News and Events

In the last thirty years we have seen massive upheavals in social structures across the globe: the collapse of major industries, the rise and fall of ideologies and governments, the shifts of economic power, and changes to the way we live that were unimaginable thirty years ago.

Change is a constant. Yet communities across the UK still struggle to come to terms with the loss of their primary industries and identities: fishing ports with no boats, mining towns with no mines, and market towns with no market.

Big Tent 2009 is Scotland’s biggest eco-festival and takes place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July. It is organised and run by Carnegie partners - the Falkland Centre for Stewardship.

Tough economic times highlight the need for sustainable solutions. House prices may be falling, but housing remains unaffordable. Private housebuilders are retreating from the market, while owners find themselves in negative equity. The need to escape from this cycle of boom and bust is more pressing than ever.

Community land trusts offer a way of providing homes and locally-owned business and community premises that are not at the mercy of the markets. They provide long term affordability and are assets for their communities, not for speculators.

Just one week after UNESCO declared Cornish extinct, Leap-design for change, the environmentally sound design house in St. Austell, has won the Media Innovation Award for best DVD/CD Design for a CD-Rom which introduces the Cornish language to children.

Carnegie UK Trust is today recognising five unsung rural champions across the country. The champions – or ‘Rural Sparks’ - were identified through a widespread search for excellence, run by the Trust.

The nationwide search for ‘Rural Sparks’ unearthed a variety of inspiring projects, from community-run renewable energy schemes, to initiatives promoting local produce, to residents who harnessed a local heritage spot as a source of community revenue.

Rethinking the Country: The Transition from Dependency to Resilience

Monday 27th April, 2009 | 10.30 - 17.00 | Tipperary Institute, Thurles, North Tipperary

Organised by Cultivate, Tipperary Institute, The Village, Irish Rural Link and Carnegie Trust
Supported by COMHAR, the National Sustainable Development Council, Dublin City Council, Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government, Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Carnegie Trust

Over the last couple of decades policy makers have tended to regard irish rural communities as dependent on urban centers rather than as drivers for change.  This conference brings together stakeholders from a wide variety of sectors to explore how we can work together to build resilience in a future of energy, climate and economic uncertainty.

What are the actions and positive changes we will need to make to enhance the quality of life of our communities?  How will we provide livelihoods and strong rural economies? How will communities of the future provide for their food needs? What are the opportunities for sustainable transport and how will we heat and power our communities?

What do we do to engage people to address the ever more complex problems facing us today?  All of this will require for us to work purposefully together to build resilience in these challenging times

This seminar is hosted by the Centre for Remote and Rural Studies in Scotland.  Led by Carnegie's Rural Progamme Director Kate Braithwaite,  it will explore Carnegie's experience and aims for promoting 'Fiery Spirits' – a new Community of Practice for rural activists. 

In implementing Carnegie's vision of the sustainable rural community of the future, the single most effective action the Trust can take is the creation and structuring of opportunities for people to network, communicate, mentor, and learn from each other to help capture tacit knowledge; knowledge that's acquired by individuals about how things really get done. There is a growing recognition that valuable learning often takes place informally, through conversations, social interactions, and projects – a Community of Practice. We consider that the Community of Practice promises to radically galvanise knowledge sharing, learning and change.

Minister for Environment Roseanna Cunningham will speak at the launch of One Planet Food, a major initiative led by the Falkland Centre for Stewardship in partnership with the Carnegie UK Trust aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more sustainable food culture.

'Measuring What Matters' is a one day conference held at West Park Conference Centre in Dundee on Friday, 27th March.