About Us

What is a Climate Café?

A Climate Café is a discussion created and facilitated by our team of high school students. Most commonly, our Cafés are open to any interested community members, but we have hosted cafés for students at middle schools and high schools and as partnerships with local conservation organizations.

To find out about upcoming Cafés, visit our events page!

If you’re interested in partnering with us, email us at climatecafemail@gmail.com

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Expanding our Definition of ‘Climate’

We believe that tackling an issue begins from the ground up, with ourselves. Only once we have looked inward, can we begin to examine the issue with those around us. And we can only strive

for broad, worldly change once we have joined hands. This way of thinking--through the lenses of self, relationships, and Earth--applies to every issue, from saving our marshlands to talking about race. It applies to every issue that we hope to discuss as we begin to interpret the word climate more broadly. 

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As we broaden our definition to include social climate in addition to the changing natural climate, we want to discuss topics like social justice and political engagement. At the end of the day, we continue to see ourselves as an environmental organization, and we

see these conversations as relevant to our work. If we don’t learn how to ask ourselves the hard questions, if we don’t know how to talk to each other, how can we expect to solve problems like the climate crisis? We can’t heal our relationship with the Earth if we don’t first heal our relationships with each other. More than ever, our society is polarized and unempathetic. Fourth graders are behaving like 1st graders on the playground, they won’t share. High schoolers would rather spend time on their phones than engage face-to-face. The empathy markers for college students has plummeted 40% over the past decade. Our leaders seem unwilling or unable to engage in civil discourse.

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We simply don’t know how to talk to each other.

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So we offer Climate Cafés as an opportunity for all of us to relearn how to CONNECT, CLARIFY, and CREATE new perspectives that will help us shape a better future. The goal is to develop our own personal world views while also understanding the perspectives of others--not to “win” an argument or convince someone to change their mind... not to blame, argue or debate. Over the past three years, we have hosted more than 30 Cafés reaching over 1,000 people. In

all of these, students and adults have come together to share their perspectives and engage in meaningful dialogue.

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As we continue, the number of Cafés and people touched by our work will only grow. We hope you will be one of these people to see you by our sides!