By Lucy Piper, the Director of WorkforClimate – a non-profit that equips climate-concerned professionals with toolkits, courses and community to drive impactful change in the workplace.
When you hear the term ‘climate activist’, what springs to mind? Someone throwing paint on a Picasso or chaining themselves to a tree? While these are popular media depictions of activism, for many people this narrow path to climate action simply isn’t viable.
But what if I told you that you don’t have to quit your job or risk life and limb to shift the needle on climate? In fact, quite the opposite is true. What if you can turn your job – yes the one you have right now – into the most powerful climate tool you have?
We know that climate is top of mind for employees when it comes to aligning with workplace values. And that the majority of workers want to see their employer take more climate action. For good reason, too. The world has just undergone the hottest consecutive 12 months in recorded history, and rapid transformation is needed to avoid a catastrophic future.
We spend roughly 17,000 hours each year at work. So it makes sense that if we are taking steps in our personal lives to mitigate the climate crisis, we should be applying the same principles in the workplace. Why? Because corporations have a huge part to play in cleaning up their act and decreasing global emissions.
Just 100 companies are responsible for 71% global emissions. While you may not work for one of those companies, your employer’s superannuation fund might invest in a fossil fuel giant or have an outsized influence when it comes to shaping the climate choices of an industry. The reality is that the climate movement desperately needs people actively working on the inside to help shift corporations.
Most companies won’t make the necessary changes without persuasion, because it competes with maximising short-term profits. That’s where employees come in. Employees are arguably the most valuable asset a company has, and that value brings power. Power to advocate for the environment. To drive real change. To push climate action up the corporate ladder.
This is why we designed the WorkforClimate Academy. Only 1 in 8 people currently have the skills relevant to abating the climate crisis, and this needs to change fast. Sustainability should ideally form a part of everyone’s jobs, so we designed a program to help workers gain the technical knowledge required to level-up their climate literacy and develop leadership skills to identify and influence the right decision makers.
This deep dive into corporate climate action aims to do a number of things. First, give you knowledge about the state of play – the what and the why. But more importantly, it gives you the practical tools to accelerate decarbonisation efforts in your workplace. This includes emboldening employees with the skills and confidence to start influencing management, and how to make a business case for climate action.
It also focuses on corporate cash and financed emissions. The idea is to give you a clear picture of how fossil fuel projects get financed, where that money comes from (you might be unpleasantly surprised) and how you can track your own company’s investments and financial supply chain. Money is the dark side of climate change, but it’s also a huge opportunity.
Over three months, you complete six modules packed full with practical learning tools and takeaways. There are fortnightly live sessions with industry experts and peer and professional coaching. And you get to join a passionate community of like-minded employees, all ready and willing to help you become a climate activist in the workplace.
We’ve already seen some extraordinary results from the course. From Laura Wilson’s ground-breaking climate work at global cycling company Specialized to Bernie Wiley shaking things up at Who Gives A Crap in his new role as Sustainability Director, Academy graduates have been kicking all kinds of climate goals at work.
You could be like them. So, what are you waiting for?
Do you work for a for-profit business? Are you curious about – or already active in – using your job to address the climate crisis? Enrolments are now open for the next WorkforClimate Academy cohort, due to kick off at the end of August. Head here to register.
