Sustainable Kirriemuir is a voluntary organisation set up to take positive climate action and transform Kirriemuir into a sustainable, net-zero community. Since 2019 a number of projects and initiatives have been driven forward to combat climate change.
Following a public meeting in August 2019, 26 community members decided that Kirriemuir should take positive climate action and set about achieving this goal. The following April, the group launched their first 2-year project, Nourish Kirriemuir, supported by a generous grant of £162,644 from the Climate Challenge Fund. Although the grant arrived at the same time as the country went into lockdown, the local community embraced the adversity and made the project a success.
The second 2-year project, Future Kirrie, was launched in January 2022, this time funded by the National Lottery Community Fund through a grant of £150,000. The grant supported a wide-ranging consultation with the community, leading to the creation of their Strategic Plan 2023-2027, published in April 2023.
Future Kirrie worked with environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), as part of a pilot project aimed at creating a vision and action plan for the town in 2030, focusing on food, energy, waste, travel, adaptation and nature.
The grants have been useful in achieving the goals set out by Sustainable Kirriemuir, but the organisation relies on the goodwill, support and resources of the local community to volunteer to deliver the projects. By engaging the community, Sustainable Kirriemuir hopes that more residents will be involved because climate change affects everyone’s future and having a role in minimising this should be in everyone’s interest.
Nourish Kirriemuir had two aims from its inception:
- Grow two tonnes of food
- Cut food waste and other waste by six tonnes
- Support 500 people to increase their awareness and understanding of climate change
The project engaged the schools, community groups, members of the public, and Angus Council to create a common voice to address climate change. Initially, three market gardens and three schools were recruited to grow food to support 225 households across Kirriemuir and the Glens. Households were provided with food growing kits and encouraged to take on the Get Set Grow Challenge to grow their own vegetables and learn permaculture techniques.
Nourish Kirriemuir also supported the Kirriemuir Food Hub in the development of its ‘Hub Garden’ which provides fresh, locally grown produce to those in need, as well as helping the town reduce their carbon emissions by over 90 tonnes of CO2, by cutting food waste and other waste 25 tonnes.
Summer 2024 saw Sustainable Kirriemuir embark on their next project, the Active Travel Hub project and Market Garden, both contributing to the organisation’s commitment to sustainability. In their own words, Kirriemuir is a gateway to both the Glens and the future too.