Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, announced Scotland’s Climate Change Pledge for Communities during a keynote address at the 2014 Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) Gathering yesterday.
Leading environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful organised The CCF Gathering 2014 to bring together community groups from across Scotland to take action on Climate Change as part of its work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.
The overarching theme of the CCF Gathering is ‘connecting’. Delegates left the day having made new connections and with information and tools to support them in their climate change action.
Keep Scotland Beautiful manages and develops the CCF on behalf of the Scottish Government. In total 658 projects across Scotland have been awarded more than £57.2 million in funding to reduce carbon footprint and make community improvements.
Funded projects have including energy efficiency improvements in community owned halls, provision of energy efficiency advice, lower carbon transport schemes, community growing projects and initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
Community groups are being invited to sign up to Scotland’s Climate Change Pledge to express their support and commitment to taking local action on climate change. This Pledge links grass-roots, community action into the bigger picture – contributing towards Scotland’s ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gasses and developing our collective resilience for the future.
Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust are the first community group to sign the pledge and staff members (Valerie Houston and Rhionna Pace) are pictured with their pledge being congratulated by Mr Wheelhouse and Keep Scotland Beautiful staff, (Campaign Director Mark Bevan and David Gunn).
David Gunn, Climate Challenge Fund Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said:
“Keep Scotland Beautiful is very proud to manage and develop the Climate Challenge Fund and Climate Change Pledge for Communities on behalf of the Scottish Government.
“We are extremely pleased to join Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse MSP and Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust to celebrate the first signed pledge.
“We look forward to helping many more community groups make positive connections to take action on climate change as part of our work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.”
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