Carbon Literacy is described by the Carbon Literacy Project as:

“An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities
and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions,
on an individual, community and organisational basis.“

As a certified training organisation, all the courses we present have been reviewed and approved by the Carbon Literacy project. By going through this process, you can be sure of the factual integrity and scientific accuracy of the content.

What does a Carbon Literacy training programme look like?

Typically, training is delivered online or in person over two four-hour sessions. This format is because the Carbon Literacy Project believe anyone is able to learn the basic facts about climate change in one day. (That’s around eight hours).

Training is a combination of presentation-style teaching and interactive discussions. We don’t lecture the audience for eight hours! Instead, there are plenty of opportunities to discuss ideas with fellow participants and provide feedback to the trainers. Carbon Literacy is not about providing a deluge of facts and figures. It is about giving people the opportunity to explore the implications of what they have learned and brainstorm ideas on coming up with solutions. This process helps to ensure that what has been learned will not be quickly forgotten.

Pledges and certificates

At the end of the course, participants are asked to fill in a form detailing two pledges. These are important because they’re about how learners will put their new knowledge into practice and start making changes to reduce emissions in their life or in the wider world. The first is an individual pledge, which is an action they can take individually to reduce emissions. Following on, the second pledge is a group pledge, which is an action that they will do in conjunction with one or more other people to make emissions reductions on an even bigger scale. Participants must state whether each of their pledges will have a low, medium or high emissions reduction.

All pledges will be reviewed by the Carbon Literacy Project. This is to make sure that they are realistic and demonstrate a clear understanding of climate change and emissions. Participants do not automatically pass; if there are issues with their pledges then they will have to write them again so that they pass. Once a learner has been successful with their pledges, they receive a certificate to show that they are officially Carbon Literate.

As well as ensuring that participants understand what they have been taught about climate change and emissions, the pledges are a way to make sure that real action is taken as a result of attending Carbon Literacy training. As a result, this means that every person trained equates to a certain amount of emissions reductions. The Carbon Literacy Project track the number of people gaining certificates, how many tonnes of emissions have likely been saved, and more.

Interested?

Get in touch to find out how Speak Carbon Collective can help you facilitate Carbon Literacy.