WIREDGOV

Community groups gear up to handle climate change.

Local communities across Scotland are taking action against the damaging impact of climate change thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse yesterday visited the Cycling into Sustainability project – which last year received over £170,000 from the CCF - to hear how their Bike Doctor events and training in cycle skills and bike maintenance is helping local communities in Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Mr Wheelhouse also announced the latest round of CCF funding which will see 18 projects throughout Scotland receive over £2.2 million – taking the total number of projects funded by the CCF to 676 with a total value of more than £59 million.

Among the latest recipients:

• The Broadford and Strath Community Company on the Isle of Skye has been awarded £58,500 to create a community growing hub to encourage local people, hotels and restaurants to grow and source food locally.
• U power has been awarded £221,558 to work with young people in Midlothian to promote lower carbon behaviour such as cycling and consumption of local food.
• Save Energy Saves the Environment have been awarded £122,060 to work with an ethnic minority community, particularly women and disadvantaged members of the communities in the South and North of Glasgow, to raise awareness of climate change and how to reduce energy use.

Mr Wheelhouse said:

“Scotland is on track to meet our world-leading 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target but climate change is still one of the most serious threats facing our global community.

“As a result of the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) harmful greenhouse gas emissions are being steadily reduced and we are building more resilient communities throughout Scotland.

“To date we have invested £59 million in the Climate Challenge Fund – including an increase in this year’s budget from £10.5m to £11.8m thanks to the ever increasing number of quality applications coming forward. I am confident based on what I have seen first-hand that this has been a good investment and money well spent.

“I am extremely pleased to announce today that a further 18 applications have been awarded CCF grants totalling £2.2 million. It is great to see that 11 are community food projects, in keeping with our aspiration for Scotland to become a Good Food Nation.

“I am also particularly pleased to say that three of those projects are being taken forward by young people under the age of 21 who will contribute to making Scotland a more sustainable place to live for generations to come.

“Although no one individual, group or nation can solve the problem of climate change every project announced today will play a part in making a real and lasting difference, not just locally or nationally but globally.”

David Gunn, Climate Challenge Fund Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said:

“We were extremely pleased to join the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, as he announced the latest Climate Challenge Fund grant recipients and celebrated the work of CCF funded project Cycling into Sustainability.

“Keep Scotland Beautiful is very proud to manage the Climate Challenge Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government and we encourage community groups to apply now for grants up to £150,000 per project available in the 2015-2016 financial year.

“We look forward to supporting many more community groups in their Climate Challenge Fund project applications and implementation and see it as part of our work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.”

The Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) is a Scottish Government programme, managed by Keep Scotland Beautiful, which provides funding for community groups that are tackling climate change through local community-led projects.

View details on all successful applicants to the Climate Challenge Fund this round.

Since it was launched in June 2008, the CCF has awarded over £59 million to 676 projects in almost 500 communities across Scotland. All applications are assessed by an Independent Grants Panel.

The CCF Ideas Bank enables community groups to access potential project ideas that have been proposed by other organisations who will be able to work in partnership with the community.

Keep Scotland Beautiful enables action on sustainable development, by helping organisations and communities reduce their carbon emissions and environmental impact so that Scotland plays its part in meeting the challenges of climate change; it is part of its work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.

Greener Scotland is a one-stop website for greener living – combining a wide range of information and resources to help everyone in the country go greener together.

Becoming a Good Food Nation is the next phase of Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy:http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Becoming-a-Good-Food-Nation-dd6.aspx