We (the Climate Action Group) want to build a sense of community around the challenge of addressing climate change and creating climate justice; we want to support creative responses, leading to lasting changes at individual and system levels. That is why we have partnered with cChange, who are experts in transformational change from Norway, to run this experience with us using the cChallenge tool developed by Professor Karen O´Brien at the University of Oslo.

Ambassadors are exploring, both individually and together as a group:

• The truth about our habits – how difficult they can be to break, how to develop new ones, and new ways to do day-to-day things more sustainably
• How our networks of friends, family and colleagues react when we decide to make changes in our behaviours, and how influential our behaviours can be on those around us
• How our small personal challenges connect to and can lead to bigger changes and even systemic change

We all met for some training and encourage with cChange staff before the start of the Challenge, and we each make posts about our experiences on the cChallenge platform, ideally each week if we can. These posts have been immensely inspirational and full of useful information, resources, and ideas. In just these first two weeks we have seen the evidence of our individual influence on each other, sharing insights, tips and support to each other to help us all succeed in our 30-day challenge to work toward climate justice. We have (optional) weekly check-ins with cChange in brief workshops where we discuss a certain theme in the transformational process. Last week we discussed our spheres of influence, and how our family and friends have been responding to us and our changes. This is a really powerful sharing space, where we are reminded that we aren’t alone, and even if someone has had a hard week we can share our efforts and stories and boost each other’s motivation.

At the end of this month we will each receive a certificate of participation, but the true benefits lie in our lived experiences of reflection, questioning ourselves and our normal habits and trying something new. The true strength of the Challenge is the community we’ve brought together – the posts and comments and shared learning. I look forward to checking the cChallenge page and reading my fellow participants’ posts, leaving comments, following weblinks and receiving the gifts of new resources and ideas, and reading lovely encouraging messages about my own progress, which spurs me on to greater effort. We are only two weeks in, but the evidence is already here for us to see – together people can change, even the most stubborn or unconscious habits, with a little education, inspiration, and a community of support.

Check out our Climate Justice Challenge, and some of our individual journeys. Warning: you may be inspired to undertake your own!

 Professor Alf Coles has pledged to document everything that they put into landfill this month and noted:

"I wanted to become more mindful of what I was putting into landfill, of course with the intention to try to reduce it. I have become interested in what we put in landfill as a School and University and how we might reduce this, also."

Masters' student Nining Anggeraini considers themselves 'a kind of indoor person which mostly stay inside the entire day and thinking that know what is happening outside through the internet is enough. Thus, I decide to challenge myself to spend one hour in nature each day.'

School of Education Sustainability Champion with the SU Shandin Rickard-Hughes' challenge is focused on engaging with the other 'Rs' - Reduce, rethink, refill, reuse, repair, reflect. Shandin said she feels that she relies too much on her 'typical default 'Recycle'' and when asked why she had chosen this challenge:

"I have noticed that my plastic recycling bin is full each week, and I know that recycling is not the ideal solution to our plastic problem - we need to get away from all single-use plastic to save our oceans, wildlife and the beauty of nature and our communities."