Books and organisations
Sustainable Energy – without the hot air: A book by David JC MacKay. Available for free download, or buy the book via its website or from booksellers. Deals with actual numbers where others just hand-wave. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in realistic solutions to global warming/peak oil issues.
The New Economics Foundation is concerned with the ‘triple crunch’ of financial crisis, climate change and oil depletion. It has published many interesting reports on a variety of issues.
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) does research, education, and offers support for renewable and sustainable technologies. It is open to the public and has interesting exhibitions. many of them interactive. Its comprehensive report Zero Carbon Britain 2030, offering an integrated set of proposals backed up by a wealth of data, is free to download.
Transition Towns
The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Network, is the basic text on how to reduce your town or village's dependence on oil.
A Transition Community works together to respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of peak oil and climate change. In particular (there are many others), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand and Salt Spring Island, Canada show how two communities approached transition.
Other noteworthy initiatives, etc.
The Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral project is a community-led initiative that is aimed at making their village the first carbon-neutral community in England.
The Future Farms project, in Martin, Hampshire has set up an interesting co-operative to produce food locally.
Colin Tudge's Campaign for Real Farming website and books are well worth dipping into.
Local organisations
Oxfordshire ClimateXchange: A climate change project for Oxfordshire, led by Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, which encourages interest in climate change. It organises meetings such as ‘Joining the Dots’ and has an extensive website which is a massive resource.
CAG Oxfordshire: Sustainable Blewbury, along with many other local, voluntary groups, is a member of Oxfordshire Community Action Group. It provides support for local organisations to organise events and initiatives to raise awareness and take action on climate change issues including waste reduction, carbon reduction, sustainable transport, and food, energy and water issues to live a more sustainable and less resource dependent life in their local community.
West Berkshire Green Exchange: Similar to CAG Oxfordshire, and holds some interesting events.
Sustainable Wallingford covers recycling, swap shop, local produce market, school vegetable garden producing usable quantities, encouraging interest with films etc. and more ideas are being considered.
Sustainable Wantage has interesting events and initiatives, including films and freecycling, a list of local food sources, information on dealing with waste, and a discount solar photovoltaic panel scheme.
HEAT (Hungerford Environmental Action Team) has a very useful website with some exciting and original ideas, such as a page indicating what foods are in season and map showing foraging possibilities
Pangbourne and Whitchurch Sustainability Group (PAWS) is a nearby group that has started up recently.
Deddington Green Matters pages have useful information and links.
Blewbury Energy Initiative aims to reduce energy consumption in Blewbury, and to encourage the use of renewable energy resources to help the global environment. Its extensive website includes both general information and more specific items about what you can do.
Education
The Earth Trust (formerly the Northmoor Trust) is very much into education for children and adults and is working to help understanding of the effect of energy changes on the future
Project Genie aims to educate and engage young people in the climate change debate. It provides a range of free resource packs for schools, teachers and parents, including the book ‘The Genie in the Bottle’.
Campaign groups
10:10: A national drive by individuals and organisations for everyone to cut carbon emissions by 10% during 2010, and now continuing into 2011.
TckTckTck: TckTckTck is an unprecedented global alliance of non-government organizations, trade unions, faith groups and people like you – all calling for an ambitious, fair and binding climate change agreement.
350.org: An international alliance aimed at reducing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere to under 350 parts per million.