PAST PROJECTS

• We have sought funding for projects. The Waste Reduction Group over three years was granted Landfill Tax credit (a total of over £70,000) for home composting trials. Members of the Sustainability Group working with others including the Council's Local Agenda 21 Officer initiated the Borders Wool Insulation study which had funding from Leader II and Landfill Tax credit.

• We were a lead partner in the Bridging the Border Education Project which was a core part of the Tweed Rivers Heritage Lottery Project and this enabled us to update our Environmental Education Directory of Resources (which was first produced for Borders schools in 1993) and to research the needs of teachers and thereafter produce environmental education materials for schools. The Bridging the Border Education Project benefited from £30,000 of Landfill Tax credit and so recycled local money back into the local economy.

• Up until 1999 we organised an Environment Fair/Week with funding from the Council’s Planning Department and SNH. We have given support to other organisations - Borders Organic Gardeners and Borders Scrapstore - in successful bids for Lottery money. We are a recognised Scottish Charity and we have acted as an intermediary to pass a grant over from a funding body (which could only pay grant through a charity) to a local project.

• We have been members of the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership which has been responsible for the RRC (Rural Resource Centre). We backed successful bids for funding for a Community Development Environmental Fieldworker to be attached to the RRC. We were involved with the drafting of the Scottish Borders Environmental Strategy theme of the Community Plan.