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Cool Community Campaign

An Education and Outreach Program for Local Governments and Community Organizations Empowering Citizens to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

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“Low Carbon Diet is a very effective program for helping people achieve real and lasting carbon reduction at the household level. We gave a copy to each person who was personally trained by Al Gore and The Climate Project to give a version of his slideshow. I recommend it to anyone who wants to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint.”

– Jenny Clad, Executive Director, Al Gore’s “The Climate Project

This is an education and outreach program to assist local governments and community-based organizations in implementing the Low Carbon Diet in their community. Empowerment Institute offers two forms of support in deploying the Cool Community Campaign: Social Change 2.0 community organizing leadership certification, focused on implementation of the Cool Community Campaign and a customized community training.

Overview of Program

An Opening for Change

With the U.S. Senate unable to pass climate legislation, as concerned American citizens we are left to our own devices. But even if legislation had passed, the speed and magnitude of change our scientists tell us is needed, goes well beyond anything political leaders were contemplating. The social change tools at their disposal—command and control, and financial incentives, at their best—are designed for slow, incremental change. If the current social change tools of carrots and sticks alone are unable to meet our needs, what else do we have? Are there assumptions we might rethink about what motivates people to change? And with our national government unable to lead the way, how might our communities effectively step into this leadership vacuum?

Read more ...

Watch Video: Low Carbon Diet

Deeper Dive

climate for change 100 pdf Changing the World One Household at a Time , Portland's 30 day program to lose 5000 lbs — Article by Sarah Rabkin about residential climate change program, Portland, OR. From the book, Creating a Climate for Change. (PDF)

Watch Video: The Social Engagement Network

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Become Certified as A Cool Community Campaign Leader


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Empowerment Institute’s Social Change 2.0 community organizing leadership certification with a focus on implementation of the Cool Community Campaign. You will learn how to facilitate an empowerment training, provide empowerment coaching, and use the Social Change 2.0 framework, strategies and skills to architect a transformational community intervention. You will also receive the Cool Community Campaign training scripts, organizing templates, and guidance on how to customize the campaign to the unique needs of your community and project. Click here for more information on the certification program.

Sponsor A Cool Community Campaign Training


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A Social Change 2.0 community organizing training for a local government or community organization wishing to implement a Cool Community Campaign. This training is customized to the needs of the community and organization. For more information contact us.

Purchase Low Carbon Diet Workbook


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Low Carbon Diet:
A 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds

by David Gershon

The core tool of the Cool Community Campaign.

Click here to purchase the book

Low Carbon Diet and the Cool Community


Socail Change 2.0

Learn about the social change framework and research underpinning the Cool Community Campaign in David Gershon’s award-winning book Social Change 2.0: A Blueprint for Reinventing Our World. Chapter 11 of the book is a case study of the Low Carbon Diet behavior change program and Cool Community empowerment model on which the Cool Community Campaign is based. This chapter has been excerpted as a six-part series in the Sustainable City Network listed below:

Part One: Low Carbon Diet and the Cool Community

Part Two: An Inconvenient Truth Finds a Convenient Solution

Part Three: Instead of Cursing the Dark, Light a Candle

Part Four: The Global Warming Café

Part Five: Taking a Cool Community to Scale

Part Six: The Cool City Challenge

Click here to purchase Social Change 2.0

Hope for a Climate Change Solution


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Hope for a Climate Change Solution in the Wake of Copenhagen — If Governments Can't, People Can

Implement the Children's Version of the Low Carbon Diet Program


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A Kid's Five Week Adventure to Create an Earth-friendly Life

A children’s version of Low Carbon Diet for 8 to 12 year olds accompanied by a twenty-six-lesson plan teacher’s curriculum. For more information click here.

Changing the World From Your Neighborhood


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Changing The World From Your Neighbourhood

Audio Interviews with David Gershon


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New-Dimensions-logo 160Low Carbon Diet Lifestyle, What Will It Take?


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npr logo 150Social Change 2.0 on KEXP fm in Seattle

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