The new Scottish Geology Trust is now up and running, with support from the Edinburgh Geological Society. The key objective of the Trust is “to inspire people everywhere to understand, love and care for Scotland’s incredible geological heritage and its role in creating a sustainable future”.
The Trust aims to bring together all sectors of the geological community in Scotland into a strong national voice that can campaign for change, and support and encourage work at a local level. Everyone with an interest in geology now has the opportunity to contribute to a national charity which will build the resources to achieve more than regional or local organisations can do by working alone.
The Trust has begun work on four areas of activity:
I. Promoting Scotland’s geology: provide opportunities for people to understand Scotland’s geological story and have easy access to sites where this can be appreciated.
II. Scotland’s geoparks: SGT will provide a focus for the promotion of the geoparks and provision of advice and information sharing. In the medium term, core funding for geoparks will be a priority, together with working with partner organisations to widen opportunities for the public to come face-to-face with geology.
III. Education: The Trust will work with partners such as the Geobus to support teaching about geology within the Curriculum for Excellence, looking for opportunities to work with and support teachers, highlight contexts for outdoor learning and promote geology as a career pathway. The Trust aims to inspire more adult learning about Scotland’s geology and encourage collaboration between schools, universities, industry and NGOs, to share the excitement and relevance of new research and support taking science out into wider society.
IV. Campaigning for Scotland’s geology: SGT will campaign to promote the value of geology to society, policy makers and government, and raise awareness of the impact of geology and geological processes on the availability of resources, global and local sustainability, risk management, including climate change, flooding and coastal erosion, and changes in biodiversity.
The Trust is organising the Scottish Geology Festival from 12th September to 31st October 2020. The festival will offer a range of events and activities for anyone interested in geology; there will be fantastic opportunities for all to get involved, including families, communities and visitors to Scotland. Planned events include field trips and talks, and there will be a range of virtual and in-person events.
The Scottish Geology Trust is a membership organisation, and will depend on member subscriptions and donations to be successful. EGS encourages our members to get involved in the Trust, to support this new organisation and its activities.
Find out more at www.scottishgeologytrust.org.
