CN and Visit Scotland detail four organisations making a difference in the home nation.
It’s no longer enough for an event to exist in a vacuum, organisers must consider the wider and lasting impact of their events. Finding a way to offset the carbon or do some good alongside an event goes a long way to creating a lasting legacy.
With sustainability taking pride of place in many an event organiser’s aims for 2022, Visit Scotland explores new ways to experience the destination, from corporate getaways and city tours to charity work and conservation.
Invisible Cities
Tackling poverty and social inclusion, Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that helps to integrate people who have experienced homelessness back into the community as tour guides. Each guide creates their own tour which features iconic landmarks and people of the city.
Compelling tales are shared with themes such as crime and punishment, real women of Edinburgh and The Royal Mile. It is a unique opportunity to discover alternative perspectives of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
As well as learning about these beautiful cities the tours raise awareness about homelessness and aims to change perceptions and break down the stigma that exists.
Keep Scotland Beautiful
Keep Scotland Beautiful is an organisation championing a clean, green, sustainable Scotland. The charity has three main goals – to combat climate change, tackle litter and waste and to protect and enhance the places we live, work and visit.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is passionate about working with likeminded organisations to help educate more people to look after the environment for current and future generations.
The charity offers bespoke, inclusive and inspiring corporate away days that will help to build your team through a shared fun and rewarding experience.
Trees for Life
Over the past 28 years Trees for Life has been rewilding the Scottish Highlands. The charity’s vision is of a revitalised wild forest, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. In the 1950s only 1% of the Caledonian forest remained. Restoring it helps reduce the impact of climate change by storing carbon, preventing flooding and also supports the sustainability of rural communities, providing a stunning region for people to enjoy.
There has never been a more important time for businesses to show real leadership and give back to nature. Trees for Life offer a range of partnership options where organisations can help support the forest’s recovery.
Organisers can opt to take part in Trees for Life’s corporate grove project, in which trees are planted alongside Glen Affric, considered by many to be Scotland’s most beautiful glen.
This is an exciting and lasting legacy to any event. Other options include offsetting the carbon footprint of your event, team-building weekends to help plant trees or becoming a corporate partner.
The Marine Conservation Society
Scotland has an incredibly rich coastline and truly stunning beaches, which we take huge pride in protecting. The Marine Conservation Society is a not-for-profit organisation, which has been running for more than 30 years, working to protect the seas around the UK through various projects and beach cleans.
In its 2020 Great British Beach Clean, the organisation reported that PPE litter, including face masks and gloves, were found on almost a quarter (23.5%) of Scottish beaches over the course of the week-long event.
The charity can work with organisations who want to give back to Scotland’s local communities and help to arrange a beach clean. Each group chooses a 100m stretch of beach and records each piece of litter cleared away. By helping to keep Scotland’s beaches clean, it protects local wildlife.
