At Global Action Plan, we believe that all of us can make a big difference. And through our programmes, we help people to discover their potential as change makers. Through our partnership with Ducky in Norway, we now have the tools to prove that our actions, however small, do really matter.
This is our invitation to you, to join us in a new way to fight climate change.
Of course, at present, being worried about the climate crisis is normal. Everywhere we look, we can see massive, and apparently irreversible, changes happening to our planet. And as a result humanity is responding too slowly to stop the damage being done to our natural environment.
We are collectively in a vicious circle, where our current carbon-intensive lifestyles. Habits have become so ingrained that there is little appetite for change. We see that increasing numbers of people are waking up to the damage that is being inflicted on our planet and on ourselves. But that most of them feel powerless, as individuals, to change it. And we see that, despite the noise, we are not taking the crisis seriously enough.
What can I do about it? I’m just one person…
The public debate on climate change is on a slow burner. Despite the mounting evidence that climate change is real and man-made, media coverage continues to ignore the issue. They also present it as if there were ‘two sides’ to the science.
And even among those who don’t deny the science, there are huge differences of view about the reasons why the crisis is growing and what is causing it. Many are quick to point their fingers to governments for ‘not doing enough’. They blame car drivers, airlines, farmers, and the construction industry, or other countries like China or the USA.
Amid the noise, it is easy for individuals to be confused. Many of us don’t feel we have any power to help tackle the crisis, or feel that whatever changes they might make won’t make any difference. The climate crisis is so big, so urgent, so complex that it can appear overwhelming. And humanity is so numerous that, indeed, the actions of one person can seem trivial.
At Global Action Plan, we believe that our choices and actions as individuals influence others. That we all can inspire positive change.
Doom-mongering has overtaken denial as a threat and as a tactic. ‘Inactivists’ know that if people believe there is nothing you can do, they are led down a path of disengagement. They unwittingly do the bidding of fossil fuel interests by giving up.
Michael E. Mann, quoted here.
Highlighting, and measuring, positive action
When we talk about climate change, we must not be weighed down by guilt of not being ‘perfect ecologists’. Instead, we must focus on the many steps that people can take or are taking to change the world. We want to focus on climate-friendly actions taken by friends, family and neighbours. And also by organisations and companies all over the world. As a result we can encourage ourselves and each other to make tangible changes in our own lives. We can use our voices as citizens to campaign for policy changes at national and international level.
And that is one of the reasons why we at Global Action Plan have teamed up with Ducky AS. Leveraging the Ducky technology, we can support each other to change the way we talk about, and act on, climate change.
Partnership in action : Sustainable Kildare – a case study
We need to start a new conversation. A conversation about how we can collectively reduce our consumer habits together, and how important those changes, when added up, are for our planet. Through our partnership with Ducky we delivered a recent project in Co. Kildare, which involved 124 people over 3 weeks, resulted in savings of 19,000 kgs of Co2 emissions. If everyone in Ireland had taken the same actions, it would have resulted in a 36% reduction in our national greenhouse gas emissions. The Ducky challenge also showed which habits were hardest to change at individual level, and where changes to government policies would be most helpful.
The Ducky platform helps to create new narratives for people. Not threatening, or doom laden, but stories which show that if we work together we can create real change. If we change one small habit in our daily lives – e.g. turn down a thermostat, use public transport instead of a car, eat a vegetarian meal – then it will have a direct positive effect on our climate footprint. And if enough people get together to do this, share their experiences and try and do it regularly, then we can really swing the needle.
Nigel Powell, Ducky AS
There are three parts to the Ducky solutions:
- A unique and detailed carbon footprint calculator to track how our lifestyle impacts the planet;
- A gamified Ducky challenge app where participants compete with their peers to change habits and reduce their footprint;
- A custom development service which integrates CO2e emission calculations with company products, apps and websites.
Ducky is a catalyst for change
Below are the number of reasons why we value our partnership with Ducky.
Ducky is evidence based. Using the Ducky technology, we can help individuals track their personal carbon footprints. Instead of using generic footprint calculators that combine global averages, Ducky uses country-specific data, combined with each individual’s personal emissions, to calculate the impact of our actions. As a result, carbon footprints are calculated and tailored for individual users and their context.
And Ducky is fun. At Global Action Plan, we run Ducky Challenges – gamified competitions between teams – to encourage individuals to reduce their emissions by changing their daily habits. During challenges, participants log daily carbon saving actions which display in real time. We provide people with immediate feedback on how their actions reduce their carbon emissions, kilogram by kilogram.
And just as importantly, Ducky is a conversation starter. Through the Ducky Challenge, participants start a conversation about the potential for reducing or changing consumption. This in turn highlights clearly that we can, each of us, contribute to reducing emissions and creating a culture of climate awareness.
And finally, Ducky is about impact. Using the Ducky technology, we can aggregate all this anonymous data and help groups design more effective strategies to make their organisations ‘greener’. And we can help local governments to identify citizen consumption and emissions patterns, enabling them to take action at a regional level to encourage even more emissions reductions. In this way, we are able to increase the impact of individual actions exponentially, beginning a virtuous circle of more environmentally aware citizens contributing collectively to a better and more informed world.
Be a partner with us and Ducky
At Global Action Plan, we want to invite you, or your organisation, to join us in trying to start a new conversation about climate friendly actions with your staff, suppliers or customers. Our partnership with Ducky allows us to create new partnerships with you.
Join us on a journey where good things come from adopting a more mindful approach to consumption and effects. Where a simple game can change the way people think, and act.