The Festival Opener 

She's whitewater rafted in Patagonia, motorcycled across Europe, and now her adventure into words has led to the co-editing of a book that was presented recently to leading politicians in London.

Elizabeth Woodcock got the second Highland Science Festival under way at Borders Bookstore, Inverness, on Saturday 1 November. And there' was also a chance to see the book itself – 1001 Inventions : Muslim Heritage in our World. It describes the transition in Western science and technology that was triggered by the flow of ideas from the East from the 7th century onwards.

And on Friday 14 November, Elizabeth was one of the Travelling Scholars who visited Strontian.

The title of her talk there was Making the Changes – through Community Choice. The theme was how opportunities can be taken up by communities – through the new concept of Transition Towns.

“We are used to looking at the forces of climate change and rising energy costs as threats,” she says, “and of course they have huge power for disruption. But we could also see them as a positive force to empower us to make changes in our lives.

"The Transition Town movement is helping communities to act now to choose their way ahead together and make the transition into a sustainable future.”

For the evening in Strontian, Elizabeth was joined by Bill Graham with A Creative Transition.

The Strontian evening was on:

Friday 14 November, 7:30pm, Arainn Shuaineirt, Strontian

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