Greener future we had a taste for during lockdown can become a reality - Fiona Harvey

The eyes of the world were on Scotland this month as world leaders came together to tackle the climate crisis. The COP26 climate conference, along with the actions of young activists like Greta Thunberg, images of the giant sequoias burning in the Californian wildfires and even the flash flooding we experienced closer to home this summer, have meant the devastating impact of climate change has been hard to ignore in recent months.

Fiona Harvey is the Energy and Sustainability Manager at Edinburgh Leisure.

Yet the pandemic, amongst all the sadness and uncertainty, gave us a glimpse into a greener future where we put the planet first. The great outdoors brought many of us joy during such difficult times, whether it was dog walks through muddy fields, cycling with our children on quieter roads, or simple pleasures like reading on a park bench. It has got everyone – from big multi-national companies to local communities and individuals like me – thinking about what they can do to protect the environment for generations to come.

Edinburgh has set an ambitious target of becoming a net zero city by 2030. At Edinburgh Leisure, we are committed to doing our bit to help achieve this goal.

As a charity, we’re dedicated to keeping people in Edinburgh active and well. With over five million annual visits to our 50 venues, including leisure centres, swimming pools and Europe’s biggest indoor climbing wall at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, we recognise our operations are very resource intensive. We are proud to have introduced measures that mitigate our environmental impact and reassure our customers that we are taking our responsibility to the planet seriously.

New solar panels installed by Edinburgh Community Solar Co-Operative at Craiglockhart Leisure Centre in Edinburgh.

So, what have we done?

We have worked with the Edinburgh Community Solar Cooperative to install solar panels across six of our leisure centres, including Tumbles at Portobello and Craiglockhart Leisure and Tennis Centre. These can generate enough energy to power the buildings and export any surplus to the national grid.

We have replaced over 1,000 lights with new LED lighting, saving enough energy to light 70 homes. We have removed all single use plastics like blue shoe covers, straws and cutlery from our venues. We run a multi-award-winning staff engagement programme, the Green Plan, which encourages staff to get involved in environmentally friendly activities such as litter picks and active travel challenges.

Despite welcoming more customers each year, changes like these mean that we have reduced our CO₂ emissions by 43 per cent since our 2010 baseline year.

As well as making changes to our infrastructure, we can also play a wider role in tackling the climate crisis through our community of thousands of customers. Everyone knows that being active is good for our health and wellbeing but it’s also good for the planet. Transport accounts for over 25 per cent of the UK’s emissions, so by choosing active travel options when travelling to one of our venues, we can have a positive impact on the environment. With venues nestled in the heart of communities across Edinburgh, many of our customers can walk, cycle or scoot their way to their work out.

We were delighted that our commitment to the environment was recognised by Community Leisure UK – the body that represents charitable trusts specialising in leisure and culture services – when we won the Environmental Impact category at their 2020 Awards.

While we have come along way over the last ten years, we know there’s still a long way to go. We are committed to playing our part in reducing the impact of climate change to ensure that the healthier, more active and greener future that we had a taste for during lockdown becomes a reality.

Fiona Harvey is the Energy and Sustainability Manager at Edinburgh Leisure