CDCN returned to the Shetland Climate Festival at Clickimin on Saturday 5 September, sharing practical community action through reuse, growing and renewable energy.
Our stall at the 2026 festival brought together projects from across Nesting, Girlsta and Wadbister, with display panels, information to take away and a photo slideshow showing the work happening at the Aald Skül and around our community.
Building on our 2023 visit
When we attended with the Nesting Scrapstore in June 2023, our display focused on reuse, reducing waste and keeping useful goods and materials in circulation. That remains an important part of what we do: giving items a second life makes them more affordable and helps support local services.
This time, the Scrapstore was part of a wider CDCN display, showing how reuse connects with community growing, renewable energy and our practical steps towards net zero.
A major development since 2023 is the installation of 54 solar panels and 38.4 kWh of battery storage at the Aald Skül. Alongside improvements to the buildings, this is helping us make our community facilities more energy efficient and sustainable.
We also shared our community growing work through Growing Spaces Nesting, including the four Polycrubs, tree planting and outdoor spaces. Together, these projects show the different ways local facilities can support everyday climate action, from reusing household goods to growing food and generating renewable electricity.
What was new at the festival?
Organised by Shetland Islands Council, this year’s festival had a stronger creative element. A new Performance Zone brought cookery demonstrations using local produce alongside poetry inspired by Shetland’s nature and environment.
The wider programme included a repair café, talks and workshops, children’s activities and climate promise trees created by pupils through the School Climate Roadshows. These gave visitors different ways to explore climate change, alongside practical advice on energy use and opportunities for community action.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stall, and to the organisers and fellow exhibitors for bringing the day together.
Find out more about CDCN’s community projects and their impact, or read Shetland News’ report from the festival. The Council’s festival page has more about the programme.
