by Tom Lusink and Rosie Macinnes
Last June, the island got access to its piggy bank of £160,000 from the Scottish Government. Since then, we – alongside the community and with help from project partners – have been working on converting those pennies into improvements for Raasay. The following actions, from the Community Climate Action Plan, address our environmental impact whilst enhancing living conditions and making Raasay a more resilient and sustainable community.
—Acquisition and refurbishment of No. 35 Inverarish Terrace. After sitting vacant for three long years, the property is crying out to be used.
—Collective retrofitting of 35 homes. “Meet the contractor” sessions and retrofit assessments took place in mid-May.
—Controlling of the invasive Rhododendron ponticum, the not so hidden killer, starting with surveying of the extent of the problem using consultants and local skills, with the aim of providing employment and an opportunity for upskilling.
—Getting a better understanding of the emissions from peatlands and forestry, which have a very large greenhouse gas impact
—Upgrading the community hall with new doors, and plans for solar PV and battery storage. If successful, this would make it the island’s first Net Zero building!
—Increasing food growing capacity by restoring the glasshouses in the Raasay House walled garden, and running ‘Get Growing’ classes to help residents grow their own veg.
With a few core projects now having substantial roots in the ground, the majority of our focus will be developing these further, and where possible develop other actions from the action plan.
The imperative to act is stronger than ever. Aside from a particularly unforgiving turbulent April, in the last 12 months many climate records have been exceeded, with temperatures rising quicker than expected. Raasay is a mere pin head in the grand scheme of things, but then couldn’t every single person say that? And if they did, who would the responsibility lie with? It lies with all of us as stewards of this planet that supports all life.
Read more about Raasay’s community climate action, on Tom and Rosie’s blog.