Community Action for a Greener Future
There’s a wealth of support opportunities for communities taking climate climate action in Highland, Orkney and Shetland. But navigating the funding and support landscape can be complex.
When I joined the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival has just kicked off. So in the time where you’d usually spend wrapping your head around the organisation, I was out attending community events celebrating localism as part of the Festival. Jumping straight into Festival celebrations and meeting members taking climate action was inspiring, but it opened so many questions. Where could communities get support to take these projects further? Where can communities get support to incorporate environmentally friendly practices?
After speaking to Voluntary Action Shetland we agreed on a need to answer three questions:
What risk does physical climate change implications pose to our communities?
What are communities across Shetland doing to stop climate change and adapt to new environments?
How can communities maximise the support available from agencies across Shetland and nationally to pursue climate action?
We decided that the key was collaboration. So we brought together agencies and communities so that we can all learn about the work being undertaken by our communities, maximise the support available to them and understand our roles in progressing Scotland’s climate journey.
Community Action for a Greener Future brought together 9 different agencies all with different mechanisms to support community-led climate action: Voluntary Action Shetland, Islands Centre for Net Zero (ICNZ), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Shetland Isles Council Community Planning and Development Team, Shetland Isles Council Climate Team, Community Energy Scotland, Local Energy Scotland, Home Energy Scotland and of course, the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub!
The support from each agency is unique, but still complimentary with the work of others. Organisations such as Community Energy Scotland, Local Energy Scotland and Home Energy Scotland take a focus on specialised advice. Whereas others can provide funding opportunities and community engagement support. The Highlands & Islands Climate Hub’s role is to signpost communities at each stage of their climate action journey to support which fulfills their needs and builds their knowledge.
To understand which climate risks are most pertinent on Shetland and where the opportunities to adapt and mitigate these exist, we worked on mapping Shetland’s climate action. After focusing on how the physical impacts of climate change - extreme weather events, flooding, ocean acidification - pose a risk to Shetland, we discussed where the priorities are and what communities are already doing.
One of the highlights of the day was hearing from Northmavine’s community and the work of their development trust, Northmavine Community Development Company. In their incredibly rural and geographically dispersed community, NCDC have created a Rural Energy Hub, an e-bike scheme, community recycling facilities and local growing initiatives. Alongside, they pioneered the Polycrub, and now run its enterprise. They also generate income from renewable energy.
Hearing the success of NCDC in helping their community thrive through sustainable development was really inspiring. And, NCDC spoke how the support of the agencies in the room had been invaluable in ascertaining all these opportunities for their community. Seeing how the combination of support that helped NCDC to be so successful affirmed that collaboration is the key to accelerating progress for our communities on their climate action journeys.
Still feeling motivated by the work of NCDC, the conversations in the room looked to the future. Being able to connect all together in one room had brought communities and agencies together, and shown how their successes comes hand in hand. By celebrating the progress our communities are making we can emphasis the positive future that is ahead for Shetland, and Scotland, in the just transition.
The Highlands & Islands Climate Hub is thrilled to continue to support our network of organisations across Highland, Orkney & Shetland to pursue community-led climate action and create momentum for change. We encourage collaborative working and partnerships to strengthen projects. Our upcoming events offer an opportunity for members to connect - check out what’s coming up soon.
We are especially looking forward to celebrating Shetland Climate Festival on Saturday 13th September 2025!
