#CILIPSGoGreen – Sustainability with Heather Macnaughton and Bruce Newlands
Category: Blog, CILIPSGoGreen
From now until November when COP26 arrives in Glasgow, CILIPS will be sharing videos, links, recommended readings and more for members who want to grow their organisation’s environmental consciousness – recognising the key role that libraries can play in supporting their communities to take vital climate action.
‘Libraries have a sustainable principle at their heart and that should be celebrated…’ in this inspiring, thought-provoking video interview, Heather Macnaughton and Bruce Newlands share their sustainability expertise with us. Our conversation explores environmental knowledge exchange, sustainability steps for historic library buildings, the power of the past to inspire the present and much more: watch the full recording below and find question timings below to help support your organisation’s green journey.
Heather Macnaughton is Partnership Manager at Historic Environment Scotland – one of the generous exhibiting sponsors of our upcoming Autumn Regathering! Heather has extensive experience across a range of sectors including housing, heritage, children’s services and economic development, within the charitable, public and private sectors, and she’s driven by her desire to influence and deliver social change to improve people’s lives. HES have made a wide variety of publications available to download free from their website, including ‘A Guide to Climate Change Impacts’, and their Refurbishment Case Studies also highlight actions that can be taken to improve the fabric of a building and its associated energy efficiency, whatever its shape or size (one focuses on Leighton Library in Dunblane and the thermal performance improvements it enjoyed as a result of loft insulation). Information about the extensive work undertaken by HES so far in the area of Climate Change, including their plans for COP26, can be found here. HES is also a partner of Culture at COP, which is consolidating and promoting COP-related art, culture and heritage events (in-person and virtual) for diverse audiences.
Bruce Newlands is an architect from Inverclyde with over 20 years experience and is founding trustee and chairperson of the Inverclyde Shed: a community space that encourages people to come together, share tools, talents and resources – not unlike what a library does! Bruce was a trustee to Glasgow Tool Library and The George Wyllie Foundation, and he was also a co-founder of MAKLab, Scotland’s first Open Access Digital Manufacturing Centre, plus digital artist for the 2020 Galoshans Festival. Bruce also served as Head of Technical at the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre during its start-up years, as part of which he helped to establish the ‘Innovation Factory’, a 35,000sqft prototyping centre for the construction industry.
Both Bruce and Heather are also esteemed judges of the Saltire Society’s Housing Design Awards. We’re honoured they’ve found time to spare to share their expertise with us at #CILIPSGoGreen!
2:06 What are the key foundations for sustainability?
8:50 Many CILIPS members work in older and sometimes historic library buildings – are there still steps they can take to enhance the sustainability of those spaces and their capacity to enact positive social change? (For HES publications consolidated around the theme of energy efficiency in historic buildings, please click here.)
13:20 Commonalities across libraries and the potential for sustainable knowledge sharing
14: 15 Shout-out to our Climate Beacon libraries, Inverclyde and Western Isles!
14:40 Reflections on funding…
17:15 Are there any projects you’re involved with or can see on the horizon that there would be scope for libraries to play a part in?
24:00 Carnegie UK Trust’s #SpaceForKindness report and the value of library growing gardens
25:30 Combatting eco-anxiety and making sustainability part of your day-to-day practice
Thank you so much to Heather and Bruce for taking the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to share these encouraging and inspiring reflections with us. Stay tuned for more fantastic #CILIPSGoGreen content coming soon!