Climate Action Groups

What are Climate Action Groups?

Climate Action Groups (CAGs) 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 and/ or networks.

Action Groups themselves can be composed of individuals, friends, acquaintances, neighbours, trade unionists or work colleagues. Action groups can grow out of existing organisations or larger groups.
 

Climate Action Group Examples

• Reading Energy Pioneers: Aimed at gathering and disseminating information to help people reduce their energy use in the home (Reading).
• Car Free Day: Aimed at making the annual car free day a monthly event (Reading).
• International Solidarity: Aimed at forging environmental links with existing twin towns in Nicaragua (Reading).
• Reading Lobby Action: Aimed at setting up a public meeting, building links with the council etc (Reading).
• Sheffield Renewables Campaign: Set up a growing group working towards establishing renewable energy projects around the city (Sheffield).
• Reading group: Ran a monthly book group focussed on climate change (Sheffield).
• Chocolate Aeroplanes: Organises street events and raised awareness through an arc-building event covered by the press (Sheffield).
• Green House: Investigated green technologies for the home available locally, launched a blog and are now working towards a fuller website (Sheffield).
• Green energy in public buildings: Persuaded two schools to change energy supplier (Camden).
• Tappers: 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 generating local media coverage (Camden).

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 continue with their existing project, take on a new challenge or disband altogether. A final meeting for all Action Groups is held to evaluate the project as a whole, celebrate successes and help individuals to strengthen either their projects or get more involved in other initiatives.

The Climate Action Group Toolkit

COIN has launched a Climate Action Group toolkit that incorporates our learnings from previous Climate Action Groups and provides all the information you need to set up and support CAGs in your local area.

The toolkit includes:

• How to plan, publicise and get the best out of your Matchmaker (the event that creates and launches the Climate Action Groups)
• A step-by-step guide to facilitating the Matchmaker and final evaluation event
• A guide for Climate Action Group Convenors who coordinate each resulting group including tips on how to chair meetings and how to keep the momentum going.
• An appendices section including sample publicity materials and action plans.

Free Support and Advice

In addition to the toolkit, COIN is offering free support and advice to those who want to set up Climate Action Groups including facilitation of the Matchmaker (if required) and assistance for those looking to obtain funding to support their groups.

Get your free Climate Action Group Toolkit

To receive a free electronic copy of the toolkit you download from the link above and/or for further information, contact Clayton Lavallin, clayton@coinet.org.uk, 01865 403 334.

How successful are they?

COIN has solicited independent researchers to undertake in-depth evaluations of its 2007-08 and 2008-09 CAGs.  These evaluations in turn feed into our ongoing development of our work to inspire and mobilise people on climate change.

View the 2008-09 evaluation

View the 2007-08 evaluation