Global Warming Cafe Sheridan

Ainslie B. Kincross has shared this story about the impact of a World Café on the field of Global Warming with us.

Hosts:

Ainslie B. Kincross & Sheridan Earth Day Organizing Committee

Hosting Org/Sponsor:

The Sheridan Earth Day Organizing Committee - a committee of 6-7 people who came together to organize a month-long series of events for Earth Day.
A local coffee shop provided after-hours space (participants bought coffee and sweets if they chose)
The Wyoming Wilderness Association helped with planning, outreach and advertising.
As a Climate Project Presenter, I was the facilitator - we received support from TCP and David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute, which hosted a training webinar for presenters.

Location (City & Country):
Java Moon Cafe, Sheridan, WY, USA

Who was this World Café for:
The audience was people who were concerned about global warming after the film An Inconvenient Truth came out in 2007.

Purpose:
To bring people together, and move from fear and despair into hope and action.

Number of People Attending (approx):
65-70

Questions Used:
"What are your greatest fears about the future (with respect to global warming)?"

"What are your greatest hopes for the future (with respect to global warming)?"

And last, "What are our next steps?"

Impact:
People came feeling hopeless about the situation Al Gore described in the film - that the problem was too big, and they had no idea what they could do. Some were angry and ready to blame governments and corporations.

By the end of the evening, the mood of the room had completely shifted and people were feeling hopeful and inspired, and *connected* to people whom they hadn't necessarily known at the start of the evening.

I remember one table that ended up together reported that they'd formed a small email and phone support group and had agreed to call each other as they made calls and visits to local, state and federal level officials. They felt empowered!

Thanks for this great method! Now in Mendocino County, CA, we are about to use it again for a class on "Citizenship in an Age of Corporate Power".