Green Infrastructure to combat Climate Change
part of the North West Climate Change Action Plan
Community Training
Introduction
Who is this training for?
This training is intended for use by professionals in the North West of England (it could be adapted by people elsewhere) with community groups to engage them on the need for climate change adaptation and/or how their local green infrastructure helps to adapt their neighbourhood to climate change.
Take home message
That our natural environment, green spaces, street trees, private gardens, school grounds, etc are really important in helping us to cope with some of the challenges and enjoy some of the benefits that climate change may bring. We all have a role to play in looking after our own gardens in an appropriate way, and supporting and championing the planting of trees and maintenance of local green areas.
Before you start
You can mix and match the training activities provided here depending on your purposes and your group's prior knowledge and interests; you may also want to adapt some of the activities and change the delivery style depending on the group. It is therefore really important to take the time in advance to consider the following points.
About you
What are your reasons, objectives, and desired outcomes for delivering the training? For example, to raise general awareness on these issues, or to get community input into a specific plan, such as for the re-design of a plan or neighbourhood, etc.
Make sure that you leave adequate time to prepare – both in terms of bringing yourself up to speed on the topic and to prepare and print any activities you will need. It is recommended that you give yourself ½ a day to a day to prepare thoroughly. You will need to assess this in the light of your own knowledge of the topic. Trial sessions have suggested that it gets easier once you have delivered the training once! Also, the more local examples and anecdotes you can build into the training the better engaged the participants will be.
It is good practice to be honest with your audience from the outset as to what you are trying to achieve, whether there are any opportunities to influence any plans, and about your knowledge of the topic – it is probably not a good idea to try and pass yourself off as an expert in climate change science if you are not!
About your audience
Who are they? What are their interests? What would be their reasons, objectives and desired outcomes from attending the training? If you have not previously worked with your audience it may be worth contacting someone who has.
The types of groups you may want to use this training with include:
• Low carbon communities – they may have a good awareness of climate change mitigation, but less of adaptation and green infrastructure
• 'Friends of' groups – they may have an interest in the management of a specific park, but less knowledge of climate change and the park's importance in a changing climate
• Residents groups or associations – they may have an interest in their local neighbourhood, but not necessarily in either climate change or green infrastructure
• School groups (primary or secondary) – will be a younger audience so may respond better to games and less so to longer presentations, they may have some awareness of climate change, but probably less of green infrastructure
• People of different faiths, cultures and who speak different languages – making the most of interactive sessions to break down barriers and encourage the exchange of experiences may work well.
Other logistics to consider
Other logistical issues that may affect what activities you choose to use are:
How many people are likely to turn up? How much time do you have available? Where will you hold the training? Is there a computer, projector and screen that you can use? Is there internet access available there? Is there an outdoor space nearby that you could use for some of the activities?
Training activities
The training is divided up into a series of activities which can be used and tailored by you to suit the interests of you and your group. View, download or print an overview of the full suite of available activities:
Overview of all training activities (includes trainer notes for each activity)
View, download or print the individual activities:
1. Climate change
1a. Images of weather and climate (estimated time: 30 mins)
Use these images to encourage discussion of common experiences of weather and climate, to draw out the difference between weather and climate, and to highlight what future changes in climate we may experience in the North West of England. Good ice breaker for all groups. Especially useful for groups with little knowledge of climate change.
Notes for trainer Training materials
1b. Mitigation and adaptation game (estimated time: 30 mins)
Use this game to get across the difference between the two broad ways we have of dealing with climate change – mitigation and adaptation. Suitable for all groups, although be prepared for people to find it challenging and for discussion. Especially useful for groups with little knowledge of climate change. Also useful for low carbon groups who may be well versed about climate change mitigation, but know little about adaptation.
Notes for trainer Training materials
2. Green infrastructure
2a. Presentation: 'What is it and what does it do?' (estimated time: 20 mins)
Use this presentation to explain what is meant by the term 'green infrastructure' and what benefits it has. Suitable for all groups. Especially useful for groups with little knowledge of green infrastructure or who are not familiar with the terminology. With more knowledgeable groups you may want to run through the presentation more quickly.
Notes for trainer Training materials
2b. Presentation: 'How does it help us adapt to climate change?' (estimated time: 20 mins)
Use this presentation to explain how green infrastructure can help us to adapt to climate change. Suitable for all groups. It is probably best to have given the presentation in 2a first (or to have at least flicked through the slides if you have not gone into detail with the speaker notes).
Notes for trainer Training materials
3. How well adapted is your area to climate change?
3a. Adaptation action planning toolkit (estimated time: 45 mins)
Use this internet based mapping tool to start to understand some of the climate change risks and vulnerabilities that may affect an area and the people who live and work there. Suitable for all groups, especially those with an interest in a particular area. This activity could be useful prior to undertaking activities 3b or 3c (or could be used to help you as a trainer to prepare for activities 3b or 3c).
Notes for trainer Training materials
3b. Indoors exercise (estimated time: 45 mins)
Use this exercise to look at a specific green space or neighbourhood and think about what features make it well adapted to climate change, and what could be changed (if there were opportunities to do so) to make it better adapted. This activity helps to reinforce and 'make more real' some of the learning in activities 1 and 2. Use with all groups, as an alternative to the site visit (activity 3c). May be especially useful with groups who have a good knowledge of their area or site (e.g. a 'Friends of' or residents group), or if there is some opportunity to influence ongoing management or regeneration plans for the area.
Notes for trainer Training materials
3c. Site visit (estimated time: 1.5 hours)
Use this site visit to look at a specific green space or neighbourhood and think about what features make it well adapted to climate change, and what could be changed (if there were any opportunities to do so) to make it better adapted. This activity helps to reinforce and 'make more real' some of the learning in activities 1 and 2. Use with all groups, as an alternative to the indoors exercise (activity 3b). May be especially useful with groups who have a good knowledge of their area or site (e.g. a 'Friends of' or residents group), or if there is some opportunity to influence ongoing management or regeneration plans for the area.
Notes for trainer (No additional training materials needed)
4. Summary of training
4a. Pledge of action (estimated time: 15 mins)
It is recommended that there is some discussion at the end of the training session to reflect on learning and outcomes from the training session; the pledge for action is one way of doing this (although by no means the only way, you may feel that a simple discussion is better with your group). Use it to encourage people to think about what they are going do to help adapt to climate change. May be most useful with groups who have their own gardens or are actively involved in green spaces or their neighbourhoods, or where there are real opportunities to influence ongoing management or regeneration plans for the area.
Notes for trainer Training materials
Feedback and spreading the word
We would be really interested in hearing from you if you made use of any of the training material; please e-mail susannah.gill@merseyforest.org.uk.
We also have an A5 flyer you can print out for events or stalls to help spread the word about this free training resource.
Also, please use our discussion community at projectdirtliverpool.com/group/communitytrainingonclimatechangeadaptation to share any tips or comments with other people who may be interested in using the training. (To contribute on the community site you will need to sign up as a member of Project Dirt, but this is quick, free and gives you access to lots of other interesting environmental content too).
Aerial photo licensing: Aerial photography imagery copyright GetMapping.com 2002, as supplied by Cities Revealed® by the GeoInformation Group. The digital imagery is supplied to the Council under licence and must only be used in connection with work carried out as part of the Council's business. Any imagery supplied to third parties will be in relation to a specific project and must be either returned to the Council or destroyed at the end of that project.
This project is managed by Community Forest North West and is supported by NWDA.
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