KlimaatGesprekken in Netherlands

have groups in Amsterdam (several), Utrecht (several), Alkmaar, Haarlem, Leiden, Amersfoort, and more to come in Holland right now. Through social media and our newsletter our monthly reach is about 500 people right now. And we had four (local) press releases this year so far.

We are participating in a contest for green start ups with this short pitch

 

https://vimeo.com/219653713

Conversations in California

I have had a wonderful email form Patrick Carr, from Arcata, California, who is running a series of groups called "Climate Conversations" for the local City of Arcata Recreation Division. We sent him a package of materials earlier in the year, and now he writes:

“I adapted the material and the group structure pretty significantly to be more appropriate to American (and specifically, Arcatan) audiences. I produced a The groups ran weekly for six weeks; I don't find many people who can reliably keep track of and attend meetings held every other week, nor a series that runs for more than six weeks (unless it's required for work or education). I think Americans may have a shorter attention span that Brits possess. …

I borrowed mightily from the suggested learning games and approaches used by Carbon Conversations, but I researched and produced a lot of the material on my own. This was prompted by the need to have info on the issues faced in the U.S. and specifically in Arcata. We're non-metric, for better or worse, and have some advantages and disadvantages relative to the U.K. … We drive more miles (especially in this far-flung county with poor mass transit), but now have a lot of electric cars on the market with federal and state incentives. …

I had difficulty finding a co-facilitator for the program so I took a chance on facilitating alone. I've had a lot of experience providing group psychotherapy, so I wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of running a group, but I had to ensure that I didn't lapse into a mode of providing therapy rather than focusing on the education part and encouraging the participants to simply share their experience, and encouraging them to stay constructive.

The feedback that I heard from group members was that the information was helpful (and as the group progressed through the weeks I was hearing more about specific plans the participants had), but that the opportunity to talk about each of us having a role in the climate change crisis, and the distress this causes, was the most helpful part of the program.

The City of Arcata was very supportive of this project and I plan to provide another section of Climate Conversations in the fall. I appreciate your assistance and especially the tremendous inspiration that you and Rosemary Randall provided me in simply developing a program like Carbon Conversations. “

What's Happening

Klimaatgesprekken

We have been collaborating  with the group Klimaatgesprekken in The Netherlands, who have been adapting the international handbook for their own "Climate Conversations". They already have a team of experienced facilitators and are organising another training, with help from colleagues in the UK, in June. 

a Tale of 2 Futures

Domspain Consulting in Spain are also adapting the CC materials as part of an EU Erasmus+ project. In 2016, The Surefoot Effect from the UK, Dom Spain from Spain and Ziniu Kodas from Lithuania, have secured €180,000 worth of funding for a 3-year long project with a focus on communicating solutions to energy issues and climate change at the local, European and national levels. The programme will be adapted to the cultural contexts of Spain and Lithuania and new guides in both Spanish and Lithuanian will be produced.

LaRevueDurable

Having successfully run facilitator training and a pilot groups in Biovallée and the Drôme valley,the International Handbook is now being adapted by the LaRevueDurable in France and Switzerland to develop a French language project in Europe.

Introduction to Carbon Conversations in Brighton

This course for those wishing to facilitate Carbon Conversations groups will be taking place on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of June with an introductory day on Friday the 9th for those who have not yet participated in a CC group.  The course will be held at Brighton Peace and Environment Centre which is just a stone's throw from the beach so grab your workbook and sunscreen and sign up for the last place on the course.  please contact

Peterborough

 A workshop around Carbon Conversations, presented by Peterborough in Transition and British Psychological Society on the 15th May. Free, but please register.

International interest

We have also had enquiries from groups in Finland, the WWW in Hong Kong and  an EU Horizons 2020 project in France.

More?

If we have missed your project, or you have any news, please post a comment or .

New Website

Welcome to the new Carbon Conversations website.

The Surefoot Effect CIC has given up management of the Carbon Conversations project, along with responsibility for publishing the materials and running the website, carbonconversations.org. We have created these new pages, primarily to make the materials available. This site does not have the mechanics for managing groups nor any login for users. It will replace the existing pages in a few days. (Since July, the old pages are no longer available.)

The Carbon Conversations materials are being re-issued under a Creative Commons Licence and will be freely available for download from the new website, in a few days. While stocks last, hard copies of the materials will be available to facilitators at discounted prices via www.surefoot-effect.com.   Remaindered copies of ‘In Time for Tomorrow?’ are available both from Surefoot and here.

The Carbon Conversations project started in 2006. There are still some successful groups being run in the UK and the materials and methods are being adapted around the world.  We will not be updating the materials any further (the most recent update was completed in 2014 for the 2015 publication of 'In Time for Tomorrow') and although the psycho-social approach and the type of group work that we pioneered is still relevant it needs to be adapted to people's changing needs and the current political climate. We hope that the common experience of everyone who has participated in the project will continue to inform their work on climate change and that the methods and materials will prove a departure point for more interesting projects.

We hope the other pages here will answer queries about the changes and the use of the materials. We may find the time to extend this information and list organisations who are using Carbon Conversations and their activities. Please email us, if you have queries or would like us to post something about your use of Carbon Conversations, but please be tolerant if we are slow to reply!

[ This page was edited in July 2017 to provide clarity about dates and to remove out of date links.]