MK Community Energy Conference – free event on 25 February 2017
The conference has been organised by the newly formed MK Community Energy Alliance, and sponsored by MK:Smart, and the CAPE Project and is taking place at Camphill Milton Keynes. Camphill is one of the first organisations in Milton Keynes to benefit from solar PV installed by Wolverton Community Energy. The conference is free to attend (with a £5 charge for lunch) but please register online www.ticketsource.co.uk/chrysalismk
For more information please contact:
Marie Osborne, Wolverton Community Energy or Anna Klis-Davies, Community Action MK:
Can you get involved in CAPE community field trial?
We would like to invite you to a testing session for the website that we have been developing as part of the CAPE, Community Action Platform for Energy project. CAPE website is a new and exciting collaboration platform that will be available free of charge to residents, groups and businesses in Milton Keynes, providing them with access to useful data about their local areas and letting them collaborate through projects.
The CAPE website has now got to a stage, where we are eager to showcase it and ask for feedback from community members on how it should continue to develop before it is launched. It is really vital to us, CAPE Team, to get your feedback about it.
A preview of CAPE website landing page
Please come along to our Feedback – Testing Session on Wednesday 25th January at 4pm-6pmat the Tech Mahindra Office – 401 Grafton Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1AT.
It will be a very informal session over a cup of tea and some delicious Indian snacksprovided by our partner, Tech Mahindra. We will show you the CAPE website, let you explore it and ask you to tell us what you think about it. You are welcome to bring your own laptop or use one of the computers provided – whatever works best for you.
We are also happy to reimburse your parking costs.
If you have any questions, please contact Anna at Community Action: MK at anna@communityactionmk.org or call 01908 661 623.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the 25th!
Creating a network of Community Energy Champions network in Milton Keynes
We are delighted to announce that we have teamed up with the Open University to deliver a pilot project in Milton Keynes that will focus on recruiting and training community members to become volunteer Energy Championsin their neighbourhoods and communities.
The project has been made possible thanks to the funding from the Natural Environment Research Council as part of their recent funding call on ‘Engaging the UK public with the big issues of environmental science’. The Energage project is one of 18 across the UK – click here to find out more about this funding initiative.
There is already a number of local volunteers who champion sustainable energy and environmental awareness in Milton Keynes, and we want to learn from their experiences. Further, we want to attract new people – anyone with an interest in energy and sustainability, and ways of helping their own communities be more sustainable is welcomed to get involved in the project, and is asked to please get in contact with Community Action: MK.
Carbon Conversations event run by Transition MK in 2015. Photo credit: Transition MK
The Energage project will develop a network of Community Energy Champions (COMECs) in Milton Keynes. One important part of the COMECs’ role will be to translate energy-based research from the Open University to the general public in a way that will help them find solutions that work to reduce their own carbon footprint. In return Open University researchers will learn better ways to engage the public with their research. This exchange of knowledge will occur through a series of co-creation workshops, facilitated by Community Action: MK.
Another important part of their role will be to grow the network through recruitment of new volunteers. Initial workshops will be followed by a ‘week of action’ in which COMECs will engage with the public. They will share their experiences amongst the community engagement specialists and Open University researchers. This pilot scheme is intended to be the start of longer term engagement between Open University energy researchers and the public.
Energage hope to build upon activities of the existing CAPE, Community Action Platform for Energy project at the Open University and lots of other energy-related initiatives across the city. The CAPE project aims to help reduce the carbon footprint of Milton Keynes by engaging the public with relevant data; it will also be linking homeowners identified as a good fit for energy saving measures (e.g. solar panels, loft insulation) with companies that can provide products, or to grant providers, such as the MK Council.
GET INVOLVED
We will be actively promoting the project in the next few weeks and updating you about its further plans. If you are interested in getting involved, please click here to register your interest or contact Anna at Community Action: MK on:
A new project aiming to bring Milton Keynes’ streets alive
Come along to the Milton Keynes Civic Office this Wednesday to chat to members of the Sustainability Team at MK Council and find out more about the new Living Streetscommunity project, and how your street (neighbourhood) or a community group could get involved.
The Living Streets project is a real life experiment where residents temporarily transform part of their street into a community space. This community space will have room for families to socialise and play, to grow food and flowers, create street furniture for relaxing and sharing meals and develop recreational activities such as keep fit, storytelling and fund raising activities. Road traffic will be restricted to make the street safer, improve air quality and encourage consideration of sustainable transport options and new ways for car sharing and grocery shopping in collaboration with neighbours.
Want to find out more about the project? Read the FAQs here.
If you are interested in the project, but can’t attend the Drop In, contact the Sustainability Team on carbon@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
Community Action: MK are recruiting for a number of full and part time positions in our Community Development Team. See more information below about the positions available.
Community Development Team Member (various roles available)
Full or Part time opportunities available
£22,387 per annum (pro rata)
Fixed term until June 2017, with possibility of extension dependant on funding.
Here at Community Action: MK we support the amazing work happening in and around Milton Keynes’ communities. We support local people to take action in their community whether part of a charity, a community group or an individual looking to make a difference. We are looking for passionate individuals to join our Community Development Team. As a team we deliver various Community Development contracts across Milton Keynes and we are looking for people that can join a flexible team that supports a variety of projects.
Sunday 16th October between 11am-3pm at Oldbrook Boulevard (MK6 2).
A Share Fair is like a market BUT everything is ABSOLUTELY FREE. A money free zone where everyone is welcome to share and swap, skills, stuff and stories.
