DIY Handbook

Starting or expanding an Environmental Club at your school or in your community?  Here’s an online handbook that guides you through the steps and resources to get you going.  “Find Your People, Find Your Passion, Find Your Power!”

Step 1. How to Start and Run an Environmental Club

Tips on how to find people to join your club, choosing a leadership team, preparing a kick-off meeting, and steps going forward.

Step 2. What’s Meaningful to You?

What goals do you and your club have, what climate issues would you like to explore, how can you creatively collaborate to choose your group's top goals, and where can you look for effective actions to achieve those goals.

Step 3. Lots of Ideas for Actions & Events

Ideas ranging from bite-size to long-range; how to make your actions SMART; and how to set up your club roadmap for the year.

Step 4. How to Plan Successful Events

Kick-off and event planning tips, including breaking things down into manageable steps, assigning leadership roles, creating a planning timeline, using a SMART chart, spreading the word, and more.

Step 5. Learn About Campaign Tactics

Designing a campaign to achieve a goal using different types of tactics, such as advocacy, direct action, and education & outreach.

Step 6. Individual Actions Make a Difference

A variety of actions you can take and their impacts on the climate.  Inspire others!

Step 7. How to Talk About Climate Change

Climate change talking points, how to use your voice and tell your story.

Step 8. How to Empower Your Club

Keeping your team engaged and active.

Step 9. Avoiding Anxiety and Burnoutons Make a Difference

How to recognize activist stress, and tips for you and the club to stay healthy and balanced.

“File:Greenhouse-effect-t2.svg” by A loose necktie is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Step 10. Climate Science Basics

The causes and effects of climate change.

Step 11. What's Next?

You can volunteer. You can choose a major that deals directly or indirectly with the climate. And you can VOTE!

Step 12. More Resources

Resources for running a club; organizing a campaign; climate change solutions; and more.
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