All items
Help Tracey and her team tackle climate change
Community networking to tackle climate change from David Wilcox on Vimeo.
The aim behind 2gether08 is not just to talk about social issues and digital technology, but to start forming collaborations for practical action. The Social Innovation Camp that Anna Maybank described here shows how that is possible.
One big idea now emerging at 2gether08 is using online networking, and public service media, to help communities reduce their carbon footprints.
Groups in towns and villages are already starting to share experience nationally and internationally about local projects to tackle the challenge of peak oil and climate change, through the Low Carbon Communities Network and Transition Towns Network.
However as Tracey Todhunter, co-founder of LCCN, explains in this interview, they need technical help on how to raise awareness and communicate better online, by using social media and attracting the interest of public service publishers like Channel 4.
Tracey plans to gather a team on the first day of 2gether08 to add more tools to their current set of blogs, wikis and other communication methods, and develop their networking skills. They’ll work to a brief developed by Tracey and others in the network - and on the second day present back a working demonstration.
Although the main focus of the project is climate change, the tools and networking processes could be applied anywhere that communities seek to collaborate on projects for social benefit.
That’s why Tracey hopes Channel 4 might be interested in sharing ideas on how to do this effectively. In a series of interviews on 2gether08.com, Channel 4 executives have explained how they are moving beyond public service broadcasting to develop a range of interactive tools and programmes with partners.
The tools developed by Tracey and the team at 2gether08 will be used to build a network that will meet face-to-face at a conference in October. This will bring together the Low Carbon Community Network and the Transition Towns Network.
We’ll shortly have more details of how the team will organise at 2gether08. Meanwhile drop a comment here if you are interested, and pop over to meet up with Tracey and other on our networking site. You’ll find Tracey’s profile here.
Discussion
11 comments for “Help Tracey and her team tackle climate change”
Post a comment
Content on this site is Creative Commons Share-Alike unless otherwise stated.
Contact information
© 2008 2gether08. 
[...] using pre-event interviews like this one with Tracey Todhunter to help her and others create a really good story: how social media can help communities share [...]
One of my Google Alerts discovered this post/video and I must say, you’re on the right track. I may have some of the social media skills you’re looking for and I’d be more than happy to offer my experience to your effort. I’ve been involved in online communities and social media for 25 years. On my Presilience blog I’m seeking the same things you are - a way to effectively network communities to share ideas that work and to collaborate on new initiatives for climate adaptation.
Please contact me and hopefully I can help move things along from way out here near San Francisco.
Cheers,
Cliff
Hey there Cliff - I’m already aware of your blog - let’s chat! Dave and I will be in touch. Thanks for responding, looks like 2gether is living up to it’s name.
Tracey
Yes I think this is spot on. Wrote about it tentatively in a Unit I took at Southbank Uni this year on Education for sustainability. Very interested. Lucyx
Hi Tracey,
Just read this article by Alex Steffen over at WorldChanging:
http://tinyurl.com/3wnkxe
Thought it might have some interesting insights to help avoid becoming one of the “half-assed citizen media and social networking approaches” he derides!
x Shaun
Too right Shaun, the low carbon communities network is about practical action and sharing the collective genius that is already within us. The last thing we want to create is a “walled garden” social networking site, what we are looking for is a way to communicate what groups are doing, share skills and knowledge and enable communities that don’t want to travel all the way to Wales in October to participate online before during and after the event. Whatever we do using social media has to translate into practical action. That’s why I’m coming to 2gether and why Ben Brangwyn and I are interested to know what tools will work for us and what we should leave behind. I’m interested in stuff like Yoosk, crowdvine as well as the more conventional stuff, this is about finding a way to share people’s stories, visions and hopes. Then we can work with each other to create the future. Have a look at what David Wilcox wrote: http://www.socialreporter.wordpress.com
You could easily reverse, build or link a layer of online networking out of a physical social network of communities already committed to combat climate change. This would give any proposal or digital project some form of popular, physical asset base. I ran a project last year in Middlesbrough, North East England in which thousands of people grew food. It’s being repeated this year. Many schools are involved. Ditto neighborhood centers. All have online resources. There are similar schemes elesewhere across the country linked to food supply and sustainable food systems. The formation of and a link to a new online social network would be brilliant.
[...] to mitigate and adapt to climate change. That’s the question Tracey Todhunter explores in this video and will further exploring at a conference at the Rochelle School in [...]
Hi Tracey, I’m interested in the ideas above, but more than a little frustrated. To get straight to the point how will this network involve in a way that is fully open, and avoid being yet another just an ‘in-crowd’? I’ve already commented on exclusion via (money) cost (via Policy 2.0, Opening up the policy process), and I trust you appreciate exclusion via carbon cost. I realise you’re separate from Transition towns, but I left a note on their wiki in January last year and to my knowledge no-one has ever even so much as said ‘Hello’ in reply - doesn’t exactly build confidence in networking! What evidence is there that you’re open to the experience learned via Local Agenda 21 and all those who were involved in that and earlier or similar processes? Any group or network that needs to talk with government doesn’t have the moral authority, does it, to expect what I would call open involvement if it does not itself practice this?
Following on from my earlier post above, I’ve tried to clarify a bit what I mean ‘open involvement’ - first draft of an article on the Sustainable Community Action wiki - here: http://sca21.wikia.com/wiki/Open_involvement Hopefully more to follow, improvements/comment welcome.
Hi Phil,
were you at 2gether08? There were some great conversations about inclusion - if you weren’t - do take a look at some of the online reporting which really captured the spirit of listening to and not just talking to groups , organisations and communities.
For me that is the essence of what our network is about.