Communicating Climate Reality to Employees

Episode details

James Murphy is a Climate Reality Leader who studied under Al Gore in 2019. Based in London, England, James now delivers the climate reality message to businesses and organizations that are committed to sustainability or implementing sustainability programs. He meets with communicators, marketers, sustainability teams, or risk management teams to discuss ideas, messaging, channels, follow-up, and evaluation.

James moved into the climate reality field after being in rehab in 2017. That was a difficult time in James' life, but he realized he was being given a second change and, while in rehab, he discovered his love for nature and became determined to work in sustainability.

If your organization wants to implement a sustainability program or refocus an existing program, this podcast will give you lots of information and resources about where to start. And for marketers and communications, James provides suggestions for strategies and winning employee buy-in. He also sounds a note of caution regarding people with lower incomes. He also discusses actions that really make a change and those that don't.

Offer: Free membership in (b) sustainable

James is offering listeners free membership to his climate reality project (b) sustainable. This lifetime membership includes: Become part of a network; Free (b) sustainable events; Globally recognized qualification; Use of (b) sustainable logo; Weekly updates and access to exclusive (b) sustainable information; 50% discount to the (b) sustainable conference. Go here to apply for your free membership: https://www.bsustainable.org/membership-account/membership-checkout/?level=5

In this podcast episode:

02:20 - James Murphy on transitioning his business from employee engagement to becoming a climate reality leader

04:05 - Studying with Al Gore

05:09 - Using storytelling to deliver the climate reality message

05:35 - How James' deeply personal experience of going into rehab led him to realize he'd been given a second change; he developed a love of nature and decided to refocus his business on climate reality and sustainability

07:45 - How to deliver a message that some people don't believe or can be viewed as controversial

09:40 - Using simple, easy-to-implement examples to deliver the sustainability message

09:58 - How to handle a disinterested or uncaring audience

12:00 - Start-ups with a vibrant, young culture and generally more receptive to climate reality and sustainability messages

12:30 - More established organizations may require a slower start, with smaller steps forward as ideas

15:35 - James' first points of contact in an organization ahead of delivering a message

16:05 - Tools, strategies, and tools

17:30 - Project Drawdown: the science behind climate change and transitioning being carbon neutral by 2050. Drawdown refers to making earth a carbon sink, rather than a carbon emitter

18:35 - Using carbon offsetting as a communications tool

19:05 - Finding different causes to spark employee engagement in the climate message

20:45 - Recognizing that not everyone has the means or resources to live a sustainable life

22:35 - Using caution when delivering climate reality messages; some employees are not paid enough to be active in sustainability causes

23:20 - Focusing on authenticity and being genuine

25:30 - Encouraging employees to own the climate change message

26:36 - The sustainability movement will create jobs

29:05 - Transitioning economies: The shift to carbon neutrality is a transition from fossil fuels to sustainability - people, planet, and profit

30:15 - Actions that make a difference - the right way to approach sustainability

33:28 - What you can do today to make a difference

33:40 - Using reward and recognition

36:40 - The immediate crises the planet is facing

39:12 - Communicating hope

Resources:

James' email address: James @ bsustainable.org; James' sustainability organization: bsustainable.org; On Twitter: @MurphyFRSA; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-murphy-frsa-24571545/

Al Gore's Climate Reality Project: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/

Project Drawdown: a global research organization that identifies, reviews, and analyzes the most viable solutions to climate change, and shares these findings with the world.