Carbon Diet Support Groups by aide

Pitch

Lose 10% of your carbon footprint in 8 weeks while being part of a fun social group in your local community.

Description

Summary

Climate Buddies is currently running several pilot groups in Austin, Texas, testing our grassroots, voluntary carbon diet program.

How will it motivate

fun, social outlet
the satisfaction of reaching a personal goal

support and cheerleading from your peers
it's not doom and gloom, it's not daunting, it's achievable by regular people
clear steps that anybody can take
cool t-shirts!

How does it work?

You join a group of 10-12 people (This number is key. Just enough for a fun, supportive group.)
A Climate Buddy Catalyst will take you through 4 sessions using a practical guide
We talk about what we can do as citizens in our private lives and homes
We answer any questions you may have, it is free education!
You will discover your own carbon footprint
You commit to actions you feel are most relevant to you
We share experiences and results
If we add all savings up, the total will add up to the elimination of the total carbon footprint of one person.
You will be surprised how easy it is to lose 10% of your carbon diet!
On completion you will be ordained as a Climate Buddy Champion

What does this remind you of?

marathon running groups?

book clubs?
weight loss support groups?

Key actor

Grassroots neighborhood organizations

What actions do you propose?

We ask that individual citizens start or participate in a fun, voluntary support group in their local community. We help by providing you information and a step by step guidebook to work through each week. the action span about 50 different actions. All actions are explained in terms of what it is and how relevant it is in terms of actual carbon footprint savings when the action is completed. During the groups we share how actions can be implemented and share experiences of people that have succesfully completed actions. One of the first things we do is make people aware of their own carbon footprint and look at what is most relevant to their personal lives. This adds a perspective that can be different per person, and usually helps people to change their choices where it matters most.

Who will take these actions?

Groups can be formed by friends, church members, neighbors, school mates and their parents, college classmates, etc. Be creative! Who would you like to be social with? Pitch a Carbon Diet Support Group to them. We support these groups in keeping a tally of all the actions taken to get to the overall "weight loss" of separate groups and overall for all the groups.

Where will these actions be taken?

In your house and your local community.

How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

10%... to begin with. But, once people get started and realize how easy it is, we think there will be a social snowball effect. Each group will consist of about 10 people and will effectively eliminate one persons carbon diet in total. Our experience is that a 10% saving is easy to accomplish and that most people take more actions and get to bigger savings.

What are other key benefits?

Fun! Social interaction. Seeing is believing. Helping each other forward with positive experiences. Changing the feeling of being overwhelmed to an empowerment in fighting climate change. New ways to create strong community bonds.

You might find that your Carbon Diet Support Group was so supportive and fun, and you're so proud of yourselves, that now you want to support each other in other personal challenges.

What are the proposal’s costs?

Almost nothing. Climate Buddies is a volunteer organization. We are creating this methodology for free. We work with sponsors to pay for our guidebook.