Community action/Buckinghamshire
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Buckinghamshire.
News
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‘Robot’ buses could bring more environmental benefits than public transport with drivers, theconversation.com (Nov 20, 2025) - Get on my land! The farmers opening up their patches for nature connection, positive.news (Nov 12, 2024)
- The UK towns at risk of running out of water within six weeks, inews.co.uk (Aug 12, 2026)
- White storks: why introducing non‑native species in rewilding projects can be a good idea, theconversation.com (Jun 05, 2026)
- Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water, reuters.com (May 29, 2026)
- Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government, theguardian.com (Sep 30, 2026)
- The Space Time Continuum, Alternative Editorial (Sep 27, 2026) — Empty spaces will be put back into use, Andy Burnham said, turning them into "community hubs, health centres, shared workspaces, cafés and the local services that people actually want to see.”
- UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer, theguardian.com (Sep 23, 2026) — El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces, theguardian.com (Sep 09, 2026) — The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
- We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question, Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego, theguardian.com (Sep 07, 2026) — Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Fifty Billion Seedlings: Can Ethiopia Replant Its Ravaged Forests?, e360.yale.edu (Oct 01, 2026)
- Want solar but don’t own a roof? California just legalized plug-in panels, no permission required, latimes.com (Sep 30, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]- Low-Impact Living Initiative (based in Buckinghamshire), dedicated to helping protect the global environment by promoting sustainable alternatives to various aspects of everyday life. Lili have produced a number of information sheets which are available as PDFs.
- MK:Smart, bringing together data, enterprise and communities to transform energy, transport and water use in Milton Keynes. "Have you got a great idea for our city? We want your innovative ideas and you to help develop these ideas into citizen-led projects. If you have an idea or want to have your say on other people's ideas visit www.ourmk.org"
- Transition MK
- Transition Town High Wycombe
- Citizens:mk, a growing alliance of diverse community groups – churches, mosques, schools and community associations – working together for a better Milton Keynes.
- MK Peace and Justice Network
Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Community action/Dorset, Community action/Gloucestershire, Community action/United Kingdom/Cycling activism / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
UK and international events
[edit | edit source]UK events
Sep 7 - 11, 2026 (Mon-Fri) — Zero Waste Week, zerowasteweek.co.uk- Sep 11 - 20, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Heritage Open Days, celebrating our fantastic history and culture. Your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore, heritageopendays.org.uk
- Sep 18 - 27, 2026 (Fri-Sun) — Great British Beach Clean, mcsuk.org
Global or international events
- Sep 15, 2026 (Tue) — Free Money Day, Global invitation for people to explore, in a liberating and fun way, what it might be like if our relationship to money was a little different. Sep 15, annually, freemoneyday.org
- Sep 18, 2026 (Fri) — Park(ing) day, global, public, participatory project where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people, myparkingday.org
- Sep 21-27, 2026 (Mon-Sun) — Global Week Of Action For Peace And Climate Justice, climatemilitarism.org
- Sep 21, 2026 (Mon) — International Day of Peace, Globally shared date, Sep 21 each year for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace, internationaldayofpeace.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Buckinghamshire video
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Community and voluntary action
[edit | edit source]Community Action: MK answers enquiries for and about the voluntary and community sector in Milton Keynes. "We also provide information about all aspects of running a voluntary or community group, and can signpost you to other support and information. Community Action: MK also provides information and support about the city's growth, and will be looking to support the new communities moving into the city."
Community energy
[edit | edit source]CAPE, Community Action Platform for Energy project will develop an interactive website designed to assess energy use for individuals and communities in Milton Keynes - Wolverton Community Energy, community owned energy hub rooted in historical Wolverton, a fragment of Victorian history in the heart of Milton Keynes.
Housing and land
[edit | edit source]- Collaborative Housing, hub and collaborative effort to support the development of a pipeline of community-led housing projects across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. 'added 16:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC)
see also: Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England
Sustainable transport activism
[edit | edit source]- Redways, Milton Keynes, 200 miles plus of shared-use paths, known as Redways. The traffic-free network covers most of the city estates with some Redways extending out to connect to the older towns. link checked 10:43, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
A large part of the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, runs through the south of the county and attracts many walkers and cyclists from London. W
Waterways
The Grand Union Canal runs through the county from Milton Keynes down to Marsworth, passing in and out of Bedfordshire on the way. After this it leaves and enters Hertfordshire. At Marsworth two branches separated, one to Aylesbury and one to Wendover. The Aylesbury branch remains active to this day, whilst the Wendover arm was closed over a century ago. However it is now being restored by a volunteer trust who have reopened it as far as Little Tring. It is presently being restored back to Aston Clinton (see trust website). W
- Aylesbury Canal Society, W
- Wendover Arm Trust restoring the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal
Walking
Footpaths in Buckinghamshire, (category) W
Cycling activism
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The Milton Keynes redway system (locally known as redways) is an over 200 miles (320 kilometres) network of shared use paths for cyclists and pedestrians in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is generally surfaced with red tarmac, and criss-crosses most of the city.
Some of these redways run next to the grid roads and local roads, with underpasses or bridges where they intersect major roads. Others run through park land and along the floodplain of the Great Ouse and its tributaries.
Construction of the redway commenced in the 1970s with the start of the construction of the "new city". By 1980 it was the largest urban cycleway system in the UK with 22 miles (35.4 km) in use.
Biodiversity
[edit | edit source]Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
News archive
[edit | edit source]2015-2016
- Funding for Citizen Innovators, Sep, 2016...Transition MK
- Local environmental group Transition MK celebrate MK's commitment to low carbon living! November 30, 2015...communityactionmk.org
- Local environmental group, Transition MK, are celebrating two successful events which aimed to raise local people's awareness of climate change and encourage residents of Milton Keynes to take action to show their support for more sustainable living.
About Buckinghamshire
[edit | edit source]Buckinghamshire ( , abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes.
The county has an area of 1,874 km2 (724 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 884,656 in 2024. Besides Milton Keynes, which is in the north-east, the largest settlements are in the centre and south of the county and include Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and Chesham. For local government purposes the county comprises two unitary authority areas, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The county historically had slightly different borders, and included the towns of Slough and Eton. It is one of the home counties.
The Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, occupy the south of the county and contain its highest point, Haddington Hill (267 m (876 ft)). The Chilterns are the source of the River Ouzel, which flows across the lowland Vale of Aylesbury in the north of the county and through Milton Keynes before meeting the River Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell. The Thames forms part of the county's southern boundary.
Notable amenities in the county include Pinewood Film Studios, Dorney rowing lake and part of Silverstone race track on the Northamptonshire border. Many national companies have headquarters or major centres in Milton Keynes. Heavy industry and quarrying is limited, with agriculture predominating after service industries.
See also
[edit | edit source]| Authors | Phil Green |
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| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2014–2026). "Community action/Buckinghamshire". Appropedia. Retrieved October 3, 2026. |