Scotland’s first Friends of the Earth group was formed in 1972 and the first joint meeting of all Scotland’s local groups was held in 1977. In 1980 it became legally independent of Friends of the Earth Ltd. By 1982 it had a membership of around 1,200. It has been registered as a charity since 1 January 1992, currently registered as a charitable company with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish charity number SC 003442. The organisation operates separately from Friends of the Earth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 1991 Kevin Dunion was appointed as their first director, leaving in 2003 to become the Scottish Information Commissioner. Richard Dixon was appointed in 2013 and is the current director. In 2003 Friends of the Earth Scotland won The Guardian newspaper's "Charity of the Year" Award.
Campaigns
Major campaign issues of Friends of the Earth Scotland include:
Fossil free Scotland. Phasing out the use of fossil fuels, promoting the use of renewable energy.
Access to environmental justice. They support individuals, communities and NGOs having the right to be involved in planning decisions that affect their environment.
Fracking. They have spoken about the environmental dangers of hydraulic fracturing and the pollutants involved.
Carbon Dinosaurs. They drew attention to the presence of the most polluting coal-fired power plants in 2003.
Hunterston. In 2010 they had campaigned against plans for a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire. In June 2012 Ayrshire Power withdrew their planning application.
M74 protests. They were involved with protests against extension of the M74, withdrawing their legal action in 2006.
Friends of the Earth Scotland has a network of local groups. These help to give the organisation a grassroots presence in communities around Scotland. The local groups are autonomous, but cooperate on national campaigns. There are groups in Aberdeen, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Inverness & Ross, Moray, Stirling and Tayside.
