Environmental charity Green Hive in Nairn is helping the community get involved with COP26 by suggesting ways locals can do their bit from home.
The group is an organisation which supports local people striving to preserve and restore the natural environment.
Mostly run by volunteers, the charity brings together people from all walks of life through a range of activities including beach cleans, litter picks and the running of a community orchard.
They also have a workshop in Nairn where people come together to repurpose waste materials. Here, they give plastics, and other materials that would usually go to waste a new life by turning them into things like clocks, birdhouses and benches.
The power of local communities
As COP26 descends on the city of Glasgow this week, the team at Green Hive were keen to do their bit in helping raise awareness of what Nairn locals can be doing to protect the environment.
Sean Lusk, a trustee at Green Hive, spoke of how important the conference is: “As so many have said, COP26 is of literally existential importance for the future of life as we know it on our planet. Our last chance to try to keep global warming to 1.5C.
“We hope that real commitments to that will be made and will be stuck to.”
Green Hive aims to show local communities that they can make a difference regardless of the outcomes of the conference.
Mr Lusk said: “Whatever governments agree to work towards at COP, local communities have it in their power to make changes themselves, and that is what Green Hive is about.”
Risks for a coastal community
Being a seaside community, Nairn is at risk of being badly affected by climate change in many ways.
Mr Lusk thinks people living in Nairn are aware of the impact these changes could have on the area, and believes “nearly everyone” is worried about the future.
He explained: “As a coastal community the impacts are likely to be particularly significant in terms of rising sea levels, flooding and winter storms.
“The more we can help everyone to understand these changes and how to adapt to them, the more we can help people to make other, often small changes in their lives to reduce their carbon impact.”
Green Hive’s community beach cleans are an important part of their work. Taking part is an easy way of contributing to the local community and protecting the local area while doing so.
Mr Lusk said the cleans are beneficial for multiple reasons. He said: “Our beaches are so glorious, and keeping them clean feels like treasuring our greatest asset.
“It also is just amazing how many bags you can fill and how that brings home the massive unfolding tragedy that is all that plastic in our oceans.
“At the same time there is satisfaction from leaving the beach knowing you have taken action to improve it.”
How can you do your bit for the environment?
When it comes to doing your bit to protect the environment, Mr Lusk said it doesn’t have to be a case of making a dramatic change to your daily life.
Reduce, reuse, recycle is the key, focusing on areas including transport, food and waste.
Mr Lusk said: “Reduce in particular use of plastic, petrol and diesel-powered journeys and meat-eating.
“That doesn’t mean never use plastic, drive anywhere or become vegan, but think about ways to walk, cycle or use bus or train where possible; think about all those lovely veggie meals; and avoid all those over-packaged supermarket goods where you can.”