Author Archives: Mim

Cycling into Oxford? Would you like to park your cycle undercover at the Westgate free of charge? Did you know … Read More

The headline reads, ‘Oxfordshire’s 2021 badger cull – bigger, crueller and more unnecessary than ever before’. ‘1254 badgers were culled … Read More

Some of you might have been lucky enough to see the human sundial now installed at Osney Lock Hydro – … Read More

Our newsletter is out, and it is a long one, jam-packed with information and opportunities!  Read it here.  If you’d … Read More

Repost from The Guardian:   “Ensure you get the current, cheaper rates for all the energy you use right up … Read More

Mim and Lois joined our friend Dr Phil Grünewald (the man behind the West Oxford Energy Challenge) to speak about … Read More

As we announced last month, we’re pleased to be working with the Low Carbon Hub to signpost free energy assessments … Read More

We are so happy that the legendary Bring & Take is back on this spring in West Oxford. It has … Read More

With energy bills rocketing & the climate in crisis, LCWO’s top 5 energy-busting tips can help you save money & … Read More

Sources of funding to help you cut fuel bills, make you home warmer and tackle climate change, March 2022 You … Read More

If you: get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit – known as the ‘core group’ are on a low … Read More

The project: Eco-Renovation Oxford Oxford Communities for Zero Carbon are planning Eco-Renovation Oxford, a project to encourage residents to improve … Read More

THANK YOU to all the fabulous volunteers who turned out at 10am to plant trees on Oatland Rec.  We had … Read More

We’re teaming up with colleagues at the Low Carbon Hub to signpost this new funding to West Oxford businesses, large … Read More

News from Oxford City Council of an upcoming solution for electric vehicle charging in Oxford:   Charge Fairy (https://chargefairy.com/) are … Read More

[Reposted from CAG Oxfordshire‘s newsletter The Key, which you can sign up to here] People who live, work in, or … Read More

After more than a decade of running our fabulously popular biannual swap shop, the LCWO ‘Bring & Take’, we have … Read More

Earlier this autumn, I was invited to be the very first ‘Ten minutes with…’ interviewee for Green Squirrel‘s newly launched … Read More

Last night, Helen Reid, one of LCWO’s founder members and part of the core group of highly-committed volunteers who make … Read More

The Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel is asking people about the amenities they have near their home and … Read More

The UK is comitted to net zero by 2050.  Oxford city to net zero by ten years earlier, 2040. But … Read More

Trustee Anthony O’Rourke is doing some work to understand LCWO’s place in the community among the many organisations, local, national … Read More

On my travels to the north this half term, we were lucky to dip into this very inspiring exhibition about … Read More

What is the watery equivalent of a phoenix rising from the ashes?  A narwal from the waves, perhaps?  Possibly a … Read More

Some of you may have been listening at ten past nine this morning when -was invited onto BBC Radio Oxford’s … Read More

Post by LCWO Waste Champion Lorraine Need new clothes? Manufacturing and distributing new clothes can be carbon intensive, and clothing … Read More

Oxfordshire’s Great Big Green Week starts this Saturday, with a ‘Walk for Life on Earth’ procession from St Frideswide Square … Read More

We’re thrilled to be able to confirm two FREE workshops taking place on Saturday 25 September, 1030-1200, to coincide with … Read More

After the success of last year’s apple juicing pilot, we are collecting West Oxford apples and pears to make a … Read More

LCWO transport lead Neville has sent this update on transport issues: Bus routes to Jericho Oxfordshire County Council has to … Read More

Ugh, this article, ‘Is getting a cat or dog bad for the planet?’ in the Independent (23 July 2021) was … Read More

Osney Lock Hydro is opening its doors to visitors as part of Oxford Open Doors on Sunday 12 September, 2-5pm. … Read More

‘Me & My Bee’ – an energetic romp through a huge issue, with some big problems   Reviewed by Mim, … Read More

Illustrator Floyd Cooper, one half of the duo behind one of our Many Voices Collection top book picks, has died … Read More

Thanks to the 50+ people who came along to the last in our spring series.  We recorded it for anyone … Read More

Do you hate waste? We’ve always been keen on reducing waste, running our legendary Bring & Takes since 2009, and … Read More

Read the latest news from LCWO here.

Thanks to everyone who joined our free expert-led food and climate event this month.  Below are the slides and a … Read More

Communities for Zero Carbon Oxford, a collective of local environmental groups in Oxford which includes LCWO, has drawn up a … Read More

Update from Oxford Swift City team:   First swift sighting in Oxfordshire The first swift reported in the county was … Read More

For the last few weeks, I have had the 23 books on their way to the Many Voices Collection (MVC) … Read More

You may have read our post about why Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola’s ‘Clean up!’ was our favourite children’s book … Read More

  Thanks to the local residents, who congregate losely under the title of West Oxford Naturehood, for this latest bit … Read More

Low Carbon Hub are working with Oxford City Council to help find a new home for 42 solar panels (free … Read More

A group of inspiring West Oxforders from the West Oxford Naturehood Group have been out in lockdown getting hands-on with … Read More

Do you HATE waste?  There are lots of things we can do locally to maximise recycling in West Oxford.   We’ve … Read More

Thanks to everyone who joined our free expert-led waste and climate event in March.  And for those who couldn’t make … Read More

At the end of February, Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon hosted local expert Richard Vernon as part of our … Read More

Damian Ryan is a West Oxford local, and a key instigator of West Oxford Naturehood group.  Here he shares his … Read More

Some homeschooling links from our friends at Oxfam: New Year’s Resolutions: Help learners shape their ideal future COVID-19 responses around … Read More

We’ve sent our last newsletter of 2020, a year we’re not sorry to be saying goodbye to. Read it here. … Read More

  Yesterday’s post was about why ‘Clean Up!’ by Nathan Bryon is my pro-environmental kid’s book of the year, and … Read More

We’re thrilled to announce that we have been successful in our bid to Westmill Solar Co-operative’s first round of community … Read More

Over 230 people joined an Oxfordshire CEE Bill Alliance event on Friday evening over Zoom, for a discussion of whether … Read More

My 4 year old and I discovered this book, by Nathan Bryon and illustrated by Dapo Adeola, earlier this year.  … Read More

Last month, I was lucky enough to stumble upon an online Semble event, ‘Supporting youth climate action in our communities’.  … Read More

For anyone looking for a good overview of Oxford’s transport plans, here’s a video of a talk by recent Power … Read More

Congratulations to our friend and colleague, LCON trustee and CoHSAT co-chair Brenda Boardman on making the Woman’s Hour Power List … Read More

Our colleagues at Low Carbon Oxford North have led the development of an information leaflet about the current Government Green … Read More

Thanks to those of you who came along to our workshop on talking to kids about climate change, which we … Read More

Thanks to LCWO volunteer Neville for the following information! We have become aware of a number of online consultations that … Read More

We are living through a profoundly weird time.  It is hard to plan even into the next week, let alone … Read More

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated their apples so far to the West Oxford Apple Juice project! We have … Read More

LCWO has led on a whole host of wildlife-focused activities over the past ten+ years, and artist designer Lisa has … Read More

Read our newest newsletter here.

[Reposted from Osney Lock Hydro’s website] Osney Lock Hydro has commissioned a mosaic in celebration of our centuries old relationship … Read More

We’re really pleased to be offering a workshop as part of this year’s CAG Fresh Thinking workshop series. At 6pm … Read More

Thanks to those who dropped off their apples at the weekend.  We now have 2 more dates for dropping off: … Read More

  Apples to spare?  Hate the waste? We’re collecting apples to make into West Oxford Apple Juice.   The plan: We … Read More

Oxfordshire County Council is currently consulting about proposed bus gates in the city, and the window for responding closes on … Read More

Thank you to long-time LCWO volunteer and committee member Ruth Mayne for writing the following statements and our Climate Justice … Read More

At the beginning of May we brought 3 expert speakers together to run a pratical workshop on greening personal finances, … Read More

LCWO wildlife lead Hugo and Chair Helen visited Kingfisher Corner yesterday to do the Big Butterfly Count and spotted 1 … Read More

Congratulations to our long-time Chair and coordinating committee member Helen Reid who won second prize in the Chapbook Contest 2020 … Read More

Following on from our group letter to Oxfordshire County Council on Friday, here’s a petition which has been put together … Read More

Cllr Yvonne Constance OBE, Cabinet Member for Environment, and Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Leader Oxfordshire County Council County Hall, New Road … Read More

Look at this image.  It shows the change in frequency of certain familiar formerly everyday activities under lockdown, and also … Read More

Would you like to contribute to ideas about better public spaces in Oxford? LCWO are looking for a member to … Read More

From our friends at the Hub: “The world may be focused on the immediate threat of coronavirus, but we feel … Read More

There are some great FREE online resources emerging under lockdown, aimed at children being homeschooled.  Here are a few we … Read More

Here’s a great short film about Saturday’s #BuildBackBetter bike action in Oxford, shot by Zoe Broughton.  

We’re collecting images of our streets under lockdown.  We’re particularly keen to receive photos of the Botley Road, or other … Read More

Ahead of our expert-led Zoom webinar workshop THIS SATURDAY, ‘Understanding how our money choices impact the climate’ (sign up HERE), … Read More

The Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) is interested in your experience of the streets during these unusual … Read More

The latest LCWO newsletter is out.  Read it online here: https://mailchi.mp/cd8d7c178379/lcwo-april-news2020-1354378   Find our previous newsletters here.

The Swifts are back in town! There have been photos of swifts over Port Meadow, a joyful sight indeed.  Here’s … Read More

We have chosen to postpone all face-to-face LCWO events and group meetings for the foreseeable future. Some events postponed until … Read More

The way we heat and light our homes has a huge impact on our carbon emissions. In fact, residential buildings … Read More

Breaking up with Barclays.  This has been on my to do list for a LONG time.  And there have been … Read More

Greenpeace activists have just shut down BP’s headquarters in central London, after delivering 500 solar panels to the new CEO. … Read More

Oxford Friends of the Earth and Oxford City Council have launched a joint competition for school children in Oxford in … Read More

Read about our beginnings in 2007, Osney Lock Hydro and the Low Carbon Hub’s trailblazing Porject Leo in this article … Read More

Dear LCWO volunteers, We have got some great repairers volunteering their skills a week on Saturday to fix our household … Read More

Recycling is important.  But as we’re becoming increasingly aware, it’s by no means the ‘answer’ to the environmental challenges we … Read More

Great news from LCWO partner Hugh Warwick of HedgeOx, as Bovis Homes, a national housebuilder, has joined forces with the … Read More

We are looking for someone to work closely with LCWO committee members and advisors, including our partners at Oxfordshire Greentech, … Read More

Notice of AGM, Agenda and Proxy Voting Form Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Low Carbon … Read More

We’re looking for an energetic and organised individual (or individuals) to help with our ambitious calendar of events in 2020. … Read More

A few weeks back, in association with LCWO, the ECI / School of Geography hosted Professor Martin Evans, Chair of … Read More

With 30 households signed up and two workshops under our belt, ACT Now is going well. At our November workshop, … Read More

As we mentioned in an earlier post, we got a shock when we discovered our photo of a small plastic … Read More

Our friends at Earthwatch’s Naturehood project (currently running in the Florence Park and Marston parts of the city) have identified … Read More

Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) Connecting Oxford response – October 2019 This response is made on behalf … Read More

We’re thrilled to announce the publication of our FREE and DOWNLOADABLE KidsCAN Key Stage 2 SATS literacy revision booklet on … Read More

RISE Zine is a new biannual zine celebrating creativity in the face of climate change, made in Oxford by the … Read More

This week’s New Scientist features a useful article which outlines 8 ways to combat eco-anxiety (‘Stressed about climate change? Eight … Read More

Eleanor Watts, from the community action group Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon, shares her wisdom and her group’s learning … Read More

Some deeply inspiring stuff happening in London this week at the XR October Rebellion.  Here are a few examples – … Read More

This piece was written by LCWO Trustee Alison Mathias for publication in The Sprout. On Saturday 5 October I went … Read More

Thanks to the 30+ people who came along to the tree planting planning meeting, following our ACT Now workshop, on … Read More

www.kidsclimateaction.org Our work exploring communicating climate change in a safe and empowering way with kids is really taking off, with … Read More

  For primary & early years educators, 12.11.19: Experienced trainer and psychotherapist Jo McAndrews is returning to Oxford to offer … Read More

This Monday, we were invited to give an overview of our work to-date at the Low Carbon Hub‘s Inspired by … Read More

This weekend, I had a deeply surreal experience – probably top of my list of strange internet experiences so far.  … Read More

As crowds gather in London for the October XR Rebellion, here’s a guest post from West Oxford local Ally Stott. … Read More

Some thoughts from coach and psychotherapist Jo McAndrews for parents taking children to the London Rebellion:

Did you make it to XR Oxford’s visually impressive and emotionally powerful Art-Science Extravaganza at the Museum of Natural History … Read More

  Broad Street played host to Oxford’s #GlobalClimateStrike gathering on Friday morning, then to the family-friendly bike ride in support … Read More

 Come and get active locally with tree planting. Info meeting 12-1pm on Saturday October 5th at WOCA.

Members of 15 local households dropped in to our ‘Come and find out more about the ACT Now programme’ last … Read More

Since making a good hog hole in their fence in Oatlands Road, Helen & Hugo have had nightly visitors this … Read More

This article came out the same week that the LCWO committee sat discussing how we make it clear that our … Read More

  Message from the Midsummer Meander organisers   A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Midsummer Meander this … Read More

If you missed the workshop in June, you can watch a version of Jo’s talk online here.  We plan to … Read More

This weekend, Low Carbon West Oxford and Osney Lock Hydro are running a FREE river-themed community arts trail in West … Read More

Info and a link to this weekend’s special arts trail available here. “Many of the other rivers in the study … Read More

As you hopefully will have heard, the weekend of the 13-14 July 2019 is our Midsummer Meander.  The West Oxford … Read More

We’ll be posting useful graphics on the blog, as another shared resource.  These images are great depictions of the circular … Read More

If you have not made time to pop into the Oxford Playhouse this month to see the exhibitions from Oxford’s … Read More

This spring, I received funding from Oxford City Council through its Green Neighbourhood Grant scheme to design and print a … Read More

LCWO has been working closely with partners to support young children in the face of climate change.  Part of this … Read More

Low Carbon West Oxford, along with fellow CAG Low Carbon Oxford North, and independent expert Kim Polgreen, are partners in … Read More

Danny Yee has written a detailed response to the consultation on Botley Road Corridor Improvements.  See it here on the … Read More

Annoying mistake from me in saying 9-12% higher when it is actually 9-12 TIMES higher – and we’re Low Carbon … Read More

Pop by and say hi – and take a selfie while you’re there 🙂   Info about our action here and … Read More

Last Friday, Bill McKibben began his address at Lady Margaret Hall with a description of his father, when he found … Read More

Remember last summer’s West Oxford Climate Challenge? Well, if you live on Osney, this summer is YOUR chance to take … Read More

Next Thursday is Clean Air Day 2019, and we’re parking a car in Bonn Square and filling it with smoke, … Read More

Our second climate café aimed to provide an opportunity for: LCWO and other Oxford residents to feed ideas into Oxford … Read More

Oxford FoE are currently doing a survey of what schools across the county are doing on active travel, idling and … Read More

If you read the national news or are on social media of any kind, you should have seen that yesterday … Read More

Have you been a National Trust member since at least January 2018? Would you like to see the National Trust … Read More

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be in the packed-out Friends House in Euston for a … Read More

Liz Goold and colleagues at ‘Oxford Citizens’ Assembly Network’ (OxCAN), an off-shoot of the Oxford Democracy Café, and colleagues working … Read More

Thanks to all who came to the Kingfisher Corner relaunch on a cold and rainy afternoon, and left with bird … Read More

The spring we have teamed up with author, ecologist and hedgehog obsessive Hugh Warwick and his campaign to save Oxfordshire’s … Read More

Our fab spring edition Bring & Take is fast approaching and we’re on the lookout for volunteers to help the … Read More

On Saturday March 9th 2019, we held our first climate cafe event at WOCC: ‘Climate emergency – what next?’ Just … Read More

Last October, LCWO commissioned an ecological survey of Kingfisher Corner, to get an up-to-date picture of the state of the … Read More

On Monday night, whilst exciting things were afoot in Oxford Town Hall with the Oxford City Council vote to unanimously … Read More

Yes.  Last night history was made in Oxford Town Hall when Oxford City Council voted unanimously to support a motion … Read More

On Monday 28th January, Oxford City Council will vote on two important motions. One is on climate change (and involves … Read More

If we’re to create the positive future so many of us hope for, and one in which climate change and … Read More

Whatever your food plans this January, it’s worth reducing meat and dairy wherever you can, as highlighted by the IPCC … Read More

Giving people all the info they need about the environmental, ethical and health reasons for reducing their meat intake is … Read More

From the BBC, 13 December 2018: ‘Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your … Read More

Catch up on the latest from us here.

For those of you looking towards a 2019 with less meat and finding the idea daunting, The Conversation has this … Read More

Thanks to LCWO committee member Ruth (with input from newest volunteer Helen and other committee members) for pulling together this … Read More

… or gave me hope, at least! Pootling back from a meeting last night, I happened across Dev, a Radio … Read More

Do you run/work for an SME? (aka less than 50 employees, with turnover or balance sheet total of less than … Read More

Have you seen the heart-rending Iceland Christmas advert which was ‘banned’ earlier this month, prompting an outcry? Here it is: … Read More

For those of you who are interested but couldn’t make the meeting last Thursday, here are some handy notes taken … Read More

This is the first of a series of guest posts by West Oxford people, celebrating the voices and wisdom of … Read More

As the light fades, and the evenings become dark, it’s perfect candle-burning time. A friend has organised a winter lantern … Read More

For those who plan to head to the Tumbling Bay fish pass meeting this Thursday, and indeed, those who cannot … Read More

Head over to the newsletter archive to check it out…

Well that was fun! Thank you to those of you who cam along to Beet the Waste ii at the … Read More

I have 6 minutes to write this post before my childcare runs out for the week, so apologies for any … Read More

[via Oxford City Council] The city of Oxford has been awarded £474,000 to become the first city in the world … Read More

I n preparation for the changes to data protection regulation on May 25, with the enforcement of the new General … Read More

THANK YOU to all who helped out at and attended our Spring Bring & Take on Saturday, and those who … Read More

On the eve of our Spring Bring & Take, we’ve pulled together a few of our favourite upcycle/reuse projects and … Read More

A cable car has recently been suggested as one possible answer to our city’s (and Botley Road’s, in particular) traffic … Read More

Brr, it’s cold.  As the ‘Beast from the East’ sweeps in, here’s a quick way to make a tasty treat … Read More

How do you avoid unnecessary plastic in your everyday life? Sign in and comment below. Here are some links to … Read More

Thanks to the 90+ of you who came along to Going Dutch on Wednesday night! More to follow, including some … Read More

Following hot on the heels of the ZEZ consultation, a swathe of transport-focused events have been programmed in our city, … Read More

One thing which always bugs me about Christmas is the contents of Christmas crackers.  Once again, my daughter merrily pulled … Read More

Many thanks to those who took the time to enter our 10th anniversary competition! The competition is now closed, and … Read More

News just in – a press release from Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council – which includes a breakdown … Read More

… as opposed to Dutch courage – not what we suggest to start the week. Hopefully many of you will … Read More

Thank you to everyone who came to the Harvest Bring & Take back in September. Over 260 of you came along, … Read More

  We are big fans of shared resources.  After all, why buy something when you can borrow it ??  Especially … Read More

We have been working with others to facilitate the process of mass response to the current ZEZ consultation, and Low … Read More

As you might have read in our November newsletter, Oxfordshire County Council is currently informally consulting on proposals to introduce … Read More

We have just transferred all our contacts to Mailchimp, and tonight I pressed ‘send’ on the first newsletter.  If you … Read More

Know someone who could do with some help keeping warm this winter?  Now is the time to help them identify … Read More

Plans are afoot to make Botley Road more sustainable, with funding being made available 18/19 and 19/20. According to the … Read More

Join us for our Harvest Bring and Take this Saturday, 30th September from 10.30am – 12.30pm at West Oxford Community … Read More

You have 24 hours or so to go through our 10th anniversary programme with a fine tooth-comb and spot any … Read More

In July, I was lucky enough to join Kat and Mariana on one of their free walking tours around the … Read More

Once again, it’s that pumpkin time of the year, when thousands of pumpkins are bought and loved – and then … Read More

Cultivate are running a #HarvestChallenge and asking customers to ‘Make one Meal Local’ this autumn. We’ve added a new recipe … Read More

A seriously tasty dish hailing from Crete, which warms us with memories of the summer sun through its use of … Read More

Catch up on our latest news, including plans for our tenth anniversary and a warm ‘hello’ from LCWO’s new Lead … Read More