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.

GREEN ISLAND FEVER!

Here on the Isle of Eigg, we want to use what we've learnt along our carbon-busting journey to inspire and inform others. We've achieved loads, but our 'to-do' list continues to be added to as new ideas come along. One thing we have learnt is we're not alone; there are many communities across Scotland and beyond trying to do their bit to counteract the effects of climate change, live lighter on the planet and save cash as well as our collective futures.

Eigg is just one Green Island - but you don't need to be surrounded by water to be an island. Any small community of less than 100 folk can be a Green Island, working together to make a difference.

And why small, why less than 100? If you know who you're working with, recognise their face as well as their name, we think it's easier to achieve something together. So if you're an office, a class, a street, village or even a club of people who share an interest, you can all be Green Islands.

Whether you're trying to something small and simple, or complex and long term, by joining together and coming up with the simplest of plans, your community could be a Green Island too.

Please join us, and be listed on our website http://www.islandsgoinggreen.org/ as a Green Island. If you're already up and running, then tell us a bit about what you're up to at You Tell Us and we'll add your website to ours. If you're not sure where to begin, then we hope you find our simple Five Step Plan is a handy tool. Any questions - drop us a line!

Oh, and if you're wondering why RIP in the photo? It's Eigg Primary saying Rest in Peace to all the generators that USED to provide Eigg's electricity. Since the switch on of Eigg Electric in February 2008, our power has been courtesy of wind, sun and water. Peace, perfect peace and 24 hour power for the first time. Deep joy.

Eigg's Green Revolution

Eigg’s Green Revolution

Guest contribution from Jamie Grant (JMT Communcations Officer) who visited Eigg’s recent ‘Giant Footsteps’ festival.

Sue Hollands stands on the back step of her home sipping a cup of tea and waiting for a break in the rain to get back to work in her garden. Rain interruptions are part of her daily life on the Northern side of the island of Eigg. On stormy days she watches angry showers whip in off the Atlantic. Today the precipitation is almost imperceptible, a fine drizzle that hangs over the singing sands below her house like a grey curtain.

Islanders like Sue, a teacher at the school, are used to their lives being dictated to by the elements. A single standing stone offers the only sustained resistance to the wind on the high blown, treeless plateau in the centre of Eigg. Gales frequently stop the ferry from reaching the island and encourage a spirit of independence and resourcefulness in its people.

Their resilience has helped residents turn the very elements that so dominate island life to their advantage. Sue’s cup of tea was boiled with renewable energy generated on the island. In fact every household on Eigg is now hooked into an electricity grid that is powered by a mix of community owned hydro, solar and wind energy.

A year ago the island, which is too far from the mainland to be connected to the mains, celebrated the completion of a £1.7 Million electrification project to hook the ninety odd residents up with home - grown, green power. A 100kW hydro electric scheme is supported by four small wind generators and bank of solar electric cells. Power is distributed, via bank of powerful batteries, around the island in underground cables.

To control demand residents are restricted to a maximum of 5kW of energy in their homes at any one time. Sue has an energy monitor fixed above the sink in her kitchen where it gives a constant reading of her energy use. “I’m always on the look out for low energy appliances,” said Sue. “Last week I was thrilled to find an electric kettle that boils water with 1.5kW rather than 3kW.”

If Sue, or any other household on Eigg, exceeds the 5kW limit the electricity supply is automatically tripped and she has to pay a reconnection fee of £20. This only happened to Sue once, when she put the washing machine and the dishwasher on together. “It is a good incentive to think carefully about what we are switching on at home, and when,” adds Sue.

Energy efficiency is nothing new to Eigg residents. Before the electricity grid was installed householders depended on noisy diesel generators that produced less energy at a greater cost. “This has made a huge difference to us,” Sue says. “Electricity is now far cheaper and far more reliable.”

The key to constantly keeping the lights on using green energy from the West Coast’s fickle climate has been in using a mix of renewable technologies. The hydro scheme provides back up for the wind turbines on calm days, just as solar power makes up for the drop in rainfall over the summer months.

Community participation and ownership has also been critical to the projects success. Residents contributed over £200,000 to the project thought the Eigg Trust and dedicated an enormous amount of volunteer time and effort into its development. “This is our system - uniquely adapted to the islands scattered community - and it works,” Sue says proudly.

Eigg residents could be forgiven for sitting back and feeling rather smug about their green credentials. But their new energy supply has invigorated debate in the community about how even deeper cuts can be made in the island’s carbon dependence. The Eigg Trust is the only Scottish finalist for the NESTA lottery backed Big Green Challenge. Ideas for how to best invest the potential £1 million pounds of funding from the Challenge include solar panelling, wood fuel, electric cars and more local food production.

Which is where Sue’s organic gardening skills come in. Her immaculate beds spread out in a fan shape from her back step, each fertilised with seaweed collected from the shoreline. “I’m thinking of cutting back on work to dedicate more time to the croft,” she tells me. “We want to concentrate harder on providing food for the community and becoming more self sufficient in every aspect of our lives.”