This section is designed to help you take the first steps in starting—or strengthening—a community-driven climate initiative. Whether you're just bringing people together or already beginning to plan your focus and structure, you’ll find tools, reflection prompts, and guidance to support you. The goal is to help your group develop a shared understanding and walk away with a mini strategic plan that can guide your next steps. Use the links below to explore each part of the early process.
Bringing people together & first meetings
Learn how to gather interested people, host your first meetings, and start building shared purpose.
Pause: Reflection to infuse planning
Discover how pausing to reflect can strengthen your group’s intentions and create space for meaningful, thoughtful planning.
Planning:
Clarify your group’s priorities by identifying the climate issues and opportunities that matter most to your community.
Decide the geographic or social scale of your work—from neighborhood blocks to city-wide initiatives.
Explore different organizing models and choose a structure that supports collaboration and accountability.
Identify key roles and recruit committed members to form a strong, resilient core team.
Select a realistic, achievable first project that can build momentum and confidence.
Engagement with the broader community
Learn ways to connect with and involve the wider community beyond your core group.
Each subsection above includes worksheets to support your process. By the end of Section 1, you’ll be able to use what you’ve developed to create an initial plan for early projects and action steps.
