Host a climate presentation

Let's face it, people are confused about climate change - help set the record straight! Educate your community about the basic science and implications of climate change, about the 350 global climate movement and how to get involved in local solutions. This project is ideal for groups hoping to expand the size of their team, as education projects can easily double as recruitment opportunities.

 

Tips

  • Check out our partners at the Climate Reality Project. They have a network of trained climate presenters around the world - if one of them is in your area, you could invite them to give a presentation to your community!
  • Spend some time with the presentations (downloads provided below), tweaking them to fit your audience, and adding in local examples.
  • Be sure to pause to ask questions, and to see if the audience has questions.
  • If you have a lot of capacity in your team, think about hosting a series of presentations at local schools, community centers, places of worship, etc. to reach a wider audience.
  • If you don't yet feel confident to give a public presentation, start by going out into your community with your team and just having one-on-one conversations at public events like farmers markets or conferences.
  • Relax, be confident, and speak slowly!

Get it done

1. Decide upon your audience and discuss possible locations

For a more formal and thorough presentation, schools, libraries or community centers are excellent options. You could also go a much more informal route by tabling at local farmers markets or community events, and having one-on-one conversations about climate change. Think about who you want to reach!
 

2. Reach out to the location(s) that your group has decided will be preferable for a presentation

  • Think about who you will need to talk to (e.g. a school principal, a library events coordinator, or a farmer’s market supervisor), look up their phone number and give them a call.
  • Have some short and simple talking points ready (who you are, what you’re doing, what you want).
  • If you’ve decided to table at an event, ask about the registration process and upcoming dates. If you’ve decided to present at a school or other public institution, it may be necessary to schedule a meeting with their staff so that they can take a look at your presentation materials and meet you in person before agreeing to have you come and speak.

3. Confirm logistics

Confirm the location and a date for the presentation, and make sure that at least two members from your 350 group will be available to present on that day.
 

4. Delegate tasks to your group members to make sure that everyone has a chance to participate

Think about who will be presenting, who will help pull together the materials, and who will help with any necessary logistics (e.g. making sure a projector will be available, if you’re planning on using a powerpoint).
 

5. Pull together the necessary materials

Customize your powerpoint (see below) and print out some one-page factsheets (science, policy, solutions), info on next group meeting, and sign-up sheets for recruitment. Give yourselves plenty of time to commit your talking points to memory, and consider going through a couple of practice presentations with your group.
 

6. Follow up

After the presentation, be sure to contact anyone who signed up to get involved with your 350 group.
 

Key Resources

Part I: Climate Change Science and Impacts (PPT download)

A simple, visually compelling, well-sourced Powerpoint that explains climate change science and impacts for a general audience. It covers everything from the greenhouse effect to scientific consensus on climate change to how the impacts we're seeing today are linked to climate change. 
 

Part II: Climate Change Solutions and Policy (PPT download)

A simple, visually compelling, well-sourced Powerpoint that explains the technical and policy solutions to climate change for a general audience. It covers everything from what climate solutions exist, what we'd need to do to reach 350ppm, to the current politics look like internarionally on climate change. 
 
 

Supplemental Materials

The Oil Journey presentation by the Post Carbon Institute