When it came time to develop a climate action plan, the team at the District of Sooke knew that engagement would be key to its success. They also knew they'd need to shift some deeply entrenched narratives in the community and culture.
So they asked me to work with them for a year to help them use story as a tool to engage key partners and enhance adoption. Through a series of workshops and supported offline work, they learned to use tools from design thinking, appreciative inquiry and strategic foresight to identify what their people really want for the future, what's holding them back and how they could get it in a way that also supported the District's sustainability goals. (For example, spending less time stuck in a car commuting can also cut emissions).
Using these findings, they created a story of the future about how people could live the life they want by taking climate action. This story became the foundation for the formal climate action plan, as well as the core engagement tool for implementation. Taking this approach not only improved adoption but also established the District as innovators in climate leadership.
