Personal Planning Tools
Tools to Help You Plan Your Actions
This page is to help people map out, create, and/or then share their quarterly or yearly climate actions: as a way to help you organize the different ways you as an individual or group can take action. Planning alone increases success, but by then sending examples to us here at Climate Steps – you can help motivate others and shout out to the world – “I’m going to take these actions and publishing them here is going to force me to keep them up!”
Action Plans
Action plans are designed to help you outline and then quantify your plan and then your likely success. The are commonly used in strategic planning for programs and projects everywhere, and they are very much plans – “I plan to do this in this manner.” They are also often written so others can view them, encourage, and comment, especially a mentor.
By outlining the specifics, setting a timeline, and also sharing, you are more likely to meet your goals. These plans are a step up from a New Year’s Resolution and very useful. They’re not hard – just one to two pages of doable actions, but it’s a better way to check your progress. And at the end, it will help you see your impact. Because you can make significant impacts.
Note the examples but especially the BLANK template below. Once you create one – PLEASE SHARE IT WITH US! Just send it to climatesteps@gmail.com with a statement that you are ready to share it with any and all (i.e., make it public domain or CC-attribution), and whether you want to remain anonymous or not, and, if suitable, we’ll upload it. We’re still figuring out how to do private versus public feedback, but we’ll get there.
Sample Energy Action Plan
Sample Food Action Plan
Sample Plastic Action Plan
Sample Social Action Plan
Sample Water Action Plan
BLANK CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
Best filled in by downloading and opening with Adobe Reader. (We’re fixing a bug. Thanks!)
Climate Maps!
Care of Dr. Cat Russell, in Colorado. Based on a map used at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory for project actions in general, Cat has developed wonderful, free training (except for any travel costs needed) focused on climate action. The training’s mantra is Head, Heart, and Hands.
- Head: you learn some brief facts about the climate crisis but also facts about action.
- Heart: you bring images of what draws you to action. Your children, wildlife, your favorite part of nature, etc.. This will go in the center of the map.
- Hands: you work (personally, or in a group) to determine categories in which you can take action, and map them – from recent actions, to first steps, to achievable goals. Heading towards your heart image.
Maps can be created by hand or within an editable PDF version. See under the Share section below for an example map. More information on the maps and training is available at Cat’s site: https://www.climateactionmaps.org/training.
P.S. If you go through the training, you are empowered by Cat to use the maps – for free – to train others!
New Year’s Resolutions
Resolutions are generally just a simple statement, though it helps if they are S.M.A.R.T. = specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. I have written three sets of New Year’s Climate Resolutions now, and they can be quite effective. Examples below.
Discover Regional Actions via Tools
So check it out, and help add to it. Cheers! And thanks to member Aviva Patel for pointing it out to me.
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Share Your Actions!
Share your actions with us here – removing personal data, and it will help others plan theirs. I also can send you an email reminder three months later (just one reminder) to help keep you on track.
Examples people are uploading:
S.R. Plastic Action Plan 2023 Download
R and P’s 3 months Action Plan Download
An Example Action Map for a Family Download
