JULY ECO CHALLENGE

Submitted by: John Stephenson, PA Rotary

WHAT IS A CLIMATE FRIENDLY & SUSTAINABLE ROTARY CLUB?

 
Having just returned from a very inspirational the 2025 RI Conference in Calgary I’m reminded to reflect on this Buddhist Proverb shared with us by Cory Davis, an Agrologist who was speaking at ESRAG’s Environment Hub:

“If we wish to know the future, take care of the present!”

What better way for Rotarians to live the Four Way Test than to take on the project of making your own Rotary Club “Climate Friendly & Sustainable”. Thanks to Michael Koch from the Rotary Club Munchen-Residenz we now have a road map consisting of 7 Steps:

 

1. Understand your club’s mindset so you can build an environmental team.

2. Plan your actions, consider a pledge.

3. Start communication and build knowledge.

4. Estimate your club’s CO2 ‘footprint’ (the burden of your emissions) & ‘handprint’ (the good work done by your club to compensate).

5. Contribute financially (to offsets) to make your club carbon neutral.

6. Reduce the footprint of your club’s activities.

7. Start your club projects to increase your ‘handprint’. To learn more, go to: Become Sustainable! – We assist your Club to become climate friendly & sustainable

Michael Koch’s handbook which contains more resources, information and numerous examples from Rotary Clubs all over the world can also be found on Amazon through this same ESRAG resource.