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JIM GILCHRIST rounds up a random bunch of ten ecologically switched-on Scots to find out how, why and where they do their bit. From K T Tunstall’s environmentally friendly home decoration, or funky handbags made from reclaimed fabric, to tree-planting in the city, here are some inspiring ideas we can all adopt. So, what’s stopping you?
KT TUNSTALLSinger,
www.kttunstall.com“I HAVE gutted and rebuilt my flat (which needed doing anyway) in a way that is as eco-friendly as possible. Using a company called GreenSteps, we found the best in sustainable wood, non-toxic paints, carbon-positive plasterboard, sheep’s wool insulation and solar panels – the National Grid now pays us for the energy we generate! And almost all our furniture is second-hand.
I don’t have a car, we recycle all our waste, and when I fly long-haul I use Virgin as at least Richard Branson has pledged his travel profits towards green fuel research. I’ve also invited the head of the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) round for tea in a couple of weeks, to get the lowdown on what can be done.
Coming from a beautiful part of the country [St Andrews] and growing up with parents who were avid climbers, campers and adventurers, I feel that we humans are exceptionally bad lodgers in a beautiful house.
The situation is dire. We’ve had our industrial and technological revolutions; now it’s time for an emotional, social revolution in which we realise that we affect each other, no matter how far apart we live, and take responsibility for those effects.”
GREEN TIPUse
Greensteps.co.uk to buy environmentally friendly home building and decorating materials, from solvent-free paint stripper to triple-glazed windows. See
Ecowise.co.uk for advice on low-carbon building and home maintenance.
DR DAVE REAYInstitute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science at Edinburgh University, author of Climate Change begins At Home
www.ghgonline.org“I’VE HAD solar panels installed on my house, switched from a gas-guzzler to a Smart car, and given up flying for rail travel. On a wider level, I’m directing the new MSc programme in carbon management at Edinburgh University, continuing my climate change research, and am writing a new book on tackling climate change, called Your Planet Needs You, this time aimed at children.
The science speaks for itself: avoiding dangerous climate change is a monumental challenge for humankind in the 21st century. My daughters make it personal: if our generation fails, it is their generation who will endure the consequences.
The urgency increases with each day that emissions continue to rise. We have only a decade or so to make the cuts required to avoid dangerous climate change.
One person can make a difference. Saving energy at home and work, switching to a green energy supplier, using public transport – each of these can keep many tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and buy us all a bit more time to adapt to future changes in climate. Yes, the challenge is huge; yes, the politicians and big business must play their part; but as the Irish philosopher Edmund Burke once said: “No-one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
GREEN TIP Switch to a green energy supplier, such as
Ecotricity.co.uk, or Good-Energy
www.good-energy.co.uk, which uses 100 per cent renewable electricity sourced from wind, sun or running water.
RUTH DAWKINSCampaign co-ordinator, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
www.stopclimate chaosscotland.org“IN MY job I spend every day working on issues to do with climate change – lobbying decision makers, managing volunteers – and at a personal level I do what I can, too. I don’t own a car, never take internal flights, always recycle, use energy-efficient lightbulbs and always make sure my appliances are off. Oh, and I love my canvas bags!
After being selected as a Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change Ambassador in 2005, I spent two weeks in the Arctic. Hearing stories about how climate change has already affected the Inuit communities there and then spending a week working with scientists on the Greenland Ice Cap to study the effects at first hand were both very powerful motivating factors. The fact that the people who have contributed least to climate change are being affected first strikes me as hugely unjust.”
GREEN TIP Stop using plastic bags: an organic cotton string shopping bag from
Terramar.co.uk (£4) is small enough to be carried in your coat pocket or handbag; it’s also stronger and more expandable than a canvas shopping bag.
SARAH REAYFounder of Black Dog Textiles, which creates items from reclaimed materials
www.blackdog textiles.com“MY AIM is to make something useful and beautiful from unwanted material – a piece of tweed from a remnant bin or silk from redundant sample books. My designs are inspired by the collected material. I want to make are bags that people enjoy owning, from fabric that might have gone to waste. Living with Dave (Reay, left) means that we constantly think about energy consumption, from using a wind-up radio to having a wood-burning stove rather than central heating 24/7. We are vigilant about standby power and have low-energy light bulbs throughout the house.
Many of the Christmas gifts we gave and received were second-hand or homemade and our pot-grown Christmas tree came inside for its third Christmas in a row. We acted initially to save money and to reduce waste.
As the scale of the effects of climate change becomes more apparent, I continue to act because I am painfully aware of how much strain my lifestyle puts on the planet and its inhabitants.”
GREEN TIPStop buying new clothes and accessories and start shopping at chic vintage stores and antique markets. Start by browsing on
Itsvintagedarling.com, or search for vintage shops in your area at
www.freeindex.co.ukMATTHEW DALZIEL & LOUISE SCULLIONArtists, and organisers with Scottish Natural Heritage of last November’s More Than Us environmental symposium in Inverness,
www.dalzielscullion.com“INDIVIDUALLY and as a family we’ve made many significant choices and we feel strongly about keeping to them. Professionally, we have tried to make works that draw people into looking differently at our shared environment. Humans’ relationship to the earth is everything – economically, psychologically and morally – and as artists we feel we have a role in nudging things this way and that within the unfolding environmental revolution that is now inevitable.
As children we were both offered very different but crucially informative experiences that made the land and its vast living library of life-forms a central part of our personalities. Now much of our adult life is spent trying to gain more knowledge about the lifecycles that course alongside us. There’s much to learn, but with this comes a greater desire to live and act differently.
A small number of people can create a critical mass. We have optimistic hopes, too, of our fledgling parliament – if they are seen to act intelligently and morally over issues such as energy and land developments, then much could be achieved. We urgently need to implement a new ethic that puts our relationship with the earth first in all our priorities.”
GREEN TIP Read Shades of Green by Paul Waddington, a new practical A-Z guide for would-be environmentalists (£10.99,
www.rbooks.co.uk). It explodes myths about what is green and what isn’t in our consumer culture, from aeroplanes to wine.
JOHN HANCOXDirector of the Children’s Orchard in Glasgow, which promotes community level eco-awareness and engagement
“I HAVE developed the Children’s Orchard, which encourages young people and families to plant fruit trees close to where they live. I’d like to see one fruit tree or more in every street, park, or school. We started in Glasgow, but are looking to launch an Edinburgh Children’s Orchard soon.
It’s completely mad for us to import fruit from all over the world when we can grow it locally, and pick it fresh off the tree. It tastes better, saves money, fruit trees are beautiful and it’s carbon offset that you can eat. The only way to make a real change is to get your hands dirty and do it yourself, and in partnership with other people.
There are pear trees growing near Dundee, still fruiting, that were planted before the Act of Union. That shows that one person doing the right thing can certainly make a difference.”
GREEN TIP Volunteer at the Children’s Garden (contact john@weegarden.co.uk), or adopt a Scots pine, silver birch or sessile oak tree through the Scottish Wildlife Trust,
www.swt.org.uk RACHEL NUNNCo-founder of the Going Carbon Neutral Stirling campaign
“I TRY to ensure we live a low-carbon lifestyle. We holiday in Britain, we don’t fly, we try to do weekend trips as close to home as possible, use local facilities and get to them on foot or by bike. We have heating on for just a couple of hours morning and night in winter – if it’s too cold, we keep doors closed and only heat the one room in which we are working, using a wood-burning stove.
We have an insulated floor cavity and loft, reducing our energy demand by more than a third. I made thicker curtains, and we all have indoor winter clothing.
Three years ago I knew nothing of climate change, but was asked to proof-read some leaflets and was shocked that there was so little public knowledge of the gravity of the situation. My husband and I decided to give up a second salary for the ten years we have in which to effect real solutions on carbon reduction.”
GREEN TIPTake a simple online home-energy check at
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, which also lists the Top 10 energy-saving measures. See also
www.usewoodfuel.co.uk for information on woodburning stoves.
MATTHEW FINNResearch assistant at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd in Orkney, a world-leading research centre for tidal and wave technologies,
www.emec.org.uk “I HAVE the fantastic opportunity to work at EMEC, which is playing a key role in the development of the marine renewables industry in Scotland, and I hope the contribution I make in this exciting sector will have a knock-on effect in tackling climate change. Working in this field also helps you to be aware of the small lifestyle choices you can adopt, and I try my best with recycling, car-sharing, low household energy consumption and minimising air travel (not easy, living in Orkney).
In 2006, I had the extraordinary opportunity to work for several weeks as a volunteer at a remote orphanage and school in Kenya, where nothing was wasted, all scrap had potential for use. On returning, I was shocked at how much stuff I got through in my week.
With political cycles and personal awareness functioning in the short term, the impact of what we do today and its relevance for tomorrow can be hard to appreciate, but individual commitments made now can become the norm in the future, so we can adopt sustainable attitudes.”
GREEN TIP Get into the habit of using the Freecycle Network (a global gifting movement) to reduce the amount of stuff you throw away: save money by swapping instead of shopping. Find a local group at
www.freecycle.org DUNCAN MCLARENChief executive, friends of the Earth Scotland,
www.foe-scotland.org.uk“HALTING climate chaos is the main goal of Friends of the Earth Scotland. All our campaigns and projects now contribute to this end. Personally I walk, cycle or take public transport for most journeys, and have installed new insulation and a solar panel at home.
We have just a few years to turn this juggernaut around, and it won’t be easy. Every choice matters – the problem is the result of millions of decisions that don’t take account of the climate, and will only be solved when they do. Of course, government and businesses can make more difference than each of us alone, so individuals should act politically as well as personally, and join a campaign group – such as Friends of the Earth, working together to save the climate.”
GREEN TIPFriends of the Earth Scotland (
www.foe-scotland.org.uk) has nine local groups. By joining one of them you can support its campaigns concerning energy and power, micropower, waste and transport.
The full article contains 2151 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
