Community Collaboration; A Green Force to Be Reckoned With!

Many of us are starting to realise that ‘the powers that be’ are no better equipped or qualified than the rest of us to deal with issues that effect our environment, day to day lives or economic growth.

The wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly and the pace of change (or rather the lack of it) is becoming extremely frustrating, particularly where eco innovation is concerned.

Warmer winters, wetter summers and a lack of a good autumn frost are all sure signs that something is wrong, and as officials and scientists contemplate what to do (whilst trying to free themselves from the red tape!) there is a growing sense of nervousness and anticipation. Who is really in charge of sorting this mess out?

Well, in essence, we all are. From widespread floods and tree wrenching winds to disappearing bees, we have got to be in this together if we want to make change happen quickly enough to ward off the threat of climate change.

But how?

The answer? Community power.

Whether we are talking about your neighbours, people you play sport with or your friends and colleagues, every group has the potential to become a powerful community, far more likely to achieve its objectives than by working individually.

Rather than trying to solve the big picture in one fell swoop, projects that are community focused can start to fix individual pieces of the puzzle whilst having an immediate impact on local people and their environment.

Get enough of these projects working simultaneously and we just might have a positive green riot on our hands!

Online collaboration tools that help people to organise themselves, communicate, share skills, resources and ideas are brilliantly placed to be a force for change, inspiring and helping individuals to become a crack team of community heroes. Example projects include:

• Green energy innovation, using cooperative community owned solar and wind power to support local people, even selling surplus energy back to the national grid! Learn about selling your energy back to the grid here
• Community orchards and allotments where produce can be grown, eaten and even sold at a profit to benefit local initiatives and charities. An example of a community garden in Islington, London
• Local farmers markets and craft fairs that reduce the carbon footprint and support organic farming. Find local farmers markets in the UK
• Constructing eco-playgrounds from recycled materials. Make your own playground from recycled things
• Car sharing to and from work and school. Find rides to school in your community

Collaboration tools can also help to organise objections to other hot items on the environmental agenda such as green field development, transport and flooding.

So if you are struggling to have your voice heard, community collaboration may just help you to shout a little more loudly!