Stirling Methodist Church is at the heart of a campaign to become the first carbon neutral community in Scotland. With 40 per cent of Scotland’s carbon emissions arising from energy consumption in the home, the Riverside area of Stirling is taking steps to tackle climate change and high energy bills by lowering its ‘carbon footprint’.

Riverside has a population of about 1500 people, the majority of whom own their own homes. With the support of Strathclyde University, a Carbon footprint Survey has been issued to sample households. It aims to measure average carbon emissions and propose methods for reducing them.

Now a widely based community initiative supported by Stirling Council and involving the local primary school, the Riverside initiative arose from members of the Methodist Church. They wanted to build on their success
in becoming an ‘ecocongregation’, one of 130 across Scotland.

Committed to encouraging others to follow their lead, members recently
undertook a long-distance bike ride from the pioneering carbon neutral community of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire back to Riverside.

‘Working with Eco-Congregation Scotland,’ says the Revd John Butterfield, ‘we hope to encourage many others to get similar initiatives off the ground.’

MORE INFORMATION
www.goingcarbonneutral.net gives information about the Riverside Project and includes a downloadable ‘Carbon Footprint Survey’.