At London’s first Climate Cocktail Club on 15th May, UCL climate professor Mark Maslin set out the urgency of climate action and what individuals can do, while ShareAction CEO Catherine Howarth unpacked the shift going on in the world of finance.
When former colleagues Alex Watson and Jo Alexander sat down together after completing their Climate Reality Training with Al Gore last year, they wondered how to engage others in climate change without the need for three days of training. It was that question that led them to bring Climate Cocktail Club to London, having seen the concept take off in Dublin, Amsterdam and Colombo.
“We got organising for three simple reasons. When there’s a big challenge and lots to digest, what’s better than a conversation over a drink. We wanted there to be something accessible because the best conversations happen with a mix of different perspectives. And we like throwing parties!” said Alex.
Jo said of the evening’s speakers “Mark gave the audience some of the scientific context lying behind recent developments like the Extinction Rebellion. It was fantastic that he gave our audience clear individual actions they can take,” which you can view here. Catherine reminded us that we are all investors in major companies through our pension savings and that taking decisions about where to put our money can bolster responsible investors, which engage companies on our behalf, and are working to shift companies' behaviour and reduce their impact on the environment.
Over 500 would be Climate Cocktail Clubbers signed up for the event, with the registration capacity of 250 filled within just 10 days! Clubbers from every sector of society attended, business leaders, activists, students, financiers, consultants, academics, investors, entrepreneurs… all climate enthusiasts and all driven to activate change.
The partners who made the event possible were pioneering social responsibility recruitment company Acre, co-working space x+why, and tasty cocktails from East London Liquor Company and Fever-Tree.
Alex and Jo see May’s event as the start, with events already being planned for September and November. Contact them if you would like to get involved in partnering or coming on board the organising team.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About Climate Cocktail Club (CCC): Founded by Tom and Ray for no other reason than get people together to talk about climate change over a drink or two. Initially launched in Dublin, CCC gathered the attention of would-be clubbers across Ireland and internationally with new Chapters now launched in Amsterdam, Cork, Sri Lanka and London.
climatecocktailclub.org
Contact:
Alex Watson – Mobile: 07981 733 443
Jo Alexander – Mobile: 07814 673 064