Take One Action returns to the GCP for a special screening exploring energy and who owns it, from Wales to Spain and Germany.

As well as the films, we will also hear from Flick Monk from Platform about what’s happening with community energy in Scotland, then conclude the evening with interactive discussion and collective poetry making from Spring, a collective of artists, writers, theatre makers, energy folks and participatory democracy experts with the tagline “democratising energy, energising democracy”.

About the films:

The Coal Beneath our Feet, the Wind Above our Heads (2025)

Ownership, memory, and the fight for a liveable future… Told through intergenerational conversations in the South Wales Valleys, the film traces a line from coal to wind, from extraction to renewal, and asks a simple question: who should own the things that shape our lives? The first half centres on coal, culminating in the story of Tower Colliery, bought and run by its workers after closure. The second half turns to wind energy, ending in a Welsh village that owns its own wind farm and reinvests the returns locally. Framed through the eyes of two young people who feel disconnected from their place and history, the film explores how knowledge, struggle, and collective action can restore dignity and agency. It is a film about Wales, made with Welsh communities, and rooted in the belief that the future only works if people are not cut out of it.

We The Power

(2021)  

Imagine upending the traditional energy system and giving the power of clean electricity production back to your neighbors. We the Power follows friends, families and visionaries as they break down legislative barriers and take power back from big energy companies to put in the hands of locals. The film chronicles local cooperatives from deep in Germany’s Black Forest to the streets of ancient Girona in Spain and the urban rooftops of London, England, as they pave the way for a renewable-energy revolution and build healthier, more financially stable communities.

In the afternoon before the screening, Take One Action are hosting a free Great Big Green Week workshop exploring how we talk about why we care about climate, nature and community energy, and how those stories connect us to each other. Find out more and book on here.

Join Take One Action for a special Great Big Green Week workshop exploring how we talk about why we care about climate, nature and community energy, and how those stories connect us to each other.

Across Scotland, people are already taking action in their communities. From protecting local green spaces to creating warmer homes, cleaner air and fairer futures. But too often, conversations about climate change can feel distant, technical, or overwhelming.

What brings people in – and what moves people to act – is something more human: leading with why we care.

In this free interactive 90-minute session, we’ll explore a simple way to tell our stories that helps us:

• Reflect on what matters to us and why

• Find the shared values that connect us to others

• Tell our stories in a way that brings people with us

No experience is needed – all you need is a willingness to take part. Whether you’re already involved in your community or just starting to think about it, this is a space to explore your “why” and connect it to something bigger.

Because change doesn’t happen on our own, it happens when people come together.

We will also have the chance to hear from The Crannie about their local community energy work.

This event will be followed by a film screening, discussion and collective poetry making at Grassmarket Community Project, you can book your tickets for that here.

You’re invited to play cimatACTical - an interactive game exploring climate choices and organisational strategy.

ClimatACTical is a new gamified learning resource created by Verture – the climate resilience charity, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and Small99. Working in teams, you take on the role of a fictional community organisation - balancing finances, carbon impact, resilience, and mission as you respond to unexpected events and build a climate action plan. Through a guided retrospective after playing, you will leave with one clear, manageable action to build on for your own group or organisation.  

Developed for SCVO's Growing Climate Confidenceprogramme, it is aimed at people working in voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations who want a practical and accessible way to explore how climate resilience connects to their organisational mission and day-to-day experiences.

Following the launch this month, including the website with more information to download and play, over the next month there will be several Pop-up & Play sessions across Scotland. The Edinburgh session will be hosted by Mary and Izi at Verture. You’ll get a chance to play the game in teams, understand how it can be used in different settings and network with other organisations building climate resilience.

So, if you’re working with a community group, or just love games – we hope to see you there. If you do plan to join, please register for a space so they can manage the group size. For more information or questions, please contact training@verture.org.uk.

As part of the Latin Connections Film Festival, CinemaAttic presents the Scottish premiere of God Is a Woman (Dios es mujer), a powerful documentary following Panama’s Indigenous Guna community as they recover a long-lost film made about them in the 1970s. What begins as a search for missing footage becomes a moving exploration of cultural memory, representation and the right of Indigenous peoples to reclaim their own stories.

The screening will be accompanied by two short films by filmmaker Olowaili Green Santacruz and a discussion with visiting filmmakers Cebaldo de León and Olowaili Green from the Gunadule Territory, offering a unique opportunity to engage with Indigenous perspectives on history, identity and storytelling.

Come and share some soup, salad and delicious bread from Granton Garden Bakery at Lauriston Farm.

Everyone welcome, newcomers and auld hands, no need to book – just come along and eat. Meet at the hand-built Kitchen in the Community Garden and Allotments.

Meals Are Free Thanks to the Funders

The Community Meals are part of our Community Kitchen Table project, which is kindly funded by The University of Edinburgh Community Grants Fund.

The Community Kitchen Table brings people together to harvest, cook, preserve, and share nutritious, locally-sourced food – it’s North Edinburgh residents eating well, learning new skills, and supporting one another.

On and around the Bike Library on Porty Prom.

Bring your wheels & join Porty Community Energy and Equal Footing for a bike ride through Porty with many weird & wonderful wheels, helping them to launch their new hand cycle for hire.

Afterwards browse the stalls, try out a new bike, or take part in the mobility obstacle course. Family friendly.

Join Mario and the MycoBee Team for Community Mushroom Farming.

An introduction to the fascinating world of fungi and the art of mushroom farming- fungiculture. You will discover what mushrooms are, the importance of mushrooms for us and our planet, how important mushrooms are in restoration of our soil. Mario will share with you how community mushroom farming can shift from sustainable to regenerative, restorative agriculture rejuvenating the soil and all ecosystems that rely on it.

2 hours workshops to show you easy and sustainable techniques how to grow mushrooms at home and in the garden. Each workshop features different growing techniques. This event is donation based, they ask for minimum £1 donation to help continue their classes at Granton Castle Walled Garden. More info and booking below.

Edinburgh Tool Library run regular Cycle Kitchen sessions where participants can use tools and workstations to carry out their own bike maintenance or repairs.

The sessions offer a supportive, shared space to learn and practise, with volunteer mechanics on hand to provide guidance if needed. Attendees work on their own projects and can purchase a small range of consumables such as tubes, brake pads and cables.

Tools and PPE are provided, though bringing your own is encouraged. There is limited storage and no option to leave bikes or projects between sessions.

As part of Great Big Green Week, Take One Action are hosting Power Up! on Wednesday 10th June in Edinburgh’s Old Town, bringing together a workshop, film and discussion focused on community energy.

In the afternoon, a free workshop at The Crannie (What’s Your Story?) will explore how people talk about their connection to climate, nature and community energy, and how these stories can help build stronger connections.

In the evening, Grassmarket Community Project will host a series of short film screenings (We The Power, The Coal Beneath Our Feet, The Wind Above Our Heads), followed by discussion and collective poetry.

The events are open to all, with free and ticketed elements. Find out more and book via the event pages.

Join a free screening of Walk With Me, a meditative documentary about Zen Buddhist master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. The film follows the daily rituals of monks and nuns across the four seasons, exploring mindfulness, presence and the pursuit of happiness - a timely remedy to the stresses of modern life.

The evening includes soup from 6pm, the screening from 6:30pm, and a discussion from 8:10–8:45pm with guest speakers Thian Weymeyer and Iona Grant, who lead the Wake Up group and will speak about Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet — an online course bringing mindfulness to climate action.

Free to attend. Donations welcome to cover costs and support the speakers.