1000 Better Stories

How does a struggling composting project accidentally become a thriving local circular economy hub?

Our hosts Sarah, Kaska and Chiara head to Forres to meet Phil Mills, Manager of Moray Waste Busters, where perfectly good things are rescued from the local dump and used to build community wealth. From books for teachers and living wage jobs to affordable treasures and support for local organisations, Moray Waste Busters has become a place where things - and opportunities - are given a second life.

They explore the busy reuse hub, meet its resident Scottish Womble, and get a sneak preview of an ambitious new home for Moray Waste Busters - complete with a café, department-store-style outlet and a roof full of solar panels.

This podcast episode is a collaboration between SCCAN and SCVO and a companion piece to the In Real Life blog series which you can find on climateconfident.scot. It’s a part of SCVO’s Growing Climate Confidence project which supports third sector organisations in Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, take positive climate action and become more resilient.

You read companion blog to the series here: https://climateconfident.scot/stories 

Credits

Interview: Sarah McArthur

Production, recording, editing: Kaska Hempel

Support and photography: Chiara Fingland

Hosting: Sarah, Chiara and Kaska

Resources

Growing Climate Confidence: https://climateconfident.scot 

Growing Climate Confidence In Real Life: https://climateconfident.scot/stories 

Moray Waste Busters https://moraywastebusters.org/ 

CARES (Community and Renewable Energy Scheme) Scottish Government Funding https://localenergy.scot/funding/ 

Highlands and Islands Enterprise www.hie.co.uk 

Circular Communities Scotland https://circularcommunities.scot/ 

Highland Weigh Zero Waste Café https://www.thehighlandweigh.co.uk/ 

What is a swift caller and how is it bringing swifts and people together across Dumfries and Galloway? Our hosts, Sarah, Kaska and Chiara join Andrew Turney on a journey to meet swifts, swift brick pioneers and hear about how networking and collaboration turned a small group of swift enthusiasts into a rapidly expanding multi-partner Dumfries and Galloway Network.

This podcast episode is a collaboration between SCCAN and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and a companion piece to the In Real Life blog series which you can find on climateconfident.scot. It’s a part of SCVO’s Growing Climate Confidence project, which supports third sector organisations in Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, take positive climate action and become more resilient. 

You can read the In Real Life blog here: https://climateconfident.scot/stories

NOTE: Unfortunately, since we met Andrew at the Sanquhar Shed have decided that at the moment they do not have capacity to embark on stepping up production of the solar PV callers alongside their other activities. This is disappointing for the Dumfries Swift Group from the swift conservation point of view, however the Swift Group said that they respect the decision made, and if there is a future decision to continue with the caller project they look forward to teaming up again.

Credits

Interview: Sarah McArthur

Production, recording, editing: Kaska Hempel 

Support and photography: Chiara Fingland

Hosting: Sarah, Chiara and Kaska

Resources

Growing Climate Confidence: https://climateconfident.scot

Growing Climate Confidence In Real Life: https://climateconfident.scot/stories

The D&G Swift Network can be contacted via [email protected].

Save Our Swifts: local organisations get together to protect swift colonies - story on the UNESCO Biosphere on Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere website: https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/save-our-swifts-local-organisations-get-together-to-protect-swift-colonies-in-the-unesco-biosphere/

Sanquar Men’s Shed https://www.facebook.com/SanquharMensShed 

Prison swift box project BBC story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89e0gjy4vzo  

Save Our Swifts project - UNESCO Biosphere Dumfries and Galloway https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/save-our-swifts-local-organisations-get-together-to-protect-swift-colonies-in-the-unesco-biosphere/

What does it mean to live well? And what does it take for a community to make it happen in the face of disappearing jobs, increased cost of living and a changing climate?

Join Kaska Hempel, our Story Lead, as she visits Shotts in North Lanarkshire to meet Mags Murphy and Mark Slorance from Getting Better Together, one of Scotland's innovative Healthy Living Centres. Together they explore how their community has led for 25 years on helping local people live well - building better health and, more recently, weaving climate action into everyday community life.

Hosts Laura McDonald (Scottish Community Development Centre) and Pam Candea (Scottish Communities Climate Action Network) reflect on the story, exploring how communities can improve health and wellbeing while creating a more resilient future, and what Unbound can learn from places where climate action grows naturally from the things that matter most to people.

Becoming Unbound is the pilot podcast mini-series for the Unbound Scotland project, which supports community-led action on climate and health across Scotland.

Through conversations rooted in lived experience, the series explores how communities are responding to climate and health challenges - and how these stories can help shape the future of Unbound.

Chapters

00:40     Host Introduction

02:25     Welcome to Shotts

11:39     Something Had to Change

16:38     Making Things Happen

21:34     A Place for the Community

24:11     Living Well

30:01     When the Weather Changes

33:45     Building Resilience

39:01     Keep the Wheel Turning

44:13     Host Reflection: The Story Beyond Shotts

Resources 

Unbound Scotland project website: https://www.unbound.scot/ 

Getting Better Together website: https://shottshealthyliving.com/ 

The Community Health Exchange (CHEX): https://www.chex.org.uk/ 

Healthy Living Centres - the origin story and long-term survival through Healthy Living Centre Alliance: https://www.seemescotland.org/media/7290/one-vision.pdf  

Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing - An alliance of community led health organisations dedicated to promoting and delivering health improvements and reducing health inequalities in Scotland’s communities: https://www.schw.co.uk/ 

Health Issues in the Community resource: www.hiic.org.uk 

Shotts Climate Plan: https://shottshealthyliving.com/downloads/Shotts_Community_Climate_Action_Plan_20.05.22.pdf 

Story of how Shotts Climate Plan came together:

https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/blog/2022/shotts-is-acting-now-on-climate-change/ 

Environmental Key Fund:  https://environmentalkeyfund.com/ 

Info on Community Benefit Funds: https://www.gov.scot/news/communities-benefit-from-renewable-energy/ 

Investing in Communities Fund: https://www.gov.scot/publications/investing-in-communities-fund-round-2-approved-awards-2023-2026/ 

Credits 

Kaska Hempel (design, production, interviewing, editing)

Blip Blop Tuesday by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/558270/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

How does a run down public toilet turn a coastal village into a multi-award-winning community with a shared vision for the future? And what does it take for this community to feel safe despite growing challenges of coastal erosion, storms and flooding?

Join Kaska Hempel, our Story Lead, for a conversation with Wendy Murray and Jerry Forteath from East Haven on the Angus coast, to hear about the incredible story of their journey with East Haven Together.

Hosts Sam Jordan (Scottish Community Development Centre) and Ruth McLaren (Scottish Communities Climate Action Network) listen alongside you, reflecting on what this story reveals about community power, climate action and the questions shaping their work as members of the Unbound communications team.

Becoming Unbound is the pilot podcast mini-series for the Unbound Scotland project, which supports community-led action on climate and health across Scotland.

Through conversations rooted in lived experience, the series explores how communities are responding to climate and health challenges - and how these stories can help shape the future of Unbound.

Transcript of the episode is available here: https://www.unbound.scot/podcasts/season-1-episode-1

Credits: 

Kaska Hempel (design, production, community interview, editing)

Blip Blop Tuesday by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/558270/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Resources: 

Unbound Scotland project website: https://www.unbound.scot/ 

East Haven Together website: https://www.easthavenangus.com/ 

This vignette explores the magic of people from all walks of life coming together in a protest for a cause, demanding a better future for their communities. It was recorded on 25 October 2025, the day of Scotland Demands Better march and rally in Edinburgh, organized by Poverty Alliance. Kaska speaks to Sandy Greene from ScrapAntics in Dundee who shares her personal experience as a lifelong activist and the way a peaceful protest can resonate throughout lives of individuals involved, local communities and a wider society. You will hear vox pops from members of Dundee Changemaker Hub, protest participants and ambient recordings from the day.

Credits: 

Production, interview, edit - Kaska Hempel

Resources:

Kaska's creative sound Substack podcast ("Pebbles"): https://kaykay2000.substack.com/ 

Scotland Demands Better Campaign https://www.scotland-demands-better.com/

Dundee Changemakers Hub https://www.dundee-changemakers.net/ 

Scrapantics https://www.scrapantics.co.uk/ 

Galgael Trust https://www.galgael.org/ 

In this crossover, we share a standalone podcast episode from Transition St Andrews about their reuse and repair initiative. You will hear about the programme’s projects and activities and its positive impact on students, staff and local residents within the community.

Enjoying the podcast? Share the story with others, review or rate our show.

Credits: Ruth Sanderson, Senior Communications Manager at the University of St Andrews.

Resources:

Sharing, Reuse & Repair: Transition St Andrews: https://transitionsta.org/sharing/ 

In this crossover, we share an episode of the CycleHub Stories podcast A Journey of a Bike Time. Cycle Hub.Org director Scott Francis talks about why the organisation was formed. We meet David, who comes to the Dundee Cycle Hub to donate a bike with a story. We also hear from Fiona Brunton, Engagement Coordinator for the Students Association at Abertay University.

Enjoying the podcast? Share the story with others, review or rate our show.

Credits: Production, interviews and editing: Sally Pearson - volunteer for Cycle Hub.Org.

Resources:

CycleHub Stories A Journey of a Bike Time podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uJ2e2McKNUujOYkKmIVf3?si=23d88782a74d46cd 

Cycle Hub.Org’s website: https://www.cyclehub.org/

In this crossover, we share an episode of Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network’s new podcast series Climate Jam. Host Eirini talks to Pianodrome’s co-founder Tim Vincent-Smith about the story behind building the world’s first Pianodrome in Edinburgh. They discuss the importance of community, circular economy and how a project needs a soul to make it work.

Enjoying the podcast? Share the story with others, review or rate our show.

Credits: Production, interviews and editing: Eirini Chatzidaki.

Resources:

ECCAN’s Climate Jam Podcast: https://www.eccan.scot/climatejam-podcast

Pianodrome website: https://www.pianodrome.org 

ECCAN’s website: https://www.eccan.scot/

In this episode, Kaska Hempel explores the ideas behind the Narrating Change workshop - a creative experiment in using storytelling to bring community voices into climate adaptation policy-making.

You will hear from researcher and workshop lead Emma Yule, and community participant Luke Fraser who is based in Orkney. They share what they got out of the session, and reflect on their wider ideas of adaptation and resilience in our communities and how the current Scottish Government policy fits into the picture. 

The workshop was delivered by SCCAN in partnership with King’s College London, and funded by KCL’s Impact Accelerator.

Credits: 

Production, interviews, editing - Kaska Hempel

Resources: 

Community Adaptation Routemap - Adaptation Scotland: https://adaptation.scot/take-action/community-climate-adaptation-routemap/

Preparing for climate impacts resources on SCCAN website: https://sccan.scot/climate-adaptation/ 

Scottish National Adaptation Plan 3 (SNAP3) explainer https://adaptation.scot/about/about-the-scottish-governments-national-adaptation-plan-snap3/ 

Climate Change Adaptation: A primer with Emma Yule on the Local Zero podcast: https://www.localzeropod.com/episodes/c2z1qopayyftugl6stj9cocguu9vsp 

Luke Fraser’s “hats”:

https://www.aquatera.co.uk/ 

https://northronaldsaytrust.com/ 

https://www.scottish-islands-federation.co.uk/  

Carbon Neutral Islands Project: https://cni.scot/ 

National Island Plan: https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-plan-scotlands-islands/  

In this cross over we share a 2022 episode of The Highland Good Food Podcast, published by Highlands Good Food Network. Host, Laura Dorantt, speaks to Anna from Planet Sutherland, Mairi from the Fearn Free Food Garden and Emma from the Auchtertyre Community Garden. They discuss the importance of community food projects, which offer a space for learning, a place to gather and grow.

Enjoying the podcast? Support us with a donation on ko-fi or simply share the story with others, review or rate our show.

Resources:

Donate to 1000 Better Stories podcast https://ko-fi.com/1000betterstoriespod

Highland Good Food Podcast (you can also find it on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major podcasting distribution apps) https://highlandgoodfood.scot/podcast/

Highland Good Food Partnership https://highlandgoodfood.scot/

Fear Free Food Garden https://easterrosspeninsula.com/listings/fearn-free-food-garden/

Planet Sutherland https://planetsutherland.com/

SCCAN membership map https://sccan.scot/about/members/ (Community members involved in growing: https://new.opengreenmap.org/browse/sites?icon=62e6a4a3b8121f0100b0e7fa&map=62e6a19ae0fc1e0100a2a115&search=growing)