The DIY effect

It’s amazing how inspirational the idea of doing it yourself can be…

A few weeks
ago I went to an open house event where people who’d eco-renovated their houses
with energy saving kit got to show it off to the public. One guy had given his
house the full DIY treatment and had actually built his own wind turbine and
solar hot water system and was using them to power the tv and wash the dishes.
Fantastic! Certainly got the cogs whirring in my mind about ways I could use
similar systems back at home. How brilliant to be able to get creative with
bits of old scrap material (old copper pipes, bits of wood and foam) and to
make them into something as useful as a self fuelling hot water system!

That’s what
I love about the idea of a low carbon future. A big theme in most of the plans
that have been drawn up is localisation – increasing fuel efficiency by making
and doing things closer to home. This basically means more people get more
control over the things that matter in life – DIY on a community scale. Local energy,
local shops, local crafts, local food, local materials – even if it’s bits of
old scrap made into something new.

As a way of
organising a community, this low carbon approach is so tactile, creative,
engaging and personal. Like building a DIY solar hot water system, DIY on a
community scale is all about empowerment (no pun intended!). In our often disillusioned and
disjointed society, this re-empowerment and re-energising of our communities is an enormous breath of fresh air.

DIY rules!