How Sustainability Workshop ‘Climate Fresk’ Is Changing Corporate Minds In Hong Kong
In just under five years, the French NGO’s climate science awareness workshop has gained rapid global recognition as a corporate sustainability tool, transforming how companies engage and educate themselves on the pressing crisis of our time. Amy Shroff asked Charlotte Lafitte, one of Hong Kong’s most sought-after Climate Fresk facilitators, to explain what makes it so effective - and how her workshops maintain a positive outlook despite the gloomy subject matter.
As the managing director of Banyan Workspace, one of Hong Kong's leading eco-friendly co-working spaces, Charlotte is dedicated to promoting sustainability. She ensures that responsible options are integrated into daily office operations, from sourcing recycled and recyclable office supplies to offering clean reusable lunch boxes for members. “We have always tried to model corporate responsibility and demonstrate how sustainable lifestyle changes that are deemed ‘difficult’ usually have simple solutions if you are willing to become a little more mindful of your actions. It really takes far less effort than commonly assumed.”
Unfortunately, it sometimes seems that the bigger the problem, the more people are inclined to ignore it. This is certainly the case for the world’s climate emergency, an issue of such magnitude that individual attempts to make a difference can feel rather pointless. A recent YouGov survey conducted across seven European countries revealed a direct correlation between people’s willingness to adopt greener habits and the degree to which those changes would affect their lifestyle. The greater the personal impact, the less likely they were to support such measures, irrespective of their concern for our planet. After all, with eight billion people on Earth, what difference can one person’s actions possibly make? It is easier to simply bury one’s head in the sand and carry on with business as usual.
Charlotte acknowledges the frustration that arises from this perspective. She explains, “It is understandable; it is human nature to ignore complex issues.” This realisation is also what drove Cédric Ringenbach to create Climate Fresk in December 2018. “His aim was to provide a way for people to understand the intricate science behind climate change in a way that made them feel inspired and empowered to take individual action, rather than being lectured by experts and officials.
Adopting the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ marketing strategy, Climate Fresk is an interactive, engaging and playful three-hour educational workshop centred around a set of 42 cards, each highlighting scientifically-proven facts and data points from IPCC reports. Instead of a traditional didactic approach, participants are challenged to use the cards to uncover the cause-and-effect relationships of climate science for themselves, guided by trained facilitators. Through collaboration, brainstorming and guided self-learning, participants thus engage with the facts on a far deeper and more meaningful level.
The remarkable spread of the Climate Fresk workshops worldwide within just five years attests to their effectiveness. Attendees are so motivated and inspired by what they learn that many become facilitators themselves, sharing their newfound knowledge with others, who are in turn inspired to volunteer. In this way, it has become a viral phenomenon, a global network of activists revolutionising how people confront the daunting challenge of climate change, inspiring individual and corporate action on an impressive scale.
“Occasionally I’ll hear comments in the media dismissing it as an over-simplification of the issues,” says Charlotte, “but that is missing the point of the experience. Climate Fresk is a first step in engagement with and awareness of climate science, giving people an effective base level of quality climate education. It leaves them with motivation, whether that is simply to make greener lifestyle choices, or to take their new knowledge to the next level and find out more. Either way, it is a win for the planet.”
Charlotte was herself inspired to become a facilitator after participating in a Climate Fresk at Oil Street Gallery 18 months ago. Leveraging her background in retail and hospitality, she has swiftly become one of Hong Kong’s most sought-after facilitators for private corporate workshops. She has worked with the likes of Crédit Agricole, Blunomy and Knight Frank through her workshops via the Green Office Project, hosted both at Banyan Workspace and at participants’ own corporate offices. Beyond establishing the cause and effect relationships of climate science, Charlotte helps them analyse what they have learned through a corporate lens. She fosters awareness of the need for change while acknowledging constraints faced by businesses and industries.
“I want to help companies grow their awareness of areas where they are able to make feasible changes. But I make sure everyone who joins feels heard.”
“It never helps to point fingers or assign blame,” she emphasises. “I want to help companies grow their awareness of areas where they are able to make feasible changes. But I make sure everyone who joins feels heard. Over the past year, I have experienced so many open-hearted conversations and journeys in self-awareness, it is impossible to dismiss any business as simply ‘not doing good enough’. I try to encourage honest and open dialogue, acknowledgement of limitations. This can then lead to greater appreciation of where changes can be made and the impacts they can have.”
It is this perspective that has helped Climate Fresk emerge as a significant force in revolutionising sustainability in Hong Kong’s business landscape. It successfully bridges the gap between scientific complexity and actionable change, inspiring both individuals and corporations to lift their heads from the sand and confront climate change head-on.
Interested in hosting a Climate Fresk workshop for your team?
