Transition Town Alness

Alness Transition Town Group are delighted to announce that two major carbon-cutting projects have been awarded funding by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.

Our group has been awarded £75,000 for our Home Energy Project, which will involve training volunteers in energy awareness, carrying out home energy checks and holding a series of energy-themed events. Home Energy Advisors will be employed to run the project up until March 2011, by which point over 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide will have been saved across Alness.

Alness Transition Town Group has also been helping the Alness and District Allotment Society secure £6,000 to fund a polytunnel and composting system at their site by Milnafua. The tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the polytunnel will reduce food-related emissions by avoiding the need to buy produce grown under energy-intensive conditions. The composting unit will provide a source of nutrients for the site, prevent biodegradable waste from rotting in landfill and reduce the need for environmentally damaging peat-based composts. There is also funding for a big bash to celebrate the polytunnel’s first growing season next summer. The Allotment Society will be saving nearly 20 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2011 and leave a lasting legacy to the community.

Alness Transition Town Group is already receiving support from the Climate Challenge Fund as a member of the Community Powerdown network and their Community Powerdown Officer, Peter Elbourne, is looking forward to getting going next year:

“Everyone at Alness Transition Town Group is really excited about these two projects. We will be making a real difference in Alness by helping people struggling with rising fuel bills to reduce their energy use. The Allotment Society has achieved great things since they started in 2007 and the Chairman Alan Muir has promised they can grow me a tonne of tomatoes next summer.”

For more information about either of these projects, get in touch with Alness Transition Town Group (01349 884896; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). More money is available from the Climate Challenge Fund, so also contact Alness Transition Town Group if you have an idea for a project that could help reduce our community’s carbon footprint.