For inspiration, take a look at the example of Green Valley Grocers

Your help is needed to make this a reality, please do come along to offer your support.

Change of venue for Tonight:
Incredibly Edible Dunbar and & District will meet at the HUB shop on the High Street (beside the Town House and John Muir statue).
If you interested in making it easier for folk to eat locally grown food – come on out.

Energy Efficient Bulb

Friday 18th June 2010

The Space Theatre, Dundee College, Old Glamis Road, Dundee

Solar Cities Scotland Conference 2010, 18th June 2010 at The Space, Dundee College.

Building Powerful Communities

Scotland has some of the most ambitious carbon reduction targets in the world which, along with the complexities that urban communities face, provides challenges as well as great opportunities for positive change. Solar Cities Scotland’s 5th annual conference will look to highlight these opportunities and provide a pedestal for sharing best practice on how current policies and real projects are making low carbon living in our cities a reality.

As in previous years, Solar Cities Scotland has lined up an exciting and inspirational range of speakers to encourage thinking and debate.

Cost: £15 per ticket

To book your place at “Building Powerful Communities” please visit www.solarcitiesscotland.org.uk and complete our online registration form.

Solar Cities Scotland are hoping to beat last year’s delegate to car ratio of 5-1. Register your journey to the conference using the Dundee Lift Share website and maybe you can share a lift.

http://www.liftshare.com/sub/2675

Welcome from Dundee City Council by the Lord Provost John Letford

Callum Wilson, Forth Energy, on developing sustainable energy solutions

Alan Beddie, Community Energy Scotland,  highlights the opportunities for sustainable energy development to  create confidence, resilience and wealth in the communities of Scotland.

Ian Cuthbert, Mircogeneration Advice manager at the Energy Savings Trust introduces the UK’s Feed-in-Tariff scheme which aims to incentivise the take up of low carbon electricity generating technologies (solar electricity, wind turbines etc).

Sharon Bain, Solar Cities Scotland, outlines the merits of the Sustainable Energy Promotion Scheme which aims to help get Dundee residents on the road to low carbon living

Alistair Macleod coordinator of Solar Cities Scotland’s Community Carbon Exchange explains the aims and progress of this community led carbon reduction project.

Ian Treanor, Dundee Energy Efficiency and Advice Project, speaks on the activities and successes of this leading local authority based scheme.

Tom Morton, Director of Transition Town North Howe, leads a call for action in the face of peak oil and rising energy prices.

Simon Gooden, Going Carbon Neutral Stirling, tells ‘the story so far’. The theory, practice and achievements of one of Scotland’s most exciting community engagement projects.

Justin Kenrick, St Andrews University, tackles the question of how to re-energise communities in the struggle to reduce carbon emission, prepare for peak oil and deal with economic meltdown. How can communities take action, and what support do they need from local and national government to help?

Chris Ashe, Dundee College, provides an insight into how other European countries are tackling the move to sustainable energy for urban communities .

Professor Gokay Deveci, The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment – Aberdeen, speaks on his work to design and build low cost sustainable houses in Scotland including Scotlands first Passive House

The day will also see workshops investigating the contribution of strategic, community and individual led action to tackle carbon emissions in the urban realm.

Workshop Titles – Choose one session

1. Big energy – big opportunities

How can big energy meet the needs of the urban community. What are the barriers and the opportunities?

2. Changing minds

How can individuals be encouraged to live a low carbon lifestyle?

3. Powering Communities

What tools, partnerships and incentives would enable communities to create their own low carbon future?

To Book your place at “Building Powerful Communities” please complete the registration form at

www.solarcitiesscotland.org.uk

Local Food Findings Ward 7
See what others are doing: http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/

Day 1 will be in the Parish Halls, Glasgow and Day 2 at the Victoria Halls, Dunblane (next to the train station).

Day 2 (19th June) is about sustainable gardening and sessions will be chaired by MSPs Jim Tolson and Shirley-Anne Somerville. Topics will include fruit trees on allotments, bumblebees, beekeeping, wine-making and growing prize vegetables. There will be stroll to Dunblane Allotments, and the day will be rounded off with a get together in a local hostelry. Although the conference is free (apart from a donation for lunch) registration is necessary.

Beetroot is Scotland’s first sustainable Eco family friendly Music Festival.

Where When and How

8 May 2010, Belhaven Fruit Farm, Thistley Cross, Dunbar, EH42 1RG. Show me map.
7pm-1am

Tickets £10 available from:
Earthy Foods and Goods, 33-34 Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1SX. t 0131 667 2967. Show me map.
East Linton Post Office from Monday 12 April 2010
Or, direct from the Beetroot Crew: tickets@beetrootfestival.co.uk

Beetroot 2012 – Our Vision …

Our vision for 2012 is to showcase the best emerging and established talent from Edinburgh and the surrounding area whilst at the same time minimising the environmental impact of the festival. Beetroot events will be carbon neutral.

Beetroot is a platform for performance respecting and celebrating a broad spectrum of creativity within an environmentally friendly framework. Embracing music, physical performance, burlesque and cabaret. The Lost Craft Maze, with story telling, glass making and knitting will reinvigorate interest in the skills and mastery of traditional crafts and trades.

Beetroot is about sustainability; the food at the festival will be locally grown and seasonal. The Eco Studio will run workshops and exhibit the latest renewable energy systems and solutions. The Walled Garden Project is an opportunity to be part of a permanent community allotment site, developed, planned and planted during Beetroot Festival 2012 and sustained and maintained by local community.

Through performance and workshops we intend Beetroot to be a family forum for a creative sustainable energised future. Not forgetting the Music and Dance!

Our vision for Beetroot Festival 2012 is to showcase the best emerging and established talent from Edinburgh and the surrounding area whilst at the same time minimising the environmental impact of the festival. Beetroot events will be carbon neutral.

Beetroot is about sustainability; the food at the festival will be locally grown and seasonal. The Eco Studio will run workshops and exhibit the latest renewable energy systems and solutions. The Walled Garden Project is an opportunity to be part of a permanent community allotment site, developed, planned and planted during Beetroot Festival 2012 and sustained and maintained by local community.

Thanks to Earthy Food and Goods our sponsors and Edinburgh Renewable Devices Ltd who are installing a wind turbine at Belhaven.

We’ve organised buses to and from Edinburgh, so you can leave your car at home.

All welcome to come and get involved with making community renewables a reality. We will be providing an update on our workplan and the progress we have made to date with the various workstreams which we agreed at our first meeting. Hope to see you there!

On 20th April, the Scottish Government announced that £2 million would be available for a boiler scrappage scheme for Scotland.

The Scottish Boiler Scrappage Scheme will provide up to 5,000 households in Scotland with working “G-rated” boilers with a voucher worth £400 off the price of a new, modern Energy Saving Trust (EST) Recommended boiler.

The scheme will open for applications on Monday 24th May 2010.

How to apply

If you would like to apply you should:

Please note, if you proceed with your installation before you receive your voucher, you will invalidate your claim and you will no longer be eligible for the £400 rebate.

What is the purpose of the Boiler Scrappage Scheme?

Scotland has one of the most ambitious CO₂ emission reduction targets in the world. The installation of an efficient heating system is an effective way of reducing household energy bills and CO₂ emissions, as domestic heating and hot water accounts for around 16 per cent of Scotland’s CO₂ emissions.

To address this, the Scottish Government is offering up to 5,000 households £400 towards the cost of upgrading their boiler to a high efficiency EST Recommended one.

This will help to save around 5,100 tonnes CO₂ per year – equivalent to taking 1,700 cars off the road.

What are the benefits in upgrading your boiler?

New boilers have rated efficiencies of 90 per cent or more meaning that they use less fuel, resulting in lower CO₂ emissions and running costs.

For example, this means by upgrading your G-rated boiler to an EST Recommended one, your household heating bill should drop by about a quarter – a saving of around £235 a year for a 3 bed semi-detached house.

Next steps

Please revisit EST’s  web page when the scheme opens for applications on Monday 24th May 2010