Here is a list of the dates up to June 2023 for both Climate Cafes and Environment & Sustainability Group (CAP Theme 5) should you be interested in the Community Renewable Energy Project. They will all continue to be either virtual or in person. The new venue for both meet ups is the Pitlochry Library, 26 Atholl Rd, Pitlochry PH16 5BX.
 
For the Climate Cafes (Second week of the month. Tuesday 1pm - 3pm and Thursday 7pm to 9pm) - Tuesday 10th January & Thursday 12th January, Tuesday 7th Feb & Thursday 9th Feb, Tuesday 7th March & Thursday 9th March, Tuesday 11th April & Thursday 13th April, Tuesday 9th May & Thursday 11th May, Tuesday 13th June & Thursday 15th June.   
 
Martin Mathers, Nathan Jamieson from The Heat Project, myself, Alison R, Charlie and Maggie McCarthy have organised a table in the COOP for Saturday 21st January from 9am till 2pm to give out and promote how we can insulate our homes and reduce energy consumption and save money. Would anyone be interested in helping on the day for an hour or two? 
 


For the CAP group (All Thursdays 7pm to 9pm) - 19th January, 16th February, 16th March, 20th April, 18th May and 22nd June.  
 
At our next meeting in January one of the items we will be discussing is the initial steps we need to take to begin the Community Renewable Energy Project - finding people to help with this stage of information gathering and organising some presentations and discussions with organisations such as CARES, (Local Energy Scotland) Community Energy Scotland and other community groups such as Linlith Go Solar etc so we understand what the process entails and how they managed it. Learn the lessons early from different groups, which will save a lot of time and effort through not making the mistakes other communities have made.

​Carol Aitken

O has donated some woodland trees for planting at Dun Coillich and will have more in the future. Through a few discussions in the Climate Café, Alison R. along with The Delta Park group have planted 5 new fruit trees in the park this year for community use. 


Community Garden share: Anna S and the Garden share volunteers now have 3 gardens participating. Volunteers attend these gardens with a view to growing fruit and vegetables to share with each other and with the community in the Food Larder. Since last year, Catherine Holmes brought together a team of volunteer fruit pickers, who with garden owners’ permission, gathered fruit (mainly apples) for free distribution in the community. Anna and volunteers also helped with the fruit picking this year and gathered 4 tons of apples that were taken to Wasted Degrees to be turned into cider.


Repair Café: Has proved very popular as both a repair café and social space for our community to meet up. There is funding until March with more funding been applied for through Community Investment Fund to cover the following 12 months. 


Enchanted Forest: A meeting with Enchanted Forest is being organised to continue to develop ways to be more carbon neutral. 


Town centre recycling bins: A proposal that was discussed in the Climate Café and almost implemented in early 2020 is to be resurrected with PKC but the aim is to get some local sponsorship e.g. from Enchanted Forest.


Men’s Shed Venue: They now have a premises which was previously occupied by Handam and there will have some space for a Tool Library. 


Old Toilet Block: Building in very bad condition. PKC’s valuation of the building should be completed soon awaited. Potential uses include some workshop space for Men’s Shed. A shower, toilet and chemical disposal toilet for camper vans who park in the local vicinity. Space for our Climate Café and Sprout, the community eco hub, which having a permanent location would allow us to create an information and meeting space, A Remakery, and where workshops and regular events could be staged.


Sprout, The Community Eco Hub: has 45 members signed up as at date of meeting. Preference is for the organisation to become a CLG or charity so we can become an umbrella community organisation for other environmental groups and events such as the Remakery and the Repair Café etc. 


Pitlochry Eco Badge – Alison would like some help to contact Accommodation Providers to discuss this. 
Himalayan Balsam – Alison is interested in this along with a few other people and will be chatting to some people from Dunkeld about the issues etc.  
Updates on any actions from E & S Group ( CAP Theme 5) on 2nd November which was focused on Community Renewable Energy with *Martin Mathers and *John Ferguson.   


The main points are: 

1. This project will help PKC to work towards their future Perth and Kinross area wide renewable energy plan and targets. 
2. Our meeting with both John and Martin looked at together on a Renewable Energy scheme between Dunkeld and Pitlochry. My idea. That way we combine the benefits from the skills, knowledge and resources in these communities to create either site specific renewable schemes – PV panels and Air Source HPs or a multiple communities scheme with all the communities in between but could also include those as far north as Trinafour. 

Martin mentioned it could also be an A9 Wind turbine corridor project on Forest Park land to supply any community that would like to participate in this project. Make this area self-sufficient not just one community. Each community would have to create their own community group or chum with a larger group to undertake the work needed. It would be a community led project. 

1. Martin mentioned that along with this we need to insulate everyone’s home, refurbish or install secondary glazing, replace with new windows and draughtproof windows and doors , as that will reduce our energy demands, reduce electricity and gas usage
2. Had a meeting with Thomas Glen and the Theme Groups on the 29th November and they liked the idea of the Communities Renewable energy Scheme.    

Process 
First Stage (about 12 months) - It's about getting a group of people together from many fields of expertise and any interested residents for conversations. 


Second Stage (about 18 months)- We would have an idea of what renewables scheme we would want, so funding and funding and hire energy consultants etc and to consider things like planning applications, would be next. 


Next Climate Cafés - The new venue for future Climate Cafes will be the Pitlochry Library Tuesday in the second week of the month so our first two are on 10th January 1pm & Thursday 12th January 7pm. 
Support for Climate Cafes and key for Library - O and Alison have offered to support all of us by taking some future Climate Cafes and being the responsible person for keys for library. 
*John Ferguson is the head of Strategy at the Binn Eco Innovation Park in Perthshire which its primary business themes are waste and resource management, renewable energy and food production. 
*Martin Mathers is the project manager for The Heat Project who provide free, professional energy advice service to households and (businesses) throughout Perth and Kinross to help them become more energy efficient and reduce their energy bills.

​Carol Aitken