Energy

Al Gore is a guest speaker at the annual Scottish low carbon energy conference, returning to Edinburgh after its launch last year. The Conference has strong support from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, who are keen to make it a leading international forum for emerging renewable energy and other low carbon markets.

Fair organised by Juniper Green Community Council and Transition Edinburgh Pentlands, offering guidance and examples of sustainable use of energy. For individual householders there will be people offering advice and services to help reduce energy costs as well as how to lower your carbon footprint.

Over 160,000 visitors are expected to attend the four-day annual trade show for those involved in the farming, food, and countryside sectors. Huge numbers of different classes of pigs, cows, horses, and other livestock are on parade as well as farm machinery and locally grown produce. There's also a broad range of events for the lay person, with culinary demos in the Food Hall being one of the big draws.

The Bike Station, the Community Alliance Trust in Craigmillar and transition towns in Edinburgh South and Heriot-Watt University are among ten Edinburgh projects to benefit from a Scottish Government green initiative.

The Scottish Government has launched a new £500,000 interest free loan scheme for householders installing micro-energy generating equipment. Loans will be available for a range of renewable heat and electricity technologies, such as heat pumps, solar panels, micro-wind turbines, or biomass boilers.

The programme for 2012 has still to be announced but expect over 200 educational and interactive activities for the wee ones, and lectures and talks for older heads in 40 or so venues across town.

As of 2009, the U.N. has declared 8 June as officially World Oceans Day across the globe each year. This year's theme is "one ocean, one climate, one future."

Scottish Environment week sees five days of popular eco-awareness raising events and green business orientated meet-ups.

By 2030 many houses in Scotland could be independent of the national grid, powered autonomously, sharing, redistributing and trading locally-generated electricty, and using micro-energy production and conservation technology to produce three quarters of the country's energy requirements.