Park Ecovillage Trust to invest £10,000 from the National Lottery in achieving carbon neutrality by 2030
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A LOCAL pioneer in sustainability since the 1980s has been awarded a grant of £10,000 from the National Lottery.
In the run-up to COP26, Findhorn Ecovillage announced its ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
The grant will used by the Park Ecovillage Trust’s (PET) Carbon Reductions Team to investigate what is required for a village with residents and businesses, buildings, gardens and roads to achieve this.
PET chairman, Roger Doudna PhD, explained that annual goals will be set for reducing the community’s carbon footprint.
These are already lower than the UK average but needing further reductions over the next years.
He said: “Over the past 59 years, our community has developed our own wind park, biological waste water treatment plant, and pioneered eco-building techniques.
“We even have our own wholefood and organic food store and café.
“The park has become an non-governmental organisation associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information and is holder of a UN Habitat Best Practice award.”
The Ecovillage attracts visitors from around the globe who want to learn how to establish similar settlements, including food production methods that regenerate the soil.
However, this attraction has accumulated a carbon footprint for international travel that is unsustainable.
“One challenge will be to disseminate our experience online so that participants can stay home while benefiting from leading-edge knowledge,” said Mr Doudna.
“The next step is to become less dependent upon fossil fuels. This will include measuring all emissions, even those from suppliers and visitors.”
Further measures to achieving carbon neutrality will include increasing solar energy installations, replacing oil and gas heating with heat pumps, encouraging the use of electric vehicles by installing additional charge points, securing financing for necessary investments, and creating a support system for individuals to reassess lifestyles to consume fewer resources.
Mr Doudna finished: “On the road to net zero by 2030, we are offering a carbon offsetting service.
“Guests and residents can balance emissions that they have not yet been able to reduce by investing in tree planting and forestry projects in developing countries where growing trees will draw down carbon dioxide and store it in the biomass.”
See https://parkecovillagetrust.co.uk/carbon offsetting/carbon-offset/ for more information.
