Meaningful Climate Conversations in East Devon
East Devon’s mobile Creative Cabin was rebranded as Climate Conversations in summer 2021 and went on tour across the area, being officially launched on Ocean Day, 8 June 2021. The project hosted creative activities for adults and children which promoted environmental awareness. Resource Futures role was to devise 2 sets of handouts to provide visitors to the cabin with information on climate change, what they could do about it and suggestions of the conversations it would be useful to have.
Objectives
Resource Futures support was in the form of communications collateral to spark behaviour changing conversations. The aim was to make people think about their carbon footprint and what they could do to reduce it.
We were tasked with producing four fact sheets and four activity sheets, to be given out from the cabin which visitors could take home with them. Fact sheets were easy to digest there and then, but also contained links to encourage further explorations once back at home.
Each activity sheet had ideas for a number of actions, projects or activities to do and conversations to have, with some being quick to complete and others longer lasting, to be carried out over a period of time at home.
Approach
Four themes were identified and agreed with East Devon, which were broadly defined as food (Food Systems and Food Waste), energy (Energy Efficiency), nature (Nature and Biodiversity) and the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
Resource Futures’ role in creating the fact sheet and activity sheet for each theme, was to research, provide copy and to suggest appropriate imagery and graphics. A local creative agency, Buddy, was then tasked with the final design and layout of the materials to tie in with the branding they had previously developed for the overarching Climate Conversations project.
The materials were designed in four colour schemes, to visually identify the four themes.
Outcomes
The materials have been well received by adults and children alike. By early September 2021, the cabin had visited 19 locations and is still touring and promoting Climate Conversations around East Devon and beyond. To date, around 300 fact sheets and 600 activity sheets have been given out and visitors to the cabin have numbered around 500 adults and 800 young people.
“Working with Resource Futures we devised a campaign with educational and creative materials which encouraged new perspectives and tested different approaches to the emergency, helping us understand and adapt to our changing planet. It has been a fascinating journey so far.”
Ruth Gooding, Arts Development Manager East Devon District Council.
