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Student-Led Farmers Market- Eastern Dundee Pupil Food Growing Initiative
2024-09-30 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
This special initiative will empower young students to connect with the environment through hands-on, food-growing experiences. School children in Eastern Dundee will not only learn the science of planting, growing, and harvesting, but will also develop a deep appreciation for the environment and sustainable living. By running student-led farmers' markets, they’ll gain practical skills in agriculture and business, bringing fresh, healthy produce home to their families. This initiative will also improve school grounds, local greenspaces and biodiversity by buying and planting a diverse school orchard and sustainable vegetable gardens, with the input of the pupils themselves.
This project is more than just teaching children how to grow food—it’s about nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards. Many of these students come from low-income households, and some do not have gardens at home. The school becomes their only opportunity to engage with nature in a meaningful, skills-focused way. By instilling these abilities early, we help cultivate healthier lifestyles and promote self-reliance, all while creating a lasting impact on their communities. The seasonal alignment of Terms 4 and then Term 1 of tha academic years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 ensures that students experience the full growing cycle, from seed to harvest, making this project a cornerstone for future school-led growing initiatives.
With the support of Dundee Climate Fund, this project will transform the way children view food and sustainability, making their school not just a place of learning but a thriving hub of community-driven resilience and environmental consciousness. These young learners will be equipped to tackle food insecurity and promote healthier futures for generations to come. Our instructors will even show them how to preapre and cook some of their produce on open-fires outdoors! Without this investment, the project simply cannot move forward.
Climate Action Workshops for Single Parent Families
2024-09-19 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
One Parent Families Scotland aim to deliver Climate Action Workshops offering a variety of sessions designed to empower single parents and families in Dundee to reduce their environmental footprint and create a more sustainable future.
Discovering how small changes can make a big difference in daily life through our sustainable living sessions. Learning to save money and reduce waste with our food waste reduction workshops. Discovering tips to save energy and money on utility bills in our energy efficiency sessions. Enjoying fun and educational activities with your children in our family-friendly workshops. Connecting with other like-minded individuals and become a Climate Champion in our community engagement sessions.
By participating in our workshops, single parent families will:
- Gain valuable knowledge and skills.
- Save money on household expenses.
- Help protect the environment for future generations.
- Connect with your community and make a positive impact.
Green Rep!
2024-09-15 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
For over 40 years, actors appearing at Dundee Rep have prepared for their stage roles in one of our eight dressing rooms and have chilled out pre and post-performance in our Green Room, whilst colleagues in our programming and planning department work tirelessly to schedule an exciting programme of events for you our audiences, whilst box office staff sell tickets to each show. For over 40 years, all these professionals have shivered in the winter, as the draughty, single-glazed windows in each area leach warmth out of the rooms and let the chills in!
As an A-Listed building, we are limited in changes and modifications we are allowed to make both externally and internally. Our windows are 42-year-old, single-gazed originals; some are very unique: triangular in shape reflecting the stylised motif based on our stage which occurs throughout the building. Some also feature a louvre-design of slatted glass opening for ventilation and due to the listing they can’t be replaced. However they are hugely draughty and it is very difficult to keep above 21oC, the ideal office temperature. Our recent annual Energy Report by Creative Carbon Scotland estimated we have been losing around 60% of heat generated through our gas central heating system through these windows!
Having seen the positive impact installing secondary glazing in other parts of the building has made to reducing our heating bills, we now want to complete the rest of the building, installing recyclable, polycarbonate glazing to the remaining areas. We estimate it will save around 25% of our gas usage, will stop staff use of portable, electric heaters- an inefficient, health and safety risk- and will help towards making the building air tight, so allowing the possibility installing an air source heat pump in future. This installation will contribute towards our target of a reduction of 109 tonnes of CO2 by 2028.
We were recently voted Dundee Chamber of Commerce Champions 2024, in part due to our work in climate adaptation and mitigation working towards Net Zero, some of which is highlighted in the video on this page.
Thank you for your support.
Inspiring climate action through play
2024-10-01 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Dundee Science Centre (DSC) is a lifelong learning resource committed to engaging and empowering our community with science whilst developing their skills. We will deliver a brand-new community engagement programme shining a light on climate change, through play and hands-on learning, to inspire action.
Discover: We are experiencing a climate emergency. Our planet’s temperature is rising, biodiversity is decreasing and the change in our climate is having a devastating effect on life across the globe. Across Tayside, we have experienced record-breaking heatwaves and extreme flooding - putting our health and homes at risk. It’s important that we come together as a community to support each other and to protect our planet, now and for the future. Participants will discover how this has happened and the impact it will have on life on Earth through engaging demonstrations and hands-on learning.
Explore: Dundee is at the forefront of climate action and adaption. Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, we will explore ways in which our city and the surrounding areas can take action to build resilience to climate change and continue to grow in a climate positive way.
Play: We will bring fun, engaging workshops and play-based activities into community centres and hubs across Dundee, alongside our community partners which include Dundee Bairns, Dundee Stroke and Exercise Group and Abertay Enviromental Science team including Dr Rebecca Wade. Our mission is to facilitate positive experiences with science, empower our community and to encourage them to connect with the natural world, embracing and protecting it for the future.
Whilst the majority of the project delivery will take the form of in-person workshops throughout the community, we will also upskill community leaders and educators to ensure our work has a lasting legacy and provide resources for community centres to continue building their skills for years to come. Our programme development team utilise research informed learning practises and work closely with the Association of Science and Discovery Centres and the National Environment Reseach Council to bring the latest scientific developments to our audiences in exciting and meaningful ways.
DSC will participate in community festivals, offering engaging and interactive experiences connected to our Climate Champions initiative. We will also host visits to our centre, where the public can explore sustainability through our award-winning exhibitions, guided by our expert science communicators.
The environmental benefits of the project will include:
Awareness Raising: Our team will provide a wide range of examples to establish a deep understanding of the global to local impacts of climate change.
Community Engagement: We will work closely with a wide range of audiences to develop engaging and impactful workshops that allow them to take ownership over their own learning and apply their skills to help solve issues within their communities.
Skills Development: Our team will raise the science capital and STEM skillset of participants as well as providing opportunities to improve critical thinking, literacy, numeracy and teamwork in informal settings. These transferrable skills will be beneficial in taking climate action but also in the personal and professional lives of the those involved.
Climate Action & Adaption: The intended outcome of our work is to have our participants go out and take action in their local area that positively benefits the both the environment and their community.
No action is too small or insignificant when it comes to creating a better world. Join us as we create Climate Champions across Tayside and play our part in driving meaningful climate action.
Forthill Community Sports Club Solar Panel Project
2024-09-30 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Forthill Community Sports Club is committed to sustainability and enhancing its facilities to better serve the community. Our proposed solar panel installation, (£22,505 cost), will significantly lower energy costs, allowing us to reinvest savings into sporting programs, outreach, and development. By reducing our carbon footprint, we create a more sustainable future for our members and inspire young athletes to take part in an environmentally conscious sports culture. This initiative strengthens our role as a community hub, promoting both physical well-being and environmental responsibility.
Forthill Community Sports Club is a local hub dedicated to promoting sports and physical activity in the community. Based in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, the club provides facilities for a variety of sports, including cricket, tennis, hockey, squash, rugby and table tennis. It serves a wide range of age groups and skill levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes, and is focused on fostering both sporting excellence and community engagement. In addition to hosting matches and events, Forthill also plays a key role in sports development and outreach, offering programs that encourage active participation, teamwork, and personal growth. The club's inclusive and welcoming environment makes it a vital part of the local sports culture. Our facilities are used by a variety of community groups who are not directly linked to Forthill, and we hope that the financial savings throught this solar project will allow us to open our doors to more groups.
Cake or Dice Share and Repair Cafe
2024-09-28 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Cake or Dice, partnered with NEoN Digital Arts, are looking to run Dundee's only Repair and Share cafe, as a current member of Scotland's Share and Repair network. Repair Cafés are meeting places and they’re all about repairing things. In Cake or Dice, where the Repair Café will be located, you will find folk who can help, and tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. We hope to be able to repair clothes, small tech, bicycles, jewellery, appliances, and toys!
You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields. We are lucky to have volunteers that are small tech specialists, crafters, jewellery makers, seamstresses, knitters, 3d printer technicians, and many more. We will alternate who will be available monthly, with information going out on socials and a newsletter. If you have nothing to repair, you can come in and have a blether, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, or even a slice of cake. You can also get inspired at our lending library, where you can pick up books, zines or even board games!
Our first pilot cafe will run on Saturday 19th October, and will be a partnership between Cake or Dice, NEoN and Dundee MakerSpace. After the pilot, we would like to run a session monthly.
We would therefore like to hire a part-time staff member to help deliver the following:
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A repair and share cafe once a month
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Admin and coordination of volunteers
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A new weekly conversation space,
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Support and learning of MyTurn, creating a tools library between Cake or Dice, NEoN Digital Arts and other partnerships in the Creative hub, that Cake or dice have created.
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This funding will also support the tools library, plus initial material costs.
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Repairs cafes are good for the environment as they reduce waste, promote recycling and reduce carbon emissions. They also help reduce electronic waste, hopefully prolonging the life of technology. We hope that it will also save money, plus empower our community to be more confident in their own skills, and start on their own sustainable journey.
We have been fortunate enough in to attend the Share and Repair gathering in February 2024, and have been supported so far in setting up our repair cafe infrastructure by members and other repair cafes. We are so excited to be able to bring this to Dundee, and hope you are able to join us on this journey!
Douglas Diggers
2024-10-01 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
The Douglas Diggers are formed of parents from Claypotts Castle PS who are committed to improving the physical environment of the school as well as the surrounding community spaces. We are lucky to have a huge playground, but sadly it is simply an expanse of concrete and grass. We have been working at pace this year on introducing native, hardy planting to the playground and creating opportunities for children and adults alike to learn more about gardening and growing. We are at the start of a very exciting journey of transformation which will stand the test of time for many children to enjoy and learn from for years to come.
The vision for the Douglas Diggers has children at the heart, but very much surrounded by adults, old and young, with lots of gardening experience, or none at all. We hope to create a space where all are welcome and feel valued; a space that embraces avid gardeners as well as those who simply wish to enjoy the surroundings of a living, growing garden.
We are a school who are committed and attached to our families. We do our very best to create many varied opportunities to involve our parents and carers and the Douglas Diggers have plans to offer many family-based activities this year from the creation of our Polycrub, the Claypotts Caterpillar to Family Fun Days and creative workshops during the winter months.
Developing our outdoor spaces will create opportunities to: address the cost of living pressures, to reduce social isolation, to offer zero cost family activities and to create volunteering opportunities for those looking to start/return to work to name but a few. Moreover, it encourages our families to claim the school space as their own whilst exploring the concept of climate change and the impact we can all have as citizens both individually and collectively.
Community Food Larder Electric Van
2024-09-30 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Fairfield Community Sports Hub are based within the North East of Dundee, and provide vital services for one of the poorest areas in the city. As well as providing sports and activity in a way people can afford, the Hub also runs a Food Larder (Bank) which at present serves 1900 people across the community. The Food Larder is supported entirley by volunteers anbd without this service many of the families would struggle to support themeselves and their children, with the basic necessitaties many of us take for granted. The Food Larder offers a vairety of products as well as food, which includes, fresh fruit & veg, healthy alternatives, special diets and allergies, and of course the pets in the household are catered for! To allow us to provide such a vital resource for the community the most important thing we need is a van. Which collects foods from around Dundee including supermarkets, and donations made by the public. Without the van the Food Larder would not be able to run and 1900 would suffer as a result.What we are asking for is funding to secure a new electric van which would replace our current diesel van which is begining to show its age and due to its year of registration we are no longer able to go into the centre of town due to LEZ area Please help Fairfield COnmmunity Sports Hub and the community we serve by voting for us
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Dundee Schools - #RefillDundee
2024-09-30 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Global plastic bottle consumption continues at the alarming rate of 600 billion plastic bottles per year. Only around 9% of waste plastics are recycled, meaning that the remainder end up being landfilled, incinerated, or leaking out into our natural environment to pollute our lakes, rivers, oceans, and our food system. Although we have been led to believe that bottled water is better than tap, researchers are now raising the alarm on worrying levels of microplastic and nanoplastic being detected in bottled water. Trust in tap water quality is also at an all-time global low.
Bluewater works to tackle plastic waste and transform behaviours towards more sustainable hydration practices by innovating next-generation drinking water dispensing solutions for home, work, and play. Bluewater solutions use advanced water purification and mineralisation technologies to create pure, delicious, and planet-friendly drinking water when and where it's needed, thereby ending the reliance on polluting single-use plastics. Our project proposal seeks to place a Bluewater Flow refill solution at each of the 8 state-run secondary schools in Dundee. The dispensers will therefore provide an innovative and sustainable premium and health-focused drinking water refill solution for staff, pupils and guests to the schools.
Creative Gardens - Connecting Community, Nature, and Art
2024-09-30 • No comments • • Dundee Climate Fund Round 3.0
Positive collaboration is the key to climate action.
To address climate change we need to think and work in more creative ways and engage people from all walks of life. At the same time we need to nurture and celebrate the people who are volunteering and working in this sector who are often overwhelmed and anxious about not doing enough. This is why we will be focusing on community green spaces or growing spaces across Dundee.
This project brings together two Dundee-based collectives in collaboration. The Art and Nature Collective, based at Dundee Botanic Gardens and the Dundee Network of Community Gardens (aka Grow Dundee) to deliver 5 artist mini-residencies hosted by the community gardens, bringing together artists and community growers.
Please support our project so we can:
1. Support learning and increase the confidence of smaller community environmental initiatives and environmentally engaged artists to work together in all areas of our city
2. Offer interactive creative and caring nature-based activities within community growing spaces - new ways for communities to connect with nature and engage with environmental action
3. Increase visibility and impact of both of our environmental networks to engage more people in sustainable living through art, community growing and UoD Botanic Gardens. We are all here for the long run!
4. Publish a small guide to creative and caring practices for sustainable community food growing. Multiply the impact of nature restoration and sustainable food growing activities in community settings by being more inclusive and creative
Real change demands swift, comprehensive action across entire systems. "Creative Gardens" will connect communities, with nature and art in a positive and productive way to highlight the critical need for collaboration between all areas of society; producing inspiring examples of successful partnerships to help drive positive change.