Reaching New Populations

1
Reaching New Populations Enhancing Community
Leadership
Tina Clarke Clean Water Action Dr. Philip
Rice Sustainability Institute www.OurClimateOursel
ves.org oco_at_sustainer.org
2
Our Climate Ourselves supports those leaders who
are acting on climate change

• Systems science
• briefings (in person and via web-conferences)
• slide-sets on climate change and on solutions
• Writings
• short, visionary, personal, systems-focused
  views on addressing climate change, freely
  reproducible
• Connections
• bringing together leaders for learning and
  collaboration
• Resources
• videos, computer simulators, community building
  exercises
• Skill building
• personal effectiveness, political organizing,
  strategy, visioning

3
Outline of workshop

• Defining Sustainable Culture
• Reaching More People
• Enhancing Community Leadership
• Engaging More Volunteers

4
Creating Sustainable Culture

• Relocalize the Economy Food, Energy, Products
• Grow Community -- Mutual Support
• Change the Energy System Replace dirty energy
  with EFFICIENT technologies safe, clean,
  renewable energy
• Care for all People. Protection of the
  Vulnerable.
• Protect Ecosystems
• Promote Sustainable Lifestyles
• Reduce War Use International Law Peacekeeping
  Instead of Violence to achieve foreign policy
  goals
• Ensure the Rights of Nature Future Generations

5
The Importance of a Positive Vision

• We have the power to restore CO2 to 350 ppm or
  below as long as we start now and commit to do
  what is necessary.
• There are many paths to 350 ppm.
• Many of them lead not only to fossil fuel- and
  nuclear power-independence but also to healthier,
  more just, more fulfilling societies.

6
Reaching More People

• Four components to Engaging People
• Learn about them their worldview, sources of
  identity/meaning, and circumstances
• Respond to emotions
• Experiment with a range of tools and methods
• Focus on relationship-building

7
Component 1 Learn about the people you seek to
reach

• Approach
• Respect
• Ask for Advice
• Observe Participate in their world -- in ways
  they prefer
• Support
• Reflect
• What do they believe about the earth, economy,
  how to live?
• EARTH Humans superior, Nature dominates, Nature
  irrelevant
• How do they know who they arewhat they are
  doing?
• IDENTITY -- Individual accomplishments, Family,
  Ethnicity, Profession, Faith, Hero, Group, or
  what?
• What is their situation challenges, needs,
  hopes, goals?
• CIRCUMSTANCES -- What are the circumstances they
  face? Economic, language, class, race, social
  challenges?

8
Propose solutions that solve other problems as
well

• Climate change solutions, carefully crafted can
  also
• Provide good jobs in communities that need them.
• Narrow the gap between rich and poor.
• Create resiliency and crisis preparedness though
  increased social capital.
• Improve public health.

9
Component 2 Respond to Emotions

• Emotional Responses to the Climate Crisis
• Anger
• Grief/Despair
• Denial
• Idealism/Fantasy
• Apathy
• Anxiety

10
Emotions as Guides

• Fear pay attention
• Anger protect something precious
• Sadness or Grief  accept the things that cannot
  change
• Happiness or Excitement seize the opportunity
• Numbness response when short-term and long-term
  are conflicting it is a signal to transcend that
  trap

11
Responding to Emotions

• Anger Dialogue
• Grief/Despair Caring Invite to join others
  in doing something positive and achievable
• Denial Find another angle that they can say
  yes to
• Idealism/Fantasy Affirm Encourage in positive
  directions
• Apathy invite to join others in doing something
  fun, positive and achievable

12
Component 3 experiment with different methods
of connecting

• Videos, Movies
• Social Cultural Events
• Work projects Mutual Support
• Youth and childrens activities
• Educational events Continuing Ed. Credits
• Web-based Meet Ups
• What else?

13
Component 4 Focus on Relationship-Building

• Being too goal-oriented can make people
  suspicious or unresponsive
• It takes a long time to learn how people think
  and feel
• Out of relationships comes a sense of what you
  can appropriately ask of people, and what they
  are more likely to say yes to.
• Investing in relationships getting to know
  people means fewer mistakes and problems
• Out of relationships emerge new possibilities

14
Enhancing Community Leadership

• Engaging more volunteers
• Ask Invite. People join because they are
  personally asked to
• Hold the Vision Reflect together on the larger
  purpose we are working on together
• Social connections
• Structure clear tasks and responsibilities
• Flexibility Respond to individuals

15
Nurturing leadership supporting people to
co-create leadership roles

• Support the Unfolding of each person spend time
  to learn what they want to give, learn and
  experience.
• Encourage people where they have abilities. Help
  them succeed.
• Set goals.
• Weekly support and problem-solving
• Respond to personal styles
• Develop a team and praise people for things that
  build the team and a culture of mutual support
• Celebrate, have fun, enjoy

16
Respond to personal styles

• Do they ask for help or try to do it all on their
  own?
• Do they need support to get going or do they need
  check-in so that they dont go too far off on
  their own?
• Do they need structure or do they feel
  constrained by it?
• How do they take in information (read, hear, see,
  do)?
• Do they want and need reminders?

17
Where to Find Additional Information

• Additional resources, copies of slides,
  linkswww.OurClimateOurselves.org/oco-resources
• Validating or refuting skeptics-
  gristmill.grist.org/skeptics
• Tipping point video- wakeupfreakout.org
• Additional video about the tipping point concept-
  www.tallbergfoundation.org Also link under
  Tallberg Initiatives to 350

18
Where to Find Additional Information

• Bathtub Climate Simulation helps you understand
  the nature of the delays and how much reduction
  is needed to stabilize the level of CO2 in the
  atmosphere. Follow link from the OCO resources
  page or go towww.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/watch/cli
  mate_change/challenge.htm
• Information on the Sustainability Revolution
  Limits to Growth The 30-Year Update, Meadows,
  Meadows and Randers, 2004 and Great Turning
  www.joannamacy.net

19
Where to Find Additional Information

• The role of vision in creating a new world
  www.sustainer.org/pubs/Envisioning.DMeadows.pdf
• Video of Donella Meadows speaking about the role
  of vision in changing the world
  www.sustainer.org/tools_resources/
• Short columns about climate change and keeping
  faith in these timeswww.sustainer.org/oco/oco-wr
  itings

20
For more info and updates

• Our Climate Ourselves
• Sustainability Institute
• OCO_at_sustainer.org
• www.OurClimateOurselves.org