The green crusaders

TODAY The Scotsman reveals 20 of Scotland's leading green champions. We have joined forces with the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland to dig out the 50 people who are doing most to help the environment in their communities.

Today we reveal the green heroes in positions 50-31 on the first-ever Scottish Green List. The countdown continues tomorrow and Wednesday, and finally Scotland's top ten green heroes – those who are making the biggest impact – are named on Thursday.

Today's environmental champions range from scientists to artists to community workers and the heads of influential charities.

They include Andy Goldsworthy, an internationally-recognised artist whose inspirational sculptures make use of features of the natural world. At the other end of the spectrum is David van Alstyne, a scientist pioneering the use of algae to turn waste products at the Glenturret distillery, home of the Famous Grouse whisky, into a useful fuel.

Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, campaigns tirelessly to improve the environment and has had an enormous influence on government legislation. Elaine Sheerin has made a huge difference within a much smaller sphere, altering the lives of many people in the south of Glasgow by encouraging them to get on their own two feet and start walking.

The green champions come from different parts of Scotland, vary in age, and have different areas of interest and expertise. Yet they share a commitment and passion for the environment and sustainable living – and for a greener future for Scotland.

More than 300 green pioneers were nominated for inclusion on the Green List. Those who made it into the top 50 have been invited to an awards ceremony at The Scotsman offices in Edinburgh, on Wednesday night – when the overall winner will be named.

The top 50 green champions were chosen by a panel of judges that included members of business, the voluntary sector, social enterprise and sustainable development policy. They included Professor James Curran, chairman of the Scottish Sustainable Development Forum; Samantha Barber, chief executive of Scottish Business in the Community and Susan Ramsay of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.

It is hoped the Scottish Green List will help form a new network of environmental champions. Prof Curran said: "The Scottish Green List 2009 shows those who deserve recognition for not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. It is individuals like these that need to be thanked, celebrated, encouraged and supported all across Scotland. The people on this list are important because they show us what is possible. But they also show us there is no longer such a thing as a typical environmentalist."

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50 Ruth Dawkins

Ruth is the sole staff member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a coalition of groups with an interest in the environment. She has played a huge role in the success of the group, and in boosting its profile over the past three years. The result has been co-ordinated action between environmental groups, faith groups and trade unions to keep pressure on the Scottish Government to enact an effective climate change bill.

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49 David van Alstyne

David has carried out pioneering work in the use of algae to turn waste products from Scottish distilleries into useful fuel either for electricity, heat or transport. Use of algae has long been researched but this is thought to be one of the first successful commercial applications of this ground-breaking technology. The equipment has been installed in the Glenturret distillery, Crieff, home of Famous Grouse whisky.

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48 Rob Edwards

Rob has been a journalist in Scotland for many years, reporting for the Scottish media and New Scientist. He has shown determination in championing environmental issues, which have enlightened and engaged with readers and provoked debate. He has put considerable time into researching his articles, and has been responsible for many exclusives and exposés in his long-standing career.

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47 Roger Parry

When asked by a customer if he could supply printing that met high environmental standards, Roger's response was to transform his business. The result is that he runs what is almost certainly Scotland's greenest print company. It supplies a wide range of business and government clients with low-impact printing, meaning that Roger has had a considerable impact on making businesses greener.

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46 Randy Klinger

Ten years ago Randy Klinger had a vision for a creative arts centre in Moray. Due to Randy's hard work, what is probably the first carbon-neutral arts centre in Britain has opened. It is working hard in its aim of reaching out to all social groups, to become an active part of the local community. The heating at Moray Art Centre is provided by geothermal heat pumps and solar panels supply the electricity.

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45 Dave Morris and John Mackay

These two men are the key architects behind the access legislation that made the right to roam a reality across most of Scotland, and for the first time opened up the Scottish countryside to the many. David was the campaigner lobbying hard, and John used his role in Scottish Natural Heritage to turn the initiative into a framework that met the concerns of landowners and government.

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44 Hugh Raven

Hugh is a passionate advocate of sustainable development in his many roles. Whether it is in his work managing his family estate in Morvern, in his role as director of the Soil Association Scotland, or as an adviser to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, sustainable development is at the forefront of his good work. Hugh is also well known and respected throughout Scotland for his championing of sustainability in relation to food.

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43 Roley Walton

Roley has worked tirelessly to inspire environmental awareness through the concept of the "outdoor classroom". The retired Currie High teacher encourages involvement in practical projects aimed at improving the outdoor environment, such as community woods, and she works extremely hard to enhance biodiversity in areas of green space. Roley's Wood has even been named after her in recognition of her efforts.

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42 John Hancox

John runs the Children's Orchard, planting apple trees around Scotland with school children. It all began when he was a journalist and could not get a satisfactory answer about why nobody planted fruit trees in our parks. Today, there are fruit trees being planted in parks all around Scotland and now John is planning the delivery of the Commonwealth Orchard to coincide with the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

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41 Stan Blackley

Stan is a full-time influencer through his day job as the director of an ethical communications consultancy and in his spare time through his work as an active volunteer and board member for a number of worthwhile charities and social enterprises. He has been involved over the years with Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, to name but a few.

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40 Andy Goldsworthy

Andy has inspired huge numbers of people through his work as an internationally recognised and celebrated sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. The former farm hand, who lives in the Borders, produces site-specific sculpture and land art. His art involves the use of natural objects to create sculptures which draw out the character of their environment.

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39 Ross Gazey

As a recent graduate Ross had the idea for a project that would help demonstrate the potential of hydrogen power and bring much-needed development to the communities of the Isle of Unst in Shetland. From his initial idea the team at the Pure Project have now put in place a practical, world-beating demonstration of hydrogen technology in the most northerly part of the UK.

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38 Pete Ritchie

Pete is one of Scotland's most inspiring organic farmers. He is passionate about what he does and always keen for visitors to his farm to help people find out more about sustainability. From the start, his aim with his organic farm in the Borders has been to grow food for local people, and to provide them with fresh, seasonal produce. He has also been responsible for a number of Scotland's innovative sustainability projects.

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37 Mike Robinson

Mike sits on the board of no fewer than six environmental organisations. These include his position as chairman of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition, through which he has built up a successful and influential alliance of organisations. He is also heavily involved with Scottish Environmental Link, the Climate Challenge Fund, National Trust for Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Soil Association.

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Helping to inspire next generation

36 Sara MacLennan

At the age of just 23 Sara MacLennan is already having a huge impact on the views of young people towards the environment.

Over the past two years she has thrown vast amounts of energy into Powerpod, a venture in Edinburgh that uses young people to spread messages about renewable energy to their peers.

A trailer kitted out with solar panels and a wind turbine tours schools, youth clubs and festivals to demonstrate the potential of green energy.

All the volunteers who teach the children about the renewables are themselves young people, aged between 10 and 18.

Ms MacLennan, the project's education and development officer, started work on the scheme straight after completing her economics degree. She is convinced young people hold the key to tackling climate change.

"They are the ones who are going to be making decisions in the future and they also have so much influence on their parents and everyone around them," she says.

And she says it helps to inspire young people if someone their own age was doing the talking.

"They are communicating on the same level. So much is about adults showing young people what to do, but when it's a young person who's excited about it then they take more notice."

She claims it is easy to keep her own levels of enthusiasm for the project high: "I think you have to be passionate, enthusiastic about everything in life. And with young people it's difficult not to be enthusiastic."

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35 Dr Lubna Kerr

Lubna runs Wellbeing, Health and You, a social enterprise company. She focuses on lifestyle changes and "self-management". Her aims are to help create a healthy, productive workforce, reduce absenteeism from work and lower hospital admissions of people with long-term conditions. In the past she has won an award for her work with black and minority ethnic people with diabetes.

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34 Duncan McLaren

Duncan has been chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland since 2003 and in this role he has been a powerful and inspiring voice for the environmental movement. He has tirelessly campaigned for a sustainable future. Duncan has an incredible knack for spotting weak points in arguments and for pushing against these to get the changes he wants to see from government.

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33 Howard Liddell

For about 40 years Howard has been involved in delivering sustainable architecture throughout Scotland and overseas. He is hugely respected for his pioneering ecological designs and for developing an understanding of how to build affordable, low-impact buildings for living and working in. He has won many awards, including the International award for Sustainability for Glencoe Visitor Centre.

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32 Elaine Sheerin

Elaine has motivated people to get walking in their own communities in the south side of Glasgow. Through her tireless efforts, she has improved health, fostered a community spirit and gone a long way towards reclaiming the streets for the people of the city. She strongly believes that walking is an activity for everyone. She has got through her admirable message that it is free, sociable and healthy.

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31 Frances McCartney

Frances founded the Environmental Law Centre Scotland, a not-for-profit law centre providing community groups, non-governmental organisations and the voluntary sector with advice and representation so they could achieve better environmental protection. This vital resource is helping communities to get access to invaluable advice when seeking to protect their local environment.

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TOMORROW

Tomorrow we reveal the next ten green champions on the Scottish Green List. They include a pioneer in wave energy, a writer, a poet, and the brains behind a campaign to get more people cycling.