Our magnificent seven lead the way to a greener future

THE Scotsman joins forces with Natural Scotland on a campaign to promote greener lifestyles. Click below if you want to join in.

The Scotsman has signed up seven people to the Greener Scotland campaign. Over the next three weeks they will keep a diary of how they live up to the pledges.

From 15-year-old Lucy Wormald, who lives on the Black Isle near Inverness to 87-year-old global warming sceptic Chris Parton, from Uddingston, they represent a cross-section of Scottish Society. Jon Seaton, 38, who works for the Royal Bank of Scotland, is concerned for the future of his young children, while pensioner Kenneth Smith exhorts Scots "to do their bit". Stuart Pearson, 20, a gap-year student from Glenrothes, and Babs McLeod, 43, from Barrhead, will also take part.

CLARE SMITH, marketing manager

THERE is a "moral duty" on everyone to ensure the survival of the planet, according to Clare Smith. The 33-year-old said she was frustrated by those who thought anything they did would have such a small impact that it was hardly worth doing.

Ms Smith already has low-energy light bulbs at the home she shares with her partner in Dalkeith, Midlothian.

She also has rechargeable batteries; re-uses carrier bags when shopping; hangs washing out to dry rather than using a tumble drier; recycles rubbish and composts the household's organic waste.

Ms Smith promised to carry on meeting these pledges and said she would make an effort on the others.

"I will try walking to the shops and shopping locally. But it could be tricky, as they are not open by the time I get back from work, which says a lot really.

"We all want to shop local, but can't if shops aren't open when we need them."

Despite the difficulties, Ms Smith is convinced of the need to act.

"I think it's important to think and act responsibly around our environment because we have a moral duty to leave behind a planet that others can inhabit," she said. "No-one's saying that if we recycle a few cans we will reverse the effects of the last 100 or so years of industrialisation, but we can go some way to contribute.

"I think it's frustrating when people say 'It won't make any difference'. I do firmly believe that every little helps."

LUCY WORMALD, teenager

LUCY Wormald is committed to the environmental cause, but wants to do more – even contemplating the prospect of abandoning chocolate and coffee that's not grown locally.

The 15 year old, a fifth-year pupil at Fortrose Academy on the Black Isle where she lives, plans to try to eat more local food, recycle more household waste and share more car trips.

She said she thought the ten environmental pledges could make a real difference if they became the basis for a mass movement: "If everybody did it, it would help a lot."

She is optimistic about the future despite the dire warnings of the effects of climate change. "I do believe it. But I think we'll manage to do something about it in time – I hope so," she said.

"I think most of my classmates believe it is a real threat, but we don't really talk about it that much."

When asked about the idea of giving up chocolate, Lucy, who plans to be a primary school teacher, admitted: "Chocolate is not very local. And I don't know where I'll get (coffee] from locally."

She added she would also be "a bit more conscientious" about turning the tap off when brushing her teeth.

CHRIS PARTON, retired

CHRIS Parton is sceptical about many global warming claims.

However, Mr Parton, a retired engineer and lecturer, agreed to have a go at the pledges to see what living the perceived environmentally friendly life is like.

He shares some views with Green campaigners, such as believing it is important to develop alternative energy, but on grounds that fossil fuels will eventually run out.

Mr Parton, of Uddingston, said: "We need no reminding that fuels will become scarcer and more expensive. The search will not be easy.

"Many people give the impression that carbon dioxide is an essentially harmful gas. In fact it is an essential life gas just as are oxygen and nitrogen.

"Not so long ago every carbon atom in our bodies was in atmospheric carbon dioxide."

Mr Parton is particularly sceptical about low-energy light bulbs and the concern that traditional bulbs turn most of their electricity into heat, rather than light. He said: "If you put more heat in through the lights, you need less heat from the gas boiler. There is an idea these bulbs will save you energy – I just don't see it, but I'll have a go."

JON SEATON, bank manager

A YOUNG family has provided the extra motivation for Jon Seaton to do what he can for the environment.

Mr Seaton, 38, a manager for the Royal Bank of Scotland, conceded that he may find it difficult to achieve some of the ten pledges.

However, he is determined to at least have a go at fulfilling them during the next three weeks. "When I heard about the environmental campaign, I felt I should take part," he said.

"I have a young family so it is mainly about ensuring that I am handing something on in as good condition as it was passed to me.

"Even before this, I was interested in the environment and I do try to 'do my bit'. But it is easy to forget and revert to doing the easy things."

Mr Seaton, who lives in the Balerno area of Edinburgh, with his wife, Mags, and their children, Lochy, two, and Freya, six weeks, added that he was determined to make changes, no matter how difficult it might prove to be.

"As far as the ten pledges, I currently do – or try to do – a couple of these anyway, such as kerbside recycling and reusing plastic bags," he said.

"But I will spend the next month trying to do as many of the other pledges as I possibly can.

"Although I may struggle with some, things worth achieving are rarely easy."

Mr Seaton said he was looking for the government to help ordinary people adopt a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

"I think that achieving greater environmental awareness is a partnership between the individual and the government and, where possible, the government needs to make doing the right things as easy as possible," he said.

BABS McLEOD, hairdresser

SHE has a large stockpile of plastic carrier bags, doesn't recycle and was put off low-energy light bulbs by a bad experience.

But Babs McLeod, 43, a hairdresser, gravestone designer and primary carer for her father, is determined to change.

Mrs McLeod – who lives in Barrhead, Renfrewshire, with her husband, Alan, two daughters aged 18 and 15, and two cats and a dog – said she had felt for some time that she should do more for the environment.

She is sceptical about the effectiveness of low-energy light bulbs but plans to fit several in her house to see if the family can be won over.

"I tried them once before for both of my children's bedrooms, but I found they blew more frequently than the really cheap ones," she said.

"My husband was trained as a glass-bender and he's the one going to be ranting and raving at me because they don't save that much and they've got mercury in them."

She has a small kitchen, making it difficult to have separate bins for glass, paper and plastic,

but she is thinking of keeping small bins in the back garden and taking them to the local recycling centre.

Mrs McLeod said she was old enough to remember the days when shopping trips always involved taking your own basket.

"I do like string bags," she said. "They are brilliant, they fit into very small pockets and you can get lots of stuff into them."

Re-using carrier bags is something she has been "meaning to do for a long time". She said: "I've got huge quantities of plastic bags, but even though you can get money if you take them back, I've never done it."

However, Mrs McLeod was surprised by how many of the things on the list she was already doing. She uses rechargeable batteries, walks to the shops on a daily basis, partly to exercise the dog, never takes flights – "I hate flying" – and prefers to buy seasonal, unpackaged food "because you can see what you are getting and you're not left with all this packaging to fill up your bin with".

She has a tumble dryer but never uses it, preferring radiators to dry the laundry "because they are on anyway" .

KENNETH SMITH, pensioner

He may be 86 and living in sheltered accommodation but Kenneth Smith believes all Scots should "do our bit" to prevent the "worrying prospect" of global warming.

He has no time for climate change denial in the face of overwhelming scientific advice that the planet's atmosphere is being altered.

"There's a lot of ignorant people in the world. We have got to take the advice of the scientists and they say if we don't take steps there are going to be big problems," said Mr Smith, a widower who lives in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.

"It's a worrying prospect, isn't it? Especially for future generations.

"We have just got to do our bit and hope the governments of India and China do something too. They are the worst offenders, they are start up these new coal-fired power stations every other week.

"But whether other people do or don't, we have got to do our bit and at least it won't be our fault, will it?"

Mr Smith, who has a daughter and two grandchildren, already does some of the pledges like recycling waste paper and using low-energy lightbulbs. Buying local food is something the retired retail manager has always believed in.

"The less packaging , the better. The fresher, the better. It's a better taste for one thing and much healthier," he said.

STUART PEARSON, student

GAP-YEAR student Stuart Pearson believes the world will see some kind of climate change, but leading a more environmentally friendly lifestyle will at least help to put off any significant effects.

Mr Pearson, 20, who shares a house in Glenrothes, Fife, with a friend, is taking time out from studying geography and environmental science at Dundee University, working at a DIY store.

He said: "What the change is going to be I'm not sure, but if we can start to recycle and go more green now, then we can put it off for longer."

Mr Pearson said "the vast majority" of his contemporaries believed global warming was a problem and many elderly people seemed to agree. Those in between had yet to get the message.

"At the store I work in a lot of older people buy energy saving things – they look at it from a budget side of things as well.

"But the middle age range are going for the standard sort of things they bought when they were younger."

He said he was already meeting some of the pledges.

"We've started using energy saving bulbs and we recycle, mainly paper.

We don't have a tumble dryer and usually buy fresh food from the local area."

However he admitted: "Re-using the bags is one I'll have to take on. It's not something I really do just now."