Zero Chippenham

Zero Chippenham is a well established, volunteer-run community group, with the aim of transitioning our town to a climate and nature friendly, sustainable and resilient community. The group is well aligned with the Transition Movement’s core principles of resilience, re-localisation and regeneration.

Our projects and initiatives include a community solar panel scheme; energy efficiency workshops; thermal imaging camera loan scheme; share and repair (including a monthly Repair Café); water refill; sustainable transport; air quality monitoring; river pollution monitoring; and community and local business outreach. We have led numerous public engagement events including a community sustainability day, a sustainable business event, climate action workshops, home energy workshops and People’s Emergency Briefing screenings. Previous projects have included extensive tree planting on local farms and Town Council land (for which we received a Chippenham Civic Society Conservation and Environment Award), combatting use of single use plastics and reduction of food waste.

We regularly engage with the public at local events and encourage people to add their ideas about what can be done locally (via our ‘Ideas Tree’). Recent work includes producing a ‘directory’ of local groups involved in climate/ nature related activities, and promoting and supporting community groups and businesses with further screenings of the People’s Emergency Briefing.

Zero Chippenham was responsible for setting up Zero North Wiltshire, a Community Energy (Bencom) organisation, with which have close links. We work with other local organisations including the Chippenham Cycle Network Development Group (Cycle Chippenham), Bath Share and Repair, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Surfers Against Sewage, the Wiltshire Climate Alliance, Friends of Chippenham Station, Wiltshire Council, Chippenham Town Council and local schools. We have also extended our Community Solar scheme to neighbouring groups such as Sustainable Calne, Melksham Environment Group, Sustainable Sherston and the Royal Wootton Bassett Environment Trust.

Our ethos is one of inclusivity, collaboration and enabling local action. We encourage people to get involved and take a lead on new projects that are consistent with our aims and objectives, with an emphasis on practical action and delivery.