Climate change – crises and solutions were some of the thought-provoking issues discussed at a weekend-long festival held at the West Church in Inverurie.
A climate change talk for beginners drew audiences of all ages to a presentation by Chris Bonnington.
A biology teacher, Chris spent 11 years in Japan where she was impressed by people’s deep connection with nature.
She now works with NESCAN, the North East Scotland Community Climate Action Centre.
She said: ‘We need to understand the basic science of climate change and that it is an emergency right now.
She illustrated her speech with a compelling Breaking Boundaries video presented by Sir David Attenborough who stressed “There is no time to waste – the future is in our hands”.
On a hopeful note, Chris concluded, “Even though we all do a little, it adds up.”
Chris’ presentation was followed by a presentation by George Niblock, President of Inverurie Community Energy Society Ltd.
His speech promoted Garioch District Heat, which is owned by the community for the benefit of the community.
District heating is a system where heating is supplied to a number of properties from a central location.
He explained: “Community engagement is one of the most important aspects of the Garioch District Heat project.
“For the individual, this means lower thermal energy costs, a lower carbon footprint and will attract prime property valuations.”
Gardening for Wildlife, a talk by Doug Gooday who shared his approach and how we can all make our own gardens more biodiverse.
His session ended with a look at the community garden of the church.
Standing up for the trees was a popular conversation choice for visitors as biology teacher and lifelong tree enthusiast Barbara Crane spoke about the valuable work being done by the Woodland Trust which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The Trust was set up by Kenneth Watkins in 1972 in response to the disappearance of forests in the South West of England.
It is now the largest conservation organization in Britain.
Its mission is to create a UK rich in native forests for people and wildlife to enjoy – to plant, protect, restore and manage forests.
It now manages over 1,000 forests across Britain and has helped plant 55 million trees over the past 50 years, creating critical habitat.
But Babara pointed out that our native trees are under threat from climate change, pests and diseases, intensive agriculture and invasive species.
She also drew attention to the increasingly popular tree dedication where people can plant a tree to mark baptisms, weddings and other special anniversaries.
AND NEXT? meeting brought the festival to a close.
Individuals and groups who attended or visited came together for an evening of brainstorming on what had been achieved and where do we go from there.
What had inspired or given hope was among the recorded topics for reflection.
High on the list of future plans was that communities in the northeast need to stay connected.
A great idea put forward was the creation of a climate cafe.
Hearty congratulations were extended to the hardworking team at West Church who had organized the very successful festival which ran smoothly and addressed so many climate change issues.
