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Community action/Argyll and Bute

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The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Argyll and Bute.

Argyll and Bute
Scotland
UK
Europe
Cosmolocal
  • News Stop Climate Chaos Scotland reports on community ownership of renewables, and how data-centres might knock us off our climate targets, Daily Alternative (Feb 01, 2026)
  • News ‘You don’t get to aim big when you are somewhere small’: A teenager’s fight to end single use plastics on her Scottish island, theguardian.com (Sep 24, 2025)
  • News A "Scottish Artists Minimum Income" scheme is to be piloted as soon as practicable [The Skinny], Daily Alternative (Sep 01, 2026)
  • News Denmark’s three-day democracy festival that attracts over 65,000, electoral-reform.org.uk (Jul 30, 2026)
  • News The five quick wins to the Land Reform challenge in Scotland [Community Land Scotland], Daily Alternative (Jul 29, 2026)
  • News Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government, theguardian.com (Sep 30, 2026)
  • News The Space Time Continuum, Alternative Editorial (Sep 27, 2026) — Empty spaces will be put back into use, Andy Burnham said, turning them into "community hubs, health centres, shared workspaces, cafés and the local services that people actually want to see.”
  • News UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer, theguardian.com (Sep 23, 2026) — El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
  • News Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
  • News Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces, theguardian.com (Sep 09, 2026) — The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
  • News We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question, Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego, theguardian.com (Sep 07, 2026) — Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
  • News Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
  • News Fifty Billion Seedlings: Can Ethiopia Replant Its Ravaged Forests?, e360.yale.edu (Oct 01, 2026)
  • News Want solar but don’t own a roof? California just legalized plug-in panels, no permission required, latimes.com (Sep 30, 2026)

Networks and sustainability initiatives

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  • Isle of Gigha, community website about the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust, community groups, projects, events, volunteering and local news. added 09:49, 1 January 2025 (UTC)
  • Mull and Iona Community Trust, dedicated and passionate locally based organisation focused on improving the quality of life for the residents of Mull and Iona.

UK and international events

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UK events

  • Event Sep 7 - 11, 2026 (Mon-Fri) — Zero Waste Week, zerowasteweek.co.uk
  • Event Sep 11 - 20, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Heritage Open Days, celebrating our fantastic history and culture. Your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore, heritageopendays.org.uk
  • Event Sep 18 - 27, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Great British Beach Clean, mcsuk.org

UK community action events

Global or international events

  • Event Sep 15, 2026 (Tue) — Free Money Day, Global invitation for people to explore, in a liberating and fun way, what it might be like if our relationship to money was a little different. Sep 15, annually, freemoneyday.org
  • Event Sep 18, 2026 (Fri) — Park(ing) day, global, public, participatory project where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people, myparkingday.org
  • Event Sep 21-27, 2026 (Mon-Sun) — Global Week Of Action For Peace And Climate Justice, climatemilitarism.org
  • Event Sep 21, 2026 (Mon) — International Day of Peace, Globally shared date, Sep 21 each year for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace, internationaldayofpeace.org

2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events

Cosmolocal discovery club

Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.

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The Route Forward
Authors: Cycling UK, 6.13 mins.
Date: 2026-09-22
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We are Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Authors: Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, 3.06 mins.
Date: 2022-01-04
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The Dorset Peat Partnership
Authors: Forestry England - South District, 6.27 mins.
Date: 2024-03-21

Community action/Dorset, Community action/Gloucestershire, Community action/United Kingdom/Cycling activism / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism

Argyll and Bute video

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Tiree - This is Community Wealth Building
Authors: Scottish Community Alliance, 3.44 mins.
Date: 2025-11-18
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Tayvallich rewilding journey Barrahormid
Authors: Highlands Rewilding, 1.34 mins.
Date: 2024-11-05
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World Rewilding Day 2024
Authors: Seawilding, 1.34 mins.
Date: 2024-03-20
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Meet the community restoring their temperate rainforest for biodiversity and recreation
Authors: FSC UK
Date: 2024-02-05
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Farming for the future with Samara Johnstone
Authors: Nature Friendly Farming Network, 6.07 mins.
Date: 2023-11-16
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Tayvallich Initiative - Community Hopes
Authors: Tayvallich Initiative
Date: 2022-09-23

Land activism

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  • Tayvallich Initiative, Community ownership for affordable housing, local jobs, sustaining land and community

Gigha community buy-out

The problems created by private landlords came to an end in March 2002 when, with help from grants and loans from the National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the islanders purchased the island for £4 million. They now own it through a development trust, the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust. 15 March, the day when the purchase was finalised, is celebrated as the island's "independence day". £1 million of the financial support was in the form of a short term loan. The money to pay this loan back was largely raised by selling Achamore House (but not the gardens) to Don Dennis, a businessman from California. Dennis operates a flower essences importing business and a boat tours company from the house, which is also rented out as a bed and breakfast business.

An additional £200,000 was raised by the islanders through various fundraising ventures, allowing the loan to be paid back to the Scottish Land Fund on 15 March 2004. Since the community buyout, several other private businesses have opened, providing a boost to the local economy. The island's population and economy have begun to recover as a result of these activities.

Community energy

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Gigha wind turbines

The Heritage Trust set up Gigha Renewable Energy Ltd. to buy and operate three Vestas V27 wind turbines, known locally as The Dancing Ladies or Creideas, Dòchas is Carthannas (Gaelic for Faith, Hope and Charity). They were commissioned on 21 January 2005 and are capable of generating up to 675 kW of power. Revenue is produced by selling the electricity to the grid via an intermediary called Green Energy UK. Gigha residents control the whole project and profits are reinvested in the community. In 2016 two batteries were added to the system.

Trees, woodland and forest

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  • Bute Forest, owned by Bute Community Land Company, added 20:48, 23 December 2024 (UTC)
  • Ardura Community Forest, Mull and Iona Community Trust, mict.co.uk

Coastal community activism

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  • Seawilding, based at Loch Craignish, Argyll, the UK's first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. Video: Seawilding channel on youtube.com

About Argyll and Bute

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Argyll and Bute (Scots: Argyll an Buit; Scottish Gaelic: Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, pronounced [ɛrˠəˈɣɛ:əlˠ̪ akəs̪ ˈpɔ:tʲ]) is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and covers the second-largest administrative area of any Scottish council. W

See also

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UK news, Cosmolocal news, UK topic, Global topic

Page data
Keywords Sustainable community action
SDG SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
Authors Phil Green
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Redirects Argyll and Bute community action
Views 13 page views (analytics)
Created February 20, 2024 by Phil Green
Last edit September 16, 2026 by Felipe Schenone
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