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Checkup

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

This website is adapted from Going Greener Together, used under creative commons licence CC-BY-NC and is run by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Find out more

About

Supporting third sector organisations in Scotland to reduce carbon emissions and take positive climate action

What

We support charities, social enterprises and community groups across Scotland to take action on the climate emergency, support nature and biodiversity and ensure a just transition to a low carbon future for our communities.

We provide practical support and learning opportunities and training including free, fun and interactive carbon reduction sessions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr54vpcatxw

Why

The climate emergency affects us all. But as organisations across the third sector try to cope with rising running costs and increasing demand on services, environmental action can too often be pushed down the road.

For organisations that focus on social rather than environmental causes, it can be difficult to know where to start and what action will be most proportionate and impactful. As funders and procurement increasingly look for evidence of progress towards net-zero, some organisations are feeling lost.

We believe that making a distinction between environmental and social missions is missing the point.

Whether you work with young or older people, in health and wellbeing, supporting local communities or tacking inequalities and working with marginalised groups; our lives, our work and our communities require a stable climate.

Right now, the climate crisis is impacting on the poor and vulnerable most, both globally and here in the UK.  As the impacts of climate change increase, the impact on vulnerable people and communities will accelerate.

We can choose a different future for our country, a future where our most disadvantaged people and communities can benefit from a greener, more sustainable way of life.  We want a future of warmer homes, better public transport, locally sourced and healthier food, more secure, skilled jobs and a more resilient and future-proofed local economy.

In taking climate action, the third-sector will become more resilient and adaptable while helping to protect those most affected by climate change.

How

Scotland’s third sector told us they need support to understand the climate crisis, and how they can take action- in their own organisations and with wider communities.

We support and encourage organisations to take their very first steps in reducing their carbon emissions while helping them to embed sustainability within their work.

This project is a unique collaboration with a wide range of partners. Each of us has a different part to play, and we expect to evolve the support over time.

Who

Climate Confident Scotland is delivered by a SCVO, on behalf of the Third Sector Net Zero Steering Group and Scottish Funders Forum. In addition to the core group members, we have engaged with a range of organisations to test and improve our content.  

The Net Zero Checkup has been developed by Small99 - sustainability experts with a focus on small businesses.

We are hugely grateful to the Going Greener Together project in North East England and Cumbria. This website has been adapted under creative commons license from their excellent resource, and we have taken much inspiration from the impact they have achieved.

Funding partners

We are thankful for the support of a number of funders who have provided strategic input to the project and provided two years of funding, from June 1st 2024.

Thanks to: The Corra Foundation, the National Lottery Community Fund, the Roberston Trust, SSE and the William Grant Foundation.  

The original seed funding for this project came from Third Sector Unit at Scottish Government and South Lanarkshire Council.

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