CSDi Training for Individuals, Communities & Nonprofits
CSDi Training for Individuals, Communities & Nonprofits
In this video, Tim gives a two minute summary on what this online workshop is for and how it works. In this program, working side-by-side with him, you will develop a community focused climate action plan in 6 to 8 weeks. Mr. Magee is CSDi’s Executive Director, and the author of A Field Guide to Community Based Adaptation, Routledge, Oxford, England.
Good morning, and welcome to How to Write a Family Climate Action Plan for the rural area that you live in. You might ask, “Why write a climate plan?” Let me offer some reasons.
Have you, your family, friends, or neighbors begun facing new challenges: climate impacts, like drought, wildfires, flooding, or heatwaves? Has your well run dry, and you’re having to truck in water now? How are these challenges affecting your family and your rural community members?
Are you wondering what to do to protect your family? Well, the solutions are here for you now. So, join us in this climate workshop. We will work one-on-one with you on Step One of your climate plan: listing your climate challenges and then choosing which ones are the most important to jump on first.
Then, in Step Two, we will show you tricks to finding solutions that are road-tested by other folks in situations like yours: affordable, do-it-yourself, common-sense solutions that have come from country wisdom and know-how.
Then, you will choose from your list the project that we will work on together. It might be an emergency plan for your family, choosing drought tolerant plants for your vegetable garden, or planting shade trees to keep your house cool during heatwaves. Or, you might choose to install solar panels on your roof. Your plan can be for your family, your farm or ranch, or for the rural town you live in.
Whichever project you decide on, we will help you find out which solutions are going to do the best job for you in your rural area. And, I have some good news: In our experience, frequently, the simplest and lowest-cost solutions are going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. They should be the first jobs that you tackle.
Join us to create your own certainty in an uncertain world, and pick up new skills for protecting your family. You can take this workshop solo at your own pace.
Or you can take it with me in a more focused approach: you’ll be done with your family’s climate plan in six to eight weeks! During the workshop, you will also join a community of like-minded people that you can share ideas and stories with during our weekly group chat.
I’ve been working for 15 years with people from rural communities developing climate action plans—and I love it. I can’t wait to meet you so that we can get started working together. I hope to see you soon. Thank you.
The first step is for you to facilitate a community climate change needs assessment. This means you will meet with a group of community members to get their perspective on climate challenges that they are facing.
Hold a meeting with 10 or 12 community members that represent different facets of the community: men and women, young and old, and people from different cultures.
As facilitator, your job is to inspire members of the group to express their concerns about the challenges that a changing climate is creating in their rural area. You will write down their ideas, and towards the end, help the group prioritize them.
As they speak, try to capture each of their ideas in just a few words.
Good morning and welcome to How to Write a Climate Action Plan! Let’s get started.
The first step is for you to facilitate a community climate change needs assessment. This means you will meet with a group of community members to get their perspective on climate challenges that they are facing.
If you are doing a community-wide climate action plan, hold a meeting with 10 or 12 community members that represent different facets of the community: men and women, young and old, and people from different cultures.
As facilitator, your job is to inspire members of the group to express their concerns about the challenges that a changing climate is creating in their rural area. You will write down their ideas, and towards the end, help the group prioritize them.
You will need a newsprint flip chart and an easel to hold it. As they speak, try to capture each of their ideas in just a few words.
When they are done, review the list with them to make sure they’re in agreement with what you wrote down.
Have them take a 15-minute break while you organize the list.
If you find that some of the ideas are closely related, combine them into one. The list may have started out with 10 or 12 challenges, but after you’ve combined similar ideas, you might find that you only have 5 or 6 total.
Now, transfer the challenges onto a clean sheet of newsprint.
Reassemble the group and read out one challenge at a time and encourage discussion. You want to make sure that you captured the essence of what they had suggested and that all the members of the group understand each idea.
Then, lay the sheet down on a table and give everyone ten beans or pennies that they can use as tokens for voting.
Let each person go up one at a time and vote on the challenges that they feel are the most important. They can put all 10 of their tokens on one challenge, or they can spread them out between multiple challenges.
When everyone is done voting, write down the number of votes next to each challenge. Open the results up for a concluding discussion.
By working with community members and expressing the importance of the list they developed, you will begin the process of their developing a sense of ownership for the climate plan. That ownership will lead to long-term sustainability and continuation of the plan.
And the fact that they prioritized their challenges gives you permission and a goal-oriented direction for moving forward with their Climate Action Plan.
Please download the homework instructions for Assignment One. You have three weeks to organize and hold your meeting, and send me your results. I look forward to seeing them!
Last Step: After you enroll be sure to fill out the student information sheet to complete your registration.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a special price for individuals. Picture here a school teacher, a young father, a retired person. If you work for an nonprofit, a local government, or an organization related to climate or the environment, you need to enroll in this organizational course. Organizations have training budgets and so you are not eligible for the special individual rate. Contact us if you are unsure.
Questions? For more information, see the full course details or contact us.
We also offer tailored versions of this course for indigenous groups, farmers and ranchers, and for nonprofits and local governments.
The resources include these templates to allow you to progress quickly:
The instructor-led course includes a complimentary PDF eBook of Tim Magee’s A Field Guide to Community-Based Adaptation (a $40 value). Read an outline of the contents and the introduction.
The instructor-led course will provide one-on-one instruction in tandem with all of the downloadable course materials listed above. Your instructor will offer professional comments and encouragement for each of your assignments.
Each week we will have a group zoom meeting for questions and discussion.
Upon completing the course and all 6 assignments, you will receive a PDF Certificate of Completion.
Upon completing Write Your Climate Adaptation Plan, in next six week course you will use your climate plan’s design to develop the donor documents necessary to seek funding:
You will then have an introductory meeting with one of the traditional funding agencies that work with farmers and ranchers—such as the USDA.
Questions? For more information, see the full course details for Fund Your Climate Adaptation Plan, or contact us.
We also offer tailored versions of this course for indigenous groups, farmers and ranchers, and for nonprofits and local governments.
8 Weeks | Hands-On
This is a program on planning, funding, launching, and managing a climate change action plan with your rural community.
You will work hand-in-hand with community members in developing a plan to combat climate challenges due to global warming.
The program is designed to help both experienced—and novice—climate change planners create bold climate action plans that prepare communities for climate change. Weekly Zoom Chats will keep it real.
In designing a successful climate change action plan you will:
Each week we will have a group zoom meeting for questions and discussion.
Click the “Questions?” link just below to see a full course syllabus.
Learn by doing. This climate change adaptation program is for actually launching a climate change action plan in a real rural town.
In 8 weeks you will design a plan complete with solutions for your community’s climate challenges.
This is in preparation for the second course of the program where you will develop a full set of donor documents to present for funding.
Course participants have helped communities in North America, Europe, Australia, and Great Britain be prepared for climate issues magnified by climate change global boiling:
The course will lead you through the design and launch of a similar, real climate change adaptation project in your rural town.
Do you work in the Global South? This course is a better match.
This training program is led by a live teacher/consultant who will have weekly Zoom meetings with you and your classmates.
They will review each of your assignments and provide suggestions to make sure your outputs are actionable and fundable.
This course is also offered as a live workshop—perfect for staff or community members. Please contact us for more information.
$150.00
Instructor-Taught Online
8 Week Program
After enrolling, you will be sent a welcome email with login instructions.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a special price for individuals. If you work for an organization and this is related to your work, you need to enroll in this course.
Last Step: Your next step is to simply fill out the student information sheet to complete your registration.
INGOs: Are you with an international NGO working in the Global South? If so, this sister course is a better match for you: International Community Based Adaptation.
Climate Change Action Plan course resources include:
The instructor-led course includes a complimentary PDF eBook of A Field Guide to Community-Based Adaptation (a $40 value). Read an outline of the contents and the introduction.
The instructor-led course will provide one-on-one instruction in tandem with all of the downloadable course materials listed above. Your instructor will offer professional comments and encouragement for each of your assignments.
Each week we will have a group zoom meeting for questions and discussion.
Certificate: Upon completing the course and all 6 assignments, you will receive a PDF Certificate of Completion.
Tim Magee is an internationally recognized climate scientist, researcher, mentor, and trainer who has over 15 years of experience in designing climate change action plans. Mr. Magee is CSDi’s Executive Director, and the author of A Field Guide to Community Based Adaptation, Routledge, Oxford, England.
What is climate change? During the past 20 years, Mr. Magee has worked with 5,000 training participants from nonprofit organizations and NGOs in 154 countries on a wide range of projects and programs about people, the environment, and climate change mitigation. He has a background in renewable energy and wrote a pioneering book on passive solar energy for heating homes.
Mr. Magee is available for 1) a live workshop with your group to develop your Climate Change Action Plan or 2) to consult with you one-on-one about your Climate Action Plan. Contact us here for more information.
What is Climate Change? Global greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels have led to extreme weather events, global temperature rise, sea level rise, and heatwaves. People suffering from climate anxiety is on the rise.
The United Nations has said that we need to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Climate inaction on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and methane emissions caused by human activities has created climate impacts such as rising temperatures and rising sea levels – causes of climate change – leading to a changing climate that has surpassed global warming and has entered a new phase where global temperatures are so dangerous as to now be renamed climate change global boiling.
Human activity and the continued production of global emissions and greenhouse gases have led the earth’s climate to enter an accelerating process of temperature rise. If we don’t take climate action to reduce very rapidly the production of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas climate change impacts will be irreversible.
Solutions:
The UNEP has a National Adaptation Plan program to assist member countries to write a National Adaptation plan.
The two overarching objectives of the National Adatation Plan is to:
Other solutions include:
1. The New Agricultural Revolution
2. Regenerative Farming programs
3. Mitigating Climate Change
4. Climate Adaptation
5. Climate Ready Communities
6. Community engagement and community building
“I just want to take this opportunity to complement you on the practical ideas, knowledge and vast experience that you continue to share with us on each assignment. Many times your examples are the solution of choice for our community. I have been provided with constant support, practical solutions suitable for my project, feedback specific to our project submissions and unwavering encouragement.”
Gillian Primus
“Thank you for all your effort in putting together a great program and all of the program resources. Thank you for everything – for making this possible, for your guidance, and for your continuous optimism and encouragement. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you again in the next session.”
Wye Yee Yong
This program will work perfectly for creating a Local Climate Action Plan for your community whether you are a:
COMMUNITY
MEMBER
Are you a member of a community wanting to find climate solutions for building a stronger community?
NONPROFIT
ORGANISATION
Do you work for a nonprofit organization interested in developing a climate action plan for a stronger community?
TRIBAL
MEMBER
Are you a tribal community member wanting to find climate solutions for building a stronger community?
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
Are you a local government wanting to find climate change solutions for building a stronger community?
Are you a member of a community wanting to find climate solutions to global warming for building a stronger community?
Become part of the climate solution: Learn how to work with your community’s families, businesses, and civic leaders to design and launch a new climate action plan to prepare your community to be climate-ready. You will learn how to identify climate change solutions with success stories that have a proven track record for solving your community’s climate challenges.
Community Members
Benefits for Community Members
If you want to find solutions for challenges magnified by climate change, this training program will walk you through designing a climate action plan in a simple step-by-step approach. Each hands-on assignment is one concrete building block for your new action plan. You will be provided with proven templates for you to edit into your own plan. Your course instructor will answer your questions and will give constructive, helpful feedback on each one of your assignments.
A new climate action plan cannot only protect your community, it can benefit your community through improving the environment, boosting the local economy, creating jobs, and developing energy independence.
Do you work for a nonprofit interested in developing a climate action plan for a community?
Learn to prepare communities for climate change: Work with local community members to understand their climate challenges, needs, and personal interests and develop, fund, and launch a climate action plan. This is a hands-on course where you will get field experience solving challenges magnified by global warming and design a real, solution-oriented climate action plan in a real community. You will learn how to identify climate solutions for your community that have success stories showing a proven track record for solving your community’s climate challenges.
Nonprofit Organizations
Benefits for Nonprofit Organizations:
This program is perfect for nonprofit professionals who want to develop practitioner-level skills in developing local climate solutions. If you are a grant writer, nonprofit staff member, consultant, project manager—or executive director—you will develop real skills mastery. This course is just as relevant to a person considering a career transition into the nonprofit world and wanting to develop employable skills. Each hands-on, weekly assignment is one concrete building block for your new climate action plan. You will be provided with proven templates to edit into your own climate action plan. Your instructor will answer your questions and will give you a constructive, helpful consultation on each one of your assignments.
A new climate action plan cannot only protect your community, it can benefit your community through improving the environment, boosting the local economy, creating jobs, and developing energy independence.
Are you a member of a Tribal Nation wanting to find climate change solutions to global warming for building a stronger community?
This course is specifically for you: Write a Tribal climate Change Action Plan.
Learn to prepare communities for a changing climate: Learn how to work with your community’s families, businesses, and civic leaders to design and launch a new climate action plan to prepare your community to be climate-ready. You will learn how to identify climate solutions with success stories and that have a proven track record for solving your community’s climate challenges. You will be using your community’s expressed needs, interests, and traditional knowledge as a basis for identifying solutions: Your community members are already leaders on climate solutions for your tribal lands because they possess the knowledge of your land and culture.
Tribal Members
Benefits for Tribal Members:
If you want to find solutions for challenges magnified by climate change, this training program will walk you through designing a climate action plan in a simple step-by-step approach. Each hands-on assignment is one concrete building block for your new action plan. You will be provided with proven templates for you to edit into your own plan. Your course instructor will answer your questions and will give constructive, helpful feedback on each one of your assignments.
A new climate action plan cannot only protect your community, it can benefit your community through improving the environment, boosting the local economy, creating jobs, and developing energy independence.
Are you part of a local government wanting to find climate change solutions for a changing climate for building a stronger community?
Become part of the climate solution:
Learn how to work with your community’s families, businesses, and civic leaders to design and launch a new climate action plan to prepare your community to be climate-ready. You will learn how to identify climate solutions with success stories that have a proven track record for solving your community’s climate challenges. This course is designed to build your climate leadership abilities for advancing climate solutions in your community.
Local Governments
Benefits for Local Governments:
If you want to find solutions for challenges magnified by global warming, this training program will walk you through designing a climate action plan in a simple step-by-step approach. Each hands-on assignment is one concrete building block for your new action plan. You will be provided with proven templates for you to edit into your own plan. Your course instructor will answer your questions and will give you a constructive, helpful consultation on each one of your assignments.
A new climate action plan cannot only protect your community, it can benefit your community through improving the environment, boosting the local economy, creating jobs, and developing energy independence.
8 Weeks: What is climate change? Develop a real-life, local climate action plan template. What is a climate action plan?
Week 1. Complete enrollment, meet your teacher, and explore the course resources. You will then have the next 3 weeks for Assignment One.
Week 2 & 3. Conduct a climate change conversation with community members to understand their needs, personal interests—and strengths! What is global warming? What is climate change mitigation? Climate resilience? Climate adaptation?
Week 4. Clearly define your community and its overall climate challenge.
Week 5. Learn how to solve the challenge using locally-focused climate change solutions.
Week 6. Make sure your plan will work by checking that your climate solutions have success stories that show a proven track record.
Week 7. Assemble a detailed outline for a local climate action plan in preparation for a donor presentation.
Week 8. Share your project with your community and with a donor for feedback.
Then, enroll in Fund Your Climate Action Plan to develop a full set of donor documents:
Each week we will have a group zoom meeting for questions and discussion.
Please contact us with questions.
“Thank you for all your effort in putting together a great program and all of the program resources.
Thank you for everything – for making this possible, for your guidance, and for your continuous optimism and encouragement.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you again in the next session.”
Wye Yee Yong
“I just want to take this opportunity to complement you on the practical ideas, knowledge and vast experience that you continue to share with us on each assignment. Many times your examples are the solution of choice for our community. I have been provided with constant support, practical solutions suitable for my project, feedback specific to our project submissions and unwavering encouragement.”
Gillian Primus
We’re dedicated to bringing you uplifting news, innovative ideas, and practical actions to combat global warming.
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Use our resources to discover your own sustainable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference in our communities and beyond.
CSDi is pleased to announce 12 full scholarships for
How to Write a North American Rural Climate Action Plan. Learn More.
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