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Worldwide attention as Scotland’s green isle slashes carbon footprint
visitors flock to Eigg – the only Scottish finalist in the £1m nationwide Big Green Challenge
A west coast island with a population of just 85 is attracting worldwide interest as it slashes its carbon footprint by more than 50%.
Islanders on Eigg recently hosted a delegation from Ecuador, Galapagos, Canada and the Caribbean, all anxious to see how they have extended “green living” to other activities.
The island, which has its own electricity supply powered by wind, hydro and solar energy, has sparked a trend which is being followed by other UK communities.
Now islanders are further cutting their carbon output by insulating their homes, fitting solar panels, boosting walking and cycling, growing more food and investigating options for an Eigg-based wood fuel business.
They are encouraging others to follow in their “green footsteps” through a new website – http://www.islandsgoinggreen.org – which is to be officially launched this weekend at the Big Tent Festival, Scotland’s biggest eco-festival, at Falkland in Fife.
Eigg is the only Scottish finalist in the £1million nationwide Big Green Challenge, designed to encourage people to work together to find new and better ways to tackle major challenges, such as reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Teams have been working during the past few months to fit two traditional stone-built houses with insulation, draught proofing and double glazing.
Households on the island are also monitoring fuel consumption and transport use, and solar panels have been fitted to the pier centre and to three island homes.
Last year’s launch of the renewable electricity scheme was the deathknell for the polluting and highly-expensive diesel generators people had relied on.
Now a “traffic light system” of notices and e-mails warns when supplies are low, and use of high-energy appliances is avoided at those times.
Conversely, during Hebridean storms, the wind turbines and hydro system provide plentiful supplies, with excess stored in batteries and used to heat public buildings.
“We believe every small community can be a green island, and we want to inspire as many others as possible to take action to avert climate change,” said a spokeswoman for the challenge project. “It does not matter whether you are surrounded by water or not. A village, a street, a block of flats or an office can work towards becoming a green island. Together, as a community of green islands we can do so much more than working on our own.
“We want communities to share experiences, news and tips with other islands which, like Eigg, are trying to make a difference.”
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