Our Values & Transparency
We ask a lot of the land and the people around us. So we try to hold ourselves to the same standard, in the small choices as well as the big ones.
We want to lead by example. Restoring a whole watershed is a big job, and it would not sit right to ask others to change how they farm, build or live if we were not willing to look hard at our own habits first.
So wherever we can, we make small, positive changes that add up. We choose local and sustainable companies over the cheapest option, we work with makers and artists from Scotland, and we are open about the trade-offs when we cannot get it quite right.
Below are some of the choices we have made so far. It is a working list, and we will keep adding to it.
What that looks like in practice
A few of the everyday decisions behind the Crom-Shed.
Supporting Local Businesses
Rather than ordering mass-produced items, we want ours to be made by local, sustainable businesses. This keeps the money local and our communities thriving.
Reducing Our Footprint
Our decisions are guided by reducing our waste, using organic or recycled materials and purchasing items that last. The less miles our items, or our staff, have travelled, the better, and we put this into practice as much as possible.
A website powered by renewables
This website is hosted by UmbHost, whose datacentres all run on 100% renewable energy from wind, solar and hydropower. They also put 5% of every hosting fee towards tree planting with Ecologi, so a few trees go in the ground for us every month.
People before AI
We choose to support local talent and minds by involving people, not AI. We are aware of its environmental footprint and, in addition to this, we will use programmes that give us the choice not to use it.
Science-Led Decisions
We want to ensure all of our work targets the root cause of the pressures our species and landscapes face. We will always use up-to-date scientific findings and baseline data to inform our decision making for the watershed.
Always learning
We do not get everything right. If you can see a better way for us to do something, we would genuinely like to hear it.
Backing the people around us
A charity that cares about its catchment should also care about the businesses and individuals in it. From our name badges to our uniform, we choose local and sustainable suppliers, and we try to do the same across everything else we buy.
It is rarely the cheapest route, but it keeps skills and income local, cuts down on shipping, and means we know exactly who made what we use.
Open about how we work
Who is responsible for the Crom-Shed?
The Crom-Shed is the working name of the Cromarty Firth Watershed Environmental Trust (CFWET), a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), charity number SC053666.
We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees, and our office is at Robertson House, Greenhill Street, Dingwall. The trust grew out of the Cromarty Firth Fisheries Trust, founded in 1999, and took on its wider watershed role in 2024.
Where does any donated money go?
You can choose where your donations go by specifying which project you would like to support, or the type of work you would like it to go towards. We aim to have a dedicated JustGiving page for this purpose in the coming months.
Where can I see your accounts?
Our annual accounts are published on the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) register. The latest, for the year ending 31 December 2025, are free to download there.
How do you choose suppliers?
We look for local, sustainable options first, and weigh up availability, quality and environmental footprint together, rather than simply picking the cheapest.
Can I suggest an improvement?
Please do. Use the "Leave your thoughts" box on our Contact page and it comes straight to the team.