ARCC climate action narrative: test phase

Tanya Wilkins & Amy Amani

April 2018

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ARCC networkThe Adaptation and Resilience in the Context of Change (ARCC) network was hosted by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

UKCIP helps organisations, sectors and government adapt to the changing climate through practice-based research and by providing support and advice. The programme is based at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), University of Oxford, OUCE, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY

enquiries@ukcip.org.uk

www.arcc-network.org.uk

This report should be referenced as:

Wilkins, T.M. (2018). ARCC climate action narrative: test phase. UKCIP, University of Oxford.

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ARCC climate action narrative: test phaseFriday 20 April, Adelaide

Thanks to SafeWork SA staff, Attorney-General’s Department, Government of South Australia

Monday, 24 April, Oxford

Thanks to Environmental Change and Management MSc students, School of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford, and to Dr Pete Walton for being the Inspector!

What is a climate action narrative?Serious games are increasingly being used by nongovernmental organisations such as the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre to convey changing risks. Underpinned by this concept, the ARCC network partnered with Goddard Creative to write and test an innovative communications and engagement tool to improve individuals understanding of current climate change challenges facing the urban environment.

This communications and engagement project was to be instructive towards positive change in the office environment. It was underpinned by excellent ARCC-affiliated research to deliver an improved understanding of current urban issues including:

• impacts of climate change

• adapting building stock / retrofit

• overheating / energy efficiency

• urban flood resilience

• opportunities for green infrastructure, green spaces

• creating liveable cities

• sustainable transport including walking/cycling.

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From January until April, Tanya Wilkins, ARCC network, and Amy Amani, Goddard Creative, wrote the murder/mystery style, character driven game that was intended to encourage positive change in the workplace.

This short pilot project included the development of the game, and two trials to primarily test the murder/mystery style approach but also to evaluate the game’s ability to empower participants to have with a deeper understanding of the issues, current research, and what they can individually do. For a successful longer term project, outcomes would be that the communication tool will enable participants from the non-academic partner organisations to:

• know more about sustainable behaviours as they relate to their office environment

• talk about climate change as it relates to living in a city

• understand the links between climate change and our health and wellbeing.

The novel murder/mystery style approach has been developed:

• for facilitators to use this as an ice-breaker activity, in a ‘train the trainer’ type style so office workers can become champions/advocates for sustainable teams

• for academics working with communities in adaptation research within the urban environment (potentially ice-breaker, or community building activity)

• that this can be incorporated in the training for ECRs and DPhils as an opportunity to showcase their research; by using the game to deliver the performance, they can understand the value of creative arts in communicating their research (ie dance your PhD).

The gameLed by the Inspector, participants become members of the Very Responsible Office Company, including familiar roles across an organisation such as ‘The Big Boss’, Chief Operating Officer, accounting, procurement, facilities, IT, communications, reception, and an intern. These characters discover that they have just failed their Happy Climate Building Accreditation, which means instead of the celebratory party they would have gotten, they have to solve this crime, they must work together and against each other to uncover who did not complete the required accreditation tasks.

Very Responsible Office Company

Employees: 223Location: NowheresvilleSector: Management

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The HCBA was loosely based on the International WELL Building Institute’s building accreditation, however modifications were made to include the ARCC-affiliated research promoting climate action and sustainable urban environments.

The tasks included:

Commitment to the HCBA Strong leadership to ensure all staff are supported in the HCBA accreditation

requirements

Commitment reflected in the professional standard of application submitted

Organisational mandate to tackling climate change to improve human health

Vision, strategy, policies reinforce the commitment to HCBA

Leading communication tactics, including utilising new digital opportunities to engage staff

Water Sustainable Urban Drainage plan for site, including regular maintenance of

external drains

Staff understanding of the importance of water security

Install dual flush toilets

Green VROC: indoor plants to be watered using the rainwater

Investments in permeable paving, and maintenance policy and procedures

Wellbeing & sustainable transport Costed policies around car sharing and a bike loan scheme, and discounts with

local bike shops, bus and train lines

Flexible working, telecommute, and a responsible travel policy

Green VROC; increase plants in office to 1 per every 5 desks

Encourage employees to walk or cycle to work and meetings, and to give up their car park

For everyone’s benefit, ban eating at desks

Desks are advantageously positioned to windows and natural light walkways to be on the inner areas of the floors

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Reduce & adapt Overarching policies for why this important

Promotion of this initiative and its importance

On the path towards a paperless office with supporting data collection

Food waste programme

Recycling programme, including reuseable interoffice envelopes, return waste to suppliers, free or recycled items first

Building Retrofit Plan; understand adaptation opportunities like external shading, tree planting Energy and carbon

Biodiversity Bird boxes around buildings

Endorsed policy for staff to be feeding birds in winter

Install bee houses

Careful planting of trees to support shading of building, and provide nice areas for staff

Energy reduction policy and cost-savings Collect, report and analyse data from energy audits

Monitoring the shut-down of equipment out-of-hours

Building kept to 21 degrees centigrade

Ensuring automated lighting system is working, and light bulbs swapped to LED

Understand carbon footprint of suppliers

Upgrade small appliances

There were predominately failed tasks, however it wasn’t all bad news for VROC with some of the tasks completed by members of the team!

The trials In both the Adelaide and Oxford trials, the concept of using a murder/mystery-style game for a climate change ‘who done it?’ was really well received by the participants. As is the case with most new activities, it took a little encouraging to get participants into character, however with a little prompting they started to uncover the crimes.

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This game was delivered to meet an hour timeslot, however both trials supported a significant increase in this time, as well as a more instructive role for the Inspector including prompts for the participants. This also includes additional instructions for the participants that they should be looking at the tasks according the jobs roles, who would be responsible for costing a green infrastructure initiative; maybe start with the accountant given it is to do with money.

The characters were developed to be an influencing factor in the completion of tasks (as is the case when humans are involved!), so participants can really draw from those relationships in who to approach to ask about a task, and if there is always the opportunity to ask the same direct question of everyone until you get the right answer, like ‘were you responsible for the food waste programme?’

In conducting these two trials, there was a lot of specific feedback on improving the game, including:

• wearable props

• clear responsibility for tasks, no delegation

• higher stakes involved; would someone possibly be fired as a result of this?

• simpler relationships

• a longer version of the game containing actual solutions for the issues.

What next?With the approach confirmed as a success, this game is able to be further developed to suit a range of other needs, such as bespoke tailoring to a particular organisation or sector, or also as a linking tool between difference disciplines such as climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

With the ARCC network closing on 30 April 2018, Tanya Wilkins and Amy Amani remain available and keen to pursue opportunities for this murder/mystery style climate change communication tool.

Tanya Wilkins @wiltm001 linkedin.com/in/tanyawilkins

Amy Amani @amyca19 linkedin.com/in/amyamani

ARCC climate action narrative: test phase

Tanya Wilkins & Amy Amani

April 2018

enquiries@ukcip.org.uk

www.arcc-network.org.uk