Cambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF) is a local charity which provides practical tools and support to enable individuals to take action on climate change by reducing carbon emissions at home, in the community and at work. The Net Zero Now training programme, which ran in summer 2021 over 5 months, trained and empowered local community leaders. Participants learnt to communicate climate messages, put on climate related events, design and implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions in their area, and educate and engage people from all backgrounds.
The Audience
Course numbers were limited to maximise the ability for trainees to network effectively online, and to ensure that trainers were able to support each participant. Therefore, to maximise training outcomes, CCF prioritised several key audiences. Existing leaders in the community (e.g. parish councillors, church leaders, scout leaders etc.) were identified early on as a key target audience. Respected in their communities and with established networks, they were considered well placed to implement projects and communicate effectively. Any deficits in environmental knowledge could be rectified with training. Environmental leaders were identified as understanding the issues but lacking the influence of community leaders. Where it seemed that these candidates could benefit from skills training to establish those networks, they were invited to participate. Existing climate leaders were not considered for the course, as it was thought they would benefit much less from the training. Candidates were assessed through online applications which were reviewed by the training team.
The Scoping Survey
Between February and March 2021, CCF conducted a scoping survey comprising 63 respondents of a range of ages and locations. The results of the scoping survey can be summarised below:
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100% were interested in both the community and the environment.
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44% of respondents were unaware of local environmental groups.
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> 60% of respondents were interested in learning more about communicating environmental issues and connecting with others.
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> 50% of respondents were interested in live, online interactive seminars and an online platform to connect with others.
This scoping exercise allowed CCF to identify the areas which required the most focus within the training programme and tailor it to this audience.
The Programme Structure
The training programme focused on three key areas:
The course was held over 5 months, comprising 8 2-hour live online seminars with guest speakers, and a series of at-home exercises and further readings. The online platform Slack was used as an ongoing communication channel, and additional one-to-ones, in-person social events and help sessions were held.
The seminar programme included the following sessions, with a mixture of focusing on theoretical and practical skills:
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Title
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Description
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Theoretical
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Climate Change and Carbon Footprints
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How climate change has been tackled previously and cementing understandings of climate change and carbon reduction.
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Understanding Solutions and the Local context
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How ideas can be implemented in a local context as part of a collective response to climate change at all levels.
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Communicating climate change
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Understanding what messages do and don’t work with rural audiences and how best to communicate climate solutions.
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Behaviour Change
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How and why do people take on pro-environmental behaviours – what this means for developing projects.
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Practical
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Shaping your Initiatives
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How to review and prioritise the best climate solutions to take forward.
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Community Project Management
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Practical tools for planning and managing effective local projects.
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Managing Groups
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How to build a strong team and engage others to deliver local climate action.
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Communications and Events
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How to organise engaging activities and promote and publicise them.
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This structure was selected to guide participants through structuring their ideas, channelling their ambitions and finally implementing plans.