A community in Oxford is hoping to do its bit for the environment by setting up a low carbon group.

Headington residents Jill Haas and James Bloice Smith want to set up a group to promote green issues and raise awareness of the impact people's day-to-day lives have on the environment - and how they can minimise it.

Mr Bloice Smith said: "There are a lot of things that people and the community can do to be more environmentally friendly - and this group would be there to provide help.

"We know Headington has a significant emissions problem caused by the number of cars and bigger vehicles coming through the area.

"One thing we would like to do is take air samples and measure how clean the atmosphere is here.

"We could also measure people's carbon footprints. If you asked me mine, I couldn't tell you but knowledge enables you to act."

A person's carbon footprint shows the impact their activities have on the environment and is calculated using things like utility bills, petrol consumption and the number of flights they make each year.

By using this information, it is possible to work out the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

The average person in the UK generates about nine tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Ms Haas said the group could learn from similar schemes elsewhere in the county.

She said: "There is a similar group in Wolvercote. They've done a fantastic job and shown other communities how it's done.

"They have closed roads off to cars, set up groups to look at renewable energy like solar panels and wind turbines and low energy light bulbs - all sorts of things.

"You can do things as an individual, but it's easier when you work together to do it as a group. It forms a sense of community which is important."

Mr Bloice Smith said they were hoping to arrange an open evening in April, where people could get together to talk about the issues and find out what other members of the community thought were important.