, as part of the Trust’s annual programme of conservation work parties.
The bay is bordered by the Trust's Strathaird propoerty and is a key gateway to the Cuillin, one of Europe’s finest mountain ranges. During peak season hundreds of walkers from all over the world will walk past every day.

We found a great variety of rubbish, from shotgun shells that had been washed down-river, barrels and crates, toothbrushes, crisp packets, bottles, and even the petrol tank from a small boat. The majority of the litter though seemed to be small pieces of brightly coloured plastic fishing net. In places this covered the beach.

Not only was it back breaking work to pick this up, the sheer amount of plastic debris made it hard to appreciate that we were making a difference.

Plastic will never biodegrade, only slowly disintegrate into smaller pieces, making it a serious danger to wildlife. 90 per cent of fulmars found dead in the North Sea have plastic in their stomachs.

The work party inspired some discussion about our efforts. Is it right to gather up litter from one place to then pay for it to be transported and buried in landfill a few miles down the coast?
Can a small team of volunteers really make a difference against the huge tide of litter that is washed ashore every year? And what can we do about the vast majority of our marine litter, which either sinks to the bottom of the sea or just bobs around on the ocean, sometimes in huge amounts, as with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

As a society reducing the amount of litter we produce by becoming less disposable and more sustainable is a good starting point, and on a local level we need to tackle the visible effects of a life dominated by plastic.

For organisations like the John Muir Trust volunteers play a key part of achieving our objectives. We have a healthy interest in our work parties each year, and you can find out how to get involved on our website, but there are many other ways to help reduce the amount of litter in wild places.

Individuals can make a difference by going a step further from Leave No Trace and aiming to leave a positive footprint behind by filling a bag with litter on every walk.

Communities, schools and other groups can organise their own clean-ups through programmes like the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch Big Weekend, or the Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Big Spring Clean.

Businesses that rely on tourism can support efforts to protect the landscape that provides their livelihood, through sponsorship, or just offering a free cup of tea at the end of a hard day’s litter picking.

Can we really afford for our natural heritage to disappear under piles of plastic?

Biodiversity – what has it got to do with us?

2010-04-30T10:48:00.010+01:00

This year is International Year of Biodiversity. In this guest blog Liz Auty, Biodiversity Officer for the John Muir Trust shares information about biodiversity and climate change in time for Scottish biodiversity week.

Many people would agree that conserving our wildlife is important for its own sake, but we often do not realise the essential services it provides for our quality of life. For instance, our biodiversity provides services like clean air, clean water and food.

It is now recognized that it is not just the number of species we have, but how they interact together in ecosystems that it is important. For example conserving a species of pine tree in a garden may save the species, but will not provide the flood alleviation ‘service’ that these trees thriving on a mountainside might. Or species conserved just in a zoo will no longer be part of the ecosystems they were once part of contributing as a whole to a healthy functioning planet.

Do we need to worry about our biodiversity?

Yes! Species are being lost and habitats degraded, and our climate is changing. Whilst species extinction is a natural part of Earth's history, over the past 100 years, humans have increased the extinction rate by at least 100 times compared to the natural rate. The current extinction rate is much greater than the rate at which new species arise, resulting in a net loss of biodiversity.
Some species of our higher mountains may be lost. This could include birds like the snow bunting, which occur on our Nevis Estate. According to a report from the RSPB and Durham University, the average range of British birds will move 550 kilometres (340 miles) to the north by 2100 as the climate heats up.

On our Nevis estate, a site condition monitoring report from SNH showed that the Arctic-alpine plants were declining. The report concluded that ‘the most likely long term threat is climate change, particularly as this has an effect on the distribution and duration of areas of late lying snow. Some of our rarer species will be outcompeted as the temperature warms.
Other mountain specialists like the Mountain Ringlet butterfly, found on Ben Nevis and Schiehallion are facing the same threats from changing climate.

You might also find this 2004 report by SNH interesting: Climate Change Impacts on Habitat and Species.

What is the John Muir Trust doing?

Through biodiversity management and monitoring we aim in the short term to:
• Maintain any features of protected areas that we manage in favourable condition
• Reduce the damaging impacts (grazing and trampling) on vegetation of browsing animals
• Observe and record responses in vegetation condition as a result of changes in management

Our longer term aims (beyond the next five years) are to:

• Encourage more natural processes,
• Improve the condition of habitats, species diversity and natural altitudinal gradients, from sea or glen to summit (e.g. natural tree lines),
• Expand and improve the quality of native woodlands,
• Gather data to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach to others

We hope that the land management strategy being pursued will lead to an improvement in the quality of habitats over time, despite any potential detrimental effects caused by climate change. "

What can you do for biodiversity?
Lots! One way to encourage biodiversity is to grow trees and plants which are native to your area and which will be the ones most likely to provide the best food and shelter for native animals rather than rushing off to buy anything labeled "butterfly home" or "food for native birds".

You can also get involved in recording the wildlife you see, to help keep a track of how things might be changing. For example the Woodland Trust Natures Calendar, or the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden Bird Survey .

Many communities are already taking steps that make a difference from growing food more locally in Knoydart to growing trees on Eigg, North Harris and on Skye.

It would be great to hear about anything you are doing to support biodiversity.

Community Garden takes off in Knoydart

2010-04-22T12:33:00.009+01:00

Cuba, faced with a food crisis as a result of blockades, turned inward to self-reliance. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control all became part of the new Cuban agriculture . In some cities, up to 80% of the food requirements are grown within the confines of the city through organic production from community plots. On a smaller scale communities around Scotland are looking to more sustainable food practices.
In this guest blog, Gwen Barrell, the Project Officer for Knoydart's Powerdown project reports on plans for their their Community Garden project funded throug the Climate Challenge Fund.

The costs of bringing fresh food into the area is expensive both in terms of haulage costs and “food miles”. The project will enable the community to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved in the reduction of food transport miles.

The funding will be used to employ a community gardener for a year to work with local residents to create a community garden on the site of the former market garden, and to provide training and advice in growing produce.

Sam Gardener has been appointed as the community gardener and is looking forward to the challenges and rewards ahead. “I am excited about the prospect of bringing this area of land back into use for community benefit.”

Deer fencing, tools, equipment, seeds and training events will also be covered from the grant. Twelve community members have already signed up to have their own little veg patch with the community garden and many others are keen to come and help out with communal tasks.

One of our ideas is to have a carbon neutral community Burns Supper in 2011. We’ll grow all our own neeps and tatties in the garden this year.

“It’s crazy to be importing fruit and vegetables when we could grow them closer to home,” said Aaran Watson, Community Director of Knoydart Foundation and local school teacher. “As an Eco School we will also be interested in joining in with the project and learning more about gardening.”

In order to reduce our carbon footprint even further, the funding will also enable the community to pilot an electric quad bike and trailer for moving things like compost and vegetables around. As Knoydart already has its own renewable electricity the quad bike will be recharged on green electricity.

A few volunteer events have already been held in the garden, to clear rubbish, remove old fencing, and repair a polytunnel. Community members have attended three volunteer sessions, and we benefited over the Easter holidays from John Muir Trust volunteers who cleared a stretch of fencing from debris, enabling trees to be pruned and new ones planted to create a windbreak.

This week, potatoes, herbs, onions and a variety of green vegetables and herbs have been planted out of doors, under cloches and within the polytunnel. Compost bins have been arriving on the ferry, and gardeners have been eying up the horse manure from the Foundation’s stalking ponies!

There will be a few opportunities for others to find out what’s going on – we hope to have a presence at the Road to the Isles Agricultural Show on 12th June, there is a guided walk taking in the Knoydart Community Garden on 28th July and there is a fantastic Crafts and Produce Day being planned for Saturday 28th August.

Knoydart Foundation’s Community Powerdown Project is working within the community on a range of initiatives to reduce carbon emissions – as well as the garden and electric quad project, we have a number of other initiatives “in the pipeline” and other events coming up, which we will report on shortly. More info: gwen@knoydart.org www.knoydart-foundation.com

Within the UK it has been estimated that we import more than 90% of our fruit and 38% of our vegetables and that food accounts for around 19% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions - though most of the emisssions come from use of chemicals rather than 'food miles'.

Would growing more locally make a difference? Do you have examples of what might work or is working in your area?

Sparking a debate about transport

2010-04-15T11:04:00.015+01:00

As air transport grinds to a halt over the UK today, following volcanic activity in Iceland, my thoughts turned to a recent link sent by Stevan Lockhart, project officer for Assynt Renewables. One of the challenges they face there, along with other rural communities, is that of transport on the ground.

In rural and remote areas public transport on its own is rarely a realistic option. I know. I have tried to get to various places and usually it has required a car for part of the journey - either lift sharing or taking - and then leaving a car somewhere en route. Otherwise it would take me two days to get to most John Muir Trust properties.

Transport as a sector accounts for over a quarter of the total energy consumed in Scotland. Approximately 99% of the energy consumed in the transport sector comes directly from oil-based fuels, such as petrol and diesel, with the remaining 1% from electricity. As Stevan points out in his article, there were battery powered buses operating in Brazil in 1883! Yet, progress on this front has been very slow.

It would seem the huge stake that the oil industry has in the continued use of fossil fuels provides part of the explanation along with the stake that the current car industry has in the status quo. Interesting to note that the main manufacturers of electric cars today are new companies rather than traditional car manufacturing companies.

The big question is can the alternatives deliver for rural areas?

The range that electric cars can cover before needing to be recharged is probably the key limiting factor for rural areas alongside the cost. They are fine for small islands like Eigg who have an electric bus or places like Knoydart where they are piloting an electric quad bike and trailer for their community garden project but not for long distances.

Hydrogen fuel cells also have some way to go - cost again being a major factor - though work is under way on the Western Isles.

Bio-fuel can be problematic as it is not efficient to use land this way - though as a previous article from North Harris Trust showed, waste vegetable oil can provide a solution on a small local scale.

The Scottish Government's recently released Low Carbon Plan proposes that there are key opportunities to improve Scotland's transport infrastructure, including vehicle charging points, planning in favour of public transport and increased choice of public transport options. All solutions that target urban areas more effectively, yet 95% of Scotland's land mass is rural with some 18% of the population living in rural areas.

Meantime, as they argue in the plan, changing patterns of travel, including reducing travel will be needed. Easier said than done in rural communities so, perhaps as a minimum, we can follow the Energy Savings Trust top 10 ten tips to smarter driving .

Alternatively, a liftshare scheme may work. Comrie in rural Perthshire has established a liftshare scheme exclusively for the local community. This makes it more likely people will take part and share transport. You don't need to own a car to take part.

Do you have thoughts or experiences to share of moving towards a lower carbon transport system in rural areas?

The challenge of heating our homes

2010-04-06T14:41:00.008+01:00

I listened to David Mackenzie, who chairs the microrenewables working group, speak the other day about the challenges faced by the Scottish Government in trying to meet the targets set of generating 11% of heat from renewable sources by 2020.

Renewable Heat is simply heat (rather than electricity) produced from renewable sources such as biomass( usually wood), ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, water source heat pumps, solar heating, wind to heat, geothermal, heat from waste biomass, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas.

Domestic use accounts for around fifty percent of the total heat energy required in Scotland. In order for Scotland to meet its renewable heat targets there need to be around 25,000 households adopting renewable heat per annum between now and 2020. Only 1000 households installed renewable heat into their homes last year. So that leaves something of a gap....

One of the barriers emerging - surprise, surprise is accreditation.

The current system requires that you use an accredited installer, if you are to receive a grant or be able to tap into the renewable heat incentives when they come on stream next year. Seems reasonable. Quality control for public money. However, like the accreditation scheme for insulation, the demands of the scheme operated from London are such that it is an expensive affair to become accredited.

We have been investigating putting in a log boiler into the properties on Skye held by the Trust. One person I spoke to serving the islands reckoned that it had cost him around £20,000 to become accredited, between the the cost of the training itself, the days of lost work and travel etc. So, it is little surprise that when it comes to installing, those who are accredited need to recoup their costs.

Not surprisngly there is a dearth of accredited installers and yet most of the skills required are basic plumbing skills. A survey by the Energy Savings Trust found that 90% of those surveyed go to a local plumnber when they required work done. Imagine the difference if most local plumbers were accredited. Not only is the work kept local but the local skill set is enhanced and best of all the knowledge and enthusiasim for alternative systems is locally available. I would be much more likely to think about a system recommended by a local tradesperson I trust rather than a stranger. As a result of this accredited process, installers charge considerably more to install renewable heat plant than those who are not accredited so any grant from the government is effectively ‘lost’ as it costs more than the grant available to use an accredited installers – thus adding to the barriers.

The solution seems straight forward. Find a way to accredit our local plumbers. Not so hard as it may seem as, according to Mr Mackenzie, the standards set in Scotland for training our plumbers are high and surpass much of the standards set through the London based MCS(Microgeneration Certification Scheme). Renewable heat is a devolved matter so this can be tackled in Scotland.

The picture of the log stove is taken from the website 'Biomass - all you need to know' with permission from the from Woodfuel Wales

Insulation makes an instant difference

2010-04-01T10:13:00.015+01:00

With the winter conditions returning again - those in poorly insulated properties will have been reminded of the impact of heat loss.

In the last blog I spoke of finally sorting out the insulation problem for a property on Skye.

These infra-red pictures show what the property looked like before any insulation was put in. We have still to take the 'after' pictures. The more white/yellow the pictures have in them - the more heat that is being leaked. You can see this is a very leaky place - with the walls even worse than the loft!

I've asked Drew - who lives in the property and fitted the insulation - to describe his experience of doing this.

"One of the problems with older houses, especially stone-built houses, is their failure to conform to modern standards of efficiency. In a quest to improve this we are currently engaged in a number of improvements which should see us warm and cosy through next winter as well as costing us much less and reducing our carbon footprint considerably.

The first and easiest task took us to the roof space to improve the loft insulation. The old loft insulation was very threadbare and rather patchy, indeed, there were some parts of the loft with no cover at all. What existing insulation there was consisted of ancient rockwool type which was beginning to de-nature and was nowhere deeper than 50mm. This was covered with a layer of dust and vermin droppings.

The loose fibres and dust make a good quality respirator essential. Other essentials for putting new loft insulation in an old house: a pair of big, sharp scissors, overalls and illumination (I found a head torch to be the most useful). A few boards are also very useful and knee pads make the job much more comfortable. If you don’t like cobwebs in your hair, wear a hat!

Tip of the day – put a large dust sheet under your ladder – the amount of mess which falls from the hatch is remarkable!

When installing, apart from it being a pretty unpleasant job, there are very few pitfalls. The two main things to watch out for are the electrics and airflow.

To make sure your electrics stay safe all cables must be put on top of the insulation and that you must cut around light fittings to allow any heat to escape. If the cable is too tight to get the roll of insulation under simply cut the roll at the cable and start rolling out again.

Airflow is critical in an older house so that you don’t get a build up of moisture. Make sure your insulation roll end does NOT butt up to the roof. Always leave a gap to allow air from the walls to circulate. If you don’t, extreme cases can lead to dry rot.

It’s not complicated, even if it is hard on the knees and it makes an instant difference to your comfort levels and fuel bills. Insulate your loft today, there are a number of grant schemes running and some very good offers at the major DIY stores."

DIY is not for everyone. For many older people ( over 70) it is free to get insulation put in through the Energy Savings Trust check first though and call 0800 512 012. Communities who organise to have insulation installed across an area can usually get a better deal. Energy conservation is the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint so save yourself some money and make your heat go further if you have not already done so.

insulation, insulation, insulation

2010-03-17T10:14:00.013+00:00

You may recall me moaning about the trials and tribulations of trying to source insulation for two properties on Skye.

Well the journey continued and this included the tenant of one the properties getting an energy audit done through the Energy Savings Trust.

The recommendation from them was that it was cheaper to do it yourself.

Before deciding whether to go down the DIY route or get someone in - I checked out a suggestion from North Harris to contact the company that worked alongside TEAS the Energy Advisory Service for the Western Isles.

Last year the Scottish Government announced a Home Insulation Scheme where 10 areas across Scotland were to be targetted for improving insulation for householders in a focused way. The Western Isles was one of the designated pilot areas. A tendering process then got underway and contractors were appointed. What used to be a local set up with a Stornaway based company working closely with TEAS had changed:

The company appointed comes from Sheffield. Yes that place that is a quick hop, skip and a jump to the Western Isles. Essentially the bar is set so high for insulation contracts that only the big boys get to play. To be in the frame at all you need to be accredited. This effectively makes it impossible for a small company to compete as we are talking thousands of pounds to achieve this. What is lost in the process is the local knowledge and willingness to work on the more difficult properties.

The evidence is clear that the big insulation companies go for the easy fix properties: I attended a meeting of three communities in Perthshire of Comrie, Letham and Alyth who have been down this route working from a bottom up rather than top down basis. They tried desperately to appoint local contractors and are now picking up the peices from being forced into using one of the big boys. The big companies motive is profit so they look for the quick returns. Smaller companies look for profit too but when they are local so the imperative to do a good job is stronger and the willingness to be flexible is greater as it is their long-term livilihood at stake. There is a suggestion that this message may be starting to percolate in government quarters. The second round will soon be underway for the Home Insulation Scheme. Will they have listened? Who knows.

Meantime - the choice for insulating properties on Skye was either to get a company from Sheffield in to do the work or do it ourselves. We opted for the latter and bought insulating material from a local company on Skye.

More of this in the next blog.

FIT like

2010-03-02T12:54:00.014+00:00

I attended training recently run by Community Energy Scotland (see document library then presentations) looking at how communities can generate revenue from renewable energy sources.

It can be a fraught area and sometimes divisive for communities as well as requiring a lot of time, energy and money. Many communities in the highlands and islands have taken the gamble of going down this route as one way to sustain themselves into the future. They have pioneered approaches so that the ride is a little smoother for those that follow.

The recent announcement about the Feed In Tariffs (FITs) mean the incentives to install renewables for income generation are now much stronger. Essentially FITs will be introduced on 1st April 2010. They will provide financial rewards for people, communities and businesses to install electricity-generating technologies. These include solar photovoltaic, wind turbines, hydro power, anerobic digestion and small scale combined heat and power plants.

Such 'feed in' systems have been on the go on in various part so of the world for some time now and they have generally been seen as an effective way to increase the amount of energy coming from renewables.

Under this system there is a guarantee of a minimum payment for the electricity generated as well as the electricity exported to grid. Payment is guaranteed over at least a 20 year period for most technologies. So what is the catch?

There are a few things as some communities are finding out:

Forget refurbishing

Catrine Community Trust found to their cost in planning a hydro scheme for their conservation village that they would not gain any income if they used a refurbished generator - even though the efficiency difference is only 7%. So much for the the notion of reusing and recycling.....and I wonder what the embodied carbon is of a brand new machine...

Installed before July 2009 and over 50kw doesn't count
Some of the early pioneers are essentially penalised though the smaller schemes are OK. ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) may be an option if schemes had already registered for this but the flat rate is nowhere near as generous as FITs.

Accredited installers and products
You need to use accredited installers and products. Sounds fair enough, however there are not too many to be found in the remoter communities and inevitably costs are higher. The accreditation process for installers just now is a major financial commitment making it difficult for small local businesses to contemplate. This is apparently being looked at higher up the government tree.

Anything else?
Domestic installations which received a grant will still be eligible for FITs in Scotland. Non-domestic installations (charities, schools communities and other not-for-profit organisations) which received a grant under LCBP-2 after 15 July 2009, have the choice of either:

• retaining their grant and not being eligible for FITs;

• or repaying their grant and claiming FITs.

Those who received a LCBP-2 grant before 15th July cannot claim FITs. However, up to 31st march 2010 they may be able to apply to Ofgem for a ROC, to qualify for the lower tariff of 9p/kWh, as well as the 3p/kWh export tariff.

For many householders there is still the issue of raising the capital. Though interest free loans are available it is a thought in these days of financial uncertainty to commit to any sort of debt.

At the end of the day we still also have to look to reducing our energy use through conservation measures and energy efficiency measures. Still the cheapest way to line your pocket. Meanwhile for communities - many will strive to find a way forward that will unite rather than divide them and it is my hope at least that there is a way of harnessing energy - without costing the earth.

Community Woodlands: Sustaining heating; sustaining rural communities

2010-02-19T08:47:00.008+00:00

With some 50% of the carbon emissions in the UK coming from heating - a move to a more renewable source makes sense - so it is encouraging news that the Forestry Commission have just announced that the threshold costs for planting trees has been increased from £250,000 to £750,000. But who will gain from this?

I listened to a presentation in my own community the other night about the benefits of 'biomass' or 'wood fuel' for heating energy. They were compelling and it struck me that above all other forms of renewable energy this is a sustainable one for rural communities IF the trees that are felled are replaced and IF there is some control over where felled trees end up. So that would point to communities owning woodland or being in partnership with other landowners. The danger if they do not do this is that large tracts of forest will be grown with a single objective in mind - as we have seen in the past - but more importantly the wood may not remain local.

As the Government moves towards meeting it ambitious Climate Change targets it is likely to move towards large scale wood fuelled biomass power plants. Look around the coast of Britain and you will find planning permission is being sought for such developments across the land. Already EON have a plant - Stevens Croft up and running in Lockerbie. Once commissioned, the energy providers will have the buying power that makes it attractive for landowners to trade directly with them unless the raison d'etre is more than the profit motive. So all the money going into reafforestation just now may be of scant benefit to rural communities. There will be little say in the kind of planting that happens or the destination of any produce. Yet wood can really help to keep the pound local and increase the viability of rural communities if what is grown locally stays locally.

Discussions with residents in Skye recently have emphasised that many people want to see more woodlands that meet diverse objectives including biodiversity, recreational aims and employment as well as wood fuel. Judicious planting can result in an enhanced landscape and a valuable resource for all. It seems ironic then that the one body in Scotland - Community Woodlands Association - that supports community woodlands faces a funding crisis. Beyond the summer, due the current financial climate, the ability of CWA to provide current levels of support to community woodland groups is in doubt. One of their members has put together a really inspiring video Wha's Like Us? This inspirational poem, written and perfomed by Eoin Cox reflects on the cultural contribution of community woodlands across Scotland.

Abriachan Community Trust exemplify what is possible when communities invest in woodland. In 1998 the community purchased 534 hectares of forest and open hill ground from Forest Enterprise(Now Forestry Commission Scotland). Since then, as a social enterprise, the Abriachan Forest Trust has managed this land to create local employment, improve the environment and encourage it's enjoyment by the public through a network of spectacular paths, family suited mountain bike trails and innovative education opportunities. Thanks to their continuous cover thinning, they also have seasoned firewood available and are planting for the future. The firewood operation raises funds to sustain other activities.

Rural communities have a golden opportunity now to build a sustainable energy source for the future that can also enhance the landscape, increase biodiversity, increase recreational options as well as provide local employment - if they gain some control of land or work in partnership with sympathetic landowners.

The big green challenge - small is beautiful

2010-01-14T16:52:00.009+00:00

Congratulations to the Isle of Eigg who have jointly won the NESTA Big Green Challenge along with two other community groups from other parts of the UK. Evidence that small is beautiful. They now have £300,000 to further their endeavours and spread the word.

Those who attended the event we held at Sconser over a year ago were inspired by the commitment and down to earth approach of the community of Eigg. We heard about how they have moved to almost 100% renewable energy - and of how the whole island had agreed to a cap of 5 kw per household. Step over it and you have a reconnection fee to pay. In addition Householders’ lives have been transformed through insulation projects, lift sharing has increased massively and other measures taken to cut the amount of fossil fuels shipped onto the island.

Often I hear people say - but they are an island - it is easier to do - they are a small set up. However, what is most inspiring I think about what they have done is to engage with everyone on the island and far beyond. Their ' islands going green' project has inspired thousands beyond the island to take action - including the John Muir Trust. At a recent gathering of John Muir Trust staff we looked amongst other things at what Eigg had done and their simple approach was used to prompt discussion which is following through into action - more of which will be reported later. The key seems to be that by working at a 'human scale' and having fun on the way, it is easier to get buy in.

Small can indeed be beautiful though not without its difficulties. Communities are often subjected to the same rigorous processes as large companies as various communities have experienced. This means a lot of time and effort can go into getting something off the ground and sometime to no avail. It is disappointing for North Harris to have concluded after their long and diligent work that the wind turbines they have both secured permission and funding for will not be viable because of the weather conditions -ironically too much wind hampers production as well as too little.

Meantime the large scale developments look set to proceed with Muaitheahal Wind Farm in South Lewis being approved as well as the Beauly Denny line. It is interesting to note that Schumacher's well known book - 'Small is Beautiful' - is subtitled 'The Study Of Economics As If People Mattered'. Now that would be a novel approach to development. Time will tell if the Eigg approach or the big company approach is the better for us all. I know where my betting would lie.

Copenhagen - the road ahead starts at your front door

2009-12-22T16:21:00.006+00:00

A thoughtful guest blog from Stevan Lockhart -Project Officer for Assynt Renewables

On the news pages of the Assynt Renewables website, we did not report at all on the build-up or process of the Copenhagen conference as news about it was everywhere. They even counted how many leaders arrived in electric vehicles. Copenhagen seemed to be item number one on the agenda for such a long time. Now here we are, wondering exactly what happened and whether it’s been a good thing or a bad one, a missed opportunity or a good start. Were we misled by all the expectation that grew in its run-up, with headlines such as “Road to Copenhagen,” which now seems to have resulted only in a general agreement that we should all do better? It seems to have been an example of a complex issue dissected to the point of simplicity, which turns out to be complex after all.

Summary: Coming at this time in the history of humankind leaves us struggling to understand the complexities that go to make up what happened at the Copenhagen Accord. But concentrating too much on this one event leaves us distracted from the things that matter. And these are things that we as individuals can do something about.

We are left with more questions than before, though at least now there is no illusory silver bullet of “Copenhagen” sorting everything out. Conveniently released details of scientific squabbling made us wonder whether we are being hoodwinked by climatologists trying to make a name for themselves, or hoodwinked by nay-sayers trying to establish their own scientific proofs.

Claims that soot in the upper atmosphere is “worse” than carbon dioxide for global warming have been thrown in too. China and India are portrayed as the big problems, when we in the West, and America in particular, are far worse offenders, the finger pointing looking, even to the least intellectual, like the distraction it is. In this instance, the BBC, for example, did and does itself no favours for purported impartiality, rigorously favouring our own point of view.

There were those saying that every nation on the planet had to agree to change its ways with immediate effect no matter what the other consequences and there were those saying that the required changes to systems of government would amount to a global police force and global government to make Orwell’s 1984 look like a feelgood romance. For them, Copenhagen’s “failure” comes as a relief. And there were those saying simplistically that reductions in our carbon emissions would solve the problem while others said that global warming has nothing to do with carbon.

On the other hand, as Roger Harrabin has reports, “If the climate was a bank they would have saved it, said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. But it is not. And they have not.”

But none of this matters.

Forget the climate. The fundamental issue, which has not yet been addressed in any way, is the basic fact that we simply consume to much of the planet’s resources. Much of what is proposed, increased use of renewable energy, electric vehicles etc, may be considered to be window dressing. Magic schemes such as carbon sequestration and other technological wonders are held out as “just around the corner.” We simply need technology to solve all our problems. But the reality is different.

As was re-iterated in “The Big Debate” on BBC Scotland on 16th December, if everyone alive right now lived the way we do, we would need two planet Earths to supply the resources we use. That is the problem. We simply use too much, and we do not understand that we have now hit the limits.

So why can’t we act? Why do we find it so much more attractive to head blindly along a path that, deep down, we know leads to destruction? It is, one suspects, because we humans are so poor at recognising risk. Take an obvious example, our response, in the UK at any rate, to modern crime.

We have signed away many of our liberties because of our perceptions of the modern danger of acts of terror, yet the danger posed by the the biggest killer by far, the car and fast road transport, we simply have processes such as the largely ignored NCAP safety ratings. Our response is stupidly disproportionate; it seems as though we have no logical ability to tell real from perceived threats.

We need a massive event, some cataclysm, to indicate to us the trouble we are in. Scientists graphs do not move us to action. And the proof of that is global response to the banking failure. Here, in spite of all the climate and energy related improvements which we are told we can’t achieve because of economics, we found the ability, within weeks, to spend amounts of money the size of which we can’t even understand.

So until something happens, like the North Atlantic Drift stopping flowing, creating some massive and unignorable event, we will continue in our international bickering; we do not realise that the times have changed.

We should heed voices like E.F.Schumaker, who wrote a long time before climate change became the issue of the day:-

To talk about the future is useful only if it leads to action now. And what can we do now, while we are still in a position of ‘never having had it so good?’

And that’s the issue. At a time when politicians should be showing leadership, we see the effects of the expenses scandals, leading us to questions their real motives. When we are told things need to change dramatically, the most dramatic change of which we are aware is the amount we are having to pay anonymous bankers. And at this time, we have the backdrop of the Iraq enquiry further introducing doubt into our minds about how well politicians have our best interests at heart.

We have “mechanisms,” like carbon trading, which, it seems, are simply there to enrich a small proportion and which, it seems, are used in a very different way to their intention, rather than achieving their real aim.

But, says Schumaker, we can make a difference. If we start behaving differently ourselves. If we as individuals put our own ethics first, rather than pre-fabricated ethics from news services or corporate PR. If we question, ourselves and how we live. If we start at home.

Communities aren’t always geographic groups of people. Sometimes communities are simply individuals who happen to be going in the same direction. And groups of communities may make up a groundswell Groundswells can change the world.

But what can I do? Some excellent examples can be found on the World Wildlife Fund website at http://www.wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/change_how_you_live/

Understand how much you consume. The WWF has a tool here http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ which can tell you how many Earths would be required for everyone to live the way you do.

Save energy. Don't assume the way you've used energy in the past is a point to aim for in the future.

Decide carefully whether or not to buy things. Good advice in troubled economic times too.

Consider how much, why and how you travel. Can you make better choices?

Examine your diet, the food you eat and where you get it.

Well what about Copenhagen? Has it put us on the right road? Perhaps not. So forget the possibility of some immense change in life that gets thrust on you. Initiate change for yourself. Do something, even if it’s just changing your mind. Take some of the above ideas, or generate some of your own. Set some standards for yourself. Once that process starts, by ones, twos, hundreds, thousands and millions, Copenhagen’s best outcomes will be dwarfed, and who knows, the world may well be a better place tomorrow.

Virgin Oil from North Harris

2009-12-08T10:25:00.015+00:00

Thanks to David Wake, Energy Development Officer from North Harris Trust for this guest blog.

I feel like a proud father after the birth of his first child. Today I have my first batch of Biodiesel –and it looks good enough to drink!

Way back in July, the North Harris Trust started collecting waste vegetable oil. We opened up a Community Recycling Site in the summer and thought this would be a good project for the two part-time staff, during the long winter months when the site has fewer visitors. The first purchase was a 1000 litre IBC container (after we’d exhausted all our fish farm contacts) to build up a stock of oil. This has always been the greatest uncertainty for me. Harris only has a handful of hotels and bars that use cooking oil, so stocks are limited. Most proprietors are just glad to see the back of the oil. The official route for disposal is an 80 mile round trip to the Municipal Waste site –and a fee for disposal. So when the Trust offered to take the oil, they were very happy to oblige. The only catch though, is that there are a few enlightened individuals who are also making Biodiesel for their own consumption. The proprietors say “first come first served” so there are no guarantees on the source of raw material for our little process.

After a brief conversation with Community Energy Scotland, I made contact with a handful of other trail-blazing communities. I spoke to people already making their own road fuel in Uist, Lanark, Orkney and Eigg to find out how difficult it was. If you look on YouTube on the web, then there are guys in America mixing up chemicals in their back yard, with home-made equipment. After many questions, I finally made contact with Green Fuels who make the Fuelpod range of covertors. Their product is self contained and looked to me to be one of the safest. They also supply all the bits and pieces that you need to go with the machine, from chemicals to test equipment. I actually ordered my Fuelpod2 through a community development trust in Lanarkshire. They are fuelling a fleet of community mini-buses from their machine. They gave me the re-assurance I needed to start making fuel and were very patient with me. As an agent for Green Fuels, they also put money back into their community from my purchase.

Prior to ordering, I did try to seek funding for the project. Be aware that some of the larger climate change funds don’t want to see any benefits to local business. They need carbon savings for the man on the street. That one was difficult for me to justify. I was lucky enough to convince my Directors that I could achieve a 2 year payback on their investment and so self-funded the equipment.

After 4 months, and the end of the summer tourist season, we have amassed a stock of just under 1000l of sieved oil. This will make enough Biodiesel for a year’s worth of Trust motoring. With oil in hand, I set about making my first fuel. The process is quite simple. It involves mixing the waste vegetable oil with methanol and a liquid catalyst. All this is done in sealed containers. After an hour of reaction, and an overnight settling, hey presto, you have biodiesel. It’s quite amazing how the biodiesel separates from a thick treacle-like Glycerine. All you have to do then is pour off the glycerine and filter the biodiesel to take out any impurities. By the end of day 2, we had 50 litres of what almost looks like a good malt whisky.

The Trust runs a diesel Citroen Multispace. With some trepidation, I reversed it into the shed at the Recycling Centre to fill up for the first time. The Fuelpod has its own fuel pump –just like at a petrol station. With a full tank, I headed back to the office. I knew one of my colleagues was going out in the afternoon and needed the vehicle. A great dilemma gripped me. Do I tell, or do I keep quiet and wait to see if there are any problems? The biggest issue with biodiesel is that everyone says it works and that there are no problems running it in standard diesel cars and vans. There are no guarantees though. The manufacturers of the machines will say that it’s difficult to maintain a standard of quality when you make such small batches. Speaking to all those other community groups that are making it – they’ll all say “We run it in all sorts of cars, with no problem” but there’s still no guarantees. My plan is to blend it with standard “fossil” diesel initially and reduce the mix as time goes by.

It’s a simple process – and if you can secure yourself a stock of waste oil you can be saving up to eighty pence a litre whilst significantly reducing your carbon footprint. So why isn’t everyone doing it?
http://greenfuels.co.uk/product/fuelpod-2.aspx
http://www.ruraldevelopmenttrust.co.uk/

Think global - act local

2009-12-03T16:52:00.009+00:00

As the big guns are gathering in Copenhagen to deliberate on the state of the planet, a dedicated group of people are holding vigil in Trafalgar Square in London where they are holding a climate camp. There is also an Ice Bear that is rapidly melting in the square - despite the cold. I happened to be in London over the weekend and saw this poignant symbol of the issues we face.

The Ice Bear seemed dwarfed at times by the grand surroundings and crowds and that for me reflected how it can feel when thinking about climate change. What is agreed to ( or not agreed to) globally over the next few days will potentially dictate our futures. The nations of the world are deciding what commitments they will make to lower their carbon emissions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Many fear that the leadership will not be strong enough to take the measures that many scientists say need to be taken to avert the worst impacts of climate change. It is easy to feel that we have little control in these world wide affairs but what is heartening is the commitment and effort being put in at a local level within many communities.

Last week saw the announcement of another round of Climate Challenge funded projects. It is inspirational to see what is happening at a community level. Many of the communities that the John Muir Trust works alongside have successfully applied to the Climate Challenge fund for support either through the Powerdown Initiative supported by Community Energy Scotland, or independently.

There are a couple of interesting intiatives being funded in this latest round. One is a bid by Comrie Development Trust in Perthshire to mirror the Governments Climate Change Delivery Plan at a local level. This entails intially carrying out feasibility studies to see what is possible in terms of looking at electricity, heat, transport, land use and waste. Comrie have also added in attiudes and behaviour change which interestingly is missing from the Governments plan.

Another interesting initiative is based in Glen Lyon. Here they are looking to see if it is possible to fuel houses in the future from locally sourced wood through expanding the current wood supply and investigating options for coppicing. The area met its own fuel needs some hundred or so years ago so learning from the past may give clues to the future. It is hoped the scheme will be able to revive traditional skills, promote wildlife, create employment, and save money.

If you have an idea in your community for reducing your carbon footprints need you need to get your ideas to grant administrators - Keep Scotland Beautiful- by 13th Jan 2010 for the next panel at the end of Feb. Be aware though. ....It can take quite some time from a panel decision to announcement by a minister if you are successful in gaining a grant. This can have implications for some projects will be even more crucial as the timescale for the fund decreases. It is due to finish in March 2011 and it is not yet clear if an initiative which has allowed many communities to act locally on a global issue will continue. Now that would be a good Christmas present from the Government.

Galson Estate Powering Down

2009-11-25T10:49:00.010+00:00

Kirsty MacLennan is the Powerdown Project Officer for the Galson Estate, North Lewis. In this guest post she describes the work taking place on the estate to reduce carbon usage.

Community Energy Scotland (CES), Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) and 27 community groups came together to form the Community Powerdown consortium. The consortium was successful in a bid to secure £1.5 million from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund for the first phase of a coordinated effort to achieve carbon reduction projects and behaviour change within the participating communities.

I (Kirsty Maclennan) am the Powerdown Project Officer for the Galson Estate Trust with the main aim to reduce carbon emission in the area, by increasing energy efficiency within the community. The average British household spends £620 on energy bills during the winter, about £200 more than an energy efficient home. Insulating your home is key to reducing your energy bills and carbon emissions, loft insulation acts as a blanket, trapping rising heat from the house below. If you currently have no insulation and you install the recommended 270mm depth you could save around £150 a year on your heating bills and around 800kg of CO2 per year. Also insulating cavity walls could save you around £115 a year on your fuel bills and 610 kg of CO 2.

The way people use and conserve energy in the home is set to be revolutionised in Scotland with the offer of free energy audits, advice on becoming more energy efficient and free or discounted loft and cavity insulations. This is great news as this service is now available to 8506 houses throughout Lewis and Harris, which should reduce fuel poverty which is a major concern for householders in the Galson Estate Trust area. Due to this scheme being announced a couple of months ago, we looked at the insulation scheme that we had planned and we are now thinking of different ways such as domestic renewable energy that can help reduce fuel poverty while still working with Energy Saving Trust on this new scheme.

As well as looking at insulation I am looking at developing the Community Market and increasing local food production, we have had several markets so far. They have been very successful showing interest from both producers and buyers which was very positive. We ran a Community Market every second Saturday until the end of October. We have looked at developing allotments however we believe it is not the lack of land that is stopping people from growing their own fruit and vegetables it is know-how, so we are at the moment looking for people who are willing to train and educate people on how to grow their own vegetable.

On Friday 30th October we helped to host a low carbon lunch in the local hall for 44 local senior citizens. The lunch was held as part of the CSV’s annual Make a Difference event and the Julie and Kirsty teamed up with the Local Volunteer Centre to organise and host the lunch. The lunch was designed to follow on from the success of the community markets and all the ingredients for the meals served were sourced from the estate area with donations of meat, fish and vegetables coming from local crofters. As well as the lunch a number of local agencies had information available about resources that may be available to help people make their homes more energy efficient as reduce their food waste in order to reduce their Carbon footprint.

Education is extremely important in all areas, the third area which I work on is educating people in energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, I have produced a leaflet that will be distributed to all the 900 houses within our estate this contain simple steps to saving money, saving energy and saving the environment such as turning your thermostat down by 1 degree could cut your energy bill by 10% and using energy saving light bulbs which lasts up to 12 times longer than an ordinary light bulb and can save £590 over the lifetime of all the bulbs.

We are also working with schools and have arranged for eco-drama to come up in November to do a couple of shows and workshops in the eco-schools in the estate, before this we are hoping to get the children thinking of renewable energy and energy efficient measure within the estate and afterwards as a follow up have a quiz with a energy efficient prize.

If you have any enquiries or helpful information don’t hesitate to get in touch:
Tel:01851810825 email: kirsty@uogltd.com

Diverse aims - managing woods for the future

2009-11-12T09:36:00.012+00:00

Last year various communities associated with the John Muir Trust met at Sconser on the Isle of Skye and considered the resources available to sustain themselves into the future. Wood was identified as one resource that could support community energy needs in the future as it is carbon neutral.

Following up on this idea we met with residents from Strathaird and Torrin estates on Skye a few weeks ago. The Trust is considering its plan for the woodlands on the estates over the next 20 years. One possibility is to support a sustainable wood fuel supply for the future - in which case planting soon is essential.

Drafting up a plan presents opportunities for those with an interest in the woodlands to become involved. Although selling Trust land to the community or an individual is not an option - some form of joint management or partnerships could be considered.

Jake Willis from the Community Woodlands Association and an experienced forester, provided examples of how communities were able to meet diverse and multiple objectives in managing woodlands if they incorporated these at the outset. For instance it is possible to plant trees for wood fuel that also allows for a network of paths for leisure/recreation purposes and increased biodiversity in addition to providing local employment. Communities across Scotland have managed woodlands through a variety of approaches – sometimes owning wood, sometimes leasing it, sometimes in partnership with another organisation. On Knoydart, the Forest Trust there have been developing the woodlands with diverse aims in mind including managing the mixed woodlands around the Inverie village to provide locally useful timber, diversity of habit and access for the public. North Harris Trust have been experimenting with growing wood for biomass.

After some lively discussions we got maps out and people started plotting the ‘wish list’ for the future. Key themes (from two meetings) were:

Increased leisure use of woodlands including: extending the path networks; incorporating walks that are child friendly with picnic benches and good in wet/wild weather; considering wooden sculptures and involving children in design of these
Using woods for cycling, walking and recreation
Planting for biodiversity and wildlife
Interest in a continued wood fuel supply - with a move over time to hard wood
An interest in fruit trees and orchards
Using of woods for education and history (there is a deserted village and other historical artefacts in the area).

There were contrasting approaches about how crofters viewed trees planting. On the one hand we heard about examples of how crofters had grown trees successfully - supported through the Crofter Forestry Schemes. On the other hand there was strong opposition from some to planting any trees on any croft land. It is of course for crofters to decide whether to plant on croft land or not but I do feel it is possible to find some common ground between opposing views.

Timber!

2009-11-05T15:17:00.011+00:00

Recently we have had discussions with residents on Strathaird and Torrin estates on Skye about the future of the John Muir Trust woodlands there. This included a visit by children at Elgol Primary to look at the woodlands and see how wood becomes fuel (there are options for looking at a sustainable supply for the future).
Here is what the children and staff thought of the trip - which included cutting down a tree and turning it into a log for fuel

Hello – Elgol Primary here!
From the children:

Thank you very much, John Muir Trust, for taking us for the walk in the woods. We really enjoyed learning about the wildlife in the woods – things like deer, frogs, worms and even hedgehogs in Torrin.

We found out about native trees like rowan, silver birch, holly, hazel & willow. The guessing game was great fun because we learned lots about animals. It was brilliant to be out of the classroom in the fresh air on such a lovely sunny afternoon. The midges didn’t bother us because we were having so much fun!
Molly & Kirsty P6

Hello! Thanks, JMT, for a lovely afternoon!
I thought it was fun when Ali cut down the tree because I have never seen a tree being cut down in real life, SO COOL!

From Lorna, the class room assistant:

As classroom assistant at Elgol Primary School, one of the “perks” of the job is that I am generally the member of staff who gets to accompany the pupils on outdoor visits. I’m always extremely happy to don my wellies and waterproof jacket and escape from the confines of the classroom and the office!

On Thursday 8 October, Miss McDougall and I had the opportunity to do just this. We accompanied Primary 4-7 on a visit to the John Muir Trust’s woodlands at Keppoch near Strathaird with Alasdair MacPherson and Mike Blunt. Mike talked to the children about wildlife, and played a guessing game with them.
We “weeded” seedling spruce trees, which the children insisted on taking home for their gardens.

One of the highlights of the visit was watching Ali expertly felling a tree.

We were all fascinated by the “Hi Ab” tractor and log bus (my 17 year old son, currently doing a Forestry Certificate at Inverness College, tells me this is what it’s called). The lucky ones helped Ali lift up huge logs with it – but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time for us all to have a go.

Next we watched the log splitter being operated. It was amazing to see how quickly tree trunks can be fed into the machine, sliced up, and fall off the end of the chute as……… logs for the fire. Naturally we all wanted a go of this too, but health and safety dictate otherwise. The children were quite happy to go home with a log for the fire, having had a healthy and interesting afternoon in the open air.

More from the children:
I also enjoyed playing the animal game. Cori P5

We went to the woods with Ali on the 8th of October - it was a nice day but the midges were really bad.

I thought the best bit about going to the woods was watching Ali cut down the tree.

The red machine cut the log and we got to take a log home. Katie P7

Hi! Finlay here! I’m P4.
We went to the Dun Ringill woods. It was really fun. Ali chopped a tree down.

The weather was sunny and midgy

I liked the trip to the wood because it was fun when we got to move the logs on the machine.

I felt a bit scared but I want to do it again. Archie, P4

Hi I’m Duncan, in P4. It was really fun when we went to the woods and we saw Ali chop down a tree, then most of us got to control the logger.

Next blog will report on what the adults think of the woodlands...........