​Euri Bartolome Vidal, Surefoot associate, has spent the past months painting endangered plants and animals in watercolour. Some of the illustrations are printed on organic and fairtrade t-shirts, and donations from sales will go to organisations that protect ecosystems in the Global South.

Euri shares the background and inspiration in the creation process.

​Kindred beings
I wanted to honour the biodiversity we are losing all over the world. I also wanted to make a connection between biodiversity and sustainability and the things we eat, the energy and the things we consume, and how we move around. 
 
I have chosen 8 regions and countries and for each of these one "protagonist" species with others around them:
- Iberian lynx, Spain 
- Nama dwarf tortoise, Namibia
- Black rhinoceros, Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa. 
- King protea, South Africa 
- Blue-bearded helmetcrest, Colombia 
- Chilean chinchilla, Chile 
- Blue whale (oceans)
- Giant redwoods, California. 
 
The art of connecting
Each watercolour tells a story in itself as it includes cultural elements of the countries the species inhabit. I am originally from Spain, and I have lived or travelled often in the African countries I chose. For the South American countries, I decided to get inspiration in the literature. For the blue-bearded helmetcrest, I chose imagery from the novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel G. Márquez. For the chinchilla, I chose novels by Isabel Allende, poetry by Pablo Neruda, and music by guitarist Víctor Jara. For the redwoods I chose cinema as a theme. The first illustration, the lynx, has warm colours in honour of Antoni Gaudi's love for nature and dark blue hues inspired in Picasso's famous war painting "Guernica". The dark blues represent our war against nature, a war that we will never win. The rest of colours represent the protection of biodiversity and the hope of a more sustainable future. 
 
To support my future work, I have made organic and fair-trade t-shirts with some of the illustrations. I also want to donate part of the proceedings to organisations in the global South to support ecosystems. The first paintings and t-shirts will be on display in a small exhibit space in Madrid during May-June.

If you want to know more about my work and the next species I will be painting, you can follow me on Instagram @ingozini, which sort of means "in danger" in several languages of Southern Africa. 

Through the HeatHack project, engineers and communities get together to identify and plan actions to save energy in community buildings - to reduce carbon footprints and costs. Interviews with volunteers involved in the programme show that it takes dedication, effort and patience to carry out plans – but also, by coming together, communities grow in strength as they learn about and take environmentally friendly action.

​Saving energy in community buildings
Surefoot hosted the HeatHack programme, which is supported by an Ingenious Public Engagement Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The programme has just been evaluated, and a bid for further funding is on its way. The programme is free to non-profit community groups and you can still apply via HeatHack’s website; also if you are an engineer interested in volunteering. The HeatHack Guide Book offers links to all publicly available materials.

In the programme, HeatHack’s volunteer engineers work with churches and community groups to help them understand basic principles in thermal modelling and apply them to their own building spaces. The programme combines technical learning and engineering investigation of the premises and heating and ventilation systems with Surefoot’s hallmark facilitation approach. ​Under the leader’s/facilitator’s and engineers’ guidance, each group completes four two-hour exercises in their buildings. More than 100 small group sessions have been conducted and 32 engineers have been involved.

Working with energy optimising is more of a journey than a quick fix that solves all problems at once. By speaking with participants from the programme, we witness both the benefits and challenges that community groups face as they build a new resilient path forward.

Tailored support, engagement and persistent efforts are key
Surefoot has conducted a series of online interviews with nine people to get insights into their experience.

The programme has been emphasised by several participants as a useful way to get started. As one participant said, “It's a good programme to get started, to get local people involved and to reflect. It was good not only to work with generic knowledge on topics about energy, but to work specific on the site - the specific building.” (Community participant).

One person who led the group though the four sessions, mentioned time as a challenging factor, “The time to spend on it. The leader role was surprisingly bigger than expected.” But as the interview continues, it's clear that the hard work paid off, “What worked especially well in the HeatHack program was that it takes into consideration how different groups of people use the space.”
Several interviewees highlighted the benefits of getting to know their building better and tools to support energy optimising. As an engineer describes, “The programme provided a better understanding about how the building is heated, and how to control the different parameters. For example, it’s now possible for one person with his or her computer to find out the best setting for the heating system depending on the weather conditions outside the building. It gives individual control.” This reaches into rescheduling activities to help with optimising the heating, “Before, the heating could be on from 2:30 pm to midnight on a Saturday, or cleaning could be spread over four days and therefore require heating all the days, which can now be organised to be cleaned all in one single weekday, and therefore the heating can be lower on days where it’s not in use.”

Although all the programme’s materials are online for any groups to use, the volunteer engineers were essential for success, so much so that the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is committed to running the programme with their churches in future, would like the use of engineers to continue.
A community participant explains the benefit of working with an engineer, “The group of four participants and the engineer worked very well. It was priceless to have a qualified engineer aboard who joined with his expertise and independence, and that he participated as someone not related to the hall.”

An interview with two members of a community illustrates the various elements that influence the work, “The good news is that we have met immediate enthusiasm to move forward in the group. As we looked at in HeatHack session 4, we aim to engage people around potentially installing solar panels – however this is also a conservation issue in a listed building”
The other community group member continued on the subject, “I’m less worried about the solar panels. My biggest concern is the management group, it’s not only about how much it costs. It’s about doing the right thing for the planet. That we share values and voices. One challenge is that we work in smaller groups with different targets, and less across different areas.”

Engagement is a crucial factor, as an interviewee stated, “Activities are depending on staff and team capacity. Funding could be helpful.” As one engineer also explained, it’s crucial that others within the organisation get involved in order for the next steps to happen, “We did not have easy wins. The easy parts were either in place or they knew about it, for example thermostat control or draft control. These were also subjects we went through in the game. They (the group) need to look at and take action in the bigger picture. The group will bring topics to discuss with their board, also to gain finances for improvements.”

Financial challenges have been an important topic for several participants, “We need money. Now, we mainly have money for the maintenance.” Another participant sums up typical challenges, “The usual challenges for many organisations: lack of time, resources, volunteers and funding.”

Despite the challenges it has been possible to derive actions, for example, “There is someone organised to visit the building to assess the possibilities for connecting the old boiler to a control system, to regulate the heating better. This is a key element to move forward.” (Community member).
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At Surefoot we are impressed by the unwavering efforts and dedication the groups and engineers have put into the work. Most of all, we believe it’s important to get people together to find a surefooted way forward, as one participant also pointed out, “It has been useful to get core members together within the organisation to work on environmental improvements in the organisation’s old building.” As we say in Surefoot: a values-based transformational approach puts people at the heart. 

​A community on the Isle of Raasay overcame differences and rekindled communication, allowing a path forward for their Carbon Neutral Island project, with the support of two bespoke Surefoot workshops. Based on a conversation with Tom Lusink from the island, we gained insight into how the community turned challenges into fuel to move forward on a sustainable path.

​Transformative steps
In autumn 2023, Pam and Liz from Surefoot went to facilitate two bespoke workshops on the Isle of Raasay. The name of the island means Isle of the Roe Deer and is reachable by a short ferry journey from Isle of Skye.

Tom Lusink, active citizen of the island, unfolds key steps on the journey that the community took during and after the two workshops. When talking with Tom, it is clear that he values and cares about his community, and wishes that everyone benefits from actions on the island.
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In a small community there are many different voices and opinions, so it’s important that people are listened to, but also that disagreements aren’t blocking the process and that actions are based on a respectful and positive approach, “It can be challenging to air ideas in front of others, but Pam and Liz brought a new workshop structure, an alternative to the familiar meeting structure. They listened to our unique situation and tailored their delivery to a fit right for us. The set-up of the sessions included work in smaller groups, and when conducted by people from outside the community, we could all meet on neutral ground. The session was focused around possibilities and solutions rather than barriers and obstacles,” explains Tom. 

​A shared take-off to form goals and actions
At the workshops, the community discussed and shared dreams for the future in smaller groups. This included space to explore specific topics together with the neutral facilitators. Tom adds, “It was much more uplifting, motivating and inspiring than I had hoped for. After the sessions, people have since started to open up more when we have met afterwards.”
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These two sessions were a starting point for the community to get united. They have now created a public discourse, and it has been a take off point for more doors to be opened, and it helps the community navigate further. They are now working on specific goals and actions for land and marine spaces, including improving the biodiversity and carbon sequestration - to become carbon neutral in 2040.

Coming together!
One of the best outcomes is that, despite differences across organisations and in the community, they agreed to cooperate going forward. Tom emphasises both the advantage of Surefoot’s workshops and the strength of the community on the island, “Beyond delivering singular beneficial sessions Pam and Liz demonstrated a framework that unlocks the solutions which are held within our community, but are often blocked. This is a framework we are now able to bring forward ourselves. The combination of great skills from the Surefoot facilitators and having the benefit of a strong community has been most satisfying.”
At Surefoot, we wish the island a continued surefooted path forward!

Can Surefoot help you?
Do you wish to bring your community, organisation or company together and move forward with environmental positive actions? Read more about Surefoot’s bespoke sessions and/or get in contact with us.
 
Text by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate.
Photos by Pam Candea, Surefoot founder and managing director.

Over the years it has become common knowledge that green areas improve the quality of life. As the POSTnote Green Space and Health from Houses of Parliament states, “Areas with more accessible green space are associated with better mental and physical health.”
At Surefoot, we support communities and individuals to let their connection with the rest of nature take root and strengthen via creative approaches. The physical natural spaces can have many shapes and features, there’s no right and wrong whether you connect to the wilderness or a potted plant in a windowsill. Wherever you are, we hope you find comfort in our supportive materials to open up your personal ways of connecting with nature, others and yourself.

Finding your words – to support yourself, others and the Earth
During the summer we ran some online writing workshops ‘Writing for EARth.’ The workshops were supporting elements of Surefoot’s Eco Anxious Resilient (EAR) Peer Support project, to encourage people to write a text for the series A Daily Reading for Earth. We hope you’ll enjoy the series of short texts to inspire and help you take one day at a time in the climate and natural crises.
The workshops illustrated the wonder and strength that arises when people come together to explore free range emotions, create meaning on paper and share fragments of their inner world when caring for the outer world. Comments from a couple of the participants:
    “I'm taking with me the strength and beauty of what others have shared with me to make me braver and feel less alone when I do.”
    “I appreciated the sense of connection and sharing, which was uplifting and inspiring.”

Your stories about caring for Planet Earth could also help tackle the nature and climate emergencies. Authentic communication and creativity are among the most important tools we all have.
    “We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” – Jimmy Neil Smith.

If you would like to write a text (max. 380 words) for our collection Daily Reading for Earth on how to keep well in an age of climate and nature emergencies, please contact [email protected].

​We plan to run more Writing for EARth workshops, so please keep an eye on our social media or let us know if you might be interested in attending: [email protected]

Sharing is caring
Inspired by feedback on our creative activities and on initiatives in our surroundings, we encourage you to take part in creative actions centred around nature. One way of capturing moments, thoughts and feelings in nature is via photos, and at Surefoot we’ll be happy to receive your photo(s) with a few lines about what each snapshot of places mean to you – how these nature elements affect you. We are convinced that such experiences can support others and give them a chance to feel connected whether it is to other people, places or resonate with oneself.
    Please send them to [email protected] and we will share them on our social media platforms, credited to you, or anonymously if you prefer.

You might find other communities around you where you can benefit from art work about nature, and/or where you can contribute yourself. Gazelle, associate at Surefoot, created a piece ‘Sand dune walk’ to the Morton Lochs outdoor art exhibition at Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve, organised by NatureScot. Where do you find places to let your creativity unfold and share this with others?

With Future Conversations workshops individuals and communities develop resilience to face current and future challenges in the society, to not only bounce back from adversity, but to grow stronger.  

​Our Future Conversations workshops support the development of robust, flexible and healthy communities. With techniques and tools, participants learn to develop resilience and a sense of being strong and secure, equipping them to plan and act on sustainable solutions for now and for the future.
​The first step at the Future Conversations workshops is for participants to share their hopes and fears for the future. Our role as facilitators from Surefoot, is to guide participants through inclusive ways to make group decisions and how to plan projects. Together with the participants we make a plan for the community. The goal is to move to a viable future where humans and nature are in balance. This method is also used when we support commercial organisations via our programme Net Zero for Teams.

A central element in our sessions, is to bring people together and give them enough time and space to understand facts, urgency and importantly to build their resilience. We enjoy helping people and their communities to move into a beneficial future using our techniques, tried and tested over our 10+ year history.

​Future Conversations sessions include

• 2 longer or 6 shorter sessions with 10-20 people, 2 facilitators
• The interval between sessions is between weekly and monthly
• The day of the week and time of the day/evening will be agreed with you​​
• We run the sessions at your organisation if possible.

Online sessions are also a possibility:
Format: a programme in 6 sessions of 1.5 hrs using zoom calls, with a recommend group size of 10-20 people
Taster: a 1.5 hour online or face-to-face workshop to give a flavour of the full programme, and enable people to decide if they wish to commit to Future Conversations.

Even if this taster doesn't lead to a full set of Future Conversations, it helps people begin thinking about planning for the future, and the benefits of cultivating individual and community resilience.
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Would you like to know more about Future Conversations? Please get in touch with us at Surefoot, [email protected]​

Let’s face it, it’s a one-person job. A job for every one of us to make coherence in the world when creating a personalised green thread with our actions. With all of our efforts put together, we can reconnect the scattered pieces of the planet and find new ways to exist.

​Instead of taking on board what the standardised life template tells you is valuable when being exposed to advertising, media and expectations, turn your attention to your inner-knowing and values to embrace both people and planet.
​

Human made landscapes
Contacting your politicians, signing petitions and voting when possible are the most obvious actions as we try to shape our society on a larger level. However, the political scene seems to be on fire in an overheated setting, where our efforts, drop by drop, evaporate before reaching the scorching ground. Instead of getting short of breath I invite you to also keep an eye on all the other places where you vote - every day.  

You vote with your shopping basket. A climate friendly diet with raw, fresh, locally produced vegetables and fruit with as little wrapping as possible, are elementary votes.

Not only have we just passed, “For four days in a row, the planet reached its hottest day ever recorded as regions all over the world endure dangerous heat.” (ABC news). At the same time, we had the busiest day in the air.

The 6th Of July Is The Busiest In The Aviation World, With 134,386 Commercial Flights, according to Flightradar24. This is also a record. Rarely are people being forced to buy goods and flight tickets. We have the freedom to choose our next steps when standing in a shop with a decorative plastic object created on the other side of the planet. Or when we are one click away from booking a flight for the family holiday a quarter or half way around the globe, to go and rest for a few days by a pool.

What do you vote for? How do you contribute to the human carved imprint on the planet?

From fragments to the whole
When I encourage a more climate friendly lifestyle, I usually add links to research and knowledge that states and demonstrates benefits for the planet and people. But I’m sure you already know about them.

Scientific reports and common knowledge are available at large. Also decision-makers and government institutions have access to solid research and understanding of the complexities of the natural world – from which we cannot in any way separate ourselves.

We all participate in the living 3D network. As much as our carbon footprint and other greenhouse gases cause disruption and are entangled in other lives, we also have the chance to mark the environment with positive choices.

I'm no saint myself, but my grumpiness about the state of affairs on the planet makes me reflect. And it's a joy to discover even small bits of actions. Finally, I got around to set up Ecosia - The search engine that plants trees as my default search engine after finally being too annoyed by Google’s daily encouragement, which in fragmented pieces invites us to take care of the planet on the annual Earth Day, and on another day gives tips on what to see on a trip to New York.

May your grumpiness also be a catalyst to find joy in creating a unique green path for yourself and others in a connected friendly world!
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Do you or your community wish to move to more coherence in your climate friendly actions? Please get in contact or check out Surefoot's services.

Text and photo by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate.

Our recipe book has simmered and is now ready to be served! We hope you will find the book appetising. Please enjoy the Recipe Book created via our project Sustainability, Heritage, Health.
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With starters, soups, main courses and desserts, along with notes on health, sustainability and heritage, we hope you will enjoy the journey through the cuisines of Greece, Lithuania, Spain and the UK. Some recipes are presented exactly as prepared traditionally over centuries, while others have been adapted to fit in with awareness of what a healthy and sustainable diet means, such as by substituting alternatives for meat and/or dairy ingredients.
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We hope you find the recipes fruitful for your cooking. Perhaps the book will inspire you to look more closely at your own culinary traditions, those of your ancestors or places you have lived. We wish you a fun and environmentally friendly cooking journey.

We’ll be happy to hear from your experiences, or if you have recipes you would like to share with us. Please get in contact via [email protected].

A long chain of actions is at play. Apolitical has listed the 100 Most Influential People in Climate 2022/23 and there exist diverse groups and organisations such as Artists for Climate, Climate Action 4 Jobs, Families for Climate, Fridays for Future, Grandparents for Climate Action Now and Scientists for Climate.

In historical retrospect, persistent rebellion is a known tool to improve human existence, for example labour conditions and the abolition of slavery. In some parts of the world conditions have bettered, in others they have not, and there are activists whose limbs and lives are lost when fighting for a better world. This also happens when protecting nature. Over 1,700 environmental activists killed in decade, states a BBC article and refers to a report from Global Witness.
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A sense of inadequacy and that I should be doing more, like the brave people who take up the fight against giant industries and governments, creeps into my comfortable home in my safe life. I remind myself that there are numerous other things to do. Since we all need to eat, people have tremendous power with the shopping basket. Supermarkets fill their shelves with demands and what they are used to selling. We have the power to change their habits with ours. Steering clear of meat, products with palm oil, and overly processed foods which have been on a long journey. Instead, aiming for plant based, locally, fresh, raw food. We also have power over other types of purchases: thinking hard about our travel choices and our non-food purchases.

With focused attention, as little it might seem, we can support what we wish to see grow out of the crisis. May everyday activism make gentle, insisting waves rippling out as broader efforts towards a caring world.
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Text by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate

‘Carbon credits’, ‘carbon trading’, ‘cap and trade’, ‘carbon neutrality’ and ‘carbon offsetting’. The technical, complicated and distant words might have been created with noble intentions when put into plans at government and corporate levels. But one might question if the various terms come down to finding ways to keep emitting carbon and other greenhouse gases even though the ‘environmental waste bin’ is overflowing. How to find effective approaches to tackle climate change in a jungle of abstract measurements?

Photo: Pixabay.

Have you ever been offered to carbon offset when travelling or when buying things? Be aware that many of these can’t equal out the polluting effect. We have to view it from a planet view, the ecosystem we all are a part of, not through economic regulations.
“We cannot offset our way out of climate change,” states John Oliver in his satirical program Carbon Offsets. Behind the light-hearted, sarcastic approach the British-American comedian, writer, and political commentator has a serious message: Corporates can’t keep polluting with greenhouse gas emissions under the concept of offsetting. The expression ‘carbon offsetting’ is not only integrated into the corporate world, but we are now getting offers to join in on an individual level. But there’s simply not enough room on the planet for planting ‘good deeds’ like trees, elsewhere on the planet, to compensate for the way we live. The offset system puts profits over the natural world and its dynamics and functions. The equation does not add up, we have to focus on reducing greenhouse gasses.

Planetary or economic rules?
We have lived on borrowed time for a while, based on the rules of free-market economics and consumption. But how much more deforestation and climate change stoking can we do with one hand, while offsetting with the other hand via schemes often not as efficient as claimed?
As Greenpeace writes in the article ‘The biggest problem with carbon offsetting is that it doesn’t really work’ that to be serious about tackling climate change, carbon emissions need to be stopped from getting into the atmosphere in the first place. As they say, “A newly-planted tree can take as many as 20 years to capture the amount of CO2 that a carbon-offset scheme promises. We would have to plant and protect a massive number of trees for decades to offset even a fraction of global emissions. Even then, there is always the risk that these efforts will be wiped out by droughts, wildfires, tree diseases and deforestation.”
It doesn’t help that the system isn’t transparent and standardised, “… there is no standardised way to trade carbon credits and no way to verify the compensating activity behind them,” as the article ‘What’s wrong with carbon offsetting?’ in The Week points out.

Developed countries’ exploitation of lesser developed countries’ natural resources have been known about for some time. The 2014 article ‘The carbon World Bank and UN carbon offset scheme 'complicit' in genocidal land grabs – NGOs’ states that, “Between 2000 and 2010, a total of 500 million acres of land in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean was acquired or negotiated under deals brokered on behalf of foreign governments or transnational corporations.”
The article points out flaws in the UN's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme, including ‘financing REDD+ readiness activities.’ In this programme, companies in the developed world purchase carbon credits to invest in reducing emissions from forested lands. This is viewed as carbon emissions’ reductions. ”In practice, however, REDD schemes largely allow those companies to accelerate pollution [via their own industry] while purchasing land and resources in the developing world at bargain prices.” These schemes also reduce indigenous peoples’ access and rights to their forests.

Furthermore, the goal of carbon offsetting isn’t functional in practice. According to the article ‘Cop26’s worst outcome would be giving the green light to carbon offsetting’,“… offsetting doesn’t stop carbon entering the atmosphere and warming our world, it just keeps it off the ledgers of the governments and companies responsible. According to the Institute for Applied Ecology, about eight out of 10 offsetting projects rich countries relied on to meet their climate targets under the Kyoto protocol were deemed unlikely to have delivered any climate benefit. Offsetting has been tried and it has failed – to pursue this as a solution now is nothing more than greenwashing and would blow a huge hole in the Paris agreement.”

Economic aspects are often given attention in the media and on political agendas. We wish to bring focus on balancing the way humans live with the rest of the natural world, which supports us in so many ways. This could be the interwoven connectedness which is explored in deep ecology, an environmental movement regarding human life as one of many equal components of a global ecosystem. It’s not just a philosophical approach, but it’s the physical world and its laws we live with. A Global Footprint Report from WWF-UK and 3Keel’s concludes, “… the UK must reduce its global footprint by three quarters by 2030 to meet planetary limits.”
In the article ‘Carbon offsetting is not warding off environmental collapse – it’s accelerating it’, the Natural Climate Solution Campaign is mentioned as a tool to draw attention to the need of revival of ecosystems in a time of climate breakdown.

Focus on reducing emissions where you are
Even though it might feel out of our hands as citizens when the frame for climate change actions needs to be set on a societal level, we can still contribute. Being critical, choosing your products and lifestyle carefully and writing your elected representatives, encouraging action, are some of the things we can each do. In Scotland the majority of people acknowledge that climate change is related to human activities, but is that always taken into account when voting? When looking into election material, the standpoint of politicians on the matter is not always clear. Could it be that MSPs and MPs need a reminder from us on why climate change is important for us and our vote?
Not only do we vote at elections. What we put in the shopping cart, our means of transportation and where we go on holiday are also choices which influence market forces, and they are directly linked to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
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Net Zero is another term often used on a societal level. It’s “…a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.” (https://netzeroclimate.org/what-is-net-zero/)
The Scottish Government has a goal of reaching Net Zero on a national level by 2045. There are governmental supported initiatives such as funding opportunities, but how to get to Net Zero can still seem unclear. It’s a path not yet rolled out but still in the making as we go forward.
At Surefoot, when we work toward Net Zero with organisations, the focus is on how to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience to thrive at the same time. Read more about Net Zero with Surefoot, or please get in touch if you want to hear more.

Please contact us, if you have a story to share about dealing with reducing greenhouse gas emissions in your community and how you strengthen your ability for resilience. On Insights we share opportunities and examples, to inspire and motivate each other in climate friendly activities. Write to [email protected] if you have story to share.

Text by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate. 

​If you live in the UK and want to visit a rainforest, you don’t have to catch a flight to find one. Scotland is home to its own Atlantic rainforest.
“The west of Scotland is home to one of the most important remaining rainforest sites in Europe, with its rich diversity of species making it internationally important.” Rainforest action, Scottish Government.
Last year, the Scottish Government decided to support the restoration and expansion of the rainforest and is engaging with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforests.
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Like most natural habitats these forests are also in need of protection. Nitrogen pollution, exotic conifer plantation and other factors put pressure on the habitat including its plants and animals. Facing a climate emergency, the government also acknowledges the importance of forest and woodland capabilities to absorb more than 6 million tonnes of CO2 every year. This is equivalent to almost 10% of Scotland’s gross greenhouse gas emissions, states the Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Mairi McAllan in the Scottish Governments Rainforest Action. Furthermore, Mairi McAllan says: “As world leaders commit to end deforestation by 2030, we are planting 80% of the UK’s trees and making bold commitments like this to protect and enhance Scotland’s own temperate rainforest.
“Our ambitions do not stop there. We have increased our new woodland creation targets from 12,000 hectares a year to 18,000 hectares by 2024/5. By then, we will be planting 36 million new trees every year in Scotland.”

Photo: Inversnaid.

​Every action counts - also outside the rainforest
At Surefoot we welcome the initiative and are looking forward to seeing the outcome of the plans. There’s certainly a need to support the natural world, high biodiversity and areas with tree cover to prevent temperatures rising - in short to take care of the living beings and resources we have on the planet.
In other areas - including in our daily life - there are several ways to reduce CO2 emissions and aim for Net Zero. If you would like to know how your organisation can reach Net Zero, check out Surefoot’s Net Zero for Teams or get in touch with us.
Scottish Renewable’s Energy consumption by sector points to building heating as the highest energy consumption in Scotland which causes a large amount of CO2 emissions, so improved energy efficiency in buildings is critical. If you are involved in a community building, you can apply for free help from HeatHack and Surefoot. Read more here: Energy Efficiency in Community Buildings.

When we reuse, repair, recycle and rethink ways of handling our personal resources, we are also supporting the Planet’s capacity, natural habitats and resources. We recently ran a workshop in partnership with Transition Stirling to show how being creative (in this case with reuse) can build both individual and community resilience. For more about building resilience for your community, please see our Resilience workshops which have been informed by both our recent Erasmus+ Breakthrough for Resilience Project and National Lottery funding for a previous project.

HeatHack and The Surefoot Effect are offering a programme for community groups to help plan for the futures of their churches, halls and community centres.

Tackling heat loss and energy efficiency in community buildings, Surefoot working in collaboration with HeatHack is delighted to announce confirmation of an Ingenious Public Engagement Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

For this project, a small team of people from across Surefoot and HeatHack will be working together to deliver a programme to help UK-based churches and community buildings to understand what a net zero future means for their premises. It will help them not just understand energy efficiency and thermal comfort in difficult buildings, but also to think about how their buildings should be used in their local contexts and how to make this change happen.

Groups will emerge from the process with a shared vision, the knowledge and confidence to work well with architects, heating engineers and other professionals, and the evidence of community need that grant funders require. 
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APPLY NOW!
We are recruiting community groups and volunteer engineers NOW for sessions starting September – December 2022.
Find out more and apply >>

More about the programme

Key elements

• It's a structured programme a group can undertake to understand how to make premises more comfortable and energy efficient.
• Consider not just how the building is used now, but what the community needs and changes that might make it more useful.
• Groups will develop a future plan for their premises, holding a community engagement event that will help justify any bids for grant funding.
• Groups will be given help with some basic thermal monitoring and checks for cheap and easy changes that will help in the short term.
• A volunteer engineer will work with the groups to understand about heating and heat loss measures to give more confidence in working with professionals.

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Please contact [email protected] to arrange a conversation about how you can get involved, if ​you would like to participate either by forming a group or as an assisting engineer.

The project is funded by Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious programme.

​Surefoot associate Euri Vidal is working with Abrazo House on a project entitled “Biodiversity Outdoor Learning.” On a recent visit to the Laurisilva forest on the island of Madeira, the eerie forest and the ancient trees showed a picture of the resilience of nature, a resilience in which people may also find inspiration.

Laurisilva typifies a previously widespread laurel forest, a gem of the past, which covered much of Southern Europe 15-40 million years ago. The cover in Madeira is the largest surviving area of laurel forest, and it is believed to be 90% primary forest. The forest contains a unique ecosystem of plants and animals, including many endemic species such as the Madeiran long-toed pigeon, and it is for this reason that the forest is a UNESCO protected site. Not only does the forest have a unique biodiversity value, it is also visually compelling. Many of the trees contort, twist, and grow in inexplicable ways and have stood there for thousands of years.

Winds in Madeira are notorious to the extent that pilots need a special training to land on this rocky, mostly solitary island that is seven hundred miles off the coast of Portugal and that rises almost 6,000 feet into the sky. Looking at the trees in this eerie landscape, one can see how the wind has tried to uproot the trees, push them down, and make sure they don’t grow much, possibly for hundreds of years. But you can hear them whisper “This is not over yet.” The trees have managed to withstand the challenge, their roots stubbornly stuck in the ground. Some trees grow horizontally to better cope with the gusts. Or roots have grown wide and deep in case some parts of the root system became weak and died away. You almost see the trees smirking, laughing at the elements, telling the wind, “Come and get me. If you can…” I can’t think of a better way to think of resilience. Determination wins all. When hardship comes your way, be a laurisilva tree.

Please see the work Surefoot is currently doing with resilience on ​Resilience Workshops and Breakthrough for Resilience.

​Besides our food-harvest, we also harvest lots of wonderful moments in the forest garden, and we get to know lots of interesting, kind and dedicated people who come and visit us to learn more about forest gardening.  

Once upon a time – around 10 years ago – I participated in the first online experimentation with Carbon Conversations facilitated by Pam Candea. That was the starting point of a journey that has changed everything in our lives.
After the Carbon Conversation-sessions I considered if I should translate the concept to Danish and started looking for a Danish organisation to team up with – and found the Danish permaculture association. I never translated the concept, and I am not a member of the permaculture association, but I became, together with my husband Steffen, completely engrossed by the concept of forest gardening, which is an integrated part of permaculture.

Carbon Conversations covers – as most readers here will know – the fields of energy in houses, transport, food and commodities. I had already worked a lot with the energy-issues both professionally and in our home, but really got caught by the food-issue. At that time, we had a holiday home in the deep forests of Småland in Sweden, where we enjoyed being so much closer to nature – plants, birds, animals, air, water – than in our city-life north of Copenhagen in Denmark. The idea of combining nature with the production of food simply caught us both. Now we have sold the summerhouse and our house in Copenhagen and bought an old farmhouse, still in Småland but a little closer to Denmark and our children and grandchildren. Here we experiment with all the Carbon Conversation-issues – and with extra energy dedicated to the production of our own food, in a plot for annual vegetables as well as in our 1000m2 forest garden.
​
What is a forest garden?
A forest garden is a food producing ecosystem that imitates natural ecosystems, being rich in biodiversity and much more resilient than a traditional vegetable garden where you grow annual vegetables like carrots, potatoes and lettuce. In a forest garden you grow a diversity of perennial food crops mixed in a diverse, polyculture system with several storeys. In the top you have trees with fruits and nuts, next storey houses the berries, then comes the larger perennial vegetables and in the bottom, you have cover plants. All mixed with each other to avoid the risks and disadvantages of monocultures – exactly as in the fringe of a forest.
In a fully developed forest garden, most plants are perennial. They are part of a balanced and relatively stable ecosystem that doesn’t start from fresh every year. The plants stand stable with their roots deep into the soil where they participate with fungi in an exchange of nutrients and energy. That makes them much more resilient against heat, drought and wind.
Most plants in a forest garden are food-producing and the rest are either insect plants or nutrient collectors. Some (most) of them are very pretty as well – but the purpose of a forest garden is not to look good (like in a flower garden). The purpose is to produce food while at the same time supporting biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
​
The polyculture-mixture of trees, bushes and herbs is important for several reasons. Most important is it to create lots of hiding places and lots of different food sources for many different insects. With a very biodiverse food-producing ecosystem, you get a much more resilient system, with lots of predators to balance the number of vermin. Furthermore, biodiversity is decreasing globally, and we should all do our utmost to provide living spaces and food for as many insects, birds and wild animals as possible – also in our food-production.
In a forest garden you don’t have naked soil. In a full-grown forest garden, the soil is covered with plants, and in a developing forest garden, we cover the space between plants with organic material. Naked soil is very vulnerable to drought and erosion, and life in the soil – micro-organisms, fungi and bacteria – has much better chances to live and thrive if the ground is covered with either plants or organic material. The soil stays moist and the organic material composts into humus which contributes to the life of both animals and plants. And carbon in the form of CO2 is sequestrated and stored as different carbon-connections in the stems, branches and roots of the plants and the humus in the soil.

Our experiences with forest gardening
We started developing our forest garden in 2016 and now only six years later we are harvesting lots of fruits, berries and vegetables, from early spring till late fall. We get many visits in the forest garden by people interested in a more sustainable life and food production.
You are also welcome – either if you come to Sweden some day or on our website (unfortunately so far only in Danish – but with lots of photos): ​https://gammelgaard.se/skovhave/

​By Christina Meyer​

As part of tackling climate change Scotland has set a goal of becoming Net Zero by 2045. Net Zero can sound technical and seem an abstract goal. We will reach Net Zero when the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we put into the atmosphere are equal to the amount we take out of the atmosphere. In short, aiming for Net Zero is about engaging in climate friendly activities - which often are not only healthy for people and planet, but also for the economy, for example when saving energy in your organisation. Our programme Net Zero for Teams will support your journey towards Net Zero.

Net Zero for Teams in your organisation
Starting or accelerating your transition to a carbon neutral business may seem daunting. What does operating as a Net Zero business look like for your organisation? Rest assured, with Surefoot’s Net Zero for Teams, your decision-making and transition will be quicker, smoother and more straightforward than you think. As with all successful strategies for change, it starts with you and your team using your expertise to decide what is right for your organisation.

How it works
Surefoot’s Net Zero for Teams workshops are a mix of information sharing, identifying areas for change and an exploration of possible solutions. In between the workshops, Surefoot supports your team to help finalise the actions needed to achieve their chosen objectives. See more here.

Please contact us if you would like to know more.

​Image Credit

Making changes to your business and turning the tide of climate change can seem like a daunting task, especially when you don't know where to start. The Surefoot Effect offers a series of courses, training programs, and workshops to help businesses equip themselves for a more sustainable future. Read on to find out how to make your business more planet-friendly. 

Carbon Conversations
Chances are you have a carbon output for your business that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, but it's not as if you can flick a switch and your business becomes sustainable. It takes time and careful planning to work towards Net Zero by mid-century - this is the global aim.
 
With Carbon Conversations, you can begin to discuss the issues at hand and work out how to integrate progressive thinking into your business model. Carbon Conversations at The Surefoot Effect is a series of guided discussions to help you with sustainable business planning.    

Climate Conversations
The future starts today! That's because the choices we make in our present time and our lifestyle practices echo down through the ages. People's choices in the past have caused the climate crisis today, but now, we have an opportunity to build a better future. 
 
The Surefoot Effect offers a series of workshops on the subject of future conversations. These workshops aim to equip businesses with the foresight to implement changes that lead to progressive outcomes."Future Conversations" is the smart way to make a difference. 

Team Engagement Training
Net Zero by mid-century is the target and the way to get there through sustainability practices. The next decade is crucial to the success of maintaining a 1.5°C rise above pre-industrial levels; to achieve this, businesses must change their paradigms and balance their carbon outputs. 
 
Again, this isn't an easy task, especially if you lack qualified persons in your management teams; but, thankfully, there's an easy solution. The Surefoot Effect offers a Team Engagement programme that provides the tools needed to help businesses operate more sustainably. 

The Surefoot Effect 
It is worthwhile to think about our individual contributions to climate change, but it won't be enough to turn the tide and reach Net Zero by mid-century. For that, we need commercial interests to pull their weight as well. The Surefoot Effect is here to help - use their workshops and courses to equip your business for a more sustainable and prosperous future. 
By James Bollen

James Bollen is a digital writer and content creator. He writes articles and blogs in a wide range of niches including business and technology but has a particular interest in conscious living practices, nature appreciation, and creative pursuits. He lives in Glasgow with his partner and sibling cats, Hansel and Gretel.

​Image Credit

We’ve all sat in the cinema eating popcorn watching the latest Hollywood disaster movie. The characters have to contend with a giant city-levelling wave, a twister that threatens a small town or a story of future scarcity with humanity living on the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, these scenarios have become too realistic in the face of climate change, now we are the protagonists.  

What is Net Zero?
​Anthropogenic climate change is the rise in global temperatures as a result of human activity. Most scientists agree that this began in the 19th century (around the 1830s), right at the start of the industrial era. However, evidence is emerging that earlier human activity also had an effect. 
 
Humans need energy for heat and light which comes from fossilised carbon. Over time, the earth absorbed carbon from the air and stored it in ground deposits, humans now release it back into the air. Net Zero is the balance between carbon emissions and carbon absorption.  

The Paris Climate Agreement
​In 2015, 196 parties signed up to the Paris Agreement, also known as the climate accord, at COP 21. The parties agreed to a climate change target; global temperatures should not exceed 2°C by mid-century with a target of 1.5°C rise temperatures in relation to pre-industrial levels.
 
The Paris Agreement works in 5-year cycles; each cycle has increasingly ambitious targets leading to a reduction in carbon output and stabilisation of temperatures. For this to happen, countries and industries are expected to make adequate changes to their carbon emissions.
  
Make Your Company Planet Friendly 
Multi-national companies such as Amazon and Microsoft have made ambitious pledges. Amazon says it can reach Net Zero by 2040, and Microsoft aims to do it by 2030. It remains to be seen how realistic and authentic these pledges are, but every business needs to change.  
 
It’s not only global giants that are expected to implement changes to reduce emissions; businesses of all sizes can contribute to carbon neutrality. Regardless of your company size, the task is to measure your “climate shadow”, including past emissions, and work towards Net-Zero.   

The Upside of Company Changes
When it comes to business, it’s all about the bottom line, so when managers and CEOs hear about climate change policy, the first thing they ask is, how much is it going to cost? There’s good news, becoming Net Zero involves efficiency changes that ac increase your revenue.
 
Cost reduction and increased efficiency are two of the upsides of Net Zero targets, but there’s more. The next ten years are crucial to turning the tide on climate change, and everyone knows it! Customers are likely to respond to companies making genuine efforts towards Net Zero. 

The Surefoot Effect 
Every business is different, and achieving Net Zero requires focus and creativity. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, which is why The Surefoot Effect Net Zero programme help your business to build the Net Zero infrastructure it needs. Contact The Surefoot Effect today and learn more about the dynamic and proven strategies they use to cut carbon in your company. 
By James Bollen
​
James Bollen is a digital writer and content creator. He writes articles and blogs in a wide range of niches including business and technology but has a particular interest in conscious living practices, nature appreciation, and creative pursuits. He lives in Glasgow with his partner and sibling cats, Hansel and Gretel.

Image credit: www.unsplash.com

Are you talking about climate change in your business? Perhaps it’s been kicked down the agenda in favour of growth strategies or commercial processes; if so, it’s time to re-think your priorities. The effects of climate change are becoming more obvious every year and it’s affecting local and global communities. People, nations, and businesses must adapt to survive. 

What is Net Zero and why do we need it? 
We are living in the Anthropocene, an epoch of earth characterised by the dominance of humans on the planet. Humans have impacted the planet significantly, changing the landscapes dramatically and increasing the presence of poisonous gases in the atmosphere.
 
Human existence is only possible because the earth absorbed these poisonous gases and trapped them underground making photosynthesis possible and therefore oxygen. Today, industrial activity is releasing these gases into the air. Find out more with Carbon Conversations.    

How can I make my business sustainable? 
At one time (not too long ago) commerce was all about growth, but that was before the realities of climate change started to take effect. Now businesses and customers realise the importance of long term strategies that limit carbon output to Net Zero while maintaining productivity.
 
Commercial sustainability is the path to Net Zero and a carbon-neutral planet - that is a planet that does not produce more carbon than it can absorb. Every person and business has a part to play but it isn’t always straightforward. Learn how to meet Net Zero targets at The Surefoot Effect.

How can we overcome eco-anxiety? 
Eco anxiety refers to the feeling of fear we get concerning environmental destruction and our societies of the future. Eco anxiety can affect people on a personal level, but it can also affect companies - how is it possible to plan for the future when it is so uncertain and perilous?
 
There’s good news! Although eco-anxiety can make us feel powerless, one of the best ways to cope is to take positive action. Understanding the theory behind eco-anxiety and teaching practices to alleviate this is what The Surefoot Effect does best -  see their Resilience Workshops. 

What is a company’s “climate shadow”?
Much is made for our carbon footprints nowadays, everyone is encouraged to calculate how much carbon they use in their daily lives and to make changes to reduce that number; while this practice is admirable on a personal level it is somewhat misleading and doesn’t go far enough.
 
The carbon footprint was thought up by major oil companies and directs attention away from the real problem. The “climate shadow” is a more useful idea, it reclaims the language of climate change and offers a more holistic measure of carbon consumption for people and companies. 

The Surefoot Effect 
The Surefoot Effect works with communities and businesses on a range of climate change issues. Through workshops, courses, mentoring, and team engagement, you can learn how to equip your business to meet the challenges of climate change. The challenges are both psychological and practical, but they require the right conversations to build a better future. 

By James Bollen
​James Bollen is a digital writer and content creator. He writes articles and blogs in a wide range of niches including business and technology but has a particular interest in conscious living practices, nature appreciation, and creative pursuits. He lives in Glasgow with his partner and sibling cats, Hansel and Gretel.

How to create an off-grid organic permaculture farm in a semi-arid region of rural Africa with focus on sustainability, equality, community and independency? Get the answer with the 5-minute video tour in Kenya where Selina Nkoile will show you around the 2.5 acre off-grid homestead Bomanoma.
The construction of Bomanoma began in December 2019. Now, it’s a flourishing place running 100% on solar energy and collecting enough rainwater to maintain a diverse collection of crops and other plants with diverse functions, for example natural tissue paper and perfume. Everything is farmed on the principals of organic permaculture. As stated on Bomanoma’s website, it’s a place “Where Traditional Nomadic Culture Meets Modern Regenerative Agriculture and Ingenuity” www.bomanoma.com
Enjoy the video trip through a traditional and authentic Maasai homestead embedded in community spirit and surrounded by a sustainable rich and varied garden. The place is open as a learning demonstration site for everyone: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEBelPUM8tA

David Attenborough spoke confidently and passionately from the podium at COP 26 in Glasgow. He made many strong and insightful remarks, but he left us with a clear intention for when the pageantry was over - will the measure of the concentration of carbon in our atmosphere rise or fall after the summit? The answer is uncertain, but it’s clear that industries can do more to help.
​
COP 26 Agreements  
After two weeks of presentations and discussions, the curtain finally closed on the UN’s annual climate change summit in Glasgow. So what was the outcome? According to some analysts, activists, and commentators, COP 26 didn’t do nearly enough, but it did agree on some things.
 
According to COP 26 president, Alok Sharma, the summit succeeded in affirming the Paris Agreement’s aim to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C by mid-century. Successes included talks on limiting coal usage for the first time and rules to govern cross-border carbon credits.   

COP 26 Failures 
Despite agreements made in the Glasgow Climate Pact, the summit didn’t go far enough according to some analysts. Alok Sharma called for “phasing out” of coal power by mid-century - at 46% coal is the biggest contributor to anthropogenic climate change, but calls failed.
 
Instead, negotiators agreed to “phase-down” coal usage, but developed nations like India and China will continue to use it in the 2040s. There were also failures with regards to climate justice - the adaptation fund received support, but the funding levels remain woefully inadequate.

Action is Needed 
Promises, promises, promises. Over one hundred nations promised to cut their methane output by 30% by 2030, and 130 nations possessing 90% of global forests promised to reverse deforestation. To find out what your business can actively do, visit Net-Zero at Surefoot-effect.
 
The central problem with COP 26 was not necessarily the sentiment, although some say there was more greenwashing than activism on the part of governments; the problem was (and still is) accountability - will nations act on the commitments they have failed to keep at previous COPs? 

Future Prospects 
At present, there is no legal framework for accountability on climate change, which might change when the water starts to rise, but for now, the pledges are based solely on goodwill and cultural pressure. It seems nations are beginning to wake up, but there’s much work to be done.
 
Some commentators point to the lack of young people and women in future conversations, for instance. Still, there is room for optimism. As climate activist Greta Thunberg said “... the real work continues outside these halls. And, we will never give up, ever.” A popular sentiment.

The Surefoot Effect
It’s no longer possible to ignore the effects of climate change, and your business has a role to play in turning the tide. It’s time to start learning about Net-Zero and building responsibility into your enterprise. If you’re interested in making your business more planet-friendly, visit the Surefoot-Effect and take part in climate change training, mentoring, courses and workshops. 
​By James Bollen
​

In Eswatini, the Southern African country formerly known as Swaziland until 2018, a new movement is taking form to engage young people in a broad range of climate change actions. In a country where flights and overconsumption aren’t options for most people, worldwide climate advice needs to be replaced with initiatives rooted in local reality. Even the Eswatini average carbon footprint is low, there are still actions to take to mitigate climate change effects. Local understanding and education, improvement of infrastructure and engagement of the young people which make up a large part of the country’s population, can support Eswatini towards a sustainable future. As places and people are globally interlinked, we get valuable insight into the state of the world when listening to voices from Eswatini.

Supporting the youth in taking action
At Surefoot we have talked with Dane Armstrong and Tamika Du-Pont from Eswatini, who are on the steering committee of a youth led climate change network called Hlumisa (which translates ‘to make grow’ or ‘to sprout’). They are also engaged in the Eswatini Climate Coalition which offers a platform for engaging in climate change news and projects around climate justice. This is one of a series where we are speaking with people from organisations around the world, to get first-hand insight into climate change and environmentally friendly actions.
Dane, who is an artist who also works in climate adaptation, policy and food systems, explains the need to engage young people in climate change actions, “There is a gap between the governmental goals and citizens participation. With our platform we share news and information, reach out to schools, create workshops, organise marches, and use the creative arts to raise awareness around climate change.” Like other places on the planet, the Covid-pandemic has put many activities on hold. Since there has been a shift to online activities, inequality has become more visible. Internet connections are expensive for many people, and once connected the internet is not always reliable. Their work with high school students aged 15 - 30 years old, including a festival and the pilot of a climate platform, was postponed due to the pandemic, but the activities are again going forward as they look to rebuild and forge ahead.

​Time for change
With a background in environmental science and concern of the social aspects of the environment, Tamika points out the importance of forming a community where different skills come into play, whether it’s about saving energy or creating art.
“A small wave of climate change awareness is here, but many more need to know about the consequences and initiatives to build resilience. It should be followed up with governmental actions and rebuilding of the infrastructure. There is a call for optimisation of the national transportation system within the small sized country. We need for example cycle lanes, and a more reliable public transportation system to allow people to participate in greener and more sustainable means of living,” explains Tamika.
Recycling is a simple example of a weak spot in the infrastructure. Dane mentions the lack of information and access to recycling (which does exist as an option), even to people who have the means and desire to participate.
There are further steps to take when encouraging change on a personal level. Reducing meat towards a more plant-based diet is a challenge due to cultural habits, and there is not much information in circulation about the environmental benefits. Also, embracing agroecological food systems, promoting organic gardens and buying locally produced food and other products would help mitigate the climate change effect. “People should be exposed and encouraged to adopt these possibilities,” states Tamika.

The storm to initiate change
Heavy rain, extreme storms, heat waves, drought and high temperature in October, which are normally experienced in December, are some of the potential climate change effects already being felt in Eswatini. This is on the back of the extreme drought that was felt in the region between 2015/2016, which thrust climate change into everyone's minds due to the huge personal effect this had on everyone’s lives. Roads, agriculture and livestock are constantly at risk or affected. “Last weekend almost everyone in my neighbourhood was on their roof fixing holes after a heavy rain and hailstorm,” informs Tamika.
In a time where it’s difficult to predict what will happen in the wake of climate change, uncertainty has become a weighty actor.
“People can see that climate change is happening, but often it has been forgotten on the other side of the storm. But now, the bubble starts to burst,” says Dane and explains about these early days of awareness and action. Discussions, debates and aiming for shared solutions between citizens and the city councils are wanted.
When climate change impacts strike, people are often left alone to deal with the effects, for example repairing their houses. If support appears in a sudden climate change disaster, most often it is short-term oriented, like the provision of food supplies. This is important, but there is a demand for a shift in political attitude towards climate change challenges. Empowering agencies already established in the local areas would strengthen the forces already there to meet emergency situations. Furthermore, viewing solutions to climate change impacts not as an expense but as an investment in long-term sustainable solutions would support the future of the country and its people. If such initiatives become part of supporting Africa as a whole, this will make the continent stronger. And again, on an even bigger scale, if we at a global level are concerned about what is happening to various places on the planet, we will all learn more about climate change and what it takes to deal with it. Dane mentions Madagascar as a place with hardly any attention from the global society. The fourth largest island in the world, with animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet, is currently facing a devastating dry season which has left people in starvation. The UN predicts it might turn into the world’s first climate change famine[1].

Sharing is caring
It might be a clichéd saying, but nevertheless sharing is caring. And shared communities are also what the young people want to be engaged in, when asking Tamika and Dane what the youth in Eswatini prefer among their offered activities. Platforms for sharing are essential for young people worldwide, and Eswatini is no exception - it is fundamental for change. Space to share knowledge, skills, experience, creative work and ideas. A place which invites young people to think and to be listened to, to be able to deal with challenges in their part of the world, and to be a part of the global community.
​By Gazelle Buchholtz

[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103712

One of the primary goals for Crops For the Future Research Centre[i] (CFFRC) is to secure a greater role for underutilised crops in global agriculture, especially in developing regions of the world. CFFRC's function includes global campaigning as well as the collection and distribution of information on underutilised crops for food and non-food applications. The organisation has developed an online tool called CropBASE, a data-to-decision solution that focuses on agricultural diversification. This is free for farmers, researchers and everyone with an interest in sustainable agriculture.
The changing political scene in Malaysia over the last few years has caused instability in the organisation’s work. Established in 2014, CFFRC closed its doors in May 2020 after the Government of Malaysia’s agreed-upon period of funding support came to an end. The closure has resulted in the move of CFFRC to the UK, now known as CFFUK where it continues to work for a worldwide varied supply of food sources to benefit both people and the planet.

Biodiversity incorporated in agriculture
At Surefoot we have talked with PhD student Gomathy Sethuraman at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The online conversation is one of a series where we speak with people from organisations around the world, to get first-hand insight into climate change and environmentally friendly actions.
Gomathy Sethuraman has worked for about 15 years in various laboratory settings and joined the Research Division at CFFRC in 2015 as the Technical Support Manager. Her main tasks were to provide technical support in equipment setup and usage, sample analysis and data collection, including report writing related to crop studies & nutrition profiling. “Despite there being approximately 30,000 known plant species documented for human use, less than 20 species provide the world’s food and only four major crops namely wheat, corn, rice and soybean account for the majority of the world’s food production. There are at least 7000 plant species identified as food sources that remain underutilised or lesser-known; these crops are very rich in vitamins and nutrients. Whilst bringing new flavours to the meals, they also have the potential to improve both food and nutrition security. As knowledge is scarce on these underutilised crops it presents a challenge to incorporate these lesser-known crops into the agriculture sector,” says Gomathy.
Together with colleagues she has published a few papers on some of these underutilised crops found in Malaysia. One such crop is sacha inchi[ii] which is native to the Amazon rainforest but can now be found in other parts of the world including Malaysia. Its high levels of fatty acids (Omega 3, 6 and 9) and easily digestible protein are not common in other vegetable oil. The team is pleased to find out that there are farmers around Malaysia who have started working on this crop. Hopefully, this will lead to further collating of information and dissemination to a wider audience with the hope that more farmers will explore the underutilised crop that has valuable traits not only to improve diversity in agriculture but also to mitigate climate change and reduce the use of pesticide and fertiliser that contributes to the carbon footprint of agriculture. 
 
Positive effects of more local food
“The Malaysian government’s goal of being carbon neutral in 2050, I believe is a difficult target to achieve as a large portion of the country’s food is being imported from all over the world despite it being an agricultural country. More varied and locally produced food would help to decrease carbon emissions and the negative climate effect,” says Gomathy and she elaborates on climate change in Malaysia. Monsoon is a typical recurring annual event, but now it causes more flooding than usual. Water levels can at times reach the heights of house roofs. Likewise, extreme heat is a more frequent phenomenon. The average temperature rise of  1 - 2°C doesn’t seem much on the skin of our body, but plants experience it differently. The flowering of some plants is affected by the temperature change, which directly affects the yield production. With a number of changes of government in Malaysia over the past several years, Gomathy calls out for stability for the support of environmentally friendly initiatives which aim to ease the impacts of climate change, regardless of changes in the political agenda.
 
Creating value out of challenges
One positive ‘side-effect’ of moving Crops For the Future to the UK, is that now the organisation has established new partnerships with other countries and has gained international recognition. Gomathy underlines the persistent effort of the CEO at Crops For the Future, Sayed Nader Azam-Ali. His book, ‘The Ninth Revolution, Transforming Food Systems For Good’ was released earlier this year, and the organisation continues to promote the Global Action Plan for Agricultural Diversification (GAPAD) through its participation in the AIRCA consortium and work with a range of partners. CFFUK is also looking into expanding its approach globally and currently working towards establishing in South Africa with hosting by the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg and a preliminary exploration underway in Australia with the goal to create regional centres with complementary expertise that can contribute to a variety of food system research projects throughout the world.
On the question of how to support underutilised crop production, Gomathy points out knowledge sharing as an important initiative. Knowledge is an important tool for any form of advancement, and it should start in the family. Some of these crops were grown by our ancestors and they are lost in the transition of time. Gomathy teaches her daughters of seven and twelve years old who take part in growing edible plants like long beans, tomatoes, okra and some leafy vegetables in their home in Selangor. She iterates, whenever we buy food, we ask questions like, “Where is this food produced, is it coming from a local farm or has it taken a flight to come to our shelves, has there been the use of pesticides, how much has it been processed, and what kind of packaging material is used? Could there be an option for locally fresh, less processed food, with a minimum wrapping be available as a substitute?”

When Gomathy  participated in Carbon Conversations conducted by Surefoot in 2009, she was surprised about the carbon footprint of food transported by plane, “It is not enough to go for vegetables and fruits, the footprint of transport is a significant factor to take into consideration when assessing the impact of our food. Educational programmes available to all would be a great help for people to find out how to choose climate-friendly food sources.” Gomathy also highlights that it does not help the situation by pointing fingers and judging people for their eating habits, especially those who consume meat or highly processed food products. Instead, we can inspire and share the knowledge towards a varied food option that is good for us and the planet since there are more than 7000 crops documented for food sources.
​By Gazelle Buchholtz

For more information:
[i] Gregory, P. J.; Mayes, S.; Hui, C. H.; Jahanshiri, E.; Julkifle, A.; Kuppusamy, G.; Kuan, H. W.; Lin, T. X.; Massawe, F.; Suhairi, T. A. S. T. M.; Azam-Ali, S. N. Crops For the Future (CFF): An Overview of Research Efforts in the Adoption of Underutilised Species. Planta 2019, 250 (3), 979–988. Overview of CFFRC, Malaysia

[ii] Sethuraman, G.; Nizar, N. M. M.; Muhamad, F. N.; Gregory, P. J.; Jahanshiri, E.; Azam-Ali, S. Nutrition Composition of Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia Volubikis L.). International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) 2020, 7 (9), 271–277.

Join us to experience and learn how to use a selection of Resilience of Place tools the 22nd and 29th of November.

The workshops are part of our series of Erasmus+ funded resilience workshops, following on from our 'Creativity Builds Resilience' workshops where one participant told us:
"The workshop was very helpful and inspiring. I've never experienced an online workshop in this moving way before. Connecting and exchanging with others in the breakout rooms and getting to apply the techniques together and to try them out instantly was very rewarding."

In the two connected workshops, participants will learn about resilience tools for communities:
- Landscape reading
- Restoration
- Transformation
- Conservation & visualisation
- Fairytales
We promise fun and relaxing sessions to support resilience for you and your community.

You can sign up for these free sessions here. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested and let us know if this is something we can run for a group or organisation.​

The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland’s (ERCS) vision is of a Scotland where every person’s right to live in a healthy environment is fully realised. Individuals and communities can get support to use their rights to protect the environment, tackle climate change, improve local biodiversity and make greenspaces healthier and wilder. The aim is to provide help to challenge environmental injustices and advance our human right to a healthy environment. Shivali Fifield, associate of The Surefoot Effect and Chief Officer for the ERCS, explains: “We offer free advice on environmental law, which includes law relating to land-use planning, climate change, pollution control, environmental health, conservation, and any other field, for example transport and energy, to the extent that it impacts on the natural environment in Scotland.” 

If you need advice, get in contact by the online form www.ercs.scot/get-advice. This could be on a specific issue, for example a worrying planning application or loss of greenspace in your neighbourhood, or a more general question such as your rights to environmental information. To find out more about ERCS’s work on policy and law reform, check out www.ercs.scot and @ERCScot on twitter. ​