G1.8 Outreach on clean energy
Hire subject matter experts or direct staff to conduct outreach and community education on climate change and the benefits of clean and efficient energy technologies and practices.
The twenty community members in Somerville’s Climate Forward Ambassadors program meet with city staff monthly over six months to learn together about climate change, including what can be done about it. Each evening meeting includes less than a hour of advance reading, a presentation and group discussion. Participants agree to do at least one individual or collective activity in Somerville related to climate change, such as hosting a small group discussion with neighbors, creating an art project, writing a blog post, engaging in volunteer work, or engaging on a policy topic. They get a $400 stipend. The program ends with a public celebration where the ambassadors share brief presentations on topics and projects they choose. Ann Arbor’s A2Zero Ambassadors is a similar program, with 12 educational sessions; participants pledge to complete a small team sustainability project and volunteer for at least 20 hours on community sustainability efforts. (It’s starting its fifth round.)
The Thurston County chapter of Vice-President Al Gore’s Climate Reality project maintains a speakers’ bureau, and trains community members to give presentations about climate issues to churches, clubs and schools.