We’re really keen to hear what others are doing elsewhere across the world.
What do you do to save CO2 or tackle climate change?
What do you think about what Eigg has done?
Is your community a Green Island too?
Tell us your what you’re doing, or would like to do. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, leave your comment, and it will appear at the top of the page as the most recent.
Don’t forget to put a link to your own website, so others can see as well as read about what you’re doing.
Hi
Your Green Island initiative is fantastic. I really admire you all for what you are doing.
Are your Hebridean sheep registered with the Hebridean Sheep Society?
I would live to publish an article about you in the Heb society yearbook – would you be willing to write a short piece of about 200 words and a photo, telling everyone about what you are doing and a little bit about your Hebridean sheep?
Hi there, thankyou for your interest and support. I have forwarded your request onto the keeper of the Hebridean sheep and you should hear from her shortly.
Cheers for now
Hi All on Eigg. I have been reading through your web pages with great inetrest. I am doing an Open Universty course on Sustainable Scotland at the moment. As part of the course we have to do a case study which I have decided to do about the Isle of Eigg. Not sure what I have to do on the case study yet. I look forwards to finding out more soon. Well done from Alan, Wantage, Oxfordshire.
Well done to everyone on Eigg for such fantastic work. I bet it’s great for community and finances, as well as for the environment. Win, win, win or triple bottom line whichever way you want to look at it. All power to you all.
Mike
As a Freshman, I am always searching online for articles that can help me get further ahead. Thanks a million!
Great to see the island going green in a big way. I’ve just retraied into the renewable energy sector / plumbing. In england it is still slow to be taken up byhouse holders. Keep up the good work.
Hallo Eigg People
Your mountain are not too high to bee green. Try to seed or plant trees on them. You can stop erosion and regenerate your ecosystem.
Good luck!
Bogumil
Good luck tomorrow Emily et al!
Hya guys, just wanted to leave a message saying we are thinking of you and keeping our fingers and toes crossed for the result tomorrow. Whatever happens youv’e all done a sterling job. Hope its been a great expereince for you all. Lots of love . Sharon and Jasper. xx
Hello,
I am a Work at Home Mum, based in Alness, Ross-shire, Scotland and have recently become a supplier of eco friendly products, supplying a growing variety of products that will save waste, energy, water and money for households. There are various eco electrical items, eco friendly kitchen and bathroom cleaners, biodegradable bags, eco toiletries and makeup, garden products, including vegetable seeds and composting aids, baby products. My website also has up to date environmental news and video links and a campaign to replant trees.
The url is: http://www.greenliving.me.uk .
I am Alness Transition Town Group’s Community Powerdown Officer and, like Ullapool Community Trust and 25 other community groups, we are part of the Community Powerdown Consortium supported by Community Energy Scotland and the Development Trust Association Scotland. Like Alison, I have been looking at different ideas to reduce carbon emissions in Alness (Easter Ross). We will be working with the widely-respected Allotment Society to promote food growing and Alness Academy to build on their eco status. As a group, we are also going to encourage sustainable transport and improve energy efficiency in our housing.
We at ATTG are very impressed with everything that has been achieved on the Isle of Eigg. One of the things on Eigg that I am particularly interested in is the 5kW demand limit on electricity. It really highlights how we use energy. A light bulb and a kettle may consume the same electricity in kWh over a year, but the demand of a single kettle equates to approximately 100 bulbs being switched on at once. Therefore, all of us on the grid need to reduce our demand as much as possible, because this electricity has to be generated whether we use it or not. This will mean that less fossil fuels are burnt to generate energy at peak periods (e.g. breakfast) and renewable energy can provide more of our needs. I think that the 5kW limit is a concept that would help to communicate this message householders in Alness, although we won’t be disconnecting them if they go over!
Wow – what a fantastic lot of work you’re doing on Eday! You’re so right about environmental economic and social needs being very tied together on islands. I think the same is being realised by many mainland communities too. Good luck with everything. We’ve put a link up, but keep in touch with how things are going.
Hi Lucy
Thanks for the invite onto the Green Islands site…………not sure we are worthy as yet but we are starting to make good ground.
Our firtst “green” project was to get an island Ranger in place and we have now had an Eday Ranger (part time) for three-and-a-half years. The post offers marvellous opportunities for working with landowner’s to protect & enahance our natural and historic history as well as provide education and green recreation for residents and visitors. http://www.edayranger.com.
As with many island communities our environmental activities are closely linked (indeed often inseperable from!) to economic and social needs and on that front we are installing 6kW turbines at 3 community owned buildings. Eday Heritage & Visitor Centre’s was installed last year and is proving well worthwhile. Our community owned shop’s is due to be installed September this year and we hope that next year will see Eday Community Association’s up & running at Eday Hostel.
Last year we secured £675,685 from the Lottery’s GCA strand to purchase, erect and commission a 900kW community owned turbine. Once we are generating (and exporting to grid via the European Marine Energy Centre’s tidal energy test site station here onEday) we will have a community income of appx. £80k for 10 years and alot more once the bank is paid. The community has elected that the first five years of income be used to reduce fuekl poverty on Eday through a programme to insulate, glaze and install microrenewables for householders here (all 61 of them).
We are part of the Powerdown Consortium and are hoping to secure a full time post for 18 months to progress 2 x unplugged houses, a cycle hire business for the hostel, energy audits of all community owned buildings and any works required as a result as well as look at community transport and a localfood initiative.
In partnership with Eday Community Council have just secured funding to establish a community wormery and, in the meantime, have purchased 12 compost bins and held a compost session which yielded 2 keen composting volunteers to train and offer advice to others.
We are progressing slowly with a re-use project but that’s down to lack of will from our local Orkney Islands Council so could be a long struggle!!
Well, that’s about it for now from us, Keep up the excellent work on Eigg and, once agaon, thanks for the invite to contribute to the site.
All the very, very best.
Kate
Local Development Officer, Eday Partnership, Eday. Orkney, Tel: 0185762223/ 07917523582
thanks Alison – what a lot of great things you’re doing in Ullapool too! We’ve put a link to Ullapool under Green Islands. Keep in touch.
The newly formed Ullapool Community Trust has recently secured Powerdown status. “Community Powerdown” is a consortium of 27 community groups (of which Ullapool is one), Community Energy Scotland and the Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) set up to help communities tackle climate change by reducing their carbon dioxide emissions. I have been employed by the trust as their Powerdown Project Officer and am currently looking at various projects in the Ullapool area. A biomass district heating scheme to serve the community owned swimming pool, village hall and visual arts centre. I am also looking at green community transport and the displacement of the diesel generator currently serving the community owned island of Isle Martin. Additionally I am investigating solar pre-heat for the swimming pool.
Eigg is a shining beacon of what is possible if communities get together and take action and is something that Ullapool would love to replicate. Your web site is bubbling with ideas and quite inspirational.
Hi – If you are considering wood biomass fuels as part of your green island initiative, then I’d like to offer our assistance and advice if required. On Arran, we are well into the process of establishing a woodfuel supply chain, right from forest to heating equipment installation and grants. We have aquired many learnings and experience and are quite willing to share any of it to you if required. Have a look at our websites for an insight to what we are doing:
http://www.arranenergy.co.uk http://www.arranwoodfuels.co.uk
hey Angus
we’re just about to start looking at creating a wood fuel business here on Eigg, using timber from our forestry areas. As part of that study we’re planning on making some study visits, so maybe we should head down to sunny Arran! We’ll keep in touch – and thanks for checking out the website.