Community carbon footprint analysis shows The Park Ecovillage near Findhorn is leading by example to carbon neutrality
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A ‘green’ housing settlement near Findhorn is leading by example in its quest for carbon neutrality by 2032.
The Park Ecovillage Trust has completed its fifth community carbon footprint analysis in eight years, the results of which demonstrate a commitment to reach carbon neutrality within the 2045 timeframe set by the Scottish Government.
A trust spokesperson said: “The average footprint for the 400 residents came in at 7.9 tons CO2e each, down from previous years and significantly less than averages elsewhere in the UK. Emissions that contribute to our smaller than average footprint include Moray Car Share, which through shared use of vehicles, creates 47 per cent higher utilization of each car in the fleet and less cars required to be manufactured overall.”
The research was funded by grants from the National Lottery and Tsi Moray. The full report can be found at https://parkecovillagetrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PET-Carbon-Footprint-Report-2022.pdf.
The spokesperson added: “The strategy to reduce the community footprint over the next nine-and-a-half years is evolving and research is ongoing whilst funding to implement the strategy is being sought.”
Four carbon footprint and adaptation to climate change feasibility studies at the Ecovillage have also been completed. Financed by the Just Transition Fund, they aim to reduce carbon emissions, increase resilience and create green jobs in Moray and Scotland. The studies engaged over 50 researchers between November and April, relying on community consultation regarding topics ranging from household heating systems to food purchasing and composting habits.
The spokesperson said: “Proposed projects emanating from the studies will be firsts for Scotland. They include retrofitting a neighbourhood of freestanding, existing homes with ground source district heating to remove liquefied petroleum gas from the equation, and creating affordable, self-build homes within a greenhouse structure. These ‘nature houses’ save up to 50 per cent of conventional homes’ heating costs by being enclosed. Growing space within the structure potentially reduces costs and the carbon footprint of food consumption.”
Increasingly electrification is required with the move away from fossil fuels so a combination of new technologies were assessed, including a low voltage electrical microgrid, the latest battery and thermal storage, plus smart grid technologies.
The spokesperson added: “As we build new solar arrays, supply of electricity is increased on the one hand, but, by encouraging more electric vehicles, consuming more electricity is on the other.”
The studies highlight the emergence of new industries that will reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint and create green jobs.
The spokesperson added: “Again for example, by reclaiming waste glass from demolition sites to be used in greenhouse construction for nature houses, a circular economy can be created.”
Finally, a ‘Building a Resilient Food Economy’ project forecasts potential carbon emissions savings of up to 22 tons in year one alone, and a significant increase in compost production. If the projects are funded and replicated elsewhere in Scotland, it is estimated that implementation will create 80 jobs in Moray and up to 12,000 elsewhere.
