Two local events marking Big Energy Saving Week - a national campaign to help people cut fuel bills and get financial support they’re entitled to - explore how to improve individual sustainability at a very uncertain time.

The campaign is promoted by Citizens Advice and the energy saving trust.

Citizens Advice says throughout the campaign it “will deliver key energy advice to clients across England and Wales, helping them save money while keeping warm this winter, and reassuring them that Citizens Advice is here to provide support in the coming months”.

Locally, on January 17 at October Books in Portswood, there’s the chance to chat to environmental activist Lyn Brayshaw about owning an eco-home, low impact travel and transport and other changes “that you can make that will make a real difference to our planet”.

There are more details and booking from this link.

And on January 18 Denise Baden from the University of Southampton will talk about her work on more sustainable hairdressing and washing, as well as her recent publication of fiction and the use of green stories to help others imagine a more sustainable future.

Also at the January 18 event, Claudia Murg from We Make Southampton will be talking about her project ‘Is this Street Made for you?’ It’s described as “a collaborative project with Southampton University’s Public Engagement Research Unit which explores the impact of the role of roads in our wellbeing and how we use them to connect or disconnect from the world around us”.

More details here.

You can also find out more about how to save money on your energy bills at the energy saving trust’s website, while Citizens Advice can also offer information about saving money and dealing with utility companies.

Independent charity The Environment Centre also offers information on energy topics, from keeping warm to saving money and going green.