Community groups from across Fife were thrilled to receive an early Christmas present this year as over £25,000 was distributed across the region for climate action projects and events.

Community Climate Grants are a collaboration of two funds being offered by Fife Climate Hub and Climate Action Fife. A total of £27,500 was made available. £7,500 from the Small Grants Fund and £20,000 from the Seed and Development Grants. A total of 31 projects can now be delivered by 25 community groups as a result of the funding which launched in September.

“We were thrilled to receive applications from so many and such a variety of community groups from across Fife. It means a lot to us that people can feel empowered to take action on the climate crisis in ways that meets the needs of their communities and is within their reach.”

“It’s also great that we are now able to see the Fife Climate Festival coming together with the number of groups that applied to hold events during the festivals debut from February 25 to March 3 2024,” said Fife Climate Hub Manager Craig Leitch.

Two distinct grants were available. The Small Grants Fund of up to £500 for climate-related events in the community and the Seed and Development Grant offered up to £1,000 for climate-related activities and projects. Together they made up the Community Climate Grants, which went on offer in October 2023.

The resulting funds which were put into the community groups bank accounts this month means groups such as the Bats Wood Project in Levenmouth can forge ahead with plans to create living willow sculptures of wolves and an associated video called “Becoming Wolves in Bat’s Wood”. The sculptures will be a habitat for wildlife and will allow the Levenmouth Academy project to manage deer without the use of plastic.

Pauline Latto and Donald Grieve from Fife Curnie Clubs, a Fife Alcohol and Support Service (FASS) project are over the moon that they will be able to support people who are socially isolated. They plan to bring people together in their community growing veg and plants at the garden at Bennochy Community Hub in Kirkcaldy.

Upon receiving their grant Mr Grieve said: “You have made an old man very happy. My staff have been talking about saving the planet a little at a time. Thank you for this.”

“Pauline Latto is the member of staff who will be working on this for us, she is presently doing cartwheels down Leven High Street! Pauline is our biggest eco warrior. She has been responsible for our shift to sustainable futures for us all. It also fits with our core activities and will enhance them. This is a small grant but that can go a long way, we are all really interested in the outcomes from this and of course having a hand in making it work.” he added.

Gail Miller at Friends of Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline said: “Thanks for the good news, it was a good start to my day. I’m looking forward to acting on the project.” The Friends have two projects which will benefit from the funds: A book box, or free library box, in the park for everyone to use and recycle books keeping them out landfill. They hope this will promote discussion on re-using existing books and the climate. And the activity is raising plants in their greenhouse to distribute to the local foodbank to promote wellbeing and clean air.

Burntisland Community Development Trust received money to pilot upcycling and upskilling workshops. The series of six workshops led by local people sharing their skills in sewing and repairing clothes, making jewellery, reusing fabric to make things like rag rugs and bags, propagating plants and even electrical repairs and PAT testing.

Applicants for the Small Grants funding were encouraged to hold events during next year’s Fife Climate Festival which will run in communities across the Fife from 24th February to 3rd March 2024. Forgan Arts Centre, a member of Fife Climate Hub’s network, FCCAN, will use their funding to hold Climate Action Workshops and Climate Conversations during the festival.

Funded groups

Here is a list of all the groups that received a Community Climate Grant:

All of the projects will be delivered by 3rd March 2024. Find out more about Community Climate Grants.

The UN’s climate conference, COP28, is happening in the United Arab Emirates. Here’s a quick update:

Good News

The conference started well. On day one, they sorted out the agenda, so there will be no fights over what can and can’t be discussed during the summit. They’ve also begun work on the global stock take, and we can expect a draft text soon.

A few hours after the opening ceremony, COP agreed and acted on the loss and damage fund. This fund, decided at COP27, faced tough negotiations recently.

On day one, countries started making financial pledges. The United Arab Emirates, the host nation, led with $100 million. Other big economies followed. This shows that rich countries agree to help poorer ones deal with climate impacts.

What’s Next?

In the coming days, there will be long discussions about small details. Decisions in a Climate Summit need everyone to agree, making it seem slow. But it also means everyone is committed to the decisions made.

The Climate Summit is crucial. It’s where all countries decide how to handle the climate emergency together. Without it, every country would act alone.

Environmental Impact

You might wonder about the carbon footprint of the summit itself. The carbon cost is much less compared to the potential impact of COP in reducing carbon emissions. The carbon cost of the COP26 summit in Glasgow was out-stripped 72,200 times by the prize of the carbon that global agreements at COP can cut.

Resources

Carbon footprint of a COP © Sustainability Unlocked

If you want to learn more about UN climate summits, check out this helpful infographic by Sustainability Unlocked, an online learning platform.

Ea O Neill, Community Engagement Team Manager, Greener Kirkcaldy

Climate Action Fife offers free Fife ClimateKnowhow training to help build understanding of the climate emergency.

Our Fife specific Climate Knowhow course will tell you all you need to know to confidently discuss the climate emergency and describe the actions we can all take to tackle it. We will look at the science, causes and impacts; and consider how climate change is impacting us in Fife. We will discuss individual and community climate action, as well as consider how to challenge the climate silence.

At the end of our course, you will have an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.

Our course meets the Carbon Literacy Project Standard, meaning that participants can gain Carbon Literate accreditation and will received a certificate on completion of a short assessment.

Our course is delivered online across four 2 hour modules:

● Thursday 17th February – Module 1 – Climate Science & Justice

● Thursday 24th February – Module 2 – Causes & Impacts

● Thursday 3rd March – Module 3 – Adaptation & Action

● Thursday 10th March – Module 4 – Communicating Climate Change

All 6:30pm -8:30pm & delivered online via Zoom. It is recommended that you attend all four modules.

Booking Information

The event is free but booking is required as spaces are limited.

The event will take place online via Zoom. A joining link will be sent out the day before the first module.

If you have any problems booking, or any questions, please phone 01592 858458 or email info@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk.uk

Our course meets the Carbon Literacy Project Standard, meaning that participants can gain Carbon Literate accreditation and will received a certificate on completion of a short assessment.

Our course is delivered online across four 2 hour modules:

● Thursday 11th November – Module 1 – Climate Science & Justice

● Thursday 18th November – Module 2 – Causes & Impacts

● Thursday 25th November – Module 3 – Adaptation & Action

● Thursday 2nd December – Module 4 – Communicating Climate Change

All 6:30pm -8:30pm & delivered online via Zoom.

Booking Information

The event is free but booking is required as spaces are limited. It is recommended that you attend all four modules.

If you have any problems booking, or any questions, please phone 01592 858458 or email info@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk.uk

Climate FRESK is a participatory and creative workshop that aims to raise awareness and understanding about climate change.

Based on the IPCC report, it explains the climate functioning and the consequences of its disruption. It gives the opportunity to learn a lot in a very short period of time and is for both novices and experts.

How the workshop works:

The workshop is based on a 42-card game. Each card represents a cause or a consequence of climate change.

As a team, guided by your facilitator, you are to find the cause-effect relationship between the different components of climate change. Collective intelligence will get you from one deck of card to the next!

This step-by-step reconstruction provides keys to understand the complexity and develop an overview of climate change.

The workshop is organised by Bat’s Wood, Growing Space & Bike Track (SCIO) Bat’s Wood is dedicated to the sustainable, environmental improvement of 5 acres of land behind Levenmouth Academy. They have planted many trees there already with the land owner’s permission and intend to plant more this year.

Join us for a fun, free and informative workshop that will help you understand climate change.

You will work as a team to find relationships between 42 climate cards. Each card represents a cause or effect of climate change. Together you will link the cards to build a collage that explains climate change. Collective intelligence and collaboration will get you to a solution!

This step-by-step, cooperative activity will help you work through the complexity of climate change. You will also get to be creating by decorating and naming your finished collage.

Climate Fresk is perfect for those who know that climate change is important, but feel that they would like to understand it more. There is no need for any previous climate knowledge; the workshop is a learning experience.

Climate Fresk is a French-based NGO with the aim to make climate science more accessible. More than 350,000 people have played worldwide.

You can read about a previous Climate Fresk workshop we delivered here.

Booking information

This workshop is free to attend, but spaces are limited so booking is required.

If you have any problems booking or any questions, please phone 01592 858458 or email info@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk

Accessibility

There are accessible parking bays available outside 8 East Fergus Place. We have a ramp into the building and level access throughout. There is also an accessible toilet.

This event is planned to take place in a room that is situated up a flight of stairs with no lift access. We can arrange to move the event to a more accessible location if required. Please do not hesitate to book on and state that you need level access to attend the event when you get to the special requirements section of the booking form.

If you have any other accessibility questions please phone 01592 858458 or email info@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk.

Last month we ran a Staycation Lounge event as part of Green Week at the University of St Andrews. We spent the day chatting to students about the climate impact of their holiday choices.

Staycation Lounge

Our stall was outside the student union. We popped on our pilot hats, pumped up the inflatable plane and set up our model train. We had three games to get the conversation flying.

A feely-bag game got students thinking about what they enjoy about holidays. Are you a sun worshipper? Do you go for a luxury hotel or sleeping under the stars? Are you in search of new culinary experiences or do you pack the marmite in the suitcase?
A where-in-the-world activity tested participant’s knowledge of world travel and explained the carbon impact of different routes. Players had to match pin landmarks to a map and guess the price of the trip. Finally, they had to estimate the carbon footprint of the trip, compared to a familiar activity. For example, a return flight to Hong Kong produces more CO2 than the average person’s annual car mileage.
A guessing game that compares the cost, time and carbon cost of journey by train, car and plane from Glasgow to London. This game allows for direct comparison between the different modes of transport and also makes people think about the realities of each journey.

Take Off

We had many interesting conversations. We discussed the high cost of train travel, the need to fly to see loved ones or to get home and the realities of carbon offsetting. Everyone we spoke to knew that flying was bad for the environment but they found it difficult to make the greener choice because flying is so easy and affordable. They also recognised the opportunities and experiences that flying gave them access to. Many were surprised to find out that we do not pay tax on jet fuel.

The students were keen to make more climate-friendly choices, but found that high cost of overground transport was a major barrier. It was inspiring to hear the passion of the students and that so many were already making sustainable choices in many areas of their lives.

Landing

After taking part in our activities, we asked people if they were willing to make a Staycation Lounge pledge. This is what they said:

“Make better use of local holidays aka camping.”
“Continue to cycle everywhere I can and to take the train and bus to all seminars and conferences.”
“Reduce my footprint where possible and support local rewilding as a “better” solution to offsetting.”
“Reduce my carbon footprint.”
“I pledge to replace a holiday to Sydney Opera House with a staycation to the Glasgow Armadillo!”

Thank you to University of St Andrews Student Association and to Climate Action Fife partner Transition University of St Andrews for help in organising and delivering this event.

For more information about why we should fly less, visit Flight Free UK.

Craig Leitch, Senior Development Worker, Greener Kirkcaldy

The Big Green Dream Holiday competition was designed by our Young People’s Climate Action Team for their peers.

This was to give young people a voice in the climate change conversation. Our project, Climate Action Fife, brings together individuals, communities, local government and businesses to tackle the climate emergency and make Fife a greener and fairer place to live. It is a Fife-wide partnership project between Greener Kirkcaldy, Fife Council, Fife College and Fife Communities Climate Action Network.

Clearly our competition reached beyond county lines, which we are delighted about!

Winners!

Winner: Musab Waheed, Glasgow

Runner Up: Oliver Northin, Kincardine

Congratulations to you both!

Why Musab won

Cycling on Holiday

In his winning entry, Musab shared his dream climate and environmentally friendly holiday. We loved his eco-friendly travel choices. Also, we thought his idea to support local tourism on Skye was fantastic. We also loved the activities that he chose, such as paddle boarding and tree planting. If everyone planted a tree on their holidays, we would have beautiful woodland all over Scotland! Our Active Travel Officer also liked a benefits of cycling infographic that Musab found online and shared with us in his entry.

“I will go hiking and plant a tree at the top. I will explore the community on a bike and have a picnic in the park. At the beach, I will go paddle boarding because it is a great way to travel the water. Lastly, I will go litter picking in the local area.”

Why Oliver won runner up

We loved Oliver’s eco-friendly travel choices and his idea to have an adventure in South Africa. His amazing commitment to eco-travel to take a ship would be an epic voyage. Here’s hoping that he will pack some sea-sickness pills! We would love to see all the amazing African wildlife, and we loved that he also wanted to protect them. We also liked Oliver’s thought that we need to keep a beautiful world for future generations.

“On holiday I will help the rangers protect the animals. I will also do some hiking in the jungle, Savanah and will finally I will climb some of the biggest mountains in Africa”

Fife College is a partner in the Climate Action Fife project. In this blog the team share how their activities are becoming greener.

Becoming Sustainable

Here at Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA) we have spent the last few years constantly working towards fully sustainable working practices. We have been paper-free since 2019 and all essential documents are provided online, for staff members and students. We have been meeting virtually since before the pandemic began to cut down on unnecessary travel between Fife College campuses, and when we do have to travel between campuses, we use the College’s fleet of electric cars. Since we returned the FCSA has continued with a hybrid delivery of events and meetings to stay on track with our sustainability goals.

The FCSA uniforms are ethically sourced and made from sustainable and recycled materials as are any prizes or promotional items offered during FCSA events.

Events and campaigns

We frequently share and get involved in sustainability events and advice via social media and collaborate with student groups across the country, working closely with City of Glasgow Colleges Down to Earth Society. Over the past year, this has been the most effective way to raise awareness of our sustainability practices.

Our team got involved with Second-hand September, which is a month to encourage everyone to make more sustainable clothing choices and shop second-hand. We continue to share tips and tricks on social media and in our student channels throughout the year, corresponding with various social media themed days and the FCSA’s own themed calendar. For example, the March Minimalism challenge, which promotes owning less “stuff”.

Bike scheme

In 2020 we acquired funding from the Energy Savings Trust to purchase 8 electric bikes, which has since been doubled by the College. A fleet of 16 e-bikes have just launched and are available for staff and students to rent as part of our “On Yer Bike” scheme. This scheme is to encourage staff students to make a more environmentally conscious choice and cycle to work/College. The aim is to make Active Travel feel achievable and exciting and make it the preferred choice for travel. All 16 have been rented out within the first week with a healthy waiting list.

Working with others

We frequently work collaboratively with other organisations and Student’s Associations on green projects and discussions about sustainability. Last year we attended the Good Food Nation Bill discussions with Climate Action Fife and other local organisations and participated in Climate Action Fife forum discussions. Since then we have been collaborating with the College catering and Aramark to address food wastage within the College. We are implementing a “Too Good to Go” scheme which will reduce the amount of food wasted by the College on a day-to-day basis.

The FCSA runs the Green Club, a student society about sustainability and making choices that have a positive impact on our planet. The Green Club has its own Facebook page where we share sustainability advice a lot more frequently, and a channel on our Digital Office in Teams where students can open up discussions about sustainability.

Sustainability continues to be a priority for the FCSA and we are taking the necessary measures to ensure we are acting as sustainably as we possibly can in every area of the College. Follow along for more updates from the FCSA and hear all about their new community action club.

Blog by the FCSA team – Find out more

Pat Crosbie, Vice Chair of Greener Kirkcaldy, explains why the Big Five For Fife is a great starting point for a greener 2022.

Each year I try to make a ‘green’ new year resolution which will hopefully mean I will reduce my carbon footprint. This year I intend to extend the pledges I took for ‘The Big Five for Fife’ which I signed up for in Oct 2021. I also hope to adapt one of the pledges to suit my lifestyle.

The Big Five for Fife are high impact actions that help tackle the climate emergency. If everyone in Fife pledged to make one of these simple behaviour changes, together we could save a huge amount of carbon. The idea is that you pick the one(s) that are acheivable or most appeal to you and pledge to make the change part of your regular routine. Or perhaps you want to push yourself and pledge to the change that would be the most significant, and therefore most challenging, for you! If your are not sure how to get started, take a look at the pledge page for each action to find out how to get going.

Pledge 1 – I will reduce my energy usage.

Pat’s Pledge: I have turned down the central heating thermostat by 0.5 degree and will turn it down a further 0.5 degree by the end of January. I will also adjust the timing so it goes off 15 minute earlier and, if possible, another 15 minutes earlier in February.

Pledge 2 – I will cook plant-based for 2 meals a week.

Pat’s Pledge: I previosuly signed up to cook two plant-base meals a week , which I now do. In 2022 I plan to extend this pledge to eating only plant-based food two days a week. This will mean oat milk on my breakfast porridge and replacing my lunch time cheese sandwich with a plant-based alternative. I will also have to make sure any additional snacks and treats are plant-based.

Pledge 3- I will cycle for one regular local journey each week.

Pat’s Pledge: One of the original Big Five Fife pledges was to cycle for one local journey per week. I did not take this pledge because I do not cycle but in 2022, I intend to walk for at least one local journey I take in a week and use public transport if the weather is bad, or I do not have time to walk.

Pledge 4 – I will avoid buying new clothes for three months.

Pat’s Pledge: Having completed this pledge over the last three months of 2021, I have decided to extend my pledge for another three months. I have plenty of clothes in my wardrobe that I can wear for the rest of the winter. I am also sure I have sufficient clothes to wear when the weather turns warmer and spring like.

Pledge 5 – I will join a local group taking climate action.

Pat’s Pledge: I will continue in my role on the board of Greener Kirkcaldy and continue to encourage my community to take action themselves. There are plenty of organisations out there taking action, why not find one near you?

Will you take the pledge?

Hopefully all these small changes will be achievable and sustainable throughout 2022 and they all add up! It is about making small changes at a time, but increasing them slightly (or adding a new one) each year.

Why not make your New Years resolution a Big Five Pledge? You dont have to do all of them, just what works for you. My advice is to not try to run before you can walk – start small and achievable and work your way up. And remember that behaviour change is difficult, so don’t give yourself too hard a time if you slip up.

If you would like some tips on making your new habit stick, read our blog here.