Climate Action Groups
What are Climate Action Groups?
Climate Action Groups are for people who want to come together to share thoughts, ideas, feelings and concerns on climate change and to then take decisive action within their local communities.
Conventional approaches to climate change sometimes prescribe set activities, targets, and result areas and provide a rigid “checklist” for activities. Motivational theory shows that a more flexible approach based on self-directed learning is likely to be more effective and easier to replicate. The Action Groups adopt a more flexible method, using a "learning set" or "Study Action Group" (SAG) model based on self-directed learning.
Action Groups themselves can be composed of individuals, friends, acquaintances, neighbours or work colleagues. Action groups can grow out of already existing organisations or larger groups.
How it works...
The Matchmaker Meeting
COIN works with a local individual or group to set up a “matchmaker meeting”in which we use facilitating techniques to enable people to form groups around particular topics or issues that they want to work on. The matchmaker meeting takes place over a 2.5 hour period normally during an evening or weekend.
From a single matchmaker event, several Climate Action Groups are formed on issues ranging from lobbying local government to do more to reduce emissions to promoting green technologies in the home.
Action Plans and Regular Meet Ups
The groups arrange a subsequent meeting in which they agree the overall aim of their group, an action plan and regular meetings (at least one per month) to take the action plan forward over a six month period. Actions are then carried out as each group works towards its goals.
Ongoing Support
A meeting for all action groups is held at one month and three months after the matchmaker meeting. Action Groups are encouraged to report back and share experiences on their actions as well as to seek support and guidance from COIN and other Action Groups.
Final Evaluation
At the end of the six month period, Action Groups meet to evaluate their action plan and to decide whether or not they will contiue with their existing project, take on a new challenge or disband altogether. A final meeting for all Action Groups is held ot evaluate the project as a whole, celebrate successes and help indivdiuals to strengthen either their projects or get more involved in other initiatives.
Current Climate Action Groups: Reading
On 28 September 2008, COIN in partnership with Greater Reading Environmental Network hosted a “matchmaker event” aimed at facilitating the formation of Climate Action Groups across Reading. Of the 40 people who attended the 28 September event, 27 have joined one of the five action groups created on the day. The Climate Action Groups formed are:
- Home-Owners Energy Group: Aimed at gathering and disseminating information to help people reduce their energy use in the home.
- Monthly Car Free Day: Aimed at making the annual car free day a monthly event.
- International Solidarity: Aimed at forging environmental links with existing twin towns in Nicaragua.
- Reading Lobby Action: Aimed at setting up a public meeting, building links with the council etc.
- Skills Swap Shop: Establishing a low carbon artists/ community skills swap shop which would be aimed at helping people to learn low carbon skills from one another.
It's not too late to get involved. If you live or work in the Reading area and would like to get involved in any of the above action groups, contact Catrina Pickering, CAG Project Manager, catrina_at_coinet.org.uk, 01865 403 334.
Climate Action Group Examples
Examples of previous Climate Action Groups include the following:
• Green energy in public buildings (Camden): Persuaded two schools to change energy supplier.
• Tappers (Camden): Launched a campaign against the use of bottled waters, got a public fountain installed and raised considerable local awareness of the carbon cost of bottled water including through genearting local media coverage.
• Sheffield Renewables Campaign (Sheffield): Set up a growing group working towards establishing renewable energy projects around the city).
• Reading group (Sheffield; run a monthly book group focussed on climate change).
• Chocolate Aeroplanes (Sheffield; organise street events and raised awareness through an arc-building event covered by the press).
• Green House (Sheffield): Investigated green technologies for the home available locally, launched a blog and are now working towards a fuller website.
• Voice of Oxford Climate Action Lobby – VOCAL (Oxford): Engages in dialogue with local Councillors and Officers to act as a lobbying force to persuade local government to do more to reduce local carbon emissions.
Evaluation
COIN recently undertook an evaluation of our 2007 Climate Action Groups to identify areas of improvement for future Climate Action Group initiatives.
Access the 2007 Climate Action Group Evaluation Report here:
Set Up Climate Action Groups in Your Area
If you want to set up Climate Action Groups in your area or you have ideas about trying new techniques for mobilising people using similar self-directed techniques, we want to hear from you.
For further information contact catrina_at_coinet.org.uk, tel. 01865 403334.
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