Green Links

Energy

Energy Management
Good Energy 
Energy Saving Trust
The Green Deal Guide
National Energy Foundation

Renewable Energy Production
Green Energy Team

Food

Grow your own
Landshare 
Online matching service that allows you to find or offer land to growers. If you have a big garden you can offer it on this website for instance.
Grow Your Own (Magazine)
Colchester Allotment Association

Community Projects
Big Garden Project
Colchester Carrot

Local Produce
GFB

Vegetarian
Vegetarian Society
Vegan Society

Wholesale Foods
Suma Foods

New Economics

New Economics Foundation

Sharing Skills
Exchanging skills with other members of your community has taken many forms over the years, from LETS schemes and Timebanks to web based services. In Colchester we have both a timebank and, internationally the web based service Just For The Love of It. Like all community sharing services however, they rely on having lots of members and the members using them both to offer their skills and to request skills. The Colchester LETS scheme folded in 2002. Details of schemes are given below:

Just for the Love of It
This is a web based Community service that lets you share skills, tools, land and buildings.
LETS UK
Time Bank Colchester
Timebanking UK

Finance
Colchester Credit Union
ZOPA UK
KIVA Loans

Sustainability

en-form – The Colchester Environment Centre
Essex University Green Task Force
Transition Town Colchester
Transition Town Wivenhoe

Transport

Colchester Travel Plan

Climate Care
Off-set your emissions by planting trees

Car
The Environmental Transport Association
UK's only breakdown organisation that campaigns for a greener transport policy
Vehicle Certification Agency
Vehicle fuel consumption guide and database
Wombat Car Club
The Colchester based Car club
Essex Liftshare
Free local online car share matching service

 

Cycling
CTC
UK cyclist's membership organisation, including cycling insurance
Colchester Cycle Champions
Cycle Colchester
Colchester Cycling Campaign
Sustrans
Information on the National Cycle Network

Public Transport
Colchester Bus Users Support Group
Transport 2000
Campaigns for Sustainable transport in the UK

Walking
Walk Colchester

Waste – Reduce, Reuse and Recycling

Reduce
Love Food Hate Waste
Stop unwanted Junk Mail

Reuse
Ebay
The famous online auction site that lets you sell everything legal.
Freegle
Freecycle
Give or Take Essex
Like ebay but free. Lets you post unwanted items you want to give away or request items you want.
ReUse Essex
Online directory with search facility listing organisations throughout Essex that collect and redistribute unwanted items, primarily by Charity and Community Groups but also includes some commercial organisations.
Bookcrossing

Recycle
A-Z Guide to Dispose of Waste 
Directory of how to reduce, reuse or recycle specific items in Essex.
Recycle More (VALPAK)
Recycle Now (WRAP)
Information on what can be recycled together with a postcode search of what you can recycle in your area through kerbside collection and recycling bank facilities.
Colchester Borough Council
Details of the recycling facilities available in Colchester.
Use It Again
Waste Busters (Essex County Council)

Water

Water Companies
Anglian Water
Essex and Suffolk Water
Affinity Water (formerly Veolia Water East)

Water Use
Blueprint for Water
7 groups who have set out a blueprint for the UK's Water Supply
Centre for Alternative Technology
has an extensive guide to water harvesting
Environment Agency
Water efficiency advice and to report cases of pollution
Rainwater Harvesting Association
Links to member companies
Waterwise
Campaigns for sustainable water use. Has a useful list of water saving devices

Stop Junk Mail

 

We all receive lots of junk mail these days and it is very easy to reduce this waste with minimum effort and at no cost by following these simple rules.

• Have your name (or previous addresses, previous occupants or someone who has died) removed from mailing lists by registering with the Mailing Preference Society, Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ. Tel 0207 766 4410. Fax 0207 976 1886. The easiest way is to register online at www.mpsonline.org.uk

• Return junk mail unopened (write please remove from mailing list on the envelope and post back. (You do not need to use a stamp) or use the freepost envelopes inside the mailings with the request to remove you from the mailing list. Enclose original documents to enable the organisation to trace your details.

• Don't forget to return items as gone away or deceased when you receive mail for previous occupants or if the recipient has died or you will continue to receive mail.

• When you apply for, or buy any service such as a bank account, if you do not want to receive mailings from the organisation, make sure you tick the mailing opt out box normally located on the bottom of the form. Or if you have ordered items on the internet make sure you opt out of paper mailings.

• Reduce leaflets delivered by the Royal Mail by opting out. Use the Junk Buster. However, if you opt out you will not receive government or local authority items distributed by the Royal Mail either. In this area you will not receive Essex Matters - the magazine of Essex County Council.

• To stop mailings from any company with whom you have - or have had - a customer relationship such as your bank, credit card company, insurance company, phone supplier, for example, you will need to request them not to send you anymore marketing mailings. Do this either by returning their mailings marked "No more marketing mailings please" or by emailing them.

• Try putting a 'no unrequested mail' sign on your letterbox.

• Check out the website www.itsmypost.com

For a comprehensive guide on how to stop even more Junk Mail and directories such as Yellow Pages the BT Directory or Thomson Local check out www.stopjunkmail.com

You can also opt out of unsolicited fax messages at http://www.fpsonline.org.uk and telephone calls at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk