Community Action for Climate Change

Last year I had an awakening of sorts. 

I was reading posts by Sarah Magdalene where she was calling out the coaching industry for pushing an agenda of consumerism, whilst ignoring climate change; and I realised that I fit squarely into her descriptions. 

This was not a comfortable realisation.

I thought back to my teenage years, when I was passionate about the environment, a member of the eco committee in school and I represented Ireland at a green flag conference in China. Or the years in my twenties working for Lush, a brand who’s DNA is pro-sustainability and actively taking part in their campaigns.

Where had the fire in my belly for change gone?

I sense over time, it was quenched by terror. Impotence and powerlessness at the scale of the challenge.

I hid from the topic, changing the channel when it came up, swiftly scrolling past articles.

Telling myself, we’ll figure it out as a species. I don’t need to get involved.

But the wished-for collective change isn’t yet happening. 

Governments are still prioritising company profits and maintaining existing levels of consumption instead of taking the radical changes to protect our planet.

We’ve had the warmest week ever on record, and it’s still not seen as a collective emergency requiring enormous societal change.

Some shifts are being made, but it’s like the re-arrangement of deckchairs on the Titanic. 

All for show, ignoring our inevitable and preventable demise.

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What to do in the face of this?

I’ve chosen to take some action. I’ve found relief from my climate anxiety by getting involved in local green projects. I volunteer with one and I work part-time consulting on another one.

One of the initiatives that we’ve created is a Green Street Champion project. 

The vision for this is a network of green champions on every street in Thame (my local town); educating and encouraging their neighbours to make behavioural changes that support the environment.

We believe that the street champion approach is absolutely crucial to combat climate change as it's based on real human connection, relationships and peers influencing each other for the better.

We’ve running a Crowdfunder to raise funds to support this project, and we’ve recently been approved by Aviva for match funding. Meaning they will match donations made up to a value of £250 🎉

If you would like to support this project, you can donate here: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/sustainability-street-champions-in-tha

Any amount is gratefully received!

In the spirit of Crowdfunders, I will offer a reward to those who donate:

For every donation of £50, you will receive an hour of coaching from me on a topic of your choosing (e.g. purpose/relationships/pleasure) - this is a reduction on my usual coaching prices and you will be raising £100 for a great cause 🌿

I would also LOVE if this concept of Green Street Champions was used in other communities, so if you’re inspired and want to know how to get started, please reach out.

Or if you’re just feeling a bit lost on the whole topic of climate change and are unsure of what to do next, message me and I’ll help direct you to some positive steps