In a world where climate headlines can often overwhelm us, it can be easy to forget the power of small, local actions. For us—four women living in different parts of Europe, coming together around a shared design experiment reminded us just how much difference we can make when we act, reflect, and learn together.
What began as a simple Diploma Guild exercise soon grew into something much deeper. Using the 52 Climate Actions website as our guide, we formed a collective of women, meeting online across borders and landscapes. We discovered that trialing actions collectively (but individually) created not only practical changes in our gardens and households but also a sense of resilience and creativity
Our collaborative process
We came into the project with very different lives and landscapes:
- Jessi, is German living in rural Portugal, surrounded by olive groves and steeped in a climate of hot summers and dry soils.
- Karen, is a Dutch/South African, living in Brittany, France, where temperate weather and abundant rain shape both gardens and lifestyles.
- Jill, is English and also based in Brittany, navigating the same climate but with her own household rhythms and creative approach to reuse.
- Lorna, English, living near Manchester in the UK, where the wetter, cooler climate and urban proximity present both opportunities and challenges for food and community.
To give our process shape, we selected Dragon Dreaming as our design framework—dreaming of what change might look like, planning together, doing individually, and then reflecting as a group. Our online meetings became more than check-ins; they were spaces of accountability and encouragement, where we celebrated successes and turned struggles into shared problem-solving.
We began by each selecting ten actions from the 52 Climate Actions resource. From those, we found that there were four common intersected actions which we agreed to explore together:
- Listen, Share, and Learn
- Buy Less, Make More
- Eat Local, Seasonal Food
- Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Reduce
Everyone had a different approach to the thinking tools we used to engage with these actions. We experimented with tools like HCEP (Hopes, Concerns, Expectations, Priorities) and WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time specific) to ground our actions in design thinking. But perhaps most importantly, we discovered that working as a collective gave us courage. What might have felt small or difficult alone became possible when held in community.
The Climate Actions we explored
Listen, Share, and Learn
This action reminded us of the value of slowing down and listening—whether to each other, to our neighbours, or to the land itself.
Karen found that the volunteering program they ran gave them plenty of opportunity to share, listen and learn from people across the world. She is planning to create a Climate Action board in their kitchen for next year.
Jill aimed to finish her 10 diploma designs, gain accreditation and then move towards a teaching certificate. She attended a small local Art and Nature festival to nurture local connections.
Lorna attended a number of workshops and gatherings and started taking her partners children to the allotment to learn new skills.
Jessi got the chance to talk about the climate actions with volunteers at a local project, and created a Climate Action mindmap with them. She also gave a permaculture workshop at a festival where they talked about climate actions.
Through sharing across our diverse contexts, we often found solutions we would not have thought of alone. This action reminded us that change does not happen in isolation—listening builds trust and relationships to make action possible.
Buy Less, Make More
This action sparked a wave of creativity. Jill took up quilting, turning her husband’s old shirts into a beautiful, useful piece of art, and intended to mend torn clothes rather than buy new. Karen managed to upcycle old lampshades, giving them a new life, and made some curtains for the outdoor kitchen from scraps of hessian she had stored. Jessi made lots of creative things in the kitchen like chutneys, cordials, jams and instead of buying new clothes, she goes to clothes swaps and second hand shops. Lorna knitted a flower brooch for her partners daughters birthday and made friendship bracelets for special occasions.
We realised that buying less is not about scarcity but empowerment. When we make, repair, or reuse, we feel more capable and less dependent on unsustainable systems. Even small things—like mending a torn shirt or upcycling a dated piece of furniture instead of shopping for more—shifted our sense of resilience.
Eat Local, Seasonal Food
Food became a joyful theme running through our conversations. Jessi became more aware of where her food was coming from. She started supporting local businesses and spending more on organic produce. She now wants to expand her knowledge of foraging and learn and use 3-5 more wild plants in her cooking.
Karen and Jill experimented with abundant organic produce from or their own gardens or local markets and cooked with what the land offered. Jill joined her local community Épicerie where each member volunteers for 2 hours a week in the shop.
In Manchester, Lorna grew seasonal food on her allotment and bought food from a local vegetable box scheme. She also foraged to make wild garlic soup in spring and blackberry jam in autumn
Some of us also experimented with reducing meat consumption, trying new vegetarian and vegan recipes, and discussing how to balance sustainability with family preferences. We noticed that when we paid attention to what was seasonal and local, our meals became more varied, creative, and connected to place.
Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Reduce
Although many of us already practiced this action, talking about it together helped us deepen our commitment. Jill tackled her sewing pile and gave textiles a second life, she also implemented a recycle bin system in her new kitchen. Karen resolved to first visit the local Brocante (second hand shop) or recycle centre store when she needed to buy something for the house or garden.
Lorna looked at using a repair café for sharpening tools and knives and buying items in bulk from Wholefood shops.
Jessi bought a lot of old windows and doors for her guesthouse cabin and her greenhouse.
Sharing our experiences revealed how different local contexts can be: recycling facilities vary widely, and what is possible in one country may not be in another. This reminded us that “refuse, reuse, recycle” is not a one-size-fits-all action but a principle to adapt creatively to each place.
What we learned together
Working together gave us more than just practical skills. We learnt how to think about our food sources differently, and how to be more creative at repairing and reusing, but we also learned about ourselves and each other.
We discovered that when we work collectively, accountability and encouragement flow naturally. We found that some climate actions were easier to bring into daily life, others became more long-term projects.
We observed that implementing these climate actions required new routines that sometimes took time to embody.
Each of us made small, tangible shifts in our lives that, when looked at collectively, added up to something powerful.
The final key learning was the importance of celebration. Dragon Dreaming encourages celebration as part of the process. We found that when we acknowledged our achievement—whether finishing a quilt, cooking a new meal, or simply showing up—we felt motivated to keep going.
Why women, why now
As women, we have come to see how important our voices and perspectives are in shaping responses to climate change. Many of the tasks we carry out in daily life—cooking, mending, preserving food, building community—have long been undervalued. Yet these very skills are what create resilience and adaptability in uncertain times.
Through this project, we wanted to highlight that these everyday actions are not small or insignificant. They are powerful contributions to a wider cultural shift. Climate action is not only about new technologies or government policies, it's also about care, creativity, and collaboration: these are the skills that help communities thrive.
The way forward
On reflection, this work has given us more than practical results. It has deepened our commitment to permaculture design as a way of life and renewed our sense of hope in the face of climate uncertainty. We began as four women from different backgrounds and circumstances. We finished as a learning collective, connected by friendship and shared purpose, showing that small, thoughtful changes—when woven together—can create a more resilient future.
Our invitation to you, dear reader, is this: choose one action from the 52 Climate Actions. Try it out in your own life. Share your experience with others. Celebrate what you learn along the way. And remember, you are not alone. Across the world, people are taking small steps, and together these steps are leading us toward the possibility of a regenerative future.
