Grant award for Green Group (Our Community project)
Interest in environmental issues and willingness to engage in practical initiatives led to the creation of the Green Group as part of the Our Community project. It is a highly diverse group involved with activities including beach cleaning, management of invasive species, community gardens and green waste management.
To further our aims and activities, we are thrilled to have been successful in getting our first grant from ABCAN (Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network Hub) to help us in setting up trial beds for growing a variety of produce (food, flowers, herbs etc.).
Montage of planned Green group activity
Photo montage credit: Green Group, Our Community Project
As part of this activity, we will follow best practice from existing community groups who have already set up community gardens. Ultimately, the knowledge and expertise gained from these initial trial beds will be shared within our community and will inform future developments. In time, we hope to expand this activity to encompass a wider range of produce which will be locally available. In this way we hope to show how fresh produce can be locally grown, reducing the need for any transportation and thus mitigate some effects of the Climate Crisis by reducing the carbon footprint.
By demonstrating what can be done at a local level, we hope to show that:
Locally produced food, flowers etc. are ‘doable’ avoiding the need for any transportation
Produce is fresher as it hasn’t had to travel any distance
There are opportunities to become more self-sufficient locally
There is the potential for a local business to develop over time
Local initiatives can support a move towards more sustainable agriculture
Community actions can support Argyll and Bute Council’s drive towards net zero
A forum can be provided for community engagement as well as health benefits
We can educate the community about food production and raise awareness of the Climate Crisis and the need to act.
More information on the Green Group, Our Community project in Cove & Kilcreggan here