Career paths with heart - Sandwick Bay Candles
Hear from Theresa Peteranna how new talent in our region is being drawn to businesses with ethical aims.
Looking for inspiring stories? Meet our net zero heroes.
Everyone can have a part in reducing emissions and protecting the future of the unique natural environment we enjoy in the Highlands and Islands.
Meet just a few of our region's #netzeroheroes from across the years who are leading change in sectors like energy, tourism and food & drink, who are protecting our natural resources, and who are improving efficiency and sustainability in businesses and communities.
Every change, whether large or small helps.
Climate Week 2024
Scotland's climate in September was a great opportunity to look at the wide range of activity happening across the Highlands and Islands to tackle the climate crisis.
Hear from:
- Lawrie at Black Isle Brewery in Munlochy
- Keith at Wee Studio Records in the Isle of Lewis
- Kerry at 8 Doors Distillery at John O'Groats
- Moray from Mull and Iona Community Trust at Ulva Ferry
- Alison from History Links Museum in Dornoch
- Allister from Easy Empty Bag in Dunoon
They're all featuring this week in our socials.
Click through for more information about our support in greening your business.
Green Grant Fund
If your business or social enterprise is planning to invest in projects to reduce carbon emissions, we could help.
Grants of up to £250,000 are available for initiatives like energy efficiency, renewable energy solutions, and waste management. Projects in remote and rural areas can receive up to 50% funding.
Meet some of our previous Green Grant Fund recipients, and find out more about the current fund.
Social enterprise Inverness Kart Raceway has made the move from petrol-powered go-karts to electric vehicles, significantly reducing its carbon footprint and saving an impressive £20,000 annually on fuel costs.
DAY1 and Inverness Kart Raceway
Scalloway Youth and Community Centre are feeling the benefits of greening their building. Their extensive insulation work is vastly improving energy efficiency and reducing heating costs.
Scalloway Youth and Community Centre
Keen to reduce their reliance on gas and direct electric heating the Ledge in Inverness has installed an air source heat pump. It has cut energy usage, lowered costs and is set to reduce carbon emissions by around 60%.
LOW CARBON ENERGY IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS
Hear about the challenges and opportunities available in the Highlands and Islands whilst working towards a net zero Scotland by 2045.
Our Net Zero Heroes - Transition
Businesses and organisations across the region are exploring innovative solutions, creating jobs and developing new skills and expertise to address key climate challenge issues.
Renewable Parts
Renewable Parts is a supplier of new and refurbished turbine parts to the global wind energy sector, employing eight staff in Lochgilphead in Argyll.
They are passionate about the circular economy with a strong vision of how to make the industry greener.
Nortenergy
A lack of quality fruit and vegetables available locally inspired Nortenergy to develop Polycrub.
The social enterprise set up by the Northmavine Community Development Company operates in the northernmost peninsula of mainland Shetland. Polycrub enables fruit and vegetables to be grown undercover in extreme climates.
Selling Polycrub kits has become a key trading activity for Nortenergy.
Using food waste to tackle plastic pollution
CuanTec has developed a world-first method for biologically extracting a naturally occurring polymer, chitin, from waste langoustine shells and converting this to the base material for plastic-free food packaging.
Celtic Crustacean Collaboration
Clean Islands
Seven of the region’s islands are working together on an international project to lower carbon emissions associated with heat, transport and electricity supplies for residents.
The islands of Eigg, Muck, Rum, Canna, Fair Isle, Foula and the peninsula of Knoydart were selected as ‘pioneering islands’ in the Clean Energy for EU Islands programme and have now developed decarbonisation pathways.
Pure Water
Highlands-based Pure Water International is a start-up that works with large-scale industry and private suppliers to help them access clean water.
As part of our Technology Placement Programme two Aero-Mechanical Engineering graduates from Strathclyde University have designed a purification prototype to remove chemicals, medication, plastic fibres and polluted substances from water.
Scottish Association for Marine Science
At SAMS, research work is taking place to increase knowledge around seaweed farming.
A better understanding of the production cycle will help create a vibrant industry which is actively helping to lower carbon levels and provide alternative food sources for people, animals and plants.
Net zero skills and careers
The race to net zero is opening up interesting opportunities and green jobs with innovation and sustainability at their core. Meet some young graduates working with enterprises across the the region.
Net zero and new career opportunities - Renewable Parts
Renewable Energy's Gabriel McKeown talks about the impact of net zero on careers.
How growing can help our climate
The Hebridean Community Garden promotes a low carbon lifestyle and organic gardening with the help of Christopher Smail.
Making home energy savings - great for people and the planet
Finlay McCulloch is helping the community to make choices about energy efficiency.
Island business's eco expansion
Amanda and Julian Saurin have developed the Temple Café in South Harris as a place to celebrate local island produce. Their wide range of products are made by hand, and an expansion supported by HIE for a new building will give them the space they need to launch a coffee roastery, smokery, for food preparation, and to expand their local drinks range.
Meet Amanda in our film to find out more about her efforts to support a circular economy.
FIRST HYBRID ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT IN SCOTLAND
The Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) is the UK's first low-carbon aviation centre. The photograph here is from 2021 when pioneering Orkney based project celebrated the first hybrid electric flight in Scotland across the Pentland Firth between Kirkwall and Wick John O’Groats airports.
The project is delivered through a national consortium of industry partners, academia and public sector bodies matching technology with real world scenarios, including use of cargo drones and zero emission aircraft.
Buildings
Meet some of the projects greening our homes, businesses and community spaces
Moray housebuilder set to create green jobs
Green Jobs award helps create 14 jobs in Moray
HIE funding boost for Outer Hebrides distillery
HIE support for new Benbecula distillery and visitor centre being developed with green tech and creating 22 jobs.
Funding for green recovery project on Shapinsay
An investment of £25,000 has been confirmed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for a community-led green recovery project in the Orkney island of Shapinsay.
Sustainable growing
Businesses and organisations involved in food sourcing and production
Nortenergy
Shetland social enterprise develop the Polycrub to enable fruit and veg to be grown undercover in harsh climates.
Outer Hebrides food and drink business set to expand and create jobs
A South Harris business which celebrates local produce is delivering an eco-friendly expansion.
Arran social enterprise puts fresh produce on the menu
People on Arran are set to have more access to fresh local produce in a project that will also help to create two new jobs on the island with financial support from HIE.
Supporting transformation - skills and technology
New technologies are improving our capacity all the time to change how we live and work.
Technology placement helps bakery
A graduate placement programme is enabling a Highland bakery to roll out ground-breaking technology to reduce waste and boost profits.
Fuel Change Challenge - Isabel McLeish - Velocity
Isabel and the Fuel Change Challenge
Fuel Change Challenge - Leia Pol - RSE
Leia and the Fuel Change Challenge
Taking action
Hear from some of our business and community organisations taking climate action
