A Climate Café® is simple to get started.
It can be as simple as finding a safe, accessible space where everyone can feel comfortable; putting on the kettle, making a cup of tea or coffee and sitting down to chat.
It can help to work with 2-3 others in your community, to coordinate and support your Climate Café®, who may be connected to different networks – that’s a great way to ensure that your Climate Café® gets going with a diverse range of voices and different perspectives.
Some Climate Café® spaces meet in a local Café, if that Café are happy to host a gathering with a few tables. Others meet in a community space, a community centre, town or church hall where you can bring your own kettle, tea, coffee and biscuits. Local government is increasingly seeing the benefit of Climate Cafes® so may offer public spaces, maybe in libraries to meet. There are Climate Café® pop ups in museums, theatres, cinemas, arts centres and libraries.
When choosing your space, consider whether it will be accessible to everyone – check access arrangements; what acoustics are like; will everyone be able to hear each other; can you provide tea and biscuits for free, or get a small donation to buy biscuits and who will tidy up?!
It’s great to support local Cafés and businesses. Do consider whether drinks will be affordable for everyone and if your host venue are happy for you to sit chatting for a while.
Some Cafes are happy to host a Climate Café®, and may even provide a quieter space or a group discount, checking with the venue in advance and being thoughtful guests!
Remember to register your Climate Café® with info@climate.cafe to sign up to the shared simple ethos, get a logo, webspace and to use the name.