Some reflections

It is a funny old thing when it comes time to move on - as I will do today. One is tempted to do some deep and meaningful reflections on the value of ones work.

So here goes: I came to this work just over two years ago with more background in working with communities than on climate change. But it didn't take long to gather in the facts and see that this was a real phenomena with real evidence to substantiate the facts.

I also came neutral on the issue of wind farms - vaguely thinking that if it somehow made things better in the long run, a bit of impairment on the horizon for the greater good was an acceptable sacrifice. Today, the go ahead has been given to Calliachar Wind farm in Highland Perthshire. This will sit alongside Griffin Wind farm providing an industrial landscape where previously there was little.

My views are different now and I harbour thoughts of ill will towards inappropriate development as I imagine it delivering little and damaging much. Small scale turbines appropriately sited for communities are a different matter.......as with other renewables, appropriately sited.

Ill thoughts now harboured - I can move on.

Seriously though, this blog was set up as a way for various communities associated with the John Muir Trust to share their experiences of moving towards a more sustainable futures. It soon became clear that a number of communities - primarily those that own land were moving well in that direction - and aretapping into a range of resources. They provide inspiration to many others and I hope that these pages have helped in sharing information. From production of fuel from recycled oil in North Harris, a low carbon lunch in Galson, community garden at Knoydart, energy audits in Assynt and Eigg's big green challenge I have certainly been inspired.

It has also been great to hear from other communities who have shared what they are about - for instance Sleat - who have worked on carbon foot printing and Glen Lyon who are exploring wood fuel options and have some innovative ideas around drying wood (ring barking) - check out Tom Beel's blog just released on this issue. An informative read.

I have enjoyed - for the most part - reporting on the work I have been undertaking - most recently on Skye. This has been two-fold: Looking at the long-term viability of a wood fuel supply for the Elgol peninsula and helping the Trust to lead by example, showing what is possible to do with an energy inefficient house (on Skye) that leaks heat etc. by insulating it and coverting it from oil to wood for heat. Thanks to support from Andrew Campbell, Head of Land Management( and soon to move on too) and to Helen McDade, Head of Policy this looks likely to proceed.

For me the connection between this work with communities on energy related issues and wild land has been obvious:

Wild land, which is intrinsically linked to the quality of the ecosystems upon which our lives depend, is under threat. The biggest threat is from our energy demands/needs. All the evidence seems to suggest the more we have the more we want. As appliances become more efficient we want more of them and so it spirals on. Like many aspects of modern day life we have lost our connection with where things come from and our connection to consequence is also lost.

Now, it is a flick of the switch - who cares where it comes from...In some communities the connection is stronger and, as has been illustrated through these pages, small scale schemes can provide some answers for smaller rural communities.

The real challenge however is how the majority live more sustainably. Some people just don't want to hear what needs to be done.

Perhaps with a little imagination we can get by without all the things we think we need....

It is difficult to avoid being santimonious at times. On a personal level I vary from feeling smug, suffering the resultant repetitive strain injury as I wander around my house switching off the many appliances left on by my family to dreaming of zooming off around the globe to far flung corners- probably only accessible by plane. A gal has gotta live, and dream.

This will be the last post for some time to this blog - and perhaps for good. The project funding for this work, like many things, has been affected by the recession and this work does not fit into the recent restructure within the John Muir Trust so, it remains for me to thank people for visiting this site and take the chance to reflect a little on the past couple of years.

I hope to do a final couple of blogs to update people what happens there so this is more, in the words of Fagan, a case of cheerio but be back soon....

Meantime if anyone has deep and meaningful comments about what makes for a sustainable community - feel free to comment.

Developing a Trust - Sustainable Futures

What makes some communities stronger and more vibrant than others?

Certainly having ideas and support to see them through to fruition helps, as does being able to learn from others doing similar things.

In this guest blog, Ian Cooke, Director of Development Trust Association Scotland, shares some of the benefits of being part of an organisation supporting communities to do just this.
















Picture of Easdale Community Hall,, developed by the local development trust.

The John Muir Trust blog features a number of organisations such as the Knoydart Foundation and Assynt Foundation who are members of the Development Trust Association Scotland, but what is a development trust and what does DTA Scotland do?

Essentially, development trusts are independent, community led organisations that use a combination of enterprise, creativity and voluntary effort to address local issues and improve the quality of life in their respective communities. The use of enterprise often includes the acquisition and development of physical assets such as buildings, land or woodland - to generate income, house activities and services and provide jobs - and this is the characteristic for which development trusts are perhaps best known.















Picture of Westray Development Trust celebrating the opening of a care centre.

DTA Scotland is the networking and representative organisation for development trusts, with over 145 members located throughout Scotland. About two thirds of our member development trusts operate in rural and island communities, and many have made a significant contribution towards improving the fortunes of their respective communities.

DTA Scotland is an independent, member-led organisation which has three main areas of activity:

Meeting with interested community groups and helping them set up a development trust.

Supporting and strengthening established development trusts, through networking, training, resources, information and arrange of other exciting opportunities.

Providing a national voice for development trusts and communities, and promoting and representing their interests.

“There’s so much to be gained from development trusts coming together, sharing our knowledge and experience, and working together for the benefit of the movement. Individually we can be isolated community organisations; working together we have collective strength and can punch above our weight.”
Henry Mains, Sleat Community Trust

To find out more about development trusts, or what DTA Scotland has to offer, or to subscribe to our free quarterly e-bulletin, visit our website, phone 0131 220 2456, or e-mail info@dtascot.org.uk

What are your experiences of making your community more sustainable? Would establishing a development trust make a difference? Or if you are a development trust - has it made a difference?

Glenlyon Woodfuel Initiative

Some of you will recall Jamie Grant who previously was the John Muir Trust Communications Officer.

Jamie took great interest in what was happening in communities around sustainability. Inspired by meeting and speaking to various people he encouraged action in his own community of Glen Lyon.

As a result, in March this year, Tom Beels was appointed through climate challenge funding to look at future sustainability. Thanks to Tom for information about the project and forthcoming woodfuel event on 17th July.

Glen Lyon, in Highland Perthshire, is a remote community of around 90 residents, strung along 22 miles of single-track road.

We have received Climate Challenge Funding to see whether it is feasible for the community in Glen Lyon to reduce its dependence on oil as a main heating source, by burning some of the low value timber that surrounds them.

The initiative is also aimed at reducing the community’s carbon footprint and encouraging native woodlands in the area.

Glen Lyon has recently been found to have some of the most intact woodland habitats in Scotland. By re-introducing traditional management techniques, such as coppicing, we hope to enhance and complement the wildlife around us. We are also involving local children in tree planting and hope they will see the fruits of their labour.

We are holding a woodfuel event on Saturday July 17th from 12 noon until 5pm at Glenlyon Kirk.

A number of heat surveys have been completed in Glenlyon to look at the potential for a change from oil to wood heating systems with more surveys planned. Initial results suggest the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) could make the payback time for installing a wood boiler as little as 3 to 4 years.

Steve Luker a consultant to the forestry industry on RHI will be joining us to answer questions and provide information on RHI. A valuable opportunity for you to hear from an expert about a scheme that will pay you for burning wood efficiently.
Heating systems expert Bernd Pinamonti of Thermotec Ecosystems LTD will give advice on the components and costs involved in installing and maintaining modern wood fired systems.

Plans for a woodfuel supply within the glen will be outlined, accompanied by a demonstration of an “Iron Horse” timber extraction machine. Locally made small roundwood craft items such as hurdles, pea sticks and staffs will be on display and available to buy.

And if this were not enough, representatives of The Big Shed and Loch Tay Food Chain will also give talks and answer questions about the exciting projects unfolding “over the hill”.

We hope to have even more attractions nearer the date so if you think you could add to our highly informative afternoon or would like more details, please contact Tom Beels on 01887 866291

Knoydart Hydro Open Day

A quick update from Gwen Barrell at Knoydart about a recent open day as part of the Scottish Renewables Festival.


On Wednesday June 15th Knoydart Renewables Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary company of Knoydart Foundation) held an open day at its turbine house as part of the Scottish Renewables Festival.

Tommy McManmon, Knoydart Ranger writes, “We had five people and a couple of dogs who really enjoyed the day. Angela Williams, our Development Manager, gave an introductory talk in the village hall, where people had the chance to browse the display boards. We travelled up to the turbine by Landrover. One visitor had worked in construction of hydro schemes in the past, so was happy to look around the turbine shed and tell us what things were! The turbine wasn’t running because it was under maintenance, but this was actually ideal as it meant we could have conversations with each other. People were interested in how many properties were supplied by the system, and how often shut-downs occurred. All were very impressed by a community running such a large electricity scheme.”

The visit coincided with some works on the dam, and in a scheduled shut-down of the turbine which worked out beautifully for the visit. The Turbine House is not open to the public though we have been holding an annual “Tea at the Turbine House” guided walk for the past couple of years in order to educate local people and visitors about the scheme. Since its refurbishment in 2002 the hydro has provided over 4,750,000 kWh of (next to) zero carbon electricity. (We obviously use a bit of oil for lubrication, diesel for the back up generator, and to get to and from the turbine which is situated “up the glen” towards Gleann Meadall.

In addition to the community owned hydro there are two micro hydros in Knoydart for those outwith our system, and interest in developing some more micro systems. A recent study of Airor burn under the auspices of the Powerdown project showed that there is potential there to assist the community at Airor to cut its carbon footprint and use diesel generators substantially less.

More information http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/

Changing Gears

The Parent Council at Elgol Primary School held a jumble sale recently to raise funds for the school. Top this off with teas, coffees and home baking and there is bound to be an audience.

Also present at the jumble sale and looking for an audience were energy and wood fuel related stalls the Parent Council had agreed could be part of the event.

Energy Saving Trust had a model house -showing how to reduce energy bills and an eco-driving simulator showing how to reduce fuel bills. The John Muir Trust had a display showing the heat leaking out of its, as then, uninsulated, property at Strathaird whilst there were displays from Wood Energy Scotland and Alastair Robertson from Highland Eco-Heat a Skye based wood fuel installer.

The biggest hit was the eco-driving simulator which caused much mirth and merriment as various people tried their hand at driving to reduce fuel costs and carbon.

Top tip is all about changing gears.
- Shift into a higher gear as soon as possible - changing up between 2,000 and 2,5000 rpm.

Another tip to lower your fuel bills and carbon footprint: Drive more smoothly - anticipating road conditions and taking your foot off the throttle gradually rather than braking suddenly.

Did you know that if you drive at 50mph rather than 70 mph - this reduces your fuel consumption by 10%?

The school children were largely determined to test the speed limits!More tips are to be found at the Eco Drive website.

Gardens take off in Knoydart

A quick update from Gwen Barrell at Knoydart about the progress of the community garden which only received funding a few months ago. Already things are flourishing.

Knoydart Gardeners headed for the Road to the Isles Agricultural Show recently to meet up with other gardeners and display their progress in the garden since receiving Climate Challenge Funding.

A team of volunteers helped re-cover an old polytunnel at the end of last month, and already the tunnel is under cultivation by keen community members who have also been busy working on their outdoor veg plots. A wide range of fruit and vegetables are under cultivation – cutting down on food miles. Whilst gardening takes some effort, it saves time, carrying boxes of shopping from the ferry – a time consuming task!

A garden open day is planned for Saturday August 28th with a band in the evening too. More info from gwen@knoydart.org

Wet and wild in Kinlochbervie

If you are out and about in Kinlochbervie over this weekend there are a series of activities celebrating International Biodiversity week. From ranger led walk to boat trips.

Saturday, 15 May 2010 and Sunday, 16 May 2010

Activities from 10am till 4pm

Kinlochbervie Village Hall and Loch Innis
A programme of Events is available from http://www.kinlochbervie.info/

See previous blog on what biodiversity has to do with you...

What a lot of rubbish

Sea borders many of the areas that the John Muir Trust owns or has partnerships with. The beauty of wild landscape combined with seascape attracts many visitors to these areas and is a vital part of the tourism economy that sustains local communities.

In this guest blog, Rory Syme, Communications Officer for the John Muir Trust, reflects on a recent Trust work party to clear litter from Camasunary, near Elgol on the Isle of Skye.

Over Easter Weekend 17 volunteers took part in a litter pick on Camasunary, as part of the Trust’s annual programme of conservation work parties.
The bay is bordered by the Trust's Strathaird propoerty and is a key gateway to the Cuillin, one of Europe’s finest mountain ranges. During peak season hundreds of walkers from all over the world will walk past every day.

We found a great variety of rubbish, from shotgun shells that had been washed down-river, barrels and crates, toothbrushes, crisp packets, bottles, and even the petrol tank from a small boat. The majority of the litter though seemed to be small pieces of brightly coloured plastic fishing net. In places this covered the beach.

Not only was it back breaking work to pick this up, the sheer amount of plastic debris made it hard to appreciate that we were making a difference.

Plastic will never biodegrade, only slowly disintegrate into smaller pieces, making it a serious danger to wildlife. 90 per cent of fulmars found dead in the North Sea have plastic in their stomachs.

The work party inspired some discussion about our efforts. Is it right to gather up litter from one place to then pay for it to be transported and buried in landfill a few miles down the coast?
Can a small team of volunteers really make a difference against the huge tide of litter that is washed ashore every year? And what can we do about the vast majority of our marine litter, which either sinks to the bottom of the sea or just bobs around on the ocean, sometimes in huge amounts, as with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

As a society reducing the amount of litter we produce by becoming less disposable and more sustainable is a good starting point, and on a local level we need to tackle the visible effects of a life dominated by plastic.

For organisations like the John Muir Trust volunteers play a key part of achieving our objectives. We have a healthy interest in our work parties each year, and you can find out how to get involved on our website, but there are many other ways to help reduce the amount of litter in wild places.

Individuals can make a difference by going a step further from Leave No Trace and aiming to leave a positive footprint behind by filling a bag with litter on every walk.

Communities, schools and other groups can organise their own clean-ups through programmes like the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch Big Weekend, or the Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Big Spring Clean.

Businesses that rely on tourism can support efforts to protect the landscape that provides their livelihood, through sponsorship, or just offering a free cup of tea at the end of a hard day’s litter picking.

Can we really afford for our natural heritage to disappear under piles of plastic?

Biodiversity – what has it got to do with us?

This year is International Year of Biodiversity. In this guest blog Liz Auty, Biodiversity Officer for the John Muir Trust shares information about biodiversity and climate change in time for Scottish biodiversity week.

Many people would agree that conserving our wildlife is important for its own sake, but we often do not realise the essential services it provides for our quality of life. For instance, our biodiversity provides services like clean air, clean water and food.

It is now recognized that it is not just the number of species we have, but how they interact together in ecosystems that it is important. For example conserving a species of pine tree in a garden may save the species, but will not provide the flood alleviation ‘service’ that these trees thriving on a mountainside might. Or species conserved just in a zoo will no longer be part of the ecosystems they were once part of contributing as a whole to a healthy functioning planet.

Do we need to worry about our biodiversity?

Yes! Species are being lost and habitats degraded, and our climate is changing. Whilst species extinction is a natural part of Earth's history, over the past 100 years, humans have increased the extinction rate by at least 100 times compared to the natural rate. The current extinction rate is much greater than the rate at which new species arise, resulting in a net loss of biodiversity.
Some species of our higher mountains may be lost. This could include birds like the snow bunting, which occur on our Nevis Estate. According to a report from the RSPB and Durham University, the average range of British birds will move 550 kilometres (340 miles) to the north by 2100 as the climate heats up.

On our Nevis estate, a site condition monitoring report from SNH showed that the Arctic-alpine plants were declining. The report concluded that ‘the most likely long term threat is climate change, particularly as this has an effect on the distribution and duration of areas of late lying snow. Some of our rarer species will be outcompeted as the temperature warms.
Other mountain specialists like the Mountain Ringlet butterfly, found on Ben Nevis and Schiehallion are facing the same threats from changing climate.

You might also find this 2004 report by SNH interesting: Climate Change Impacts on Habitat and Species.

What is the John Muir Trust doing?

Through biodiversity management and monitoring we aim in the short term to:
• Maintain any features of protected areas that we manage in favourable condition
• Reduce the damaging impacts (grazing and trampling) on vegetation of browsing animals
• Observe and record responses in vegetation condition as a result of changes in management

Our longer term aims (beyond the next five years) are to:

• Encourage more natural processes,
• Improve the condition of habitats, species diversity and natural altitudinal gradients, from sea or glen to summit (e.g. natural tree lines),
• Expand and improve the quality of native woodlands,
• Gather data to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach to others

We hope that the land management strategy being pursued will lead to an improvement in the quality of habitats over time, despite any potential detrimental effects caused by climate change. "

What can you do for biodiversity?
Lots! One way to encourage biodiversity is to grow trees and plants which are native to your area and which will be the ones most likely to provide the best food and shelter for native animals rather than rushing off to buy anything labeled "butterfly home" or "food for native birds".

You can also get involved in recording the wildlife you see, to help keep a track of how things might be changing. For example the Woodland Trust Natures Calendar, or the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden Bird Survey .

Many communities are already taking steps that make a difference from growing food more locally in Knoydart to growing trees on Eigg, North Harris and on Skye.

It would be great to hear about anything you are doing to support biodiversity.

Community Garden takes off in Knoydart

Cuba, faced with a food crisis as a result of blockades, turned inward to self-reliance. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control all became part of the new Cuban agriculture . In some cities, up to 80% of the food requirements are grown within the confines of the city through organic production from community plots. On a smaller scale communities around Scotland are looking to more sustainable food practices.
In this guest blog, Gwen Barrell, the Project Officer for Knoydart's Powerdown project reports on plans for their their Community Garden project funded throug the Climate Challenge Fund.





The costs of bringing fresh food into the area is expensive both in terms of haulage costs and “food miles”. The project will enable the community to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved in the reduction of food transport miles.

The funding will be used to employ a community gardener for a year to work with local residents to create a community garden on the site of the former market garden, and to provide training and advice in growing produce.

Sam Gardener has been appointed as the community gardener and is looking forward to the challenges and rewards ahead. “I am excited about the prospect of bringing this area of land back into use for community benefit.”

Deer fencing, tools, equipment, seeds and training events will also be covered from the grant. Twelve community members have already signed up to have their own little veg patch with the community garden and many others are keen to come and help out with communal tasks.




One of our ideas is to have a carbon neutral community Burns Supper in 2011. We’ll grow all our own neeps and tatties in the garden this year.

“It’s crazy to be importing fruit and vegetables when we could grow them closer to home,” said Aaran Watson, Community Director of Knoydart Foundation and local school teacher. “As an Eco School we will also be interested in joining in with the project and learning more about gardening.”

In order to reduce our carbon footprint even further, the funding will also enable the community to pilot an electric quad bike and trailer for moving things like compost and vegetables around. As Knoydart already has its own renewable electricity the quad bike will be recharged on green electricity.

A few volunteer events have already been held in the garden, to clear rubbish, remove old fencing, and repair a polytunnel. Community members have attended three volunteer sessions, and we benefited over the Easter holidays from John Muir Trust volunteers who cleared a stretch of fencing from debris, enabling trees to be pruned and new ones planted to create a windbreak.

This week, potatoes, herbs, onions and a variety of green vegetables and herbs have been planted out of doors, under cloches and within the polytunnel. Compost bins have been arriving on the ferry, and gardeners have been eying up the horse manure from the Foundation’s stalking ponies!

There will be a few opportunities for others to find out what’s going on – we hope to have a presence at the Road to the Isles Agricultural Show on 12th June, there is a guided walk taking in the Knoydart Community Garden on 28th July and there is a fantastic Crafts and Produce Day being planned for Saturday 28th August.

Knoydart Foundation’s Community Powerdown Project is working within the community on a range of initiatives to reduce carbon emissions – as well as the garden and electric quad project, we have a number of other initiatives “in the pipeline” and other events coming up, which we will report on shortly. More info: gwen@knoydart.org www.knoydart-foundation.com

Within the UK it has been estimated that we import more than 90% of our fruit and 38% of our vegetables and that food accounts for around 19% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions - though most of the emisssions come from use of chemicals rather than 'food miles'.

Would growing more locally make a difference? Do you have examples of what might work or is working in your area?

Sparking a debate about transport

As air transport grinds to a halt over the UK today, following volcanic activity in Iceland, my thoughts turned to a recent link sent by Stevan Lockhart, project officer for Assynt Renewables. One of the challenges they face there, along with other rural communities, is that of transport on the ground.

In rural and remote areas public transport on its own is rarely a realistic option. I know. I have tried to get to various places and usually it has required a car for part of the journey - either lift sharing or taking - and then leaving a car somewhere en route. Otherwise it would take me two days to get to most John Muir Trust properties.

Transport as a sector accounts for over a quarter of the total energy consumed in Scotland. Approximately 99% of the energy consumed in the transport sector comes directly from oil-based fuels, such as petrol and diesel, with the remaining 1% from electricity. As Stevan points out in his article, there were battery powered buses operating in Brazil in 1883! Yet, progress on this front has been very slow.

It would seem the huge stake that the oil industry has in the continued use of fossil fuels provides part of the explanation along with the stake that the current car industry has in the status quo. Interesting to note that the main manufacturers of electric cars today are new companies rather than traditional car manufacturing companies.

The big question is can the alternatives deliver for rural areas?

The range that electric cars can cover before needing to be recharged is probably the key limiting factor for rural areas alongside the cost. They are fine for small islands like Eigg who have an electric bus or places like Knoydart where they are piloting an electric quad bike and trailer for their community garden project but not for long distances.

Hydrogen fuel cells also have some way to go - cost again being a major factor - though work is under way on the Western Isles.

Bio-fuel can be problematic as it is not efficient to use land this way - though as a previous article from North Harris Trust showed, waste vegetable oil can provide a solution on a small local scale.

The Scottish Government's recently released Low Carbon Plan proposes that there are key opportunities to improve Scotland's transport infrastructure, including vehicle charging points, planning in favour of public transport and increased choice of public transport options. All solutions that target urban areas more effectively, yet 95% of Scotland's land mass is rural with some 18% of the population living in rural areas.

Meantime, as they argue in the plan, changing patterns of travel, including reducing travel will be needed. Easier said than done in rural communities so, perhaps as a minimum, we can follow the Energy Savings Trust top 10 ten tips to smarter driving.

Alternatively, a liftshare scheme may work. Comrie in rural Perthshire has established a liftshare scheme exclusively for the local community. This makes it more likely people will take part and share transport. You don't need to own a car to take part.

Do you have thoughts or experiences to share of moving towards a lower carbon transport system in rural areas?

The challenge of heating our homes

I listened to David Mackenzie, who chairs the microrenewables working group, speak the other day about the challenges faced by the Scottish Government in trying to meet the targets set of generating 11% of heat from renewable sources by 2020.

Renewable Heat is simply heat (rather than electricity) produced from renewable sources such as biomass( usually wood), ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, water source heat pumps, solar heating, wind to heat, geothermal, heat from waste biomass, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas.

Domestic use accounts for around fifty percent of the total heat energy required in Scotland. In order for Scotland to meet its renewable heat targets there need to be around 25,000 households adopting renewable heat per annum between now and 2020. Only 1000 households installed renewable heat into their homes last year. So that leaves something of a gap....

One of the barriers emerging - surprise, surprise is accreditation.

The current system requires that you use an accredited installer, if you are to receive a grant or be able to tap into the renewable heat incentives when they come on stream next year. Seems reasonable. Quality control for public money. However, like the accreditation scheme for insulation, the demands of the scheme operated from London are such that it is an expensive affair to become accredited.

We have been investigating putting in a log boiler into the properties on Skye held by the Trust. One person I spoke to serving the islands reckoned that it had cost him around £20,000 to become accredited, between the the cost of the training itself, the days of lost work and travel etc. So, it is little surprise that when it comes to installing, those who are accredited need to recoup their costs.

Not surprisngly there is a dearth of accredited installers and yet most of the skills required are basic plumbing skills. A survey by the Energy Savings Trust found that 90% of those surveyed go to a local plumnber when they required work done. Imagine the difference if most local plumbers were accredited. Not only is the work kept local but the local skill set is enhanced and best of all the knowledge and enthusiasim for alternative systems is locally available. I would be much more likely to think about a system recommended by a local tradesperson I trust rather than a stranger. As a result of this accredited process, installers charge considerably more to install renewable heat plant than those who are not accredited so any grant from the government is effectively ‘lost’ as it costs more than the grant available to use an accredited installers – thus adding to the barriers.

The solution seems straight forward. Find a way to accredit our local plumbers. Not so hard as it may seem as, according to Mr Mackenzie, the standards set in Scotland for training our plumbers are high and surpass much of the standards set through the London based MCS(Microgeneration Certification Scheme). Renewable heat is a devolved matter so this can be tackled in Scotland.

The picture of the log stove is taken from the website 'Biomass - all you need to know' with permission from the from Woodfuel Wales

Insulation makes an instant difference

With the winter conditions returning again - those in poorly insulated properties will have been reminded of the impact of heat loss.

In the last blog I spoke of finally sorting out the insulation problem for a property on Skye.

These infra-red pictures show what the property looked like before any insulation was put in. We have still to take the 'after' pictures. The more white/yellow the pictures have in them - the more heat that is being leaked. You can see this is a very leaky place - with the walls even worse than the loft!

I've asked Drew - who lives in the property and fitted the insulation - to describe his experience of doing this.

"One of the problems with older houses, especially stone-built houses, is their failure to conform to modern standards of efficiency. In a quest to improve this we are currently engaged in a number of improvements which should see us warm and cosy through next winter as well as costing us much less and reducing our carbon footprint considerably.

The first and easiest task took us to the roof space to improve the loft insulation. The old loft insulation was very threadbare and rather patchy, indeed, there were some parts of the loft with no cover at all. What existing insulation there was consisted of ancient rockwool type which was beginning to de-nature and was nowhere deeper than 50mm. This was covered with a layer of dust and vermin droppings.

The loose fibres and dust make a good quality respirator essential. Other essentials for putting new loft insulation in an old house: a pair of big, sharp scissors, overalls and illumination (I found a head torch to be the most useful). A few boards are also very useful and knee pads make the job much more comfortable. If you don’t like cobwebs in your hair, wear a hat!

Tip of the day – put a large dust sheet under your ladder – the amount of mess which falls from the hatch is remarkable!

When installing, apart from it being a pretty unpleasant job, there are very few pitfalls. The two main things to watch out for are the electrics and airflow.

To make sure your electrics stay safe all cables must be put on top of the insulation and that you must cut around light fittings to allow any heat to escape. If the cable is too tight to get the roll of insulation under simply cut the roll at the cable and start rolling out again.

Airflow is critical in an older house so that you don’t get a build up of moisture. Make sure your insulation roll end does NOT butt up to the roof. Always leave a gap to allow air from the walls to circulate. If you don’t, extreme cases can lead to dry rot.

It’s not complicated, even if it is hard on the knees and it makes an instant difference to your comfort levels and fuel bills. Insulate your loft today, there are a number of grant schemes running and some very good offers at the major DIY stores."

DIY is not for everyone. For many older people ( over 70) it is free to get insulation put in through the Energy Savings Trust check first though and call 0800 512 012. Communities who organise to have insulation installed across an area can usually get a better deal. Energy conservation is the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint so save yourself some money and make your heat go further if you have not already done so.

insulation, insulation, insulation

You may recall me moaning about the trials and tribulations of trying to source insulation for two properties on Skye.

Well the journey continued and this included the tenant of one the properties getting an energy audit done through the Energy Savings Trust.

The recommendation from them was that it was cheaper to do it yourself.

Before deciding whether to go down the DIY route or get someone in - I checked out a suggestion from North Harris to contact the company that worked alongside TEAS the Energy Advisory Service for the Western Isles.

Last year the Scottish Government announced a Home Insulation Scheme where 10 areas across Scotland were to be targetted for improving insulation for householders in a focused way. The Western Isles was one of the designated pilot areas. A tendering process then got underway and contractors were appointed. What used to be a local set up with a Stornaway based company working closely with TEAS had changed:

The company appointed comes from Sheffield. Yes that place that is a quick hop, skip and a jump to the Western Isles. Essentially the bar is set so high for insulation contracts that only the big boys get to play. To be in the frame at all you need to be accredited. This effectively makes it impossible for a small company to compete as we are talking thousands of pounds to achieve this. What is lost in the process is the local knowledge and willingness to work on the more difficult properties.

The evidence is clear that the big insulation companies go for the easy fix properties: I attended a meeting of three communities in Perthshire of Comrie, Letham and Alyth who have been down this route working from a bottom up rather than top down basis. They tried desperately to appoint local contractors and are now picking up the peices from being forced into using one of the big boys. The big companies motive is profit so they look for the quick returns. Smaller companies look for profit too but when they are local so the imperative to do a good job is stronger and the willingness to be flexible is greater as it is their long-term livilihood at stake. There is a suggestion that this message may be starting to percolate in government quarters. The second round will soon be underway for the Home Insulation Scheme. Will they have listened? Who knows.

Meantime - the choice for insulating properties on Skye was either to get a company from Sheffield in to do the work or do it ourselves. We opted for the latter and bought insulating material from a local company on Skye.

More of this in the next blog.

FIT like

I attended training recently run by Community Energy Scotland (see document library then presentations) looking at how communities can generate revenue from renewable energy sources.

It can be a fraught area and sometimes divisive for communities as well as requiring a lot of time, energy and money. Many communities in the highlands and islands have taken the gamble of going down this route as one way to sustain themselves into the future. They have pioneered approaches so that the ride is a little smoother for those that follow.

The recent announcement about the Feed In Tariffs (FITs) mean the incentives to install renewables for income generation are now much stronger. Essentially FITs will be introduced on 1st April 2010. They will provide financial rewards for people, communities and businesses to install electricity-generating technologies. These include solar photovoltaic, wind turbines, hydro power, anerobic digestion and small scale combined heat and power plants.

Such 'feed in' systems have been on the go on in various part so of the world for some time now and they have generally been seen as an effective way to increase the amount of energy coming from renewables.

Under this system there is a guarantee of a minimum payment for the electricity generated as well as the electricity exported to grid. Payment is guaranteed over at least a 20 year period for most technologies. So what is the catch?

There are a few things as some communities are finding out:

Forget refurbishing

Catrine Community Trust found to their cost in planning a hydro scheme for their conservation village that they would not gain any income if they used a refurbished generator - even though the efficiency difference is only 7%. So much for the the notion of reusing and recycling.....and I wonder what the embodied carbon is of a brand new machine...

Installed before July 2009 and over 50kw doesn't count
Some of the early pioneers are essentially penalised though the smaller schemes are OK. ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) may be an option if schemes had already registered for this but the flat rate is nowhere near as generous as FITs.

Accredited installers and products
You need to use accredited installers and products. Sounds fair enough, however there are not too many to be found in the remoter communities and inevitably costs are higher. The accreditation process for installers just now is a major financial commitment making it difficult for small local businesses to contemplate. This is apparently being looked at higher up the government tree.

Anything else?
Domestic installations which received a grant will still be eligible for FITs in Scotland. Non-domestic installations (charities, schools communities and other not-for-profit organisations) which received a grant under LCBP-2 after 15 July 2009, have the choice of either:

• retaining their grant and not being eligible for FITs;

• or repaying their grant and claiming FITs.

Those who received a LCBP-2 grant before 15th July cannot claim FITs. However, up to 31st march 2010 they may be able to apply to Ofgem for a ROC, to qualify for the lower tariff of 9p/kWh, as well as the 3p/kWh export tariff.

For many householders there is still the issue of raising the capital. Though interest free loans are available it is a thought in these days of financial uncertainty to commit to any sort of debt.

At the end of the day we still also have to look to reducing our energy use through conservation measures and energy efficiency measures. Still the cheapest way to line your pocket. Meanwhile for communities - many will strive to find a way forward that will unite rather than divide them and it is my hope at least that there is a way of harnessing energy - without costing the earth.

Community Woodlands: Sustaining heating; sustaining rural communities

With some 50% of the carbon emissions in the UK coming from heating - a move to a more renewable source makes sense - so it is encouraging news that the Forestry Commission have just announced that the threshold costs for planting trees has been increased from £250,000 to £750,000. But who will gain from this?

I listened to a presentation in my own community the other night about the benefits of 'biomass' or 'wood fuel' for heating energy. They were compelling and it struck me that above all other forms of renewable energy this is a sustainable one for rural communities IF the trees that are felled are replaced and IF there is some control over where felled trees end up. So that would point to communities owning woodland or being in partnership with other landowners. The danger if they do not do this is that large tracts of forest will be grown with a single objective in mind - as we have seen in the past - but more importantly the wood may not remain local.

As the Government moves towards meeting it ambitious Climate Change targets it is likely to move towards large scale wood fuelled biomass power plants. Look around the coast of Britain and you will find planning permission is being sought for such developments across the land. Already EON have a plant - Stevens Croft up and running in Lockerbie. Once commissioned, the energy providers will have the buying power that makes it attractive for landowners to trade directly with them unless the raison d'etre is more than the profit motive. So all the money going into reafforestation just now may be of scant benefit to rural communities. There will be little say in the kind of planting that happens or the destination of any produce. Yet wood can really help to keep the pound local and increase the viability of rural communities if what is grown locally stays locally.

Discussions with residents in Skye recently have emphasised that many people want to see more woodlands that meet diverse objectives including biodiversity, recreational aims and employment as well as wood fuel. Judicious planting can result in an enhanced landscape and a valuable resource for all. It seems ironic then that the one body in Scotland - Community Woodlands Association - that supports community woodlands faces a funding crisis. Beyond the summer, due the current financial climate, the ability of CWA to provide current levels of support to community woodland groups is in doubt. One of their members has put together a really inspiring video Wha's Like Us? This inspirational poem, written and perfomed by Eoin Cox reflects on the cultural contribution of community woodlands across Scotland.

Abriachan Community Trust exemplify what is possible when communities invest in woodland. In 1998 the community purchased 534 hectares of forest and open hill ground from Forest Enterprise(Now Forestry Commission Scotland). Since then, as a social enterprise, the Abriachan Forest Trust has managed this land to create local employment, improve the environment and encourage it's enjoyment by the public through a network of spectacular paths, family suited mountain bike trails and innovative education opportunities. Thanks to their continuous cover thinning, they also have seasoned firewood available and are planting for the future. The firewood operation raises funds to sustain other activities.

Rural communities have a golden opportunity now to build a sustainable energy source for the future that can also enhance the landscape, increase biodiversity, increase recreational options as well as provide local employment - if they gain some control of land or work in partnership with sympathetic landowners.

The big green challenge - small is beautiful

Congratulations to the Isle of Eigg who have jointly won the NESTA Big Green Challenge along with two other community groups from other parts of the UK. Evidence that small is beautiful. They now have £300,000 to further their endeavours and spread the word.

Those who attended the event we held at Sconser over a year ago were inspired by the commitment and down to earth approach of the community of Eigg. We heard about how they have moved to almost 100% renewable energy - and of how the whole island had agreed to a cap of 5 kw per household. Step over it and you have a reconnection fee to pay. In addition Householders’ lives have been transformed through insulation projects, lift sharing has increased massively and other measures taken to cut the amount of fossil fuels shipped onto the island.

Often I hear people say - but they are an island - it is easier to do - they are a small set up. However, what is most inspiring I think about what they have done is to engage with everyone on the island and far beyond. Their ' islands going green' project has inspired thousands beyond the island to take action - including the John Muir Trust. At a recent gathering of John Muir Trust staff we looked amongst other things at what Eigg had done and their simple approach was used to prompt discussion which is following through into action - more of which will be reported later. The key seems to be that by working at a 'human scale' and having fun on the way, it is easier to get buy in.

Small can indeed be beautiful though not without its difficulties. Communities are often subjected to the same rigorous processes as large companies as various communities have experienced. This means a lot of time and effort can go into getting something off the ground and sometime to no avail. It is disappointing for North Harris to have concluded after their long and diligent work that the wind turbines they have both secured permission and funding for will not be viable because of the weather conditions -ironically too much wind hampers production as well as too little.

Meantime the large scale developments look set to proceed with Muaitheahal Wind Farm in South Lewis being approved as well as the Beauly Denny line. It is interesting to note that Schumacher's well known book - 'Small is Beautiful' - is subtitled 'The Study Of Economics As If People Mattered'. Now that would be a novel approach to development. Time will tell if the Eigg approach or the big company approach is the better for us all. I know where my betting would lie.