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The green energy magazine for you
Issue 02 | Spring 2007 | www.scottishpower.co.uk/green
Wood for thought
Scotland’s innovative
seat of learning
A climate for
Natural order
change
MATTER OF TRUST
UPDATE ON TRUST PROJECTS
PAST AND PRESENT
It’s our future
Pupils start to shape
tomorrow’s world
Renewable energy makes
a practical difference
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth
to tour secondary schools
02 GREEN Spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 03
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ON TRUST PROJECTS
PAST AND PRESENT
MATTER OF TRUST UPDATE
CONTENTS
04
Appliance of science:
Education project on tour
06
Oscar winner on the road:
Film’s school premiere
08
TOMORROWS WORLD:
Pupils look to the future
COMMUNITY BENEFIT
Willie McGhee
At Borders Forest Trust
Green Energy Trust trustee
On all things green...
the truth is out there
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EDITORIAL
he past six months seems to have absolutely
flown past. It really doesn’t seem very long
ago that we were proudly unveiling our newlook green magazine.
The trust has been working very hard since then
and has awarded funding to 10 projects up and
down the country. And the hard work continues.
We carried out a survey
of applicants to the
trust and we’ve
listened to the
replies. So now
it is possible
to lodge an
application for a
Willie McGhee has been a trustee for two years.
He is a director of the Borders Forest Trust.
He said: “I was invited to become a trustee
because of my experience.
“My background is with the development of
community and social forestry in Scotland.
Alongside that I have been involved with, and
interested in, forms of renewable generation,
particularly biomass.”
For him, at least, it’s not a cliché to say he’s been
dealing with these issues from a grass roots point
of view. Having studied ecology and forestry
at Edinburgh
University, he
went on to start
an environmental
consultancy.
grant entirely online, which is a much more energy
efficient method.
We have also shared some fabulous successes
which have ranged from putting the latest
technology on to the roof of the country’s oldest
church to devising the most ecological way to heat
an outdoor swimming pool.
Outside the trust, ScottishPower has been hitting
the headlines for a variety of reasons, including
the fact that it is bringing the groundbreaking and
Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth to every
secondary school in Scotland.
We believe this will have a huge impact on
the next generation of energy consumers and,
consequently, on our impact on the environment.
That’s why this edition takes a closer look at the film.
We think it’s important as well as entertaining and
we would urge you to watch it.
See page 16 for
more information
on the work of
the Borders Forest
Trust and its related
projects.
featured
With very best wishes,
Angela Martin,
Secretary, ScottishPower’s Green Energy Trust.
Power from above:
Harnessing the heavens
16
Seat of learning:
Inside the Woodschool
featured
10
18
We can work it out:
Tips for a greener office
green is written and designed
for the Green Energy Trust by
The BIG Partnership, Scotland.
Opportunities to advertise in green are
available occasionally, subject to approval contact 0141 568 3492 or email
[email protected]
The Trust at a glance
What’s the Green Energy Trust?
Established in 1998, the independent charitable
trust supports the development of new
renewable energy sources in the UK, helping to
reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and combat
climate change.
Who decides where the money goes?
The trustees are:
What does it do?
It can provide up to 50 per cent of the project
cost, up to a maximum of £25,000.
– Energy Action Scotland
Which technologies does it support?
It supports projects that advance renewable
energy and support communities through
education and public engagement. Renewable
technologies supported so far include smallscale hydro, wind power, biomass, landfill gas,
solar energy and ground source heat pumps.
How does it do this?
Every year the trust generates an income of
around £150,000 with between £50,000 and
£60,000 available at each trustees’ meeting.
Apply online
Jim Skea
– UK Energy Research Centre
Christine Davis
Dr Robin Wallace
– Energy Systems Research Institute
Willie McGhee
– Borders Forest Trust
Alison McKean
– Head of Environment for ScottishPower
Martin Mathers
– Head of Community Relations for ScottishPower
Renewables
You can now make your application to
the Green Energy Trust online. The forms
and the guidelines are all available at
Mutual respect & support
The December trustees’ meeting was held at
Newton Dee in Aberdeen.
Newton Dee is a Camphill community which
provides a home and meaningful work along with
opportunities for personal development for adults
with learning disabilities and other special needs.
Angela Martin, Secretary of the ScottishPower
Green Energy Trust, said: “It was a fabulous and
inspiring place to hold our meeting. Newton
Dee sets such high standards for supportive
community living.”
The ethos of Newton Dee is that everyone
brings to the community different abilities, which
are used for the benefit of everyone.
The community is, therefore, bound together
by the support, which each individual gives and
receives. Every member of the community is
respected and appreciated as an individual.
In all, some 200 people live and work within the
community. Around half have special needs; the
others are mainly co-workers and their families.
Newton Dee’s home life is based around large
and small households ranging from four to 16
people. These houses offer supported living,
some within the context of an extended family.
In addition, there are apartments and bedsits for
independent living.
There are 20 households in the wooded grounds,
which extend to a total of 180 acres, of which 120
acres is dedicated to its biodynamic farm.
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green
It’s really straightforward, but if you
need any more help please phone 0141
568 3492 or email greenenergytrust@
scottishpower.com
Green Energy
0800 027 7776
0845 279 7070
Energy EFFICIENCY LINE
0800 33 22 33
0800 027 1002
The paper used in this newsletter is made from 75% recycled post-consumer waste.
The remaining 25% being virgin fibre and saw mill residues. It is totally chlorine free.
04 GREEN Spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 05
TOURING PROGRAMME
AT WORK... AND PLAY
Up and running
ScottishPower has announced a
new two-year sponsorship deal with
scottishathletics and the Scottish
Schools Athletics Association (SSAA).
Commonwealth hurdling hero Chris
Baillie, pictured right, welcomed the
deal and said: “Athletics is all about
having as much fun as possible
and being able to enjoy yourself,
especially when you’re young and
just starting out. It’s important to
remember that the only requirements
for kids to take part are a pair of trainers
and a passion for the sport – it’s how I
started out.”
Under the banner of Energising
Scotland’s Youth, ScottishPower,
scottishathletics and the SSAA have
already helped more than 7,000 kids to
take part in sporting events.
Converting the kids
The appliance of science
T
elevision scientist and kids’
favourite Dr Bunhead was
on hand as ScottishPower
announced its support for the
Edinburgh International Science
Festival’s touring education programme,
Generation Science.
Ann Loughrey, ScottishPower’s Head
of External Business and Community
Relations, pictured above helping Dr
Bunhead with one of his experiments,
said: “At ScottishPower, energy is
our business and we think it’s really
important to let absolutely everyone
know more about the science of
energy – where it comes from, how
to use it safely and how it can affect
the environment around them. This is
where Generation Science comes in.
“The workshops mean that young
minds – wherever they are in the
country – can enjoy exploring these
issues in a fantastically entertaining and
informative way. The shows capture
children’s interest and imagination,
intriguing and encouraging them to
understand science and its role in the
world.”
The programme of shows will be seen
by more than 62,000 children. These
include Dr Bunhead’s Revenge of
the Bogey, about the wonderful world
No place like dome
The entertaining and informative
CarbonNeutral North East Climate
Dome has been getting a warm
welcome but that’s the only kind of heat
the dome is intending to generate – it
has a message about global warming
and how to stop it.
With the help of ScottishPower and
DEFRA, the dome was developed to
help to change public attitudes across
the north east of England.
And, in only the first two months of
its tour, more than 1,500 people in
the north east have pledged to
reduce their carbon footprint,
vowing to save 338 tonnes in
carbon dioxide emissions.
Project manager Mike
Thomas said: “Visitors are
asked to fill out a pledge
card saying how they’ll
make small changes to
cut carbon emissions, such as not
leaving their TV on standby.”
of materials; Sorted, about recycling,
and Light Fantastic, about energy and
where it comes from.
Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander
caught one of the Dr Droplet water
pollution shows when it visited
Craigielea Primary in her constituency.
She said: “It gave an accessible and
entertaining insight into the world of
water. In Scotland we are lucky enough
to be able to take for granted the fact
that clean water is always available
and plentiful. But this show left us all
thinking about how that happens and
much more aware of pollution and the
environment.”
ScottishPower was celebrating a
trying year in North Wales after it
sponsored a rugby development
programme for the seventh time in
a row.
Through the Powering a New
Generation initiative, ScottishPower
helped fund centres of excellence
around north and mid-Wales to
assist promising new talent reach full
potential. It also supported a
series of events including
children’s summer camps,
major under 18s and under
16s games and a healthy
eating project.
Since ScottishPower first backed the
North Welsh Rugby Union in 1999,
Scotland’s feet
are just too big
thousands of children
around the country have taken
up rugby.
Wind of change
The takeover by Spanish power
giant Iberdrola will not affect
ScottishPower’s proud green
credentials.
Analysts say the takeover will
serve as an example for large-scale
investment in green technology.
Last year, ScottishPower
announced that it had accepted
the takeover bid from Iberdrola
that would create Europe’s third
largest utility. ScottishPower is the
United Kingdom’s largest wind power
company and second-largest wind
power operator in the United States.
While national governments
encourage green technologies
through subsidies, large-scale private
investment still sets the precedent for
an emerging technology.
Iberdrola, in line with ScottishPower,
hopes that its large-scale investment
Highlands heat up
As part of its commitment to cutting
carbon emissions, ScottishPower has
set up a hot new energy-efficiency
deal to insulate many of the 15,000
council-owned houses in the
Highlands.
ScottishPower, The Highland
Council and Everwarm (North)
formed The Highland Energy
Partnership, to ensure all
homes in the Highland
area are given the chance
to have the maximum
recommended levels of
insulation installed.
Uninsulated walls can allow 35
per cent of heat to disappear while
a further 25 per cent may be lost
through an uninsulated loft.
Councillor Ian Ross, chairman of
The Highland Council’s Sustainable
Development Committee, said: “This
partnership is another way of helping
the people of the Highlands reduce
the amount of fuel they need to use
to keep warm and help address the
considerable fuel poverty challenge
we face across the Highlands.”
in wind power will bolster
confidence in alternative energy and
turn it into something more than a
fringe energy source.
It hopes that this will encourage
governments to increase their
subsidies. Iberdrola’s planned
wind farms in the United States
through ScottishPower will not be
economically viable without local
and federal subsidies.
Up and down the country people
are waking up to the notion that
the country needs to reduce the
size of its environmental impact.
So WWF, the Sustainable Scotland
Network, the Scottish Executive,
along with the Improvement
Service and ScottishPower, have
launched a new project called
Local Footprints which will help
schools and local authorities reduce
emissions.
Innovative work in Aberdeen
City, Aberdeenshire and North
Lanarkshire has looked at how we
can live well, and still stay within
our environmental limits.
Using a tool called Ecological
Footprint to measure environmental
impact and making informed
decisions on council policy, the
three areas have already taken
a lead in developing their own
footprint reduction reports. They
are the first local authorities in the
UK to do so.
And their schools are doing the
same – using an online footprint
calculator and coming up with
plans to reduce their footprint.
Sarah Boyack, Deputy Minister for
Environment and Rural Affairs, said:
“This project can help to improve
our understanding of the impact
of policy and practice on our
environment, at home and around
the world.
“That will help us to meet the
challenge we all face – learning
to change our ways and live
within environmental limits while
maintaining a good quality of life.”
Footprint reduction plans have
kick-started a number of practical
projects, which include analysis of
regeneration, the environmental
impact of healthy school dinners,
a design checklist and improving
energy efficiency.
George Tarvit, Development
Officer for the Sustainable Scotland
Network and Chair of Scotland’s
Global Footprint Project, said:
“Local authorities are increasingly
expected to help reduce our global
environmental impact.
“Using an environmental footprint
measurement tool will help identify
priorities and provide evidence to
inform local authority decisionmaking.”
Elizabeth Leighton, Senior Policy
Officer for WWF Scotland, added:
“The houses, communities, schools
and energy systems we build today
and the choices we make will either
lock society into a damaging spiral
of over-consumption, or begin to
move this and future generations
towards sustainable living.”
To use the carbon footprint
calculator visit www.footprint.
wwf.org.uk or www.
scotlandsfootprint.org
truth
06 GREEN spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 07
An inconvenient
S
A new campaign trail
cottishPower has joined forces with the
Scottish Executive to take the bold step of
showing the powerful climate change film
An Inconvenient Truth in all of Scotland’s secondary
schools.
The Executive, through Learning Teaching
Scotland, with ScottishPower, is to develop and
deliver a package of education materials, based
around screenings of the film.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie said: “Scotland
takes climate change seriously. Since meeting Al
Gore in September and watching An Inconvenient
Truth at its first screening, I have been considering
ways in which the main messages about climate
change could be embedded into future learning
education in Scotland.
“Many of the messages in the film are echoed
in our own efforts to communicate the issue of
climate change through Scotland’s Climate Change
Programme and the wider sustainable development
agenda through our It’s Our Future campaign.
“I am very grateful to ScottishPower for its
support in making DVD copies available to Scottish
secondary schools and I am delighted that Learning
and Teaching Scotland has agreed to help develop
materials to demonstrate how climate change
and sustainable development messages can be
presented in a new and exciting way to pupils.
“We aim to pilot materials towards the end of the
current academic year and roll-out the full package
for the start of the next school year.”
It was a chance selection in an airport
bookshop which sparked ScottishPower’s now
famous tie-up with Al Gore.
At the time, Stephen Dunn, pictured left,
now ScottishPower’s HR and Communication
Director, was working with Pacificorp in the
North West of America and hopping on and
off transatlantic flights like “getting the bus”.
Faced with another tedious trek back to
Scotland, Stephen picked up the book in an
airport shop.
“I read it from cover to cover on the flight
back,” he recalls “It’s a fantastic book – quite
stark and simple. The message it was giving
was sympathetic to some of the things we
were trying to do with the company at the
time. It was the first time I saw the issues
explained from a scientific point of view.
“I then sought out the film which is
wonderful and evocative. It was a logical step
Must see... must act!
Staff take a screen test
If you are in any doubt about what’s happening to the planet,
then Al Gore’s film will persuade you. It doesn’t, however,
paint such a doom-laden picture that there is no hope. It’s
inspiring rather than depressing.
It deals with unprecedented changes in temperature and
climate which have happened in the past few decades and
how they differ dramatically from the natural cycle of things.
Staff at ScottishPower had the chance to see for
themselves what the fuss was all about.
The company held a special private screening
at the Imax Cinema at Glasgow’s science centre
in March.
Stephen Dunn, Director of HR and
Communications, told the packed auditorium:
A Dunn deal for pupils
Stephen Dunn, Director of HR and
Communications, was behind the
groundbreaking move to show the film to
every one of Scotland’s secondary school
pupils.
Mr Gore explains, in very simple terms, what our
relationship is with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, the
damage we are doing and what we can do to fix it.
An Inconvenient Truth is a must-see.
But it should possibly carry a warning: if you do watch
it, you’ll be hard pressed to say climate change is not your
problem.
to approach the Executive to work together to
bring the film to Scotland’s school pupils.”
He’s not bothered that some people find
the tough messages about the environment
difficult to stomach; in fact, he welcomes that
challenge.
“If it makes people feel guilty it’s not a bad
thing,” he says. “That’s when we start to get
the deep understanding of the issues. We are
all modern human beings and used to making
the demands that come with that.
“But we have some serious choices to make
now if we humans want to have a longer
period of being able to enjoy living as we do.
“I try my best to recycle everything we can.
At home, we’ve got boxes for everything. I
split my journey to work between the train
and driving.
“There is no silver bullet. I don’t think
there is one thing which is a most effective
solution. There’s a lot of small things you can
do which make a difference. We need to start
taking responsibility, we need to think about
everything we do to protect generations to
come.”
“Climate change is one of the most important
issues facing the world today and, as a
company supporting the call for action in the
environmental age, ScottishPower is delighted
to be partnering the Scottish Executive on an
initiative to allow every secondary school pupil
in the country to see this important film.”
Former soldier and journalist Al Gore used to
be best known as the ‘next President’ of the
United States.
His political career came to an end when,
in 2000, he lost to George W Bush by the
narrowest of margins.
He now refers to himself as a “recovering
politician” and his name is familiar to every
secondary school pupil in Scotland. It’s an
accolade perhaps not applicable to the man
who defeated him in 2000.
As Vice President during the Clinton years,
Gore took the unprecedented step of accepting
the provisions of the Kyoto treaty, which tried
to set limits on ever-increasing emissions of
greenhouse gases.
But, back home, the Republican-controlled
Senate refused to ratify the treaty – and
American public opinion seemed indifferent to
the issue.
So, frustrated by the lack of action on the
issue and with a bit more time on his hands,
he decided to take the message about climate
change around the world.
He said: “It really is a mystery to many why so
many political leaders around the world have
refused to deal with this.
“It’s time to rise to the challenge because the
future of civilisation really is at risk.”
He wrote An Inconvenient Truth, which
became a best seller and was turned into an
Oscar-winning film.
During his Presidential campaign he had been
accused of being wooden and inaccessible,
but An Inconvenient Truth addresses that as
it parallels the very human story of Gore’s life
from boyhood with what has been happening
with the ever-warming planet.
Gore was hugely affected by his then six-yearold son’s life-threatening car accident and his
sister’s death from lung cancer.
In his life Gore has also worked as a journalist
and served in Vietnam. He was also one of the
prime movers behind the instigation of the
internet.
08 GREEN spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 09
future
It’s our
ScottishPower was delighted to be
involved in two successful schools’
projects this year – the Scottish
Executive’s Sustainable Development
Campaign and the Read for the
Future challenge.
The Scottish Excutive’s It’s Our
Future schools competition was
devised as a pilot to see what kind
of work for the environment was
going on in Scotland’s schools. The
response has been very encouraging
with 150 schools sending in
applications.
When the winners were announced,
Stephen Dunn, ScottishPower’s
Director of HR and Communications,
revealed that ScottishPower was
keen to support the event again.
Read for the Future was created in
conjunction with Friends of the Earth
Scotland to encourage children to
read more books instead of using
power-hungry PCs and TVs.
Every one a winner
A school which makes and sells its own bags to
discourage people from using plastic carriers
was one of the winners of the It’s Our Future
Schools competition.
Prize winning eco-conscious primary pupils
scooped £2,000 for their school by showing how
they are helping to save the planet.
Pupils at Dunbog Primary School, Newburgh,
Fife, designed their own bags in an attempt
to minimise waste and encourage people to
reduce, reuse and recycle.
Their Bags for Life were showcased as part of
an in-school eco day during Enterprise Week,
and have since been on sale at a local farmers’
market – selling 800 bags in the community.
The competition rewarded projects which
raised awareness of the environment and
showed pupils how they are affecting the world
around them.
As he announced the winners, Environment
Minister Ross Finnie said: “Scots schoolchildren
are showing leadership in the way they embrace
the environmental challenges facing us all and I
urge others to do the same. The standard of the
applications has been outstanding.
“We all need to act to protect our future. It
is important that each person looks at their
behaviour when at work, at home and at leisure
to see where we can reduce our impact on the
planet. We all need to recognise that it’s our
future, and start to translate our intentions into
action.”
Other winning schools:
Middlefield Primary School, Danestone,
Aberdeen, for its Walking Bus
project that encouraged
walking to school and
showed the benefits to the
environment by doing
so.
Grantown Primary
School, Grantown on
Spey, for its Organic
Vegetable Garden and
Farmers’ Market.
Longforgan Primary
School, Longforgan,
Dundee, for its Bogle Burn
Trail.
Newfield Primary School,
Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire, for its
Energy Action Project.
Read all about it
A
ged just 11, Rebekah Macmillan tears
through books at a rate that would
make most adults blush.
The cheerful schoolgirl has made
reading her life’s passion but, unlike
most self-confessed bookworms,
her hobby came from helping
others.
From the age of two, Rebekah
has been a fluent reader out of
sheer necessity – because she has
needed to be the eyes of her blind
mother, Deborah.
Thanks to Rebekah, Deborah
manages to juggle looking after
her two young children with
voluntary work, a college course and
helping out at her daughter’s school.
Rebekah raced ahead of other
toddlers, learning to read at just
two.
She began helping out with
everyday tasks like reading
food labels, mail and even
supermarket prices.
Soon the youngster
became hooked on reading,
racing through books until
her reading age began to
accelerate.
Now she gets through
around a dozen adult
level books each week.
And her reading
talents have even
won the national
competition Read
for the
Future,
during which
she read 50 books
in one week.
Deborah said: “From the age of two, Rebekah
learned her alphabet and numbers very quickly,
and soon began helping around the house
acting as my eyes.
“She’s such a considerate girl. Sometimes
children can take a while to develop a sense
of helping others, but it came very naturally to
her.”
It was only when Deborah finally received her
first guide dog when Rebekah was aged five
that she became less reliant on her.
But the early start in reading has given her an
instatiable appetite for books.
Rebekah said: “I love helping mum, and I love
reading. I like to read every day for at least a
few hours. At birthdays and Christmas it’s easy
to buy a present for me, I just want more books.”
Rebekah’s favourite book at the moment is
the non fiction book Chinese Cinderella, by
Adeline Yen Mah.
Switched on to saving
Newfield Primary School earned special
mention for scooping the top prize in the
Energy category of the It’s Our Future schools
competition.
The children’s Energy Action Project – an
in-school initiative designed to conserve
energy around the school and save on the
daily resources such as power and water – won
them £2,000.
Part of the initiative included placing stickers
on all light switches instructing people to
switch off; energy monitors to check new
procedures were being adhered to, and push
taps fitted in school washrooms to save water.
The school now plans to invest the
competition prize money in further improving
energy efficiency by replacing the fittings on
lighting strips and putting the rest towards
introducing solar power panels and wind
turbines.
10 GREEN spring 2007
energy
Heavenly
Power from above heats church
W
hen Walter Maunsel became the first
Rector of St Mary’s Church in Lidgate,
in 1302, his church was attached to
an imposing castle.
It’s impossible to know whether he imagined
his Suffolk church would still be around more
than 700 years later, and celebrated as the
oldest in the country, but it is fairly certain he’d
never have dreamed it would have a device to
capture the power of the sun and use it to create
electricity.
However, that’s what was added to the
roof of the church earlier this year when the
parishioners celebrated the installation of a solar
power system – funded in part by the Green
Energy Trust.
Facing essential repairs and increasing fuel
costs, it was decided that the church would look
at sources of power that would look after the
environment as well as meeting their needs.
The trust gave a £6,000 grant towards the
cost of fitting an array of solar panels behind
the parapet of the conservation village’s church
tower.
Alison McKean, Head of Environment at
ScottishPower and a Trustee of the Green
Energy Trust, said: “We are delighted the trust
has been able to assist with this project. Not
only do the solar panels reduce the church’s
fuel bills, but also they provide a working
illustration of sustainable energy use. We
are especially pleased the project will enable
more of the local community to use the church
outside of regular worship.
“ScottishPower leads the way in promoting
renewable energy schemes and is directly
involved, through the Green Energy Trust,
in funding dozens of similar projects in
communities throughout the UK.
“The great enthusiasm with which the people
of Lidgate have greeted this project sets a good
example of how the latest technology can be
used for the good of the environment and the
community.”
As part of the renovation and improvement
work, St Mary’s Church is also installing a
new toilet which uses harvested rainwater.
Ultimately the solar panels will be connected to
the National Grid to allow surplus electricity to
be sold.
The vicar, Rev Ian Finn, said: “We are being
encouraged to use buildings in different ways
and we think it’s a fairly imaginative way of
using current technology. If it works well it could
have long-term implications for other churches
and other buildings.”
It is hoped the solar panels
will help
prevent
the
church from deteriorating by keeping the
building heated for longer.
St Mary’s is a busy church at
the heart of a village with a
population of 200. Additional
funding for the renovation
and improvements has
come from fundraising
by the congregation
and from the
Energy Saving
Trust.
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 11
Turbine proves a lesson worth learning
A tour of the new wind turbine at Longridge High
School, a maths and computing college, was one of
the highlights of National Science and Engineering
Week.
The week kicked off on March 9 and the 15kW
turbine at Longridge was the focal point of a
seminar on renewable generation and energy
saving.
The installation of the turbine is the first of its kind
in the area, so it is hoped that once other schools
see Longridge’s success they will follow its lead and
events such as this week’s seminar will help.
The aim of the project at the Preston school is
to generate clean electricity to meet the school’s
needs and to supply back to the National Grid. The
turbine was funded in part by a grant from the
Green Energy Trust, which gave £23,412 towards
the installation of a Provan wind turbine that is
expected to generate 10 per cent of the school’s
energy requirement.
As a member of the Eco-schools network, the
school has long been proud of its green credentials,
so a move to generating its own power made sense.
The new wind turbine will serve as a working model
for students, and will, hopefully, encourage them to
consider future careers in electrical engineering.
The school’s turbine also made it the ideal
choice for the venue for the National Science and
Engineering Week seminar, sponsored by the
Institute of Engineering and Technology, North
West Setpoints, and Renewables North West.
Alan Jones, Schools Liaison Officer for
the Institution of Engineering and
Technology, said: “This seminar is about
encouraging schools to look at
renewable power projects such as
this, both from an environmental
point of view and as an example
of technology in action. The
turbine at Longridge High
School is an impressive example
of what can be achieved.”
Science teacher John Murchie
added: “The pupils have been
involved every step of the way
from the design and planning to now.
We hope that other schools in the local
area, as well as our partner Grow Your Future
Workforce schools, will come and visit our new
wind turbine. I would like to thank our sponsors
ScottishPower’s Green Energy Trust and Clearskies
for their support, without them this would not be
possible.”
Woolly idea gives residents something to smile about
Wool insulation might not seem a
reason for celebrations but it is just one
of things putting a smile of the faces of
Partick Housing Association residents.
During the previous 12 months,
thanks to a grant from the Green
Energy Trust, residents have cut their
carbon emissions by around 1,500kg
and saved money on fuel costs.
When the Association bought a
difficult gap site which had lain empty
for 13 years it decided it wanted to
build homes which were healthy,
low maintenance and had a reduced
impact on the environment.
Among the energy efficient features
of the £1million Crathie Drive building
is a central plant room with an 800-litre
tank which is pre-heated by a solar
panel. Two condensing boilers boost
the temperature during the periods of
high demand. An £18,000 grant from
the trust helped meet the cost.
Thick wool insulation in the external
walls of the eight-flat building means
that little heat is lost, reducing energy
costs further. Having communal
boilers, rather than one in each flat,
also reduces gas safety checks, access
problems and maintenance costs.
An easy-to-use thermostat enables
tenants to control the temperature in
different parts of the home.
Tenant Fiona Wright lives in the
development with her daughter, who
is asthmatic. She said: “This place is
fantastic for us and it’s possibly been
lifesaving. My daughter has not had an
asthma attack since we moved here.
The fuel bills also mean I can study. The
last place we lived in cost me so much
money to try to heat, yet it was still cold
and damp.”
Partick Housing Association
Development Officer Kate Waddell
said: “We wanted to produce a wellinsulated building that would provide
tenants with low running costs. We are
delighted that the trust has helped to
make that happen.”
Other funding came from
Communities Scotland, Glasgow
City Council, Scottish Enterprise, the
Scottish Community and Householder
Renewables Initiative and the
Lighthouse.
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 13
12 GREEN spring 2007
Youngsters teach fellow pupils a lesson
S
witched-on children at St Gregory and
St Patrick’s Catholic Community School
in Whitehaven were thrilled to witness
the installation and commissioning of a new
2.5kW wind turbine that will help them in
their ambitious commitment to a sustainable
existence.
The 290-pupil school, Cumbria’s only Green
Flag Eco-School, is planning to reduce its carbon
footprint to the smallest possible size. To do
this it is also planning solar panels to supply
hot water, ground source heating at a new
extension and the most energy efficient boilers.
The Green Energy Trust gave the school a
grant of almost £8,000
towards the installation
of a 10-metre high wind
turbine that generates
electricity and serves
as a symbol of what
the school stands
for. The project is the first of its kind in the area
and it is hoped that once other schools see St
Gregory and St Patrick’s success, they will follow
suit.
The installation is by Turbine Services of
Cockermouth and consists of a 2.5kW , 11m
turbine manufactured by Proven Energy. The
turbine, which has an anticipated 20-year
lifespan, should
generate
more than
3,500 kW/h a year which saves 1,500 kg of CO2
emissions.
Head teacher Anthony Dwyer said: “We
encourage our children to look after the
environment. In years to come, it is going to be
their number one issue. It is also very much part
of the ethos of the school to look after God’s
creation.
“It will fit in well with other projects we have
already undertaken as part of our Eco-School
programme and will raise awareness of the
need to conserve our natural resources and
produce clean energy. Within a few
years every home could have one.”
Funded projects
At work and at play, our grants are
making a real difference to the
environment… and to people’s
lives.
The variety of projects is ever
increasing as more and more
organisations, groups and
communities realise a little
imagination can mean a big
change.
Here we look at a few of the
innovative schemes that are
pioneering a different outlook
on, and approach to, energy
consumption.
Furniture Matters is a recycling, re-use and
training charity in Morcambe, Lancashire, and
is to install a wind turbine to meet half of its
electricity consumption. The organisation collects
unwanted office and household goods, which
require operational testing thereby consuming
substantial amounts of electricity.
St Mary’s Church, Lidgate, was awarded a
grant to help it install a solar array on the church
tower parapet. The panels provide additional
heating and lighting as well as demonstrating
sustainable living.
Lower Moor Farm Visitor Centre,
Malmesbury, Wiltshire, was given a grant to help
pay for a solar thermal hot water and automated
wood pellet stove. The centre is used more in
daytime than evenings and does not have a high
heating demand but does have the potential
to require large amounts of hot water. The solar
power system chosen will be able to generate
enough power to meet this demand and the
thermal stove will convert solar energy into
useable hot water quickly.
The CatStrand, a project managed by
Glenkens Community and Arts Trust, is currently
developing a derelict Victorian primary school
in New Galloway into a multi purpose centre
which will house an arts and teaching centre,
a performance and cinema venue, workshop
space, public arts projects, gallery space, training
and conference centre and a heritage and tourist
information facility. The building will be heated
by a biomass wood pellet boiler.
Bellingham Community Renewable
Energy Project has been awarded a grant to
install a new biomass heating system into the
local community building in Bellingham which is
widely used for a variety of community activities.
St Mary’s RC School in Hornchurch, Essex,
will install solar PV panels to offset about half
of the annual electricity demand of the school’s
ICT suite. In doing so, the array will be used as a
learning resource.
Watching Energy is an educational project
that will inform the community on three types of
renewable energy generation that are displayed
in the Earthship Fife Visitor Centre, which is a
public building with more than 4,000 visitors per
year.
Abernthy Trust Ardeonaig is a former
Highland shooting lodge set in the hills
overlooking Loch Tay. Each year 3,300 guests
(schools, university groups, youth clubs, families,
church groups) visit for indoor and outdoor
adventure. The grant will fund the installation
of a GSHP to provide heating for the centre and
replace the current oil fired and LPG boilers.
Chopsticks is a not-for-profit charity
providing work-based day care for people with
learning disabilities. The main current activity
is the conversion of waste wood into kindling,
which is then sold locally to fuel merchants,
garden centres, garages and hardware shops.
Chopsticks is about to start building new
enlarged premises with better disabled access.
It plans to heat the new building with a biomass
boiler.
The Lendrick Muir Renewable Energy
Project involves the installation of a wood fuel
heating system for the Glendevon Unit and
the Link Building, two of the buildings at the
Lendrick Muir Centre, Kinross. The centre sits
within 120-acre grounds and provides a wide
range of outdoor activities for visitors. There is
sleeping accommodation in dormitories for up to
150 guests.
The grass is greener on Noah’s Ark!
Pupils at St Mary’s Church of England Primary
School in Walthamstow have opened a new
building which is so green it even has foliage
growing on the roof!
When the 205-pupil school decided to create
the building, which is used for, among other
things, before and after-school care, it wanted
to make it as environmentally sustainable as
possible. Plans included generating electricity,
planting grass-like sedum on the roof and using
super insulation and water butts.
The Green Energy Trust gave the school a
grant of almost £9,000 towards the installation
of solar panels.
The building was named the Arc because the
shape of the roof is reminiscent of Noah’s Ark
and because the ‘green’ building was in line with
the school’s Christian ethos of stewardship to
the world.
Head teacher Peter Herrtage said: “We would
like to thank ScottishPower’s Green Energy Trust
for helping us buy the solar panels.
“I am thrilled that our idea of a new and green
building for the school has finally come to
fruition as it is proving of immense benefit to
the school community.”
The building was submitted to the 2006
Waltham Forest Building Design Awards.
waves
14 GREEN spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 15
Making
Wave power refers to the energy of ocean
surface waves and the capture of that
energy to do useful work – including
electricity generation, desalination and the
pumping of water into reservoirs.
The fundamental challenges of wave
power are finding a system which converts
wave motion into electricity and building
affordable devices resilient enough to
survive storms and salt water corrosion.
The main systems used and under
development at the moment include:
A moored pontoon which is driven by
wave action to creat hydraulic power and
thereby electrical energy. The Pelamis Wave
Energy Converter is this type.
A floating bouy, which forces seawater
into a turbine that drives an electrical
generator.
A device which uses wave action to
compress air in a chamber which, in turn,
drives an air turbine and generator.
A submerged device where pressure
variations from overhead waves are used to
drive a piston and, thereby, a generator.
Scotland has led the world in the
development of wave power, starting back
in the 1970s when Professor Stephen Salter
of the University of Edinburgh developed
the famous “Salter’s Duck”.
Snake preview
S
cottishPower is leading the way in
renewable energy technology with its
recently announced £10m wave power
project.
Working with the Scottish Executive,
ScottishPower will develop the world’s biggest
commercial wave farm.
Four floating generators, designed to convert
wave movement into electricity, will be moored
off the European Marine Test Centre in Orkney.
Due to be operating by 2008, the 160-metre
Pelamis (Sea Snake) machines, will provide around
3MW of green electricity, enough to power around
2,000 homes. A test prototype has already been
taken to Orkney from Leith by its operators, Ocean
Power Delivery.
Director of Renewables Keith Anderson said:
“This is a massive step forward. It will be a test of
the actual devices that will be used commercially
and, if successful, should help propel Scotland into
the forefront of marine energy .
“Designed and constructed in Scotland, this
kind of marine generator can make the best use of
Scotland’s natural resources and help combat the
threat of global warming in the future.”
Welcoming the launch of the project, Deputy
First Minister Nicol Stephen said: “Scotland has the
potential to generate a quarter of Europe’s marine
energy and kick-starting the sector is vital if we are
to create a significant industry based in Scotland
and meet our long-term renewables targets.”
Ocean Power Delivery Managing Director
Richard Yemm said: “The £4m Scottish Executive
grant package awarded to ScottishPower provides
the basis for a world-leading Scottish project,
using world-leading Scottish technology.
“We are delighted with the level of support,
commitment and priority the Scottish
government is giving to this important new
energy sector. Aggressive development and build
out of the Scottish wave energy sector is critical
to securing this huge economic and industrial
opportunity, running to hundreds of billions in
exports, creating thousands of long-term jobs.”
However, a lack of funding support
meant that progress was slow for 25 years.
In 1995 the world’s first grid connected
wave device was built on Islay, again using
technology from a Scottish company,
Wavegen.
Nowadays there are a number of marine
technology developers based in Scotland
prompting hopes that the industry can
secure economic benefits similar to those
of wind power in Denmark, where over
30,000 jobs have been created by what is
now its second largest industry.
The present global leaders are Ocean
Power Delivery (based in Leith) which has
already secured significant export business
for a Portugese wave project.
Fact or fiction
In spite of evidence to the contrary, many myths about wind
power still persist. Here are a few:
Myth: Tens of thousands of wind turbines will
clutter the British countryside.
Fact: Government legislation requires that, by
2010, 10 per cent of electricity supply must come
from renewable sources. Wind power is currently
the most cost effective way of doing that. Around
3,500 additional modern wind turbines are all that
would be needed to deliver eight per cent of the
UK’s electricity.
Global
concern
After seven years of debate among leaders,
politicians and scientists, on February 16, 2005,
the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to control climate
change finally became international law.
Industrialised nations who sign up to the
treaty are legally bound to reduce worldwide
emissions of six greenhouse gases (collectively)
by an average of 5.2 per cent below their 1990
levels by 2012.
For the protocol to come fully into force,
the pact needed to be ratified by countries
accounting for at least 55 per cent of carbon
dioxide emissions. With countries like the US
and Australia unwilling to join the pact, the
key to ratification came when Russia, which
accounted for 17 per cent, signed up to the
agreement in 2004.
The protocol is officially the first global legally
binding contract to reduce greenhouse gases.
Now the agreement is law, if any of the
participating countries exceed their proposed
2012 target, they will then have to make the
promised reductions from the 2012 target plus
an additional 30 per cent in the next period. The
EU and Japan have already promised to reduce
pollution by eight per cent.
There are still parties who won’t sign up to
the agreement. The US, the world’s largest
greenhouse gas polluter, says signing up would
ruin the US economy and the pact wrongly
disregards developing countries.
Australia, which has a large coal industry,
supports the US view and has also opted out.
The Kyoto countries all agree that meeting
their targets will be difficult and many are
already falling behind.
Myth: Wind farms won’t help climate change.
Fact: Wind power is a clean, renewable source of
energy. Just one modern wind turbine will save
more than 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Myth: Building a wind farm takes more energy
than it ever makes.
Fact: The average wind farm will pay back the
energy used in its manufacture within three to five
months of operation. This compares favourably with
coal or nuclear power stations.
Myth: Wind farms are inefficient and only work
30 per cent of the time.
Fact: A modern wind turbine produces electricity
70-85 per cent of the time but it generates different
outputs depending on the wind speed. Over the
course of a year, it will typically generate about 30
per cent of the theoretical maximum output.
Myth: Wind energy needs back-up to work.
Fact: All forms of power generation require back up
and no energy technology can be relied upon 100
per cent.
Myth: Wind farms should all be put out at sea.
Fact: We will need a mix of both onshore and
offshore wind energy to meet the UK’s challenging
targets on climate change. At present, onshore wind
is more economical than development offshore.
However, more offshore wind farms are now under
construction.
Myth: Wind farms are ugly and unpopular.
Fact: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and,
whether you think a wind turbine is attractive or
not, will always be your personal opinion. However,
studies regularly show that most people find
turbines an interesting feature of the landscape.
On average, 80 per cent of the public support wind
energy, less than 10 per cent are against it, with the
remainder undecided.
Myth: Wind farms negatively affect tourism.
Fact: There is no evidence to suggest this. A MORI
poll in Scotland showed that 80 per cent of tourists
would be interested in visiting a wind farm. Wind
farm developers are often asked to provide visitor
centres, viewing platforms and rights of way to their
sites.
Myth: Wind farms harm property prices.
Fact: There is currently no evidence in the
UK showing that wind farms impact house
prices. However, there is evidence following a
comprehensive study by the Scottish Executive that
those living nearest to wind farms are their strongest
advocates.
Myth: Wind farms kill birds.
Myth: Installing wind farms will never shut
down power stations.
Fact: The simple fact is that power plants in the
UK are being shut down, either through European
legislation on emissions or sheer old age. We need to
act now to find replacement power sources – wind
is an abundant resource, indigenous to the UK.
Myth: Wind power is expensive.
Fact: Wind energy is competitive with new
coal and new nuclear capacity, even before any
environmental costs are taken into account.
Myth: The UK should invest in other renewable
energy technologies and energy efficiency instead
of wind power.
Fact: Wind energy’s role in combating climate
change is not a matter of either/or. Significant
amounts of investment have been allocated for
wave and tidal energy development, and these
technologies, along with solar and biomass energy,
will have an important role in the UK’s future energy
mix.
Fact: The RSPB stated in its 2004 information leaflet
Wind farms and birds that “in the UK, we have not,
so far, witnessed any major adverse effects on birds
associated with wind farms”.
Myth: Wind farms are dangerous to humans.
Fact: Wind energy is a benign technology with no
associated emissions, harmful pollutants or waste
products. In more than 25 years and with more than
68,000 machines installed around the world, no
member of the public has ever been harmed by the
normal operation of wind turbines.
Myth: Wind farms are noisy.
Fact: The evolution of wind farm technology over
the past decade has rendered mechanical noise
from turbines almost undetectable with the main
sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades
passing the tower.
(Source: Wind Energy Association.)
16 GREEN Spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 17
keen on green
champions of change
JK Rowling
BORDERS FOREST TRUST – Woodschool furniture
Scotland’s seat of learning
Author
JK has gone green for her next book,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The 784 pages will contain “a minimum
of 30 per cent post-consumer waste fibre”
and nearly two-thirds of the 16,700 tons
of paper will be approved by the Forest
Stewardship Council. A deluxe edition of
the book will be printed on paper that
contains “100 per cent post-consumer
waste fibre”.
Appliance alliance
Julia Roberts
Actress
ScottishPower’s new ad campaign
brings your house to life
Julia plans to upgrade her £12m Malibu
home with state-of-the-art green gadgets
and technology. She also plans to add
recycled tiles to her bathroom floor.
ScottishPower has recently launched
a new family of characters with a
distinctly green tinge on to TV screens,
press and posters.
Dave Stewart
Musician
Former Eurythmic Dave has teamed up
with Greenpeace to urge Hollywood to
get creative and go green. He said: “If
you can imagine Andy Warhol’s Factory
with Greenpeace in it and me in it; it is a
hot house, a think tank.” He’ll work with
Greenpeace to record a song entitled Go
Green. It’ll feature Annie Lennox, Natalie
Imbruglia and Bonnie Raitt among others.
Christine the washing machine – early
40s, Christine loves knee-length skirts but
hates smelly socks. She loves the economy
wash cycle as the boil washes bring her out
in a hot flush. She feels a lot younger than
she actually is thanks to a new drum belt
that was fitted three months ago. Has loads
of energy but, like any working woman,
she sometimes feels a little drained.
Shirley Manson
Garbage
“I believe very strongly in the ethical
treatment of animals. A lot of my fans are
very pro-animal rights and have often,
when I have been wearing fake fur, said:
‘Is that real?’ and really gotten upset, and I
have had to reassure them: ‘No, it’s cool, it’s
fake, don’t worry. They have made me very
conscious of it, and I am really grateful that
they have made me pay attention.’”
Tony Blair
Prime Minister
The PM is putting solar panels on his
£3.65m London home ready for his
“retirement”.
“If this table could talk, imagine the stories
it could tell,” is often said about a favourite
old kitchen table and there is a similar piece
of furniture in many homes – one at which
homework has been done, tears shed and
secrets shared.
Now imagine if that piece of furniture could
really tell a tale about trees planted and carbon
contained.
That’s what the heirloom furniture from
Woodschool Ltd, part of the Borders Forest Trust,
can do.
Eoin Cox, director of Woodschool Ltd, said:
“When Woodschool Ltd was formed in 1996,
the core business philosophy was to make local
hardwood in useable forms available to the
people of Scotland.
“Another was to provide workshop facilities for
young designers and furniture makers who were,
and still are, being thwarted by the daunting
prospect of an impossible financial burden to
start up.
“The idea of an incubator unit with the
necessary support would be unique to Scotland
if not to Europe as a whole.”
Eighty per cent of Scottish hardwood timber
is exported while a different 90 per cent of all
hardwood used is imported. So, the Borders
Forest Trust set about reconnecting people with
their own woodland culture.
Eoin added: “Since 1996, 17 designer-makers
have benefited from the social enterprise.
Woodschool has processed more than 4,000
tons of local low to medium grade hardwood.
“The collective product has been sent to USA,
Russia, Australia, Germany and Scandinavia.
“Recent commissions have included Icelandic
Parliament, National Museums of Scotland, Royal
Botanic Gardens, St Mary’s Cathedral Glasgow,
New Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, Lighthouse,
Scottish Malt Whisky Society and many other
private, public and corporate works.”
The products
made by
Woodschool are
sold through
the buyDesign
collective, which
has a showspace
facility near
Jedburgh in the
Borders.
For more
information, visit
http://www.buydesign-furniture.com/
Laura the lamp – late 20s, Laura is tall,
thin and elegant. Was quiet at first as she’s
used to others being in the limelight but,
since she got her new energy saving light
bulb, she hasn’t stopped talking. Likes to
shed light on problems and she’s always
offering illuminating advice on how to save
energy.
Bill the Boiler - early 60s, Bill is the wise
old father of the family. He’s the oldest
out of all the kitchen appliances but looks
good for his age. He doesn’t do as much
work as he once did thanks to the new roof
insulation. He has a knowing and wry sense
of humour and knows everything that’s
going on thanks to his high vantage point
above the kitchen bench. Bill is very reliable
and all the appliances trust him.
The animated talking appliances live in
a ScottishPower household and offer
common sense advice on everything
from money saving offers to energy
saving tips.
Kirk the kettle – Kirk is a
new stainless steel kettle. He
easily gets frustrated with
things and has to let off steam
now and again. But, once the other
appliances calm him down, Kirk is in
his element.
18 GREEN Spring 2007
www.scottishpower.co.uk/green 19
Business environment partnership
ECO-FRIENDLY
Working out a policy for work
F
or those of us wanting to go that little bit
further for the environment, Guy Robertson,
Senior Business Environmental Adviser for the
Business Environment Partnership North East, has
answered some questions.
Q
I want to do my bit for the environment, and I do
what I can at home, but what else can I do at work?
A There’s no reason why many of the same small
steps taken at home can’t also be applied at work –
such as switching off equipment (computers, printers,
lights, etc) when it isn’t required and reducing and
recycling waste. Indeed, minimising waste at work
is arguably more straightforward than trying to do
the same at home – paper is a good example. At
home, we often get left with lots of paper waste in
the form of old newspapers, magazines and food
packaging, all of which are quite difficult to either
avoid or reduce. At work, however, most people still
unnecessarily use and waste substantial quantities
of paper. Some very simple opportunities to reduce
paper include the following:
give US A TIP
Adopt a double-sided printing and copying
policy
Accept minor written amendments on
internal documents
Always preview documents before printing
and only print the pages required
Route memos and newsletters instead of
making a copy for everyone
Shorten documents and always send and
receive them electronically
Provide trays in convenient locations to
collect and reuse one-sided paper.
As well as these measures, most businesses can
and should have separate containers to store and
recycle paper waste. This usually offers cost savings
over landfill disposal. Similarly, other materials such
as plastic bottles and cans can be recycled. Another
Glasgow Science Centre is a major science
and technology museum and the fabulous
exhibits are spread over three floors.
There is something to fascinate everyone
and there are always new and interesting
shows and workshops on the go.
We, at ‘Green’, have 10 family tickets for
the Glasgow Science Centre to give away
to the first people to drop us a line with
their favourite bit of green advice to:
ScottishPower Green giveaway
The BIG Partnership
5 Park Circus Place,
Glasgow
G3 6AH
http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/
Greenhouse gases occur naturally
but human activity has increased their
production and release into the environment.
Greenhouse gases include: water vapour,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides
(NOx), ozone, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur
hexafluoride (SF6).
The Government has set the following
targets for how much of the UK’s electricity
supply it would like renewable energy sources
to provide:
– 10 per cent by 2010
– 20 per cent by 2020 (‘aspirational’ target).
Wind energy costs have fallen by more
than 80 per cent over the last 20 years and
there is further room for improvement.
energy and, where relevant, water rating. There’s
no harm if you are buying certain products in large
quantities and regularly from the same supplier to
do a bit of research to find out
their policies and practices
Q
When I buy goods
and services, I want
to choose companies
which are green.
How can I know what
businesses are doing?
A It can sometimes be
difficult to know which
products or services are
the ‘greenest’ but, as a first
step, always look for some
sort of recognised label.
For example, most electrical
goods nowadays come with an
Dti facts & figures
The UK contributes about two per cent
to global man-made emissions of CO2 even
though it only has one per cent of the world’s
population. At present, about 6.5 billion
tonnes is emitted globally each year, mostly
through burning coal, oil and gas for energy.
Ticket giveaway
common and very expensive form of waste found in
lots of workplaces across the country is plastic and
waxed cups – the sort dispensed by tea and coffee
vending machines, or water dispensers. Why not
reuse them or, better still, just take a proper cup into
work?
bags for life
The Scottish Executive has set a target of
18 per cent of Scotland’s power to come from
renewable sources by 2010 and 40 per cent
by 2020.
Renewable energy is the term used to
describe energy flows that occur naturally
and continuously in the environment, such as
energy from the wind, waves or tides.
By 2020, the UK may need to import gas
to provide up to 80 per cent of our energy
needs (BWEA).
It is estimated that almost 8,000 people
are involved in the UK renewables industry.
There is the potential to create up to 35,000
jobs in the long term.
It is estimated that biomass fuel
production alone will create around 385,000
jobs in the EU by 2020 (EC ALTENER study).
Many renewable technologies are
expected to become cost-competitive with
fossil fuels over the next 10 to 20 years.
relating to the environment.
Another point to think about here is not just
what you buy but how and from where you buy it.
Buying locally produced goods can reduce the air
miles certain products have travelled before they
reach you, which clearly cuts down on pollution.
Buying refillable items, such as washing powders,
toner cartridges and such like also makes a valuable
contribution to reducing waste at source, and
usually offers a cost saving. Buying things in bulk
can minimise packaging wastes, and just generally
avoiding products that have excessive packaging is
also clearly a good idea.
The BEP provides free advice and assistance
on environmental management practice to SMEs
throughout Scotland. It aims to promote best
practice to reduce costs and risks for Scottish
businesses, with the key objective to make Scottish
businesses more competitive. It is a wholly funded
partnership of more than 35 public and private sector
organisations. For more information, visit
www.thebep.org.uk
TreeTwist
Friends Kate Maitland and Sez Maxted found
themselves increasingly frustrated by issues
of climate change and the environment to the
extent that they simply had to do something
about it.
They came up with TreeTwist, an affordable
designer accessory which can be worn with pride
to show that your purchase has triggered the
planting of a tree to help restore the Caledonian
Forest.
Katie said: “In the face of what feel like gloomy
times, environmentally speaking, our Twists are
beautiful, designed both to be highly visible and
memorable and to give pleasure, a deliberately
upbeat and positive link to a worthwhile action.
“You may not be able to see and admire the
trees everyday but your TreeTwists will stand
as a very visible reminder to you and all around
you that they are there, that you have taken this
step. It’s all about taking every opportunity, every
small step. They all add up!”
TreeTwist has established a partnership with
Trees For Life, the multi-award winning forest
restoration and conservation charity dedicated to
the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest.
For more information and to get your own
TreeTwist visit www.treetwist.co.uk
Doy Bags
Doy Bags is a range of bags, purses and
accessories made, according to Fair Trade
principles, from recycled juice packs that would
otherwise go into landfill sites and incinerators.
They are manufactured by more than 200
members of a women’s co-operative in the
Philippines. Almost all the women are their
families’ main breadwinners, most of the
husbands being unable to find work due to the
poor economy of the area.
For more information, visit
www.doybags.com
Silverchilli
And here’s how it just goes to show you can’t
have too many bags. The funky, fun bags from
Planetsilverchilli are made from rubbish – crisp
packets, ring pulls and old tyres – but they look
great.
Planetsilverchilli works with two Mexican
charities dedicated to educating on recycling,
sustainable resources and skills training for
vulnerable groups.
The rubber bags are durable and practical with
a definite twist of urban chic, and the bright
colours of the crisp packets are carefully woven
to create high quality, attractive designs.
For more information, visit
www.planetsilverchilli.com
We’re making a world of difference.
At ScottishPower we believe actions speak louder than words.
Our environmental vision is to become a leader in renewable energy:
• The World Wildlife Fund ranked us no.1 for combating the
challenges of climate change*
• 6.6% of ScottishPower’s generation portfolio is sourced from
renewables – the UK average is 4.2%†
• ScottishPower is the largest developer of on-shore
windfarms in the UK
• We have recently received approval for the world’s biggest wave
farm which will be built in Orkney
To find out more about our green offers and what we’re doing
for the world around us visit www.scottishpower.co.uk/Green
*Based on WWF Generating Climate Change report 2006 †Source: www.electricityinfo.org