Scotch on the Rocks and the Environment
At Scotch on the Rocks Guiding we love being outside in the mountains or at the crag and we love sharing this experience with our clients. We are privileged to live in an amazing part of the world and to have a job that allows us to be outside in the stunning senary of the Scottish Highlands. We want it to stay that way and so below are the steps we are taking to try and reduce our impact on the environment both large and small scale. We know we are not perfect and will continue to get better, hopefully with your help.
Scotch on the Rocks and Trees for Life
As a way to try and offset our carbon footprint, SOTRG has a Trees for Life Grove https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/362354/ we will plant a tree for every group on our Mountain Leader courses and for any long distance trips for work. We also encourage any client to think about planting a tree in our grove but of course there is no pressure to.
Whilst this solution is not perfect and there is much discussion about carbon offsetting, it is a start and the idea or rewilding sits well with our desires for the future of the Scottish Highlands
What else are we doing
Leave no trace: We have always promoted the idea of leave no trace on our courses. One area that has often concerned us is on our back packing and snowholing trips and human waste. For winter 2022 we will encourage and provide the resources to pack out all waste. IN the Cairngorms this is easy with the brilliant Cairngorm Snow White project https://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/cairngorm-mountain-ranger-service/conservation/ when we are away from the Cairngorms we will ensure that we can provide WAG bags for our clients on nights out.
Travel: To reduce travel we will encourage car shares (when COVID allows) and have a SOTRG Community FB page for people to share travel plans.
Green Electricity: Where possible we will make sure that out electricity comes from green sources.
Buying less repairing more: Yes, you heard it here first! Whilst it is important to have equipment that is fit for purpose we will endeavour to repair as much equipment as possible and then if that is not possible look to re-use it in a less challenging environment.
Getting Educated: In 2022 we have committed to make sure we get some education about all of this from the experts. At the moment we are looking into doing a Carbon Literacy Training course delivered by Protect our Winters https://protectourwinters.uk/about-us