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Moving Into Action With Climate Change

By Elizabeth Sawin
June 8, 2013

Moving Into Action On Climate Change JMAZ PHOTO; Flickr.com/ Creative Commons

Make it fun! Make it interactive! Leave people inspired! And gracefully interconnect the need to adapt to unavoidable climate change with the imperative to prevent any climate change we can.

These are easily four of the biggest challenges involved in helping people find ways to  act to address climate change. That’s why, less than a year ago, I was excited to help support the work of Vermont educator Ginger Wallis as she stepped up to the challenge of creating a program for parents and grandparents that met all of these criteria.  It’s been a pleasure to act as an informal ‘science advisor’ to the Adapt project, as Ginger has been experimenting with a 5 session workshop series that promises to help parents and grandparents gain knowledge for themselves and gather ideas for being a mentor to the children and grandchildren in their lives. Here’s what she’s come up with, and will launch this month:

**Session 1: Active Hope.  **Active hope is not something you have; it’s something you do.  Find inspiration to envision and take action.

Session 2:  Climate Adaptation.  Learn from places around the globe leading the way in climate adaptation through stories and small group activity.

**Session 3:  Energy Use at Home and for Transportation.  **Aim to lose it big this session.  Play the new board game, Lose it to Win, dispel myths and see which actions have more impact.

**Session 4:  Indirect Use of Energy.  **What concepts can guide shopping and where does true happiness fit in?  Move in small groups through concept stations related to the products we purchase.** **

**Session 5:  Building Resilience.  **Discover ways to lessen risks and prepare to dance with change.  Reflect on restoring our place in nature, creating a better world.

If you are lucky enough to live in the Upper Valley of Vermont you can see for yourself what Ginger has come up with. And for blog readers scattered elsewhere around the world, I look forward to learning from this first series of workshops, and  hope that Ginger Wallis will find the time in her summer to write us a guest blog post about what she discovers in these first workshops.

Here’s more information on the upcoming workshops:

Norwich, VT

Five Wednesday evenings at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House:  June 12, 19, 26 and July 3, 10   from 7 – 9:15 p.m.  Email Rachel at:  office@uucuv.org to register.

Thetford Center, VT

Five Wednesday mornings from 10-12:15 at the Latham Library:  June 26, July 10, 17, 24, 31.  email Ginger.Wallis@Valley.net .

Woodstock, VT

Five Sunday afternoons at the North Universalist Chapel:  June 23, July 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 12 - 2:15 p.m. or email Donna Atwood at North Universalist Chapel Society wdstkuu@sover.net to register.

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