A short report, with resources, from the Autumn '08 events in Witney, Wallingford and Banbury.

   Community groups across Oxfordshire are taking action on climate change locally - inspiring others and  revitalising community spirit in the process.  Find out how your community or group can get involved, or share what your groups is already doing.  

 Three district wide events took place in Autumn '08 as part of the ‘Oxfordshire from the Ground' series of events organised by Oxfordshire ClimateXchange. They brought together over 120 people for the three events, consisting of existing groups, and people interested in finding out more about groups.

Wallingford	Banbury

 

After brief presentations from the groups, people discussed what opportunities there are for more collaborative working, what support and training they'd like to see. This is collated below, and scrolling further down you'll also find  support resources for groups in Oxfordshire, and from National organisations.

Cherwell Attendees	South Oxfordshire Attendees	West Oxfordshire Attendees
Assistant Planning Officer CDC      Banbury Civic Society        Banbury FoE Banbury Ideas for a change Banbury Ornithological Society  Bioblonde      Cherwell DC  COIN   www.coinet.org.uk   Oxfordshire Community Action Groups   Peter Traves, Business Energy Assessor   Presentation Deddington Online and Deddington Parish Council Eco-St            Cherwell DC Environmental Services    Friends of Daeda's Wood, Deddington     Kidlington vs Climate Change         Launton Environment Group            Northmoor Trust        Presentation Norbar Power Tools Presentation ORCC            Oxfordshire Ramblers          Oxfordshire Woodland Project            RM      Sustainable Kirtlington         SW Bodicote CPRE Warriners School Farm        Yarnton Parish Council	Ewelme Parish Councillor     SODC Councillor     Abingdon Carbon Cutters    Berinsfield Parish Council   Blewbury Energy Initiative         Brightwell Cum Sotwell Environment Group            Burcot Carbon Addicts Anon           Cllr. Celia Collett       Didcot churches        Dorchester Carbon Project - Living Lightly In Dorchester            Drayton PC ‘Green Cred' Carbon Footprinting project    Goring and Streatley Sustainability Group See GSSG Micro hydro presentation It Must Be Green       Lewknor Chiltern Gateway   Long Wittenham PC NFU    Northmoor Trust  see presentation      South Oxfordshire  District Council    Sustainable Wallingford   see Sust. Wallingford presentation    Transition Henley                   Whitchurch on Thames Habitat Study Group	Bampton        Burford Town Council           Oxfordshire CAGs   Challenge North Leigh          Charlbury Area Waste Action Group          Cogges Museum            Coleshill         EAWW Eynsham Area Waste Watchers     Oxfordshire  Rural Community Council       Oxfordshire Woodland Project           Oxtran Sustainable Charlbury     Low Carbon Hook Norton web article on ClimateX     Sustainable Long Compton Sustainable Milton    United Sustainable Energy Agency - USEA Witney - churches      Witney Green Group Witney Waste Action          Wychwood Project

 

 

Support and networking identified	Comments
Assistance with publicity of events	Please send events to ClimateX (jo@climatex.org  and add to website http://climatex.org/submit-new-event/ , the ONCF newsletter (cynth@oncf.org), and COIN (richardc@coinet.org.uk)
Higher profile - through media, encouraging people to take action, Use the media to spread the word
Making the existing action visible and mapping out all the groups / activities Info hub - clear access to info and groups needed across the district and county.
First steps for getting selves and groups going.	Will collate info on ClimateX - for a start see the Toolkit section
Spreading out village ideas, demonstration projects and using the Thames more - both as image, thing that links us, and a potential energy provider
Links with other groups. Personal contacts with different groups, linking with neighbouring communities. Show that groups of individuals - working together as a group across the county
Visibility - seeing the different projects - Invite other groups to demonstration projects.
Outreach - getting new people involved and a wider volunteer base.
Oxon wide network of transition initiatives
Encourage joint projects between groups / on similar theme
Skill-sharing through working with children and in schools work - talks, involve children
Skills needed
Would like to have courses for energy saving in homes - some basic accreditation.	See the courses run by CAFÉ ClimateX will be running course in new year for raising awareness of issues and the opportunities in the New Year.
Thermal imaging courses and info
Local food sourcing and promotion - highlighting the importance of local food locally, and where you can get it - eg farmers markets, North Aston Organics, Warriner School.	See http://www.local-food.net/  for the Berks, Bucks and Oxon local food directory.   Oxford Bread Group...
Creativity for messaging - putting the message in different ways / forms - get a wider reach.
Other points/ issues raised
Urgency - we need an environmental war footing to deal with the scale of the problem... and need to make requests for action consistent to the scale of the problem.
Request that Local Authorities pitch their response to the issues to the right magnitude to encourage the behaviour change needed.
Infrastructure projects - need to think differently  / bigger about these sorts of projects, and think about the organisation needed for them to be effective. Get people with influence on board early on.
Be the Change - linking sustainability with social justice, global community and how to link spiritual and practical connected thinking. https://bethechange.org.uk/symposium.cfm
Similar event for businesses - spread the word through local employers / groups - and link them to the existing communities groups.
Campaigns to draw people in for specific aims
Social norms - making climate change an interesting, positive topic.

 

Oxfordshire Resources - click on the name for the link. Also see our organisations database and our links section.

  United Sustainable Energy Agency

USEA operate the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre Thames Valley and Solent, and the successful Cocoon scheme. http://www.usea.org.uk/

Northmoor Trust  - The Great Energy Challenge - brought to your group

Aim: To understand the impact that the energy choices we make today, will have on all our lives and the South Oxfordshire landscape.

The Northmoor Trust can bring their giant 9m squared aerial photo of South Oxfordshire to your meeting place. They can run a 2 hour workshop during which your members would become policy makers and would decide how they were going to provide energy for a 2026 South Oxfordshire community.  Whatever your location this model is relevant to you.

  ‘People felt it was a really good exercise to raise awareness around the complexity of energy decisions'.

See the presentation  http://climatex.org/media/attachments/jtd_aut08_northmoor.pdf

 Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN) 

offer some fantastic courses - from Climate Change Speaker Training, Communicating Climate Change, setting up Action Groups, How to win the Climate Argument in your tea-break etc.. See further info here: http://www.coinet.org.uk/   

CAGs Oxfordshire Community Action Groups

existing support for groups working on waste and energy reduction in Oxfordshire. http://www.cagoxfordshire.org.uk/ 

Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) -

support for Parish Plan process, integrating climate change into Rural Community life, development etc. http://www.oxonrcc.org.uk/

Oxford is My World

Oxford is My World" is an award-winning local project designed to help people make choices that benefit both our local and global environments by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. See the guide online.

Oxtran

a new Oxfordshire Transport Network hosted by the Transport Studies Unit at Oxford University http://oxtran.tsu.ox.ac.uk/ .

Eco-St

Have a great low Energy Light bulb library for your group to borrow. Find out more info here: http://www.eco-st.co.uk/Light-Bulb-Library-Home.aspx

 

National Networks for Communities:

Low Carbon Communities Network -

Our aim is to encourage the adoption of low carbon and zero carbon technologies and lifestyles at a community level, and to enable groups engaged in this to be as effective and efficient as possible.  http://lowcarboncommunities.net/

Also see their presentations from their recent conference, including EcoDyfi and Going Carbon Neutral Sitrling on: http://www.slideshare.net/communitycarbon

Energy Saving Trust - Community Action for Energy (Café)

People come to Community Action for Energy for help and support with a range of initiatives, anything from making their community building more energy efficient or bringing renewable energy to their community, to helping local people save money on their fuel bills or raising energy awareness in schools.  We're able to offer advice, training, technical support and information to help make your project fly. You can also tap into the accumulated knowledge and experience of hundreds of on-going projects.

For specific advice on funding, click here.

See group presentations from their recent conference here:

Transition Towns:

The mission of the Transition Network is to inspire,  encourage, network, to support and train communities as they consider, adopt, adapt and implement the transition model in order to establish a Transition Initiative in their locale.

 

 

ARCHIVE:

The next two events:  

South Oxfordshire, on Thurs 20th November '08 in Wallingford	Cherwell District on Monday 24th November '08  in Banbury.
Thurs 20th Nov 2008 6.30-9pm at South Oxfordshire District Council, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8EH Download the Poster for South Oxfordshire	Mon 24th Nov 2008 6.30-9pm at Bodicote House, Bodicote Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 4AA Download the poster for Cherwell See map for venue

All welcome to both events!

 Come along to the 'Joining the Dots' event and:

• Hear how groups and villages are rising to the climate challenge

• Get inspired

• Make connections with local groups

• Find out where you can get support

 What people have said about previous 'Joining the Dots' evenings we've run: 

‘a great evening, full of ideas and energy'

‘Lots of ideas, lots of encouragement, I'm so glad I came'

It's free, light snacks provided. 

Please register in advance so we know how many to expect: 

email  jo@climatex.org  / tel 01865 275 856 .

 

Provisional programme for the evening - both evenings will have a similar format:

• 6.30 pm - doors open, light snacks available, stalls, info and displays

• 7pm - welcome to the evening, introductions and short presentations from ClimateXchange and the District Council, Oxfordshire Community Action Groups, plus local groups. Details about the groups will be posted as they confirm.

• 8pm - Networking and discussion time - a chance to speak in more detail to other projects, find out about the different support on offer, think big and make plans locally

• 9pm - evening ends

Organised by Oxfordshire ClimateXchange, in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council (South Oxfordshire event) and Cherwell District Council (Cherwell event).