1000 Better Stories - A Scottish Communities Climate Action Network Podcast

Our guest host, Katie Revell, invites you to hear a sample of stories from the Soil and Soul project.

The stories explore the importance of soil as a precious and threatened living resource for growing our food and how local community groups in Glasgow have worked to connect to and care for their soils.

Soil and Soul was a collaboration between the British Society of Soil Science, a Glasgow-based group of artists called Open Jar Collective and Propagate. Propagate are a worker-led collective focused on local, community and sustainable food projects, and the podcasts document soil workshops they run with Glasgow community groups over the last year. The project was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Soil and Soul podcasts were part of the exhibition at the World Congress of Soil Science, held in Glasgow in August 2022, to highlight to the delegates that “ordinary people” care deeply about soil if they are given the chance.

Katie Revell is a podcast producer, a member of the Open Jar Collective and SCCAN’s Storytelling Circle.

If you’d like to hear more of the Soil and Soul podcasts, you can find them on

• Propagate website
• Spotify, Google Podcasts or Soundcloud (search for Open Jar Collective)
• On Izi Travel audio walking tour app, where you can see a map of the different groups and their locations

Credits

Production and editing: Katie Revell

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

In today’s episode you will hear Kaska Hempel’s interview with Gill Davies, a Manager of SCCAN’s Investing in Regional Networks Programme, which has been funded by the Scottish Government.

For about a year now, she’s been recruiting and supporting regional network coordinators, working to strengthen relationships among community organisations within Scottish regions. This work will feed into the roll out of Scottish Government Regional Climate Action Hubs over the next year. You can listen to our last episode to find out more about the two hub pilots which are already in place.

You will also hear brief introductions from five regional network coordinators:

Julian Holbrook from Midlothian, Gordie Campbell from Scottish Borders, Steven Clark from Dumfries and Galloway, Marie Stonehouse from Argyle and Bute and Alison Stockwell from Western Isles.

Production and edit: Kaska Hempel with help from regional coordinators.

Resources:

New SCCAN website: https://sccan.scot/

SCCAN’s Investing in Regional Networks Programme – coordinators and contact details:

https://sccan.scot/network-building/

Community groups mentioned by regional coordinators

Argyle and Bute: Grow Food Grow Dunoon on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/Grow-Food-Grow-Dunoon-107142828547484/, Dunoon Area Alliance https://www.dunoonareaalliance.org/

Scottish Borders: The Hornshole Greenway Project in Hawick https://www.hornsholegreenway.com/

Western Isles: Uist and Barra Foodbank on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/Uistandbarrafoodbank

Dumfries and Galloway: Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership https://gallowayglens.org/

Mid-Lothian: Penicuick Community Development Trust https://penicuikcdt.co.uk/  

In today’s episode SCCAN Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to managers of Climate Action Hub pilots funded by the Scottish Government. Alison Stuart is the manager of North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN) and Joan Lawrie, the Project Manager for North Highlands and Island Climate Hub and the development manager in Thurso Community Trust. The hub pilots have been in place for around 2 years now and they represent a new way the government plans to support community climate action across Scotland.

Tune in to the next episode for an update on how SCCAN is helping grow regional networks in preparation for the next phase of Climate Hub devlopment.

Production and edit: Kaska Hempel

Resources

NESCAN hub website https://www.nescan.org/

Northern Highlands and Islands Hub https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/

Transition Fund and Green Participatory Budgeting via NESCAN https://www.nescan.org/pb

Climate week North East festival (Next edition 24 March-2April 2023) https://climateweeknortheast.org/

Highland Climate Festival https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/highlandclimatefestival

Orkney Climate Festival  https://www.nhclimatehub.co.uk/orkney-climate-festival

Carbon Neutral Islands Project

https://www.gov.scot/news/zero-carbon-islands/

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/six-scottish-islands-announced-carbon-26994830

Regional land use partnership NorthWest2045 https://www.northwest2045.scot/nw2045-land-use-partnership

Climate Action Towns (see our previous podcast interview for update on year 1) https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-3jfiv-12c216e

Golspie and green growth accelerator funding nature-based solution to flooding https://www.gov.scot/news/accelerating-green-growth/

https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/climate-action-group-to-hold-public-sessions-in-golspie-281046/

Scottish Government Investing in Communities Fund https://www.gov.scot/publications/investing-in-communities-fund-round-two-draft-guidance-note/

In today’s episode Kaska Hempel, SCCAN Story Weaver, speaks to Alette Willis, one of the researchers involved in the Shifting The Narrative project funded by the British Academy, and carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, with SCCAN as a partner. The project investigated how traditional storytelling can help communities achieve place-based climate action.

Alette shares her wider experience around using narrative work to drive change in communities along with the key findings from this recent project, ahead of the publication of the official report in October.

Credits

Production and edit: Kaska Hempel

Project collaborators:

Alette Willis https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/alette-willis

Jule Hildmann https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/jule-hildmann

Arno Verhoeven https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-arno-verhoeven

Ramsey Affifi https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/ramsey-affifi

Additional information/workshops:

List of story recommendations will be posted on Alette’s Restorying the Earth website along with BA project report and ongoing updates: https://restoryingtheearth.com/

Global Lab: Shifting the Narrative: Story Work and Nature Crises. Workshop at the International Storytelling Festival, 25 Oct, 2pm online Registration: https://sisf.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:4444/913:18197/

SCCAN Stories for Change workshop: Place-based storytelling using izi.travel app audio tours online, 9:30am-12:30pm, 13^th and 27^th of October https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/407887411227  

Dancing with Trees Eco-tales from the British Isles by Allison Galbraith and Allete J Willis: https://restoryingtheearth.com/about/

Our Story Weaver, Kaska Hempel, talks to Karen Ridgewell about year one of Scottish Climate Action Town project, delivered by Architecture and Design Scotland (https://www.ads.org.uk/)  and funded by the Scottish Government.

Karen shares lessons and tools for empowering communities to plan for their own climate friendly and fair future.

Production and editing: Kaska Hempel

Resources

Climate Action Towns report on A&DS website (includes a list of community engagement and planning tools used by the project):

https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/climate-action-towns-year-one-lessons-report

Delivering place-based approaches in Scotland event, 27^th of Sep, online: https://www.ads.org.uk/event/climate-week-2022-designing-changing-climate

Place standard tool (including place standard tool with a climate lens): https://www.ourplace.scot/About-Place-Standard

Place standard

https://www.ads.org.uk/resource/place-standard

SEPA Flood Risk Map https://map.sepa.org.uk/floodmaps

2050 Climate Map https://coastal.climatecentral.org/

Heat Resilience Map https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62243280 (this was produced by 4 Earth Intelligence - they offer more detailed info but you would have to pay for the service).

In this episode we focus on helping children process their climate anxiety in a holistic approach using stories. One of our mini-grant recipients, Maria Barros, invites us on an immersive and interactive journey with Nefelibatas (Cloud Walkers), and SCCAN Story Weavers Kaska Hempel and Joana Avi-Lorie chat about Joana’s research and practice in using such stories to help children tackle anxiety.

Mini-grants of £250 are available to anyone wanting to contribute content to the 1000 Better stories podcast or blog so please get in touch with Kaska or Joana on stories@scottishcommunitiescan.org.uk.

For future developments of Nefelibatas projects check Instagram: Nefelibatas (@nefelibatastory)

Or contact: nefelibatasnasnuvens@gmail.com

Nefelibatas credits

Story and narration: Maria Barros

Sound production: Rui Morgado

Logo: Márcia Fernandes

Interview credits

Recording and editing: Kaska Hempel

Have you ever tried to get your head around climate models? And what they show may happen in the next 50 to 100 years to the places you where you live, places which you love and care about?

What would it really mean for you or your children?

Today we bring you a story behind an Outer Hebrides Storylines project aimed at exactly that. Combining creativity, oral history, and science to help local people and communities engage in adaptation planning in the way that’s meaningful to them.

The project got support from SCCAN’s Pockets and Prospects fund as well as NERC, Adaptation Scotland, and Làn Thìde Climate Beacon and involved several partners. 

The story was recorded and produced for us by Matthew Logan, Community Energy Scotland, and one of the leads on the project.

We also hear from Dr James Pope from the Met Office, Eleanor Pratt from Adaptation Scotland, and a Lewis-based artist, Sandra Kennedy, who carried out the commission.

Resources

• Tuil is Geil Storylines on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/andraennedy
• Dr Pope’s presentation about science climate change expected in Outer Hebrides: https://youtu.be/ot113okUgtg
• Dr Pope’s blog about the project: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/musical-messages-creating-bespoke-climate-story-outer-james-pope/
• Sandra Kennedy’s blog about the project: https://lanthide.org/blog-sandra-kennedy-crafting-tuil-is-geil-storylines/
• Storyline Project info on Làn Thìde Climate Beacon website: https://lanthide.org/climate-storyline/
• Community Energy Scotland https://communityenergyscotland.org.uk/
• Adaptation Scotland https://www.adaptationscotland.org.uk/
• Climate Beacons https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/project/climate-beacons-for-cop26/

Join Luke Winter, one of our mini-grant recipents on his adventure to Knoydart. Stories of the land and how it has changed hands in recent history. 

Grants are available to anyone wanting to contribute content to the 1000 Better stories podcast or blog so please get in touch with Kaska or Joana on stories@scottishcommunitiescan.org.uk.

Producer: Loris S. Sarid (https://lorisssarid.bandcamp.com/ )

Writing/recording: Luke Winter (https://www.storiesforstrangers.com/)

Background information:

Knoydart Foundation: https://knoydart.org/about-the-knoydart-foundation/

History of Knoydart land ownership: https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-75580

Seven Men of Knoydart song lyrics: http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/m/menofkno.html 

In this episode we continue a conversation about how community organisations involved in climate justice work can benefit from collaborating with creative practitioners.  We hear from another partnership within Creative Dundee’s CULTIVATE project - Joyce Reid from Transition Dundee and their creative partner - Jade Anderson. Their collaboration focused on a community wardrobe project and destigmatising the idea of second hand clothing.

Listen to the previous episode to find out more about CULTIVATE and the creative collaboration centred around Community First projects based in Forfar, Angus. 

Production and edit: Kaska Hempel. Illustrated with excerpts from Wee Wardrobe documentary with permission from Jade Andreson.

Resources

Transition Dundee: http://www.transitiondundee.com/ 

The Wardrobe: http://www.transitiondundee.com/thewardrobe

Wee Wardrobe event in February - programme and contributors https://creativedundee.com/2022/02/cultivate-wee-wardrobe/

Jade Andreson: https://www.jadeanderson.org/home 

Wee Wardrobe Documentary with voices from community groups: https://youtu.be/jImheKAwaxk

Oor Memories / Oor Stories compilations from:

• Stand Easy Productions
  
• the Boomerang Community Centre’s Reminiscence Group
• Dundee Rep’s Engage group, Rep Juniors, for 11–13-year-olds.

Jade’s talk “Sustainable Choices and Social Stigmas for the Working Class”  for Zero Carbon Tour’s event in Dundee.

In this episode we start a conversation about how community organisations can benefit from collaborating with creative practitioners. We talk to Claire Durfour, Climate Creative Producer for Creative Dundee, about their CULTIVATE project which has been partnering creative practitioners with Tayside community organisations working in climate justice. We also chat to members of one of the partnerships, Pauline Lockhart and Carol Malone from Community First based in Forfar, Angus and their creative partners, Kirsty McKeown and Jenny Reid.

And to start us off you, will hear work by another one of SCCAN mini-grant recipients, Studio Youth Theatre in, Dumfries and Galloway. They show off a pilot episode of their brand new podcast, Blank Generation.

We will continue conversations about the value of creative collaborations in the next episode, due out in a couple of weeks.

Production and edit: Kaska Hempel

Resources:

Community First projects 

• S-Mart (the good shop!) https://www.s-martscot.com/ 
• BRAND Climate Conscious Clothing https://www.facebook.com/BRANDClimateConsciousClothing 
• The Little Green Cafe https://www.facebook.com/thelittlegreencafeforfar/ 

Studio Theatre, Moffat  https://thestudiotheatre.co.uk/ 

Tayside Climate Beacon events in May and June: https://creativedundee.com/2022/05/2022-tayside-climate-beacon-event-series/

CULTIVATE https://creativedundee.com/cultivate/

Culture Collective https://www.culturecollective.scot/