Social Change 2.0's unique contribution to the "how-to" of transformative social change has garnered it four prestigious books awards. We are very honored by this recognition. The National Best Books Award honors the premier books published in 2009. The Nautilus Award recognizes books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living, and positive social change while stimulating the imagination and offering new possibilities for a better life and a better world. The Living Now Book Award honors newly-published books that help readers enrich their lives in wholesome, Earth-friendly ways. And the Axiom Business Book Award celebrates the innovative, intelligent, and creative aspects of the business books that make us think, see, and work differently every day.
Book Review
Social Change 2.0: A Blueprint for Reinventing Our World is a handbook every visionary must read. Jam-packed with effective reality-tested tools and true-life stories, this new tome by David Gershon provides insights from the front lines. In David's case the front lines include working with world leaders like Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbechov, and Li Xiannian as well as the millions of people who have participated in his efforts
This book begins with ambitious intent: “we are being called to reinvent not only our world,” writes David Gershon, “but also the process by which we achieve this reinvention”. The familiar social change tools of protests, campaigns and lobbying are not working fast enough. To address the accelerating unravelling of our planet’s life support system, we need to step up in our capacity as change-makers. Based on more than three decades of research and an impressive track record of practice, what Gershon offers are proven tools and game-changing principles that strengthen our ability to transform our society.
Hope for a Climate Change Solution in the Wake of Copenhagen — If Governments Can't, People Can
By David Gershon
The political leaders of the world that gathered in Copenhagen had the unenviable responsibility of forging a strategy to pull humankind back from the brink of a dire future. What ultimately will come from this meeting is uncertain, but whatever occurs, the challenge ahead is immense. According to conservative climate change science, we need to stabilize concentrations of carbon dioxide at 400 ppm and then begin reducing it to 350 ppm to avoid triggering a cascading set of irreversible tipping points. We are currently at 390 ppm. To be successful in this task requires us to develop a solution to achieve by 2020 what the current treaty being negotiated hopes to achieve by 2050 -- an 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.
Could we cut a gigaton of carbon emissions through behaviour change and community organizing? Chris Johnstone asks David Gershon, a daring social architect, how to kickstart sustainable societal transformation – neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
Launch event of Chinese version Low Carbon Diet at the Shanghai Book Expo
Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility to Corporate Social Engagement
By David Gershon
Our civilization’s central organizing project is to transform our adverse impact on the climate system. Scientists tell us that we must act now to mitigate the most severe effects of climate change; that we have a very small window before we reach an irreversible tipping point, after which the planet will become inhospitable for human life. According to Jim Hansen, NASA’s chief climate scientist, “we have at most 10 years to fundamentally alter the trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions and take significant actions to reduce them” in order to avoid “disastrous effects.” Haiti provides a glimmer of what such “disastrous effects” might look like, particularly in the developing world.
Davis, California starts race to become America’s first carbon neutral city
DAVIS, CA - The city with the nation’s first bike lanes and climate specific energy efficiency ordinance is teaming up with former Olympic Torch Relay director and Earth Run organizer David Gershon to achieve the impossible. By unanimous vote of its city council, Davis, California is going all the way on global warming–total carbon neutrality by mid-century.
Participate in Empowerment Institute's School for Transformative Social Change The Institute, led by David Gershon and Gail Straub, provides change agents and social entrepreneurs with the training, coaching, and tools to integrate the Social Change 2.0 framework into their social change initiative. Participants can also become certified in leading one of Empowerment Institute’s turnkey personal transformation programs—Empowerment Workshop and Empowerment Life Coaching; community behavior change programs—Sustainable Lifestyle, Livable Neighborhood, Water Stewardship, Cool Community, or Disaster-Resilient Community; or organizational behavior change and cultural transformation program—The Empowering Organization. The next training starts in January 2012. For more information visit www.empowermentinstitute.net/ei.
Join Our Community of Practice Our on-line community of practice supports members in applying the Social Change 2.0 framework to their social change initiatives. It is designed to help facilitate networking, cross pollinating of ideas and exploration of the different aspects of the framework. There is also the opportunity to set up specialized forums for people working in similar content areas and within similar sectors or niches.
Host a Discussion Group A small group, using the Social Change 2.0 Discussion Guide, applies the book’s strategies to enhance an existing or develop a new social change initiative. The types of groups that could benefit include community-based organizations, local government agencies, social entrepreneurs, funders, corporate social responsibility initiatives, college and high school service learning programs and clubs, and faith-based social action committees.
Book Review
