Aberdeen Science Centre is appealing to local people to vote in favour of its bid for £39,500 of funding to bring the climate conversation to communities.
The Scottish Government, in partnership with ACVO, Nescan Hub and the Scottish Community Development Center, is offering organisations in Aberdeen the chance to share in £333,333 of funding.
The Just Transition Funding is open to non-profit organisations across the city supporting environmentally friendly projects.
Aberdeen Science Centre is planning to create a mobile climate change exhibition that will visit local communities.
The science centre has bid for £39,500 to help fund an electric vehicle that would be used as transport for the exhibit, allowing them to bring the climate conversation to communities across the north-east.
The funding will enable the science centre to visit schools, businesses and other public events using the electric vehicle.
It will also be decorated with graphics highlighting the benefits of switching to electric and reducing CO2 emissions.
Funding would be ‘Christmas come early’
Steph McCann, fundraising manager at Aberdeen Science Centre, said the funding would allow the centre to “lead by example” and bring an interactive exhibit to educate people about going green.
She said: “To receive funding from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund would be Christmas come early for us.
“We need the public of Aberdeen to get behind us and vote for us to receive the funds necessary to enable to us to create an exhibit that we can take into communities, schools and public events.
“We plan to bring the climate conversation directly into the heart of communities, and to lead by example by using an electric vehicle to do so. The vehicle will allow us to take an interactive hands-on exhibit on the road that we will use to educate about carbon reduction and how we all play a role in going green.”
Over to the people to decide
The fund aims to empower local people to shape the journey to net zero in a way that reflects their local needs and priorities by allowing members of the public to have their say on where the money is spent.
Bea Dawkins, development officer at ACVO TSI, said: “This is a very exciting time for the north-east. Scotland is the first country in the world to adopt a democratic process for its transition to net zero and it’s happening right here in Aberdeen.
“The fund will empower local citizens to decide for themselves what our greener, fairer future will look like. We have been overwhelmed by the response from our local non-profit organisations who have worked hard to put together applications for this fund.
“Now, we hand the baton over to the people to decide which projects will receive funding.”
Voting for organisations to receive funding must be completed online or at one of the in-person public voting events and can only be done by those with an Aberdeen City postcode.
Votes must be placed for 10 of the 22 projects listed online and must be submitted before 12pm on Friday December 16.