iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 14h

The need for food security has been highlighted by recent climate change impacts and trade disruptions. What is the nature of the problem in Scotland, and what interventions are needed? 📅 4-6.30pm, Tuesday, 10 November 📍Edinburgh Climate Change Institute 🎟️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-secur...

Food-secure Scotland with SEDA Land & Resilience Constellation & Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes

Edinburgh Climate Change Institute
Edinburgh, Mid Lothian
Tuesday, November 10 • 4 PM - 6:30 PM

Overview
Is our food supply resilient or could we be nine meals from anarchy?

(4-6pm, with networking until 6.30pm)

Is Scotland’s food system resilient or facing a crisis?

Recent extreme weather, coupled with the prospects of El Niño, climate change and trade disruptions have highlighted the issue of food security as a matter of urgency. Commentators have proposed a range of interventions, including stockpiling, a drive towards self-sufficiency and changes to agricultural support. But what is the nature of the problem in Scotland, what interventions are needed, what will work and who should be involved?

This discussion will address:

- The nature and urgency of the problem

- Potential solutions and their limitations

- The roles for government, communities, business and organisations

Chair:

Professor Mathew Williams, University of Edinburgh

Panellists:

Professor Peter Alexander, University of Edinburgh

Jayne Jones, Scottish Food Commission

David Michie, NFU Scotland

Ruth Ashton-Shaw, NFFN Scotland (Nature Friendly Farming Network)

Experts in attendance:

Pete Ritchie, Nourish Scotland

Professor Lindsay Jaacks, University of Edinburgh

Dr Richard Tipper, Resilience Constellation

Poet: Sophie Cooke, Open University, Scotland

020

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

TODAY! – the third and final event in our ‘Championing the Local’ series. We’ll explore why some decisions about land use are best made at landscape scale, and how bioregions and RLUPs can enable this. ⏰ 4-6pm 📆 Mon 21 Sept 📌 online 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

SEDA Land event - today at 4 p.m.

Landscape-scale governance
Mon 21st September 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Landscape-Scale Governance is the third in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will explore when it may be appropriate to scale up the model to regional or national level. Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and bioregions are models bordered by natural geographic and landscape boundaries such as mountain ridges and watersheds. Both adopt a natural capital approach to understanding their regional landscapes. This addresses issues in a cross-sectoral way, using a systems approach, rather than simplifying the issues into sectoral silos. This is a challenging ambition, since it means grappling with the complexity, uncertainty and trade-offs inherent in large scale, closely coupled, socio-ecological systems, but policy and land use decisions (such as natural flood protection measures) are often best made at such a scale.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Lucy Filby, Head of Land & Forestry Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Williams, Local Programme Manager, Verture

Clare Cooper, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Bioregioning Tayside

Lizzie Williams, Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) manager, NW2045

McNabb Laurie, Manager, D&G Woodlands

Henry Leveson-Gower, Founder and CEO, Promoting Economic Pluralism

Anne Thomas, Trustee, Highland People’s Power

020

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Just one week to go until the third of our ‘Championing the Local’ series. We’ll explore why some decisions about land use are best made at landscape-scale, and how RLUPs and bioregions with natural, not political, boundaries enable this. ⏰ 4-6pm 📆 Mon 21 Sept 📌 online 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

SEDA LAND EVENT

Landscape-scale governance
Mon 21st September 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Landscape-Scale Governance is the third in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will explore when it may be appropriate to scale up the model to regional or national level. Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and bioregions are models bordered by natural geographic and landscape boundaries such as mountain ridges and watersheds. Both adopt a natural capital approach to understanding their regional landscapes. This addresses issues in a cross-sectoral way, using a systems approach, rather than simplifying the issues into sectoral silos. This is a challenging ambition, since it means grappling with the complexity, uncertainty and trade-offs inherent in large scale, closely coupled, socio-ecological systems, but policy and land use decisions (such as natural flood protection measures) are often best made at such a scale.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Lucy Filby, Head of Land & Forestry Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Williams, Local Programme Manager, Verture

Clare Cooper, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Bioregioning Tayside

Lizzie Williams, Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) manager, NW2045

McNabb Laurie, Manager, D&G Woodlands

Henry Leveson-Gower, Founder and CEO, Promoting Economic Pluralism

Anne Thomas, Trustee, Highland People’s Power

032

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

SEDA is seeking a volunteer gamer to play and help promote Stone & Veil, an exciting new interactive game addressing soil health, land use and Highland mythology. The game has been co-developed by Abertay University, Fish Tin Games, James Hutton Institute and SEDA Land. seda.scot/seda-land-ga...

057

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Next Wednesday, 16 September, is SCOTTISH HOUSING DAY, which includes a host of community events around Scotland. www.scottishhousingday.co.uk Held in partnership with orgs including @sfha.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk @edinburghtenants.bsky.social @cohousingscotland.bsky.social @cihscotland.bsky.social

062

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Highland Peoples Power’s Anne Thomas is speaking at our Landscape-Scale Governance event. HPP works with communities across the Highlands to boost community participation and ownership of renewable energy projects, with profits staying in the region. ⏰ 4-6pm 📆 21 Sept 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Anne Thomas, trustee of Inverness based Highland People's Power

SEDA Land conversation
Landscape-scale governance
Mon 21st September 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Landscape-Scale Governance is the third in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will explore when it may be appropriate to scale up the model to regional or national level. Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and bioregions are models bordered by natural geographic and landscape boundaries such as mountain ridges and watersheds. Both adopt a natural capital approach to understanding their regional landscapes. This addresses issues in a cross-sectoral way, using a systems approach, rather than simplifying the issues into sectoral silos. This is a challenging ambition, since it means grappling with the complexity, uncertainty and trade-offs inherent in large scale, closely coupled, socio-ecological systems, but policy and land use decisions (such as natural flood protection measures) are often best made at such a scale.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Lucy Filby, Head of Land & Forestry Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Williams, Local Programme Manager, Verture

Clare Cooper, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Bioregioning Tayside

Lizzie Williams, Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) manager, NW2045

McNabb Laurie, Manager, D&G Woodlands

Henry Leveson-Gower, Founder and CEO, Promoting Economic Pluralism

Anne Thomas, Trustee, Highland People’s Power

020

Reposted by Scottish Ecological Design Association

Gail Halvorsen @gailhalvorsen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This finally gives SMEs the chance to compete with larger organisations in the onerous local authority procurement system.

001

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Six years ago North Ayrshire became the first Scottish council to introduce a community wealth building strategy. Now 28 of 32 have done so. Find out how this is redirecting public money, land and power back to local communities to build fairer, more resilient economies 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Photo: Canva via Upworthy

Councils need to buy better
Monday, 14th September, 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Councils Need to Buy Better is the second in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will highlight the critical role that local authorities play in enhancing local economies.

The Scottish Government is committed to integrating social value and wellbeing into public procurement through not only the Procurement Reform (Scotland) legislation, but also the Scottish National Performance Framework strategy.

In April 2023 the Scottish Government published the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland. Local authority procurement – on the long-term contractual basis – can give communities the much needed confidence to invest and kickstart new enterprises.

This could be particularly transformative for Scotland's rural and remote communities which often face unique challenges, including economic fragility, limited employment opportunities, and infrastructural deficits. Local procurement fosters local employment, enhancing skills, and improving local infrastructure. This event aims to ensure that councils, health boards and other public bodies are given the means to enact the bill.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Chris Martin, CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

SPEAKERS:

Suzanne Bignell & Chris Watson, North Ayrshire Council

Tyra Dempster, Supply Chain Development Manager, Soil Association Scotland

Sue Guy, Director, People, Place & Resilience Scotland CIC

Iain MacPherson, Director, Reorient Places

Mike Staples, CEO, South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH)

Emma Fletcher, founder & chair, Heating Swaffham Prior

021

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

McNabb Laurie, who founded D&G Woodlands in 2023 and manages it for the benefit of the community and the environment, will talk about innovative fund-raising methods. D&G Woodlands is currently approaching potential investors, including pension funds. ⏰ 4-6pm 📆 21 Sept 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

121

Reposted by Scottish Ecological Design Association

Gail Halvorsen @gailhalvorsen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The joy of these examples of collaboration between a community and local authority is that they are equal partnerships. Both, in their different ways, are benefiting from collaboration with their council through sustainable means.

001

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Hear from two pioneering community ventures which gained financial independence through partnership with local authorities. Emma Fletcher will talk about a Cambridgeshire off-grid heating network; Sue Guy about how Reuse Scotland diverts East Lothian waste from landfill. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

SEDA Land conversation

Councils need to buy better

Monday, 14th September, 4-6pm

Online – free admission

Councils Need to Buy Better is the second in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will highlight the critical role that local authorities play in enhancing local economies.

The Scottish Government is committed to integrating social value and wellbeing into public procurement through not only the Procurement Reform (Scotland) legislation, but also the Scottish National Performance Framework strategy.

In April 2023 the Scottish Government published the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland. Local authority procurement – on the long-term contractual basis – can give communities the much needed confidence to invest and kickstart new enterprises.

This could be particularly transformative for Scotland's rural and remote communities which often face unique challenges, including economic fragility, limited employment opportunities, and infrastructural deficits. Local procurement fosters local employment, enhancing skills, and improving local infrastructure. This event aims to ensure that councils, health boards and other public bodies are given the means to enact the bill.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Chris Martin, CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

SPEAKERS:

Suzanne Bignell & Chris Watson, North Ayrshire Council

Tyra Dempster, Supply Chain Development Manager, Soil Association Scotland

Sue Guy, Director, People, Place & Resilience Scotland CIC

Iain MacPherson, Director, Reorient Places

Mike Staples, CEO, South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH)

Emma Fletcher, founder & chair, Heating Swaffham Prior

120

Reposted by Scottish Ecological Design Association

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Green groups call for Andy Burnham to break his silence on climate change: www.theguardian.com/environment/... Pleased to be a signatory to this joint letter organised by @gndrising.bsky.social: www.gndrising.org/updates/gree...

theguardian.com

Green groups urge Andy Burnham to break silence on climate crisis

More than 50 organisations say PM urgently needs to show leadership and prepare British people for scale of change needed as UK struggles through another heatwave

710332

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

NW2045’s Lizzie Williams and Bioregioning Tayside’s Clare Cooper will outline the merits of landscape-scale governance. Both groups bring together grassroots and national bodies to address issues like environmental degradation and population decline at bioregional level. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

SEDA Land Conversation

Landscape-scale governance
Mon 21st September 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Landscape-Scale Governance is the third in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will explore when it may be appropriate to scale up the model to regional or national level.

Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and bioregions are models bordered by natural geographic and landscape boundaries such as mountain ridges and watersheds. Both adopt a natural capital approach to understanding their regional landscapes. This addresses issues in a cross-sectoral way, using a systems approach, rather than simplifying the issues into sectoral silos.

This is a challenging ambition, since it means grappling with the complexity, uncertainty and trade-offs inherent in large scale, closely coupled, socio-ecological systems, but policy and land use decisions (such as natural flood protection measures) are often best made at such a scale.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Lucy Filby, Head of Land & Forestry Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Williams, Local Programme Manager, Verture

Clare Cooper, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Bioregioning Tayside

Lizzie Williams, Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) manager, NW2045

McNabb Laurie, Manager, D&G Woodlands

Henry Leveson-Gower, Founder and CEO, Promoting Economic Pluralism

Anne Thomas, Trustee, Highland People’s Power

Lizzie Wilder Williams

NorthWest2045 Regional Landscape Partnership manager; coordinator of Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape partnership; Founder of Wilder Williams Regeneration; author of 'Wilder Isle: A Few Years on Tanera'.

122

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

What new prime minister Andy Burnham can learn from Scotland. @rossaitchison.bsky.social says: “The solution lies in following an ambitious, place-based methodology, while making sure we provide the local powers with the right resources and investment to deliver it.” @news.architectsjournal.co.uk

architectsjournal.co.uk

Rural housing requires not only devolution, but a place-based approach

Andy Burnham’s new UK government could learn from Scotland’s national commitment to a place-based approach, writes Ross Aitchison

010

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Building Vibrant Local Economies CICs, SCIOs, co-ops, or development trusts—what’s the difference? @socialenterprise.scot CEO Chris Martin will outline alternative governance structures for social enterprises and explain the merits of each. 📆 4-6pm, Monday, 7 Sept 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Building vibrant local economies

Monday, 7th September, 4-6pm

Online – free admission

Building vibrant local economies is the first in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This Conversation is aimed at helping community groups realise their ambitions.

We will explore alternative business models, including co-operatives, social enterprises and employee-owned businesses, and how they can make LVC’s possible, as well as the best scale at which such issues can be addressed – local, regional or national.

At present, Scotland has plenty of micro examples of Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs). We will look at ways of scaling these up, and rolling them out across the country, in areas such as food, renewable energy and retrofit.

One aim is to highlight the interconnectedness of all these issues, and how thinking about them together brings wider benefits, with different sectors learning from each other.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Adam Forrest, co-op development manager at Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS)

SPEAKERS:

Neil McInroy, Global lead for Community Wealth Building, The Democracy Collaborative

Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza, Senior lecturer, University of the West of Scotland

Chris Martin, CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

Zoë Holliday, CEO, Community Energy Scotland (CES)

Abi Mordin, Co-director, Propagate

Amanda Doig, The Ridge, Dunbar

011

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

More than 50 environmental charities are urging the Scottish Government to commit to doubling the area of organic farmland by 2031. @scotlink.bsky.social said increasing organic farming could help farm businesses, cut emissions, and reduce fertiliser and pesticide use. @soilassocscot.bsky.social

news.stv.tv

Double Scotland's organic farmland by 2031, charities urge government

Scottish Environment LINK said increasing organic farming could help farms, reduce climate emissions and boost nature by cutting pesticide use.

010

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Building Vibrant Local Economies: @cescotland.bsky.social CEO Zoë Holliday will talk about community-owned Garth Wind, North Yell which funds housing and Europe’s largest community-owned industrial estate to illustrate the merits of community ownership of renewable energy assets 📆 4pm 7 Sept online

150

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Mike Staples, CEO of South of Scotland Community Housing, will speak at our ‘Councils Need to Buy Better’ event on 14 Sept. SOSCH offers long-term support to communities, bringing empty homes back to life, working with local authorities within Place and Local Plans. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Councils need to buy better
Monday, 14th September, 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Councils Need to Buy Better is the second in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will highlight the critical role that local authorities play in enhancing local economies.

The Scottish Government is committed to integrating social value and wellbeing into public procurement through not only the Procurement Reform (Scotland) legislation, but also the Scottish National Performance Framework strategy.

In April 2023 the Scottish Government published the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland. Local authority procurement – on the long-term contractual basis – can give communities the much needed confidence to invest and kickstart new enterprises.

This could be particularly transformative for Scotland's rural and remote communities which often face unique challenges, including economic fragility, limited employment opportunities, and infrastructural deficits. Local procurement fosters local employment, enhancing skills, and improving local infrastructure. This event aims to ensure that councils, health boards and other public bodies are given the means to enact the bill.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR: Chris Martin, CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

TBC, North Ayrshire Council

Tyra Dempster, Supply Chain Development Manager, Partnerships Manager, Soil Association Scotland

Sue Guy, Director, People, Place & Resilience Scotland CIC

Iain MacPherson, director, Reorient Places

Mike Staples,CEO, South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH)

Emma Fletcher, founder & chair, Heating Swaffham Prior

121

Reposted by Scottish Ecological Design Association

WWF Scotland @wwfscotland.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Arthur’s Seat has been hit by another wildfire. 💔 The smoke hanging over Edinburgh is a stark reminder that climate change is already being felt here in Scotland, increasing the risk of more frequent and intense wildfires. It's time to turn the temperature down. 🔥

bbc.co.uk

Fire crews battle blaze on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh

A huge plume of smoke could be seen from as far away as Fife on Sunday evening.

0167

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Speakers at our Landscape-Scale Governance event on 21 Sept include Andrew Leveson Gower, Promoting Economic Pluralism Andrew Williams, Verture Anne Thomas, Highland People’s Power Clare Cooper, Bioregioning Tayside Lizzie Williams, NW2045 McNabb Laurie, D&G Woodlands 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

110

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The third in our ‘Championing The Local’ series is on 21 Sept. We’ll explore why some decisions about land use are best made at landscape-scale and how Regional Land Use Partnerships and bioregions with natural not political boundaries enable this. 🔗 calum-ross-7y5m.squarespace.com/championing-...

Landscape-scale governance
Mon 21st September 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Landscape-Scale Governance is the third in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will explore when it may be appropriate to scale up the model to regional or national level. Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and bioregions are models bordered by natural geographic and landscape boundaries such as mountain ridges and watersheds. Both adopt a natural capital approach to understanding their regional landscapes. This addresses issues in a cross-sectoral way, using a systems approach, rather than simplifying the issues into sectoral silos. This is a challenging ambition, since it means grappling with the complexity, uncertainty and trade-offs inherent in large scale, closely coupled, socio-ecological systems, but policy and land use decisions (such as natural flood protection measures) are often best made at such a scale.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

CHAIR:

Lucy Filby, Head of Land & Forestry Transition, South of Scotland Enterprise

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Williams, Local Programme Manager, Verture

Clare Cooper, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Bioregioning Tayside

Lizzie Williams, Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) manager, NW2045

McNabb Laurie, Manager, D&G Woodlands

Henry Leveson-Gower, Founder and CEO, Promoting Economic Pluralism

Anne Thomas, Trustee, Highland People’s Power

152

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

At ‘Councils Need to Buy Better’ on 14 Sept we will showcase @soilassocscot.bsky.social and Sustain initiative Give Peas A Chance. A model partnership between a council and local organic farmer, it provides good-value, nutritious food for Aberdeenshire schoolchildren. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

youtube.com

Soil Association

YouTube video by The Soil Association Videos

211

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The second in our ‘Championing The Local’ free events takes place on 14 Sept ‘Councils Need To Buy Better’ will highlight the role local authorities can play in enhancing local economies, by giving communities the confidence to invest in and develop local enterprises. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Championing the Local, part 2

SPEAKERS:

TBC, North Ayrshire Council

Sarah Gowanlock, Partnerships Manager, Soil Association Scotland

Sue Guy, Director, People, Place & Resilience Scotland CIC

Iain MacPherson, director, Reorient Places

Mike Staples,CEO, South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH)

Emma Fletcher, founder & chair, Heating Swaffham Prior

Chris Martin, CEO, Social Enterprise Scotland

Councils need to buy better
Monday, 14th September, 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Councils Need to Buy Better is the second in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This conversation will highlight the critical role that local authorities play in enhancing local economies.

The Scottish Government is committed to integrating social value and wellbeing into public procurement through not only the Procurement Reform (Scotland) legislation, but also the Scottish National Performance Framework strategy.

In April 2023 the Scottish Government published the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland. Local authority procurement – on the long-term contractual basis – can give communities the much needed confidence to invest and kickstart new enterprises.

This could be particularly transformative for Scotland's rural and remote communities which often face unique challenges, including economic fragility, limited employment opportunities, and infrastructural deficits. Local procurement fosters local employment, enhancing skills, and improving local infrastructure. This event aims to ensure that councils, health boards and other public bodies are given the means to enact the bill.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

131

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Leading expert on Community Wealth Building, @neilmcinroy.bsky.social, will open the first in our ‘Championing The Local’ series. ‘Building Vibrant Local Economies’ will include practical advice for community groups on governance structures, benefiting the economy and wellbeing of communities.

Photo of Neil McInroy, Global Lead for Community Wealth Building, Chair EDAS, adviser, writer, researcher, speaker, organizational leader and activist.

Championing the Local 1 - Building vibrant local economies
Monday 7 September 2026
4:00 pm 6:00 pm

Building vibrant local economies is the first in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

Online – free admission

This Conversation is aimed at helping community groups realise their ambitions

We will explore alternative business models, including co-operatives, social enterprises and employee-owned businesses, and how they can make LVC’s possible, as well as the best scale at which such issues can be addressed – local, regional or national.

112

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

The first of our ‘Championing The Local’ free events takes place on 7 Sept. Building Vibrant Local Economies will help community groups realise their ambitions by explaining the range of business models available, showcasing IDBMs in food, renewable energy and retrofit. 🔗 seda.scot/championing-...

Championing the Local, part 1

Building vibrant local economies
Monday, 7th September, 4-6pm
Online – free admission

Building vibrant local economies is the first in the CHAMPIONING THE LOCAL series of SEDA Land Conversations.

This Conversation is aimed at helping community groups realise their ambitions

We will explore alternative business models, including co-operatives, social enterprises and employee-owned businesses, and how they can make LVC’s possible, as well as the best scale at which such issues can be addressed – local, regional or national.

At present, Scotland has plenty of micro examples of Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs). We will look at ways of scaling these up, and rolling them out across the country, in areas such as food, renewable energy and retrofit.

One aim is to highlight the interconnectedness of all these issues, and how thinking about them together brings wider benefits, with different sectors learning from each other.

This Conversation will include inspirational models, using these as a springboard for a broader discussion of the subject, addressing obstacles along the way and how to overcome them.

1113

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Is Scotland sufficiently ambitious when it comes to housing? This was Herald editor @salmondsalmond.bsky.social's question to Scottish National Investment Bank investment director Nicola Douglas. “We should be [more] open to looking at other models across the UK and Europe,” was Douglas’s answer.

heraldscotland.com

Sustainable communities created through housing-led regeneration in Scotland

Investors, developers and public sector leaders said trust, patience and partnership are essential to unlock Scotland’s housing-led regeneration…

011

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

We are holding a series of three conversations on Community Wealth Building, with the focus on local value chains, on 7, 14, and 21 Sept 2026. The series is intended to help communities realise their ambitions and persuade local authorities of the part they can play in enhancing local economies.

Poster for 'Championing the Local,' a series of three SEDA Land events in September 2026, promoting local value chains. This will include exploring local value chains in the food, housing and energy sectors.

130

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

RIAS urges ScotGov to rethink its infrastructure strategy. CEO Tamsie Thomson said: “Grenfell made clear that weak oversight, fragmented responsibility and cost-driven decision-making create systemic danger. It’s gravely worrying when building safety isn’t given strategic weight in public policy.“

scottishhousingnews.com

Architects call for infrastructure strategy changes over safety and procurement risks

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has written to the Scottish Government to call for a fundamental rethink of Scotland’s Draft Infrastructure Strategy, warning it does not...

021

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

“Like a woodwind solo drifting through a mountain valley these houses play a continuous melody marked by theme and variation in cedar, stone and timber beam,” says Trevor Roddy of homes by Blue Sky Architecture, the Vancouver-based practice led by Bo Helliwell and Kim Smith. LAST CHANCE TO BOOK!

eventbrite.co.uk

Blue Sky Architecture - our approach to an Ecological Architecture

Bo Helliwell’s eco-architectural practice with Kim Smith dates back to the 1970s.The talk describes their ecological architectural approach.

021

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Former WD & HO Wills cigarette factory to be “sensitively repurposed” as 129 homes under proposals from Turnberry Property Devts and EMA Architects. At its height, the Art Deco landmark, built 1946-53, employed 3500 and produced 260m cigarettes a week. www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/pla...

030

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

We're delighted that Gerry Hogan, who leads the conservation team at Collective Architecture, is among the speakers at our afternoon of talks to celebrate the life and legacy of SEDA co-founder, Jim Johnson, on, 16 May at The Briggait, Glasgow. Tickets and info: seda.scot/jim-johnsons...

Paisley Central Library on the High Street in Paisley features a distinctive facade designed by Collective Architecture utilising sculptural, bent metal fins.

The Briggait, a Grade A-listed building in Glasgow, Scotland, that formerly served as the city's fish market. It has been repurposed as a creative hub for artists and cultural organisations, featuring studios, offices, and exhibition spaces. Designed by Clarke & Bell in 1873, the building is a landmark of Glasgow's industrial past situated near the River Clyde. A £3.9 million refurbishment was recently completed to restore the Clydeside Market Halls, safeguard the historic roof, and improve accessibility.

000

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

At last night’s Better Outdoors SEDA Land event, held in Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, one audience member said outdoor learning is a “a no-brainer”. She’s right. At the event, practitioners, academics and policymakers explored how to ensure it is rolled out more widely across Scotland.

Davina Bowers, head of The Forest Nursery and The Forest Junior School, Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh

Rob Heasman, teacher at Beeslack Annex, Beeslack High School, Midlothian

031

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

In a UK first, Stirling is pioneering a combined heat and power (CHP) system that utilizes cleaned wastewater to deliver heat to public buildings and businesses. A partnership between Scottish Water Horizons, Stirling Council, and Trane, the project is expected to save 380 tonnes of carbon a year.

tranetechnologies.com

Scottish City Takes Bold Action to Meet Net-Zero Emissions Target

To achieve a bold goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, one Scottish city is using inventive wastewater cleaning solutions to heat public buildings.

133

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Join us for a celebration of the life and legacy of SEDA co-founder, architect, activist and educator Jim Johnson on Saturday, 16 May from 1pm. The event is being held in Briggait, an a-listed complex of studios in the Merchant City which owes its survival and flowering to Jim and his colleagues.

Flier for SEDA event at Briggait, Glasgow to celebrate the life and legacy of SEDA co-founder, architect, activist and educator Jim Johnson who died on January 19 aged 91. He was one of the first architects to realise and act upon the climate crisis. He helped instigate the community-based housing movement, co-founding ASSIST Architects; was involved in conservation and urban regeneration of Edinburgh Old Town and co-founded the Scottish Ecological Design Association.

020

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Why the Isle of Eigg hatched a plan to grow its own trees. The island’s nursery — currently running a “putting down roots” crowdfunder — is growing tens of thousands of native trees to create a sustainable supply of wood for fuel and to support natural habitats www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/eiggtreenu...

bbc.co.uk

Why the Isle of Eigg hatched a plan to grow its own trees

Islanders have planted thousands of the trees on Hebridean isle - and sent thousands more to other places.

082

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Children who play in mud are healthier, as exposure to microorganisms helps train immune cells to fight infections and reduce inflammation. Learn more about the merits of outdoor education at BETTER OUTDOORS in Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, and online, on 29 April seda.scot/seda-land-gr...

020

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

The Forest at Merchiston headteacher Davina Bowers and Little Bugs founder Louise Licznerski will explain the merits of outdoor learning and how it can be rolled out more widely 📅 29 April: in person 5-8pm, online 5:30-7:30pm 📌 Augustine Utd Church, Edinburgh Full details seda.scot/seda-land-gr...

Pioneers of outdoor education: Davina Bowers, head of the forest nursery & junior schools at Merchiston in Edinburgh, and Louise Licznerski founder of Little Bugs, which operates outdoor nurseries for nursery and primary children in West Lothian and Fife, will be outlining the many benefits of outdoor learning and how this can be extended to include primary-school pupils at this SEDA Land event on 29 April.

Both Davina and Louise have been running forest school nurseries for several years and will describe their different approaches to expanding outdoor learning to primary school education, as well as how learning out-of-doors can galvanise the imagination of each individual child. They will also explain how risky play helps build resilience and confidence among younger children and fosters an understanding of sustainability and stewardship of the environment.

Better Outdoors? aims to persuade local authorities and The Scottish Government to systematically roll out outdoor learning across the Scottish education system.

Louise is founding director of the Scottish Outdoor Learning Association (Sola). Other speakers at the event include Alexia Barrable, PhD senior in education at Queen Margaret University and Carol Murdoch.

📅 Wednesday 29th April 2026: in person 5-8pm, online 5:30-7:30pm
📌 Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
🤑 Free to attend

132

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

The idea that outdoor learning can only occur in rural areas is a myth, and teachers need to overcome their fear of it. These are among points that Love Outdoor Learning founder Carol Murdoch will be making at our Better Outdoors event. 5pm, Wed 29 April Full details: seda.scot/seda-land-gr...

Seda Land event BETTER OUTDOORS

In person 5-8pm, online 5:30-7:30pm - Free admission

Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Light refreshments available

Forest schools and outdoor nurseries are becoming more prevalent in Scotland and their benefits are well-known, so why are they not being systematically rolled out or integrated into the Scottish education system?

Join us for a conversation covering the benefits of outdoor learning, both at primary and secondary level, and how local authorities and the Scottish government can be persuaded to recognise the part it could play in a more enlightened curriculum.

Outdoor learning is not limited to rural schools. We will explain how, with a little imagination, it can be done in a tarmacked playground.

This will be an informal discussion with leading UK educationalists and practitioners – including nursery school managers and rangers.

Speakers:

Dr Alexia Barrable, senior lecturer in education, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Davina Bowers, head, the Forest Nursery and Junior School at Merchiston Castle School

Louise Licznerski, founder, Little Bugs Nursery, Fife

Carol Murdoch, founder, Love Outdoor Learning

Jo Cooke, ranger, Midlothian Council

Rob Heasman, Beeslack High School, Midlothian

Gail Halvorsen, Halvorsen Architects & chair SEDA Land (chair)

240

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

“The Glenbranter extension highlights how Scotland’s timber industry — from growing forests, to milling, to designing building materials — can safeguard rural jobs for local people and enhance sustainability,” says Forestry and Land Scotland's operations manager Mark Ormsby.

projectscot.com

Cowal grown timber used for Forestry and Land Scotland extension | Project Scotland

SITKA spruce grown for commercial timber production on the Cowal peninsula has come full circle, returning as the material for Forestry and Land Scotland’s ...

041

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

“I'm not convinced the latest land reform bill (which became an act in December 2025) is going to shift the dial.” Prof Douglas MacMillan, trustee of @johnmuirtrust.bsky.social on where Scottish land reform efforts fall short in @bellacaledonia.bsky.social bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/09/09/l...

021

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Keynote speaker Dr Alexia Barrable, senior lecturer in psychology, sociology and education at @qmuniversity.bsky.social and author of Nature-Based Learning (2022), will explain the psychological and scientific benefits of outdoor learning. 5pm, Wed 29 April Full details: seda.scot/seda-land-gr...

Seda Land event BETTER OUTDOORS - speaker Dr Alexia Barrable is senior lecturer in education, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

In person 5-8pm, online 5:30-7:30pm - Free admission

Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Light refreshments available

Forest schools and outdoor nurseries are becoming more prevalent in Scotland and their benefits are well-known, so why are they not being systematically rolled out or integrated into the Scottish education system?

Join us for a conversation covering the benefits of outdoor learning, both at primary and secondary level, and how local authorities and the Scottish government can be persuaded to recognise the part it could play in a more enlightened curriculum.

Outdoor learning is not limited to rural schools. We will explain how, with a little imagination, it can be done in a tarmacked playground.

This will be an informal discussion with leading UK educationalists and practitioners – including nursery school managers and rangers.

150

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

On International Women’s Day, SEDA Land thanks all the inspirational women who have helped us in the past year. Here are a few of them. Clockwise from top left: Bea Nichol, Megan MacInnes, Flora Fraser, Magdalena Blazusiak, Lucy Filby, Savannah Fishel, Sophie Cooke, Lorna Dawson, and Gloria Lo

Women of SEDA Land, clockwise from top left - Bea Nichol, Megan MacInnes, Flora Fraser, Magdalena Blazusiak, Lucy Filby, Savannah Fishel, Sophie Cooke, Professor Dame Lorna Dawson, and Gloria Lo.

021

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

North Queensferry Community Trust wins appeal against the Scottish Government over the latter’s claim that plans for a community-buyout of historic coaching inn the Albert Hotel are unworkable and unaffordable. Dunfermline Sheriff Court ruled that ScotGov’s stance was “not based on reason or logic”.

dunfermlinepress.com

Villagers win legal battle in bid to buy the Albert

“We are delighted with this decision which so comprehensively demolishes the reasons given by the ministers for refusing the application.”

030

Scottish Ecological Design Association @scotecodesign.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

💼 Looking for an exciting volunteering opportunity? ♻️ The Green Drinks team are looking for a new member! 💬 If you're interested, please contact us at info@seda.scot #volunteer #scotland #seda

011