Low Carbon: Blogger Nominated for Award

On 5th May I'll be heading off to London for Unltd World's first birthday party. I've been nominated for an award too - in the Environmental category. It's always nice to have your work recognised, but the really award belongs to all the Low Carbon Communities Network members across the UK who support each other through their membership of the LCCN. We have over 200 members in England alone and over 15 member groups in Cheshire (unfortunately Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral isn't one of them, which seems a shame when you consider that our office is right in the heart of the village).
LCCN community groups are run by volunteers giving free advice to their friends and neighbours to help them reduce their use of the earth's finite resources (such as coal, oil and gas). The LCCN has members who will visit your home and give you one-to-one advice on how to reduce your energy bills and give you honest advice about how to make smarter choices in the ways you use and generate power in your own home. Later this week I have a meeting with the Department for Energy and Climate Change and Dept for Communities and Local Government, we'll be discussing how all of us can work together to reduce domestic energy demand - they know our members are already reducing domestic carbon emissions by up to 80% - because they want to - not because they're told to. If the Government are serious about their "Great British Refurb" plans then they need to work with groups like ours to get their message across and support those of us who are already making plans to adapt to our changing climate and mitigate against the future effects we might face as carbon emissions continue to rise. Low carbon communities are smart communities and no-one is better placed to help you make informed choices about how to heat and power your home than ordinary people who have done it for themselves.