Region: Scottish Borders

Join us for ‘The Green Lie’, directed by Werner Boote (2018). Length: 93 minutes.

Watch the film at leisure from the comfort of your own home, on the evening of Sunday 11th or on Monday 12th June, via private online video channel (access details will be sent by email to registered participants). Then join the post-screening discussion at 8pm on Monday 12th June (online via Zoom).

The conversation will be led by Isobel, one of our Young Humanist Scotland Ambassadors.

‘Environmentally-friendly electric cars, sustainably-produced food products, fair production processes….Can our purchasing power help save the world?’

In this tongue-in-cheek two-hander, Austrian director Werner Boote and German author Kathrin Hartmann meticulously unpick some of the most prevalent ‘greenwashing’ myths at play today. They take viewers on a round-the-globe tour of corporate hypocrisy, to the sites of catastrophic environmental disasters and shocking land rights violations, all of which are harming humans, animals and the planet despite the glowing promises of effective self-regulation.

Far from disempowering, however, this exposé of our limited choice as ethical consumers reminds us that our power as individuals does not lie in our wallets but in our actions and behaviours as voters, citizens, and members of our communities.

Watch the trailer here.

Language: English, German with English subtitles.

This is one of a series of films we will be screening as part of our Take One Action Film Club, and everyone who shares our humanist values is very welcome to participate.  Take One Action believes small actions lead to big ones, and that we all make a difference. Connecting individuals through film, creativity and action – for a better world, starting from Scotland.

Clean Air Day is the largest air pollution campaign in the UK – taking place on Thursday 15 June 2023.

 Clean Air Day helps to drive a positive shift in public knowledge and action. The day is a chance to find out more about air pollution, share information, and make our air cleaner and healthier for everyone.

The theme for the campaign this year is: Clean up our mind to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay.

 Cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

You can get involved by downloading our free Scottish resources here. We have everything you need to mark the day, such as a social media pack, event pack with posters, banners, and bunting, lesson plans activities for schools, content to help health professionals have conversations with patients about air pollution, and updated resources in Gaelic!

Whatever you do to celebrate Clean Air Day – please let Environmental Protection Scotland know by emailing [email protected]. Remember to also use the #CleanAirDay on social media and tag us at @EPScotland.

This is a unique interactive games night designed to build empathy with climate migrants and encourage discussion around resilience. No experience or preparation is necessary. Players will be led through imaginative scenarios and they can choose their responses and actions.Come along expecting to join in, the imaginative leg work is up to you! Expect a friendly, and thought-provoking evening. Find creative solutions, experience unexpected shifting circumstances and find strength in solidarity with your fellow players. This is a game we’re not playing against each other but with one another, and you might be surprised by how it turns out. You can’t choose the cards you’re dealt but you can choose how you play them. Ever wonder about the future? Well this might even give you a glimpse of what’s to come. Free to participate in, and open to all our members, supporters, and anyone who shares Humanist Society Scotland’s vision and values. This evening is part of the Climate Fringe Festival. Facilitated by Hazel Darwin-Clements, writer, podcaster, project co-ordinator, performer, puppeteer and theatre maker.