Guide to
Green Action Week 2019
Interested in
Green Action Week?
Want to know more about the theme
'Sharing Community'?
Planning an activity for Green Action Week 2019?
This guide is for you.
What is Green Action Week?
Green Action Week is a global campaign to promote sustainable consumption.
Over 50 civil society groups in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America took part last year.
Green Action Week takes place on 30th September -6th October, but activities carry on the whole year.
Green Action Week is an initiative of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and is carried out in coordination with Consumers International.
What is Sharing Community?
Unsustainable consumption is a relatively new invention, and all over the world communities are pushing back against it. When people collaborate and share goods and services, it benefits the community as well as the environment.
“Access to goods and services is unequal and planetary boundaries are being breached.
Green Action Week wants to reignite cultures of sharing and collaboration, as a way to create sustainable access for more people, and at the same time reduce stress on the planet.
We want to challenge the norm of private ownership and consumerism and help create strong, collaborating communities.”
Why do we need Sharing Community?
We face a crisis of people and planet: too many people do not have equal access to the goods and services we need for a decent life, and too much stress is being put on the planet – our shared home.
Green Action Week focuses on sustainable consumption because it is crucial to tackle both the social and environmental causes of this crisis.
What does a 'Sharing Community' look like?
Change the system
- not just clean up after it
Philippines
At the Kilos Konsyumer Fair, people shared 'pre-loved clothes' to reduce waste (while still looking good!). At the same time they discussed how they could change the larger system around them, with a day of talks about how to use consumer networking to build 'people economics'.
Speaking a global truth
in our local languages
India
"We share life's necessities. It's in our culture."
A Sharing Community is not a new invention from the West, it is an ancient part of many cultures. These participants chose to use the Gujarati phrase આપ-લે નો ઓટલો ('give and take') on the streets and in the media.
Building stronger community relationships
Brazil
At a community swap event, one woman came in for a coffee and could not believe clothes were being swapped for free, so promised to come back with some of her own.
Someone else came to learn how to upcycle old fabrics, and in exchange shared her skills as an architect.
Bringing back local cultures of sharing
Malaysia
Local farmers have swapped seeds for thousands of years - but large companies trying to control seeds have led to higher costs, more chemicals and less plant diversity.
Consumer groups are pushing back, by hosting seed sharing fairs and taking the debate to regional newspapers.
How can you get involved?
Want to read more about Sharing Community?
- ‘A Wider Circle?’ – The circular economy in developing countries.
- ‘The Sharing Economy in Developing Countries’.
- ‘Closing the Loop’ – The benefits of the circular economy in developing and emerging economies.
- “Communicating Sustainable Lifestyles” – a guide from the United Nations Environmental Programme:
Planning your Green Action Week activities?
Are you a group thinking about getting involved in Green Action Week 2019? We have developed resources to help you plan activities that are strategic and focused on Sharing Community.
We recommend you download this package of resources together, as they work best with each other:
- A facilitator’s guide to help you and your group think through your vision, obstacles, solution, and activities – with suggested exercises. Download here.
- Presentation slides with a video, examples and diagrams to accompany the facilitator’s guide. Download here.
- A planning poster with tips which will help you create a large visual guide of your vision, obstacles, solution and activites which you can put on your wall and helps the whole team stay focused. Download here.
Do you have questions or want to discuss this more?
- You can email info@greenactionweek.org
- You can create an account on the Green Action Week website forums where you can also discuss the theme, activities, and learn from each other in our online forum.
- You can follow updates, stories, and discussions on the Green Action Week facebook page.
- If you are applying to be involved as a member of Consumers International – their page is here.
