Yellow background with a cartoon illustration of the earth, with the words Climate Play wrapped around the bottom.

Making it safe, light and fun to face climate change

Through play-based learning, we help people to engage more deeply, honestly and creatively on climate change

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

Training for 2025

Interested in learning how to use LEGO® Serious Play® in your climate and sustainability work?New dates for Winter/Spring 2025 will be launched soon.Add your name to be notified when the dates are released.

Why play and climate?

Climate Play pokes at the norm of serious seriousness because sometimes a little lightness can do us, and the world, some good.What would it be like if you actually wanted to think or talk or do something about climate change, rather than only feeling that you should?We draw on climate psychology, learning theory and an innate sense of mischief to help people and organisations to approach climate change in a different way than usual.Workshops and programmes for organisations, independents and the public to help find and shift motivational blocks, wherever you are on your climate journey.

People say that work is serious, play is a luxury and that time is short. But being seriously playful can be very impactful.

An image of a smiling white woman with round glasses and long brown hair. Colourful confetti is falling around her.

Through play we can unleash our imagination and beliefs, hone our communication and untap our personal motivations.

Climate Play’s original play-based approach helps put peoples' hearts and minds in a different space so they can think and feel their way through a topic that can polarise, fuel determination and despair, and disengage all in the same breath.

What we do

Through training and facilitation, we run workshops and programmes that help people work through emotions, information and actions associated with climate change. The main method used is LEGO® Serious Play®, with plenty of other creative and playful techniques.We work with organisations of all kinds and sizes who are at varying points on their climate journey, as well as with consultants and other people working in climate and sustainability.We work online and face-to-face. While we are UK based, we work across Europe by train.

Climate Play for Organisations

LEGO® Serious Play® focused workshops over a few hours, half, full or multiple days, either in-person or online.Commonly requested workshops;• Setting your organisation’s climate vision
• Climate action evaluation. Where are you now?
• Making climate action a whole organisational effort
• Handling emotions and beliefs on climate
• Maximising your team’s motivations to act
• Creative problem-solving and ideationBespoke programmes are also available.

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

Team building
Pure fun get-togethers with your people to help bond and enjoy some non-serious time together. LEGO building challenges and other entertaining nonsense. Holding the connection to climate more loosely, but focused on helping you create powerhouse, well-connected teams.Interactive exercises at large events
We can help give your conferences a talking point and be something to remember with large-scale interactive activities.

Drop-in community events

Climate Play Meetup is an informal online monthly gathering where you can meet like-minded players who are also interested in all things playful, joy-inducing and experimental relating to climate.Each month we hear from speakers about their playful environmental work, try out climate games and consider how playing with serious topics can actually increase impact.Open to anyone anywhere interested in whether there is a place for playfulness in shaping how we think, feel and act.Monthly on the first Thursday of the month at 1300 GMT.

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

LEGO Serious Play for Sustainability - Facilitator Training

For climate educators and engagers of any kind, join our LEGO Serious Play for Sustainability Training and learn an amazing new approach for your toolbox.Express your interest in training in October / November and be notified when new dates are released.We are the only training provider in the world specialising in teaching the method to support sustainability engagement.

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

You will gain:🌳 Accreditation as a LEGO Serious Play Facilitator.
🌲Two days of face-to-face + half a day of online training.
💚A training manual.
🌴Unlimited ongoing support.
🌵Free lifetime access to a global community of facilitators with our partner, The LSP Method.

What makes the Climate Play approach different?🍂Sustainability context: Taught through climate and sustainability related content.
🍃Flexible: Emphasis on how you can adapt and apply the method to your context.
🍁Playful facilitation: Bonus facilitation tips beyond only LEGO Serious Play.
🌿Learn and practice: Time to learn the theory and test it out with guidance.

Whose idea was this?!

Climate Play is the brainwave of Lucy Hawthorne, a facilitator and campaigner who is half nerd, half mischief and is really enjoying playing for work.After a decade in the UK environmental movement, she became concerned that the heaviness of the conversation about climate change was affecting people's energy to act. So now she focuses on adding playful methods into the mix of other approaches.

In addition to Climate Play, she also founded Catalysts Club, where she facilitates for organisations working on social and environmental change. She is thoughtful, practical and inventive, and uses various creative methods, such as LEGO® Serious Play®.

Resources

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

Sustainable(sh) Podcast, Dec 23

How playfulness can help us be more motivated, more likely to carry on doing climate action, and more likely to be smiling while we're doing it.

Do you still play? Strike Magazine. Dec 23

How playfulness can help us be more motivated, more likely to carry on doing climate action, and more likely to be smiling while we're doing it.

Making Design Circular podcast, Nov 23

How choice, wonder and delight come into playful environmentalism.and tapping into intrinsic motivations to engage.

Why Play Works, Interview with Lucy Hawthorne, July 23

How playfulness helps tackle weighty issues, the magic of LEGO for honest expression, and the relationship between play and gamification.

Lead With Purpose Podcast, Interview with Lucy Hawthorne, Jan 23

All things serious play and why this approach works well on challenging topics.

Your Brain on Climate, Play, Dec 22

How the rules of seriousness don't always achieve the best results, and an intro to play personalities.

IAF Facilitation Stories, Exploring Play in Climate Conversation, Dec 22

Lucy shares the experimental evolution of Climate Play.

Say hey to Climate Play

Email Lucy on lucy@climateplay.org. She'll be happy to hear from you 🤓.

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

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Nice words said about Climate Play

Lucy is by far one of the best facilitators I've worked with. Lucy brings an incredible attention to detail and we've always felt safe and secure in the knowledge that an event hosted with Lucy will be a success! Lucy has taken the time to deeply understand our community in order to facilitate and design workshops that feel safe, fun and ultimately drive action. The LEGO play-based approach Lucy brought to facilitate our community convening events brought so much joy and energy to the room, and we're often asked for more!Annie Legge, Tech4Good South West

Lucy is a thoughtful and insightful facilitator. She is adaptive, full of knowledge and so generous with her wisdom to support the development of her trainees. She really wants us to succeed and to get out there to work with Lego, climate and the discussions.I would thoroughly recommend Lucys training to people who are passionate about climate and perhaps looking for a different way to navigate dialogue on the topic of climate change.Jo Colwell, Environmental Sustainability Programme Director

Playfulness is contagious, particularly when its paired with passion and purpose. I really enjoyed Lucys reassuring and professional presence throughout the training, she was diligent in prepping us before the training, and offered generous support after the session. Her sense of care is genuine and much appreciated!Jenny Lam, Facilitator

I found Lucy to be a phenomenal facilitator. She created a space for us that was profound and thoughtful (giving us permission to name our heartbreak or anger) while also playful and irreverent (giving us permission to think about it differently). It's a powerful combination that not many could do, but she nails it. I left feeling less alone, more inspired, and more clear about the next right step for me. I think much of this stems from Lucy herself: she has a gravitas and wisdom to her, but also a twinkle in her eye.Megan Fraser, FutureLed, Leadership for Climate Pioneers

Hands down the most fun training course I've been on! Lucy shared her expertise generously. I loved that this course had a good mix between theory and practical, hands-on work. I learnt so much about facilitation as well as about how to incorporate lego serious play into training. I left with a full but inspired brain - thank you!Rosie Dunscombe, Independent Consultant

Lucy recently co-facilitated one of our book club meet ups which was focused around Play and it was a huge success! Lucy is an incredibly skilled and experienced facilitator who knows how to make people feel comfortable and keep them engaged. Lucy knows how to get people out of passivity into action in a playful way – which is exactly what the world needs more of! I am hoping for more collaborations in the future.Lisa Matzi, And The Future

Lucy created and facilitated a half-day Lego® Serious Play® workshop for our entire leadership team of 14 people. She did her homework, knew us well, listened intently, and was flexible and easygoing. In the end, everyone had fun, everyone contributed, and we had full alignment on further sustainability efforts. 🤩 I highly recommend Lucy.Johann Jones, Tourlane

Lucy is an experienced facilitator with the ability to use Lego to support meaningful conversations for teams. She supported our organisation as we explored our thinking around climate impact and brought a wonderful energy to the whole workshop.Tom Castle, Futurice

Lucy's approach to facilitation is positively playful, but don't think that doesn't mean they pack a reflective punch. Her sessions feel light and inspire smiles and laughter. Still, I walked away with a better understanding of where I'm at on my climate action journey and how important play is to pushing my climate work forward.Casey Meehan, Director of Sustainability and Resilience

An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.
An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.
An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.
An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.
An image of two colourful polar bears made from feathers. On the left the bear is red and is pushing the tail of a yellow bear on it's right. Image courtesy of Paola Pivi and Perrotin.

Climate Play Ltd is a company registered England and Wales (Company No. 14733643)
Henleaze Business Centre, Harbury Road, Bristol, BS9 4PN

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