Category: Uncategorized

Talking about climate change – how to ………..

We had a great and informative evening with Emma from Create the Future on how to talk about climate change.

The session was fast paced and involved lots of slots to engage with the material and chat with other participants – sharing ideas and suggestions – to make us all clearer and more confident in discussing climate change with family, friends and the public. This event was set up to kick start in advance of the South West Herts Great Big Green Week – and it certainly gave us lots to think and skills to test and use over the week of event.

Top learnings from the evening included:

  • Sometimes using facts can have a negative effect, leaving audiences numb and distant from reality – people stop listening -so make it tangible and personal
  • Peoples behaviours are not solely based on a lack of knowledge – need to understand and reflect on their physical ability, opportunity and motivation
  • Emphasising common ground and shared values can help to reduce eco anxiety and increase climate action. As:
    • more people than we might realise are interested and want to take climate action, but fear and mistrust lead people to not act on their interest.
    • shaming people can therefore lead to a defensive denial response, which is unhelpful.
  • The climate crisis is as much a cultural problem as it is a scientific one – and so we also need cultural solutions. Storytelling and creativity can help create visions to work towards and can empower people to take action rooted in hope rather than fear.

Overall the session looked at:

• Decoding societal values: Understanding how collective values shape behaviour and how values-based messaging can help shift social norms.
• Busting myths: Exploring why some popular climate communication strategies fall short and how we can do better.
• Bridging the perception gap: Understanding why trust is crucial to fostering collective action and alleviating eco-anxiety.
• Making language swaps: Learning to shift your language to craft messages that build trust, foster community, and create a connection with our beautiful Earth.

Calling local green groups

As you may be aware Watford and Three Rivers Friends of the Earth (W3RFOE) have organised a Great Big Green Week over the last three years which has involved numerous local groups (Green Watford).  Following conversations with these groups, and others, one requested action that constantly comes up is how great it would be to have a meeting where local green, sustainable and environmental groups can come together with the aim of:

  • connecting different groups to share areas of synergy and potential collaboration,
  • raising awareness of the breadth and depth of work that is undertaken across Watford, and
  • sharing ideas and best practices to support the work we do.

To support these aims W3RFOE are hosting two “connections” meeting:

  • one for Watford groups on the 8th November between 1900-2045 in central Watford, and
  • one for Three Rivers groups on the 29th November between 1900 – 2045 in Croxley Green.

We would like to invite up to 2 people per group to attend, we hope you can make it. The meeting is aimed at groups whether micro local or branches of national bodies, whether voluntary or private sector – and across all green, sustainable and environmental sectors.  

The venue details will be sent to confirmed attendees and refreshments will be provided, the venue is fully accessible.  The agenda for the event will be confirmed 1 week in advance as the structure of the event will in part be dictated by the number and breadth of attendees, and the agenda will therefore be tailored to ensure groups and individuals get the most out of the meeting.

We hope this meeting starts conversations and supports you as organisations, and collectively as groups in Watford, work together and work smart to have the impact we all want and aim for.

If you are interested in attending either event please contact us at sustainableswherts@greenwatford.uk