We’re pleased to welcome Andrew Nightingale as our new Energy Intern at ECCAN! Having volunteered with us over the past year, supporting our community solar project alongside his studies, Andrew has now joined our small but mighty team for one day per week.
In his second week in the role, Andrew joined us at the third annual Climate Hubs Gathering in Stirling, where Climate Action Hubs from across Scotland came together to share ideas, experiences and inspiration. Here are his reflections from the day!
Meeting our fellow Climate Hubs from across Scotland at the third annual Hub Gathering in Stirling last Wednesday was enjoyable, exciting and, crucially, inspirational.
I was fascinated by the variety of projects that different Hubs are running. A few that stood out to me included a social trading scheme run by Dundee Dots of Dundee Changemakers, Moray Hub’s work supporting Buckie Thistle FC to become a leader in decarbonisation, and ECCAN’s first steps towards developing a tool to help organisations present their decarbonisation efforts in a positive way. I just wish I’d had more time to visit some of the other talks!
A big thanks to the organisers for structuring the day in a way that encouraged such thoughtful discussions and provided plenty of opportunities for networking.
During the Unconference session, I found myself at the ‘How do we feed our own regions?’ table, alongside people from the Highlands, Moray, Glasgow and the Borders. We discussed a range of solutions, from individual to collective action, focusing on how Climate Hubs can help as enablers, educators and supporters.
Having attended many networking events in the past, I particularly enjoyed the ‘netwalking’ session, which took us on a lovely walk around Stirling. It was a great way to have genuine, organic conversations and connect with others, and I’m sure these connections will help strengthen relationships between Hubs in the future.
As I settle into my new role at ECCAN, I can’t wait to learn more and get involved in the work ahead. I’m particularly excited for ECCAN’s Autumn Assembly in Edinburgh this week!
Welcome to the team, Andrew!