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Strategies that Work

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Overview

In Session 1, Introduction to the Situation, you learned about the science underlying the climate crisis.  While it can be easy to feel overwhelmed,  you want to act.  So what can you do?  In Session 2, you will see that the breadth of the emission sources contributing to climate change is both a problem and an opportunity.  We provide many footholds from which you can begin to take action in your organization.  Our actions together CAN be commensurate to the size of the problem.  Being mindful of the whole system, we can make decisions and investments that foster resilience and a just transition that works to benefit all beings, and re-balances the ecological system upon which we all depend.

 

Jim Notman kicks off this session as one who heard the call and responded. Without a formal sustainability role in his company, Jim began talking with colleagues, learned more about options, and his commitment was recently honored with an international sustainability role. Next, Dr. Jonathan Foley, the Executive Director of Project Drawdown, masterfully describes: (a) the major categories of human-made emissions that promote climate change, (b) the natural Land and Water “sinks” that absorb about 40% of those emissions, and, (c) the remaining approximately 60% of emissions that we need to eliminate. He touches on each of the major sources and some solutions, laying the groundwork for the deeper dive our Tracks will offer later in this session.  To help you choose your Track, Marianne Mensah, provides a quick overview of the SWOT analysis tool (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats).  

 

Next come the Tracks.  In our scheduled session, you will have time to listen to one of these 40-minute Tracks, in which speakers take a deeper dive into concepts, tools and actions for Transportation, Built Environment, Energy Use, Circular Value Chain, and, Food & Ecosystems.  We encourage you to go back later and listen to them all! Wrapping up, we shift to the Action Plan template you started in Session 1, and Hui Wen Chan joins us again to share lessons learned from the week’s assignment.

[0:00:00 - 0:02:51]

Big Opportunities

  1. THINK IN SYSTEMS - Step back and look at the entire system.  Systems thinking helps us understand the current reality fully, and helps us choose solutions that give us the outcomes we seek while avoiding unintended impacts.  This applies to the life cycle of a product, as described in the Circular Value Chain Track, as well as Planetary systems, as described by Dr. Foley.

  2. BUILD ACTION CONFIDENCE - Develop action confidence by becoming acquainted with common vocabulary and concepts in the sustainability field.  Our Tracks are a great place to start!

  3. BEGIN NOW - Take a step now, as Jim did.  There is always more that we could know, but you can begin by picking an action from among the Tracks and know it’s worth doing.  If you would like, you can simultaneously begin a comprehensive carbon footprint analysis as described in the Energy Use Track, but there is no need to wait until that is complete.  Listen to the ideas and resources provided for you in all of the Tracks: Transportation, Built Environment, Energy Use, Circular Value Chain, and, Food & Ecosystems.

  4. USE SWOT - Use the SWOT analysis presented by Marianne to find a sweet spot for action in your organization.  Assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats.

  5. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY - Utilize available tools to communicate simply and compellingly, such as the Emissions Sources & Natural Sinks from Project Drawdown (see our Explore section).

  6. SEEK SUPPORT - Join or develop a community of people who will align with you -- within your organization, a business association, HACE, Climate Reality, or all!

  7. Please click on the READ MORE below for a deeper dive into the content and resources available to support you in these opportunities.

Explore: Readings

Explore: Media

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