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This guest blog was originally published by Tash Morgan-Etty on 04/02/23 via LinkedIn, where you can get in touch with her directly to join the challenge!

Today is my big Four-Oh! And I’ve set myself one heck of a challenge for this year…

It all started when I decided on the three things I’d like for my 40th birthday:

🎂 CAKE
🧘🏼‍♀️ CALM
🌍 CARBON LITERACY

Sound like a bit of an odd list? Let me explain…

1. CAKE – thanks to medical negligence I’ve had to work really hard to rebuild my health over the last few years, and I’ve FINALLY reached the point where I can have a slice of cake without paying for it with unbearable pain afterwards (hence the ridiculously cheesy grin on my face in the photo! #glutenfreevegancakeforthewin)
2. CALM – I’m determined to treat myself to some well-deserved R&R at a nature-based wellness/yoga/meditation retreat at some point over the next 12 months (I imagine most of my fellow #parentpreneurs feel me on this one)
3. CARBON LITERACY – The weirdest wish out of the three? Maybe, maybe not…

Why Carbon Literacy?

I think it’s safe to say that, at one time or another, most of us have felt a bit stupid in the face of the latest #carbonfootprint / #ESG / #NetZero / #ClimateScience developments (and, if we’re honest with ourselves, many probably still do).

Then there are those who haven’t even dipped their toe into #sustainability because they find the #eco / #socialimpact space too uncomfortable, judgy, intimidating, or inaccessible for any number of other reasons.

But! The reality remains… to create a thriving future for humanity and our planet, we URGENTLY need to get as many people as possible living and working responsibly, right?

I firmly believe access to science-based information and education is the key.

SO…

For my 40th, I want to facilitate the training of 40 people in Carbon Literacy over the next year, with each of them receiving a personalized certificate accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project.

Why the Carbon Literacy Project?

To date, over 51,000 individuals from over 4,000 organisations are Carbon Literate.

In my humble opinion, the selection of training programs currently overseen by the Project gets first prize for providing the most clear, concise, and action-orientated introduction to living and working in a way that can sustain long-term wellbeing for all people and our planet.

OK, how are you gonna do this?

There’s a wide range of CL courses, each tailored to particular needs, industries, interests, locations, etc. Check out the latest list of accredited courses.

My goal is to encourage 40 people to sign up for the one that suits them best and complete and record it as part of this challenge before 4th February 2024.

It would be brilliant if those who can afford to pay for their chosen course would let me know when they sign up and then simply go ahead with it. A bonus would be if they tag me in a post with their thoughts on the course once they’ve completed it.

For those who can’t afford to pay for their ideal CL course, I’d like to raise funds (via donations or some kind of sponsored walk/hike maybe?) to cover the cost for them. I’m also hoping that the relevant trainer might consider discounting the learner’s place 😉 .

Where there isn’t a course option that works for the person for whatever reason, I’d like to identify a CL Trainer who’d consider creating a bespoke course for a group of similar learners (assuming it’s viable for the trainer too, of course!).

So, where am I with this?

It’s early days, but I did run this (admittedly slightly nutty) idea by the Carbon Literacy Project’s co-founder Phil Korbel at last month’s Better Business Summit #BBS23. He very graciously and kindly encouraged me to go right ahead. So, cheers Phil… Here we are, and I’m running with it!

I’ve also had a chat with my friend Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong about potentially running a bespoke CL course for media professionals in Ghana, and we’re going to explore this further.

(I did try to rope my ever-patient colleague and collaborator Gavin Lendon in on this challenge to no avail. What he doesn’t realise is that he will inevitably become part of it at some point… Shhhh…! Don’t tell him!).

This is where you come in…

I’d love your suggestions for:

• People / groups you feel would benefit most (and consequently make the most impact!) from access to CL training.
• A simple system to track sign-ups, e.g would a Google form suffice?
• Fundraising ideas to pay for access for anyone who can’t afford the course costs, e.g. I’ve never done a sponsored walk, what’s the best way to about it?
• Any lovely CL trainers who might like to get involved in the UK and/or Ghana (I’m totally open to suggestions on how!)
• Any other comments, suggestions, or insights.

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

PS – Free cake!!!

I will send #freecake* to the first 10 people who sign up to this #40for40 challenge. Just DM me via LinkedIn with a copy of your upcoming Carbon Literacy course receipt, showing your name and the course dates, and we can take it from there.

*Please note: until fundraising gets underway, this only applies to self-funded participants.

Let’s #keepcalmandgetcarbonliterate!