Velocity Cafe & Bicycle Workshop is keynote speaker at UHI's Climate Change Seminar

Velocity Cafe & Bicycle Workshop, represented the Highland Community Waste Partnership (HCWP), as keynote speaker at a climate change seminar on 27 September which coincided perfectly with the Highland & Island's Climate Festival (1-30 Sept) and Scotland's Climate Week (25 Sept-1 Oct).

The seminar, entitled Climate Change: Local Impact and Changing Our Behaviour - Let's Start a Conversation, was held at the Life Sciences Innovation Centre, Inverness. The Event was funded by the University Innovation Fund via The Scottish Funding Council and delivered by Create.

Vicky Johnson, Professor of Childhood, Youth and Sustainability and Director of the UHI Centre of Living Sustainability, facilitated the event alongside Ian Freeman, Lead for the Scottish Government's Climate Legislation and Adaptation Team. The team is responsible for developing Scotland's new 5-year policy programme responding to the social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change.

Four exciting keynote speakers came together to share their experience and ideas:

◾ Alice Fogg (Community and Digital Engagement Officer at the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub!) gave an insight into various community groups and initiatives e.g repair cafes to community orchards and innovative refill shops.

◾ George Gunn (Climate Change Strategy Officer at Moray Council and Associate Researcher at UHI) discussed research which investigated the effects of man-made structures, surfaces and the weather and the 'Urban Heat Island' effect.

◾ Suzann Barr (Abriachan Forest Trust) explained how Abriachan Forest Trust's education activities have helped people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

◾ Isabel McLeish (Climate Project Officer at Highland Community Waste Partnership/Velocity Café and Bicycle Workshop) discussed reducing waste and building a movement for more sustainable consumption in the Highlands by working across 3 key areas: food waste and composting, share and repair instead of buying new and packaging and single-use items.

Some of the HCWP programmes and activities Isabel discussed, included:

HCWP Youth Climate Advocates

Food waste recycling collections in the Highlands

Food waste & composting workshops

Community and business food waste reduction & composting

Repair, Reuse, Recycle map

Repair cafes, film nights, sewing and textile repair and zero waste & swapping events

Reusable cups & containers

Isabel said, " I'm Delighted to have represented the Highland Community Waste Partnership at UHI's Climate Change Seminar and share all of the brilliant work we have been up to across the Highlands to take positive action and help change behaviour!" 

Learn more about all the HCWP waste reduction activities and initiatives here.