In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams describes the ultimate torture device:

When you are put into the Total Perspective Vortex, you are given just one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation, and somewhere in it a tiny little mark, a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, which says, 'You are here.'"

I imagine Duncan Clark has a good idea of how this feels. Along with his co-author Mike Berners-Lee, he's spent the last few years studying international politics, the workings of the fossil fuel industry, and the latest research to take stock of where we are with climate change – and it's not pretty.

You couldn't have picked a better day to go solar. Under an impeccably blue bank holiday sky, Mechteld Blake watched a team of builders bolt the last glinting PV panel to the roof of her son's primary school.

Pendock primary in Worcestershire is among the first of this year's Solar Schools to turn its virtual panels – sponsored by parents, former pupils, local businesses and others from the community – into real ones.

But it's been quite a journey. Here's how Pendock's solar success story unfolded...

Ready to take your carbon cutting to the next level? After two amazing years, we're recruiting a new group of schools to join our Solar Schools project. 

Led by a team of local volunteers, schools work with the whole community to raise the cash for their very own solar roof. Each school can take donations and tell their story through their own page on solarschools.org.uk.

Not a teacher? Not a problem!

This isn't just for teachers: some of the best Solar Schools teams are led by parents, governors or support staff. You don't have to be a pro fundraiser or a solar expert either: if you're connected to a school and can spare some time to make this work, we want to hear from you!

Learn more and start your application at solarschools.org.uk/apply

UPDATE 16 May 2013: We've got a date! The key vote is scheduled for Monday 3 June. If you haven't already contacted your MP about this, now's the time!

Great news – we've got another chance to put Britain on the fast track to fossil-free electricity!

MPs are about to decide whether to set a 2030 target for ultra low-carbon power. This is the biggest climate vote in years, and it's looking winnable.

Clean electricity means a smaller carbon footprint for everyone. If you want it, tell your MP to vote for it!

Our email tool makes it ridiculously easy, giving you writing tips tailored to your MP's position.

Let's get writing!

UPDATE 16 May 2013: We've got a date! The key vote is scheduled for Monday 3 June. If you haven't already contacted your MP about this, now's the time!

The Energy Bill, at a jaunty angle

1. What's going on?

MPs are voting on the Energy Bill, a wide-ranging policy that sets the long-term course for our energy system.

There's a (lovable) rogue amendment on the table, which would set an upper limit on carbon emissions from electricity.

MPs will vote on this separately, and if it passes, we'll be charging our hoverboards with nearly zero-carbon power by 2030 – good news for pretty much everyone who doesn't sell oil for a living.

Ready to get stuck in? Use our email tool to get your MP on board

"You call that a landmark bill? THIS is a landmark bill"

2. Why that matters

Ok sure, there's plenty of obscure green targets you could get excited about – let me tell you why it's worth getting excited about this one in particular.

Right now, most of our electricity comes from a fleet of knackered old coal and gas-fired power plants, and they need replacing ASAP.

What comes next? It's basically a choice between clean energy sources like wind and solar, or another wave of pollution-tastic gas fired power plants. 

Fixing an electric toothbrush at Repair Cafe Amsterdam

Bike lanes. Flower fields. A language that makes everything sound amazing.

There's lots of reasons to envy our Dutch cousins, but the list has been a little bit shorter since their Repair Cafe concept arrived here in Britain.

Energy from wastewater can cover 70% of the community's heating. Photo: Eos Lightmedia

It's crazy when you think about it. From showering in the morning to draining the pasta for dinner, we each put gallons of hot water down the drain every day.

Mix it all up, and it's enough to keep our sewers flowing at a balmy average of 15C. That's a lot of energy babies being thrown out with our bathwater.

I've always thought there should be a way to re-use that heat, but I suspect the demand for lukewarm sewage-filled radiators is fairly modest. Luckily, there's another way.

With strong winds and rough seas, Scotland has some of the best renewable energy resources in the world. Photo: Graham Robertson

Good old Scotland. While Westminster squabbles over whether we really need a clear plan for green electricity (clue: we do), Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has come out and adopted the most ambitous target anyone's ever suggested.

Thanks guys, that really clears things up

If you've bought an appliance recently, chances are it's got a mysterious new 'Eco' button somewhere on the control panel. And if you're anything like me, you have absolutely no idea what it's for.

I get that using eco mode is environmentally positive in some sense, but that could mean almost anything. Are we talking lower power consumption? Soothing whalesong audio prompts? No-one seems to know. (Manufacturers: if you're reading this, I would pay good money for a printer with whalesong mode.)

Anyway, after moving into a new flat with four newish appliances and zero instruction manuals, I decided to try and solve the mystery of eco mode for myself.

Spot the insulated roof! With less heat escaping, snow melts slower on Marie's house

We couldn't have picked a better time for a cold snap.

As the temperature drops and energy company execs start desperately stockpiling money sacks, the government has launched a new fund to cut the cost of home insulation and other energy-saving measures.