SEAD (Scottish Education and Action for Development)

Background

Dunbar, a seaside town in East Lothian, of 8,000 people was kick-started into action in September 2007 when the community was approached by ‘Community Windpower’ (CW). The renewables energy company was applying for permission for a 16-turbine wind farm, and operates by according a share of its resultant profits into the residential community, to help it go carbon neutral. CW organised a community showing of The Inconvenient Truth film to which 120 people from Dunbar came. It was generally felt that it was important to start up a local community group to interface with CW, and this fitted in well with the founders who had been looking to set up come localised action on pressing environmental issues for several months.

A core group of ten very well informed people advertised out to the wider community resulting in the set-up of a large meeting to which a professional facilitator was invited. In this way, a much larger interested volunteer base was engaged into sub-groups looking at food, energy, transport, and enterprise.

The main aims of the group are two-fold:

1. Educate and raise awareness of local population of the challenges of resources depletion & climate change
2. Involve as many people as possible in creating a low carbon Dunbar

To date, Sustaining Dunbar has sixty members in its yahoo group, of which about half are actively engaged in some respect.

What are they doing

Very quickly the core group has ensured that key agencies are involved, including local retail businesses, representatives from the schools, the community council and the local authority. In December 2007, the group hosted a Peak Oil talk to which 80 people attended, and now the core group is working on its constitution with a view to staging its first AGM wherein they can elect a convenor, treasurer and secretary, open bank account and get going with funding applications. Funding will be needed for training courses and exhibitions, and the group will be targeting their community council as well as the Big Lottery Fund. Once the Community Windpower farm is functional, it is expected that this will generate approximately £100,000 income per year for community carbon reduction projects.

The group is planning a big launch in June 2008, which will involve both the local schools and will be publicised to the whole community, with activities including an exhibition in the local library, a viewing of various films, and a bike fest.

The project, whilst still very young, is meeting expectations so far. The core groups has been impressed at the involvement and wide range of expertise that its numerous volunteer base gives it.

Sustaining Dunbar Top Tip

Just go for it and the right people will turn up

Helpful Resources

Reading: The Party’s Over by Richard Heinberg; Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins; Zero Carbon Britain by Centre for Alternative Technology

Transition initiatives primer websites: http://transitionculture.org; www.cat.org.uk; www.forward-scotland.org.uk

Contact details

Web address: http://www.sustainingdunbar.org/