Why did you make Carbon Literacy Training with Keep Scotland Beautiful a priority?

For us, the decision to take the Carbon Literacy for Rural Industries training with Keep Scotland Beautiful and SAC Consulting was driven by our deep-rooted passion for sustainability and our commitment to making a tangible difference in rural industries.

We ourselves are not just about numbers and data; we're about making a meaningful impact. As a farm carbon calculator, we play a crucial role in helping agricultural businesses lower their carbon footprint, and this training was a natural extension of our mission. Our team is passionate about resource efficiency, and we believe that by educating ourselves further, we can better serve our community and the environment.

Completing this training has given us new fuel; for us this is about walking the walk, sharing our passion, inspiring others to join the community where we can make a difference together.

Why did you choose Carbon Literacy for Rural Industries for your organisation?

We’re all about pioneering new ways to reduce carbon footprints in the rural industry. The training gave us an insight into what our industry needs to do, and zeroed in on how we can better ourselves to support it, like another addition to our toolkit. Plus, it was a great way for our team to bond over a shared passion, and helped us brainstorm new ideas on how we can lower our own carbon footprint.

Being certified spurs us further on our mission.

What benefits has your organisation noted as a result of undertaking Carbon Literacy Training?

• Pledges by staff to work together to map carbon sources and solutions.
• Carbon savings.
• Cost savings.
• Engagement of staff with net zero and green policy.
• Improved staff skillset to include on tenders and funding bids.
• Improved Climate Emergency knowledge and confidence of staff when speaking with clients and contributing to tenders/funding bids.
• Other/unexpected co-benefits.

All of the above, plus, completing the training with Keep Scotland Beautiful and SAC Consulting has enhanced the trust our clients put in us. It shows them that we are committed to staying at the forefront of sustainability and environmental responsibility. The training has also been a great opportunity for team building and professional development. Our team is more engaged and motivated, knowing that they are making a difference and that they are supported in their growth and education.

What support did Keep Scotland Beautiful provide?

Lana (Training and Accreditation Officer for Keep Scotland Beautiful) and Sarah (Environmental Consultant for SAC Consulting) and their respective teams incorporated case studies and examples specific to rural industries, ensuring that the content was not only informative but also highly relevant to our day-to-day operations. They brought material to life with a lively discussion with our team, making it a truly interactive session. They offered flexible scheduling to accommodate our team’s availability. On the day, they delivered a mix of presentations, group discussions, and hands-on activities to keep the session dynamic.

We worked together on a promotion strategy as well. Both the teams at SAC Consulting (part of SRUC), and at Keep Scotland Beautiful helped us create awareness though social posts, press releases and promotional materials to enhance the visibility of this training and our participation. Internally, the email communication highlighted the importance of the training and encouraged team participation.

What’s next for your organisation?

We are currently on a growth path, where we have to equip the team members with various other skills necessary to deliver in their roles. However, we have already taken one of the steps from our pledge to reduce our carbon footprint associated with digital storage. Both the Head of Marketing and the Head of Tech are clearing out the duplicated files, archiving out-of-date files and folders, and are soon to sunset the old version of Agrecalc that is taking up space on a local server.