SALT for Climate
Leadership Training
Humanity has not yet used the whole toolkit on climate.
We have come a long way innovating the hard tech, but not the social/human tech, or “soft tech”.
To advance climate action, we must learn the deep skills of attending to the human dimensions of climate change, including the social, emotional and psychological. This inner arc of developing ‘in here’—in our hearts and minds— in turn assists us in addressing the climate challenge ‘out there.’ The integration of hard and soft tech will be a gamechanger for climate.
SALT (Sensemaking Action and Leadership Training) is an invitation to come into good company with other climate leaders, policy makers, organizers and activists to hone and integrate the inner tools for climate action, building the social, emotional, and awareness competencies to effectively engage around climate change.
SALT for Climate invites the imagination, the heart and the head into a robust conversation that can be translated into new and innovative pathways forward.
Just as the right amount of salt brings forward the existing flavours in cooking, SALT for Climate Leadership Training aims to be a catalyst to advance the existing potential of effective climate action.
The sensemaking challenges of climate require more than just better communications, lip service engagement, or more regulation. With key climate actors in BC and Canada, we advance the skills to engage the full human dimensions of the climate challenge towards new conversations, possibilities and action. This includes:
Better connecting the climate-action agenda with what people value and care about in their daily lives.
More deeply and empathetically engaging populations on the climate challenge, so to foster a social mandate for climate action and to support the design of more resonant climate policies.
Facilitating the integration of difficult emotions regarding climate to better support people through feelings of helpless, fear, frustration, and uncertainty, and towards feelings of agency, optimism, creativity, and a sense that you matter.
The Offering
The SALT for Climate Leadership Training offers a multi-course meal to support for climate practitioners to learn and hone their skills working with the deeper human dimensions of climate action, both individually and collectively.
As a 5-month hybrid coaching and leadership training, the SALT Leadership Training supports those engaged in the important work of climate leadership, policy change and advocacy to develop the social, emotional, and consciousness capacities for a holistic response to climate change in practical, engaged and collaborative ways.
Drawing on cutting-edge research on the human dimensions of climate change response, this program is oriented towards applied learning and impact and is designed to be catalytic with other net-zero efforts underway in BC and Canada.
Purpose of the SALT for Climate Leadership Training
To build the consciousness and capacity needed for working with the social complexity of the climate crisis in order to imagine, design, and implement effective public engagement, impactful communication, trustworthy policies, and overall successful climate action.
Specifically, participants will learn how to:
Identify and include multiple worldviews in climate engagement;
Work with strong emotions and integrate climate shadow;
Use connected climate frames to support positive narratives in place of misinformation and backlash;
Engage in systems change in a catalytic manner;
Lessen opposition and build a social mandate, through skillful facilitation and engagement.
Program Elements
The SALT Leadership Training Program has 5 key elements: In-person Retreats to open and close the program; Monthly Learning & Community Sessions; Coaching Sessions, and Biweekly Peer Learning Groups. This learning approach integrates self-awareness, practical skill-building, and collaborative engagement to foster holistic leadership development in applied and tangible contexts. It combines mindfulness and reflection with hands-on practice, peer collaboration, and real-world application to support enhanced sense making and action around climate related issues. Grounded in developmental and integral theories, it emphasizes ethical leadership, strategic thinking, and adaptive skills through immersive experiences and continuous feedback, creating a dynamic environment that nurtures creativity, collaboration and impact.
Opening Retreat ~ September 18-20, 2025
The SALT Leadership Training will kick off 3-day in-person learning intensive and deep dive into the research, frameworks and tools for this unique approach to engaging climate issues. This retreat takes place in Vancouver, BC.
Monthly Learning & Community Sessions
These virtual learning sessions are an opportunity to both learn tools and frameworks, as well as to bring live questions and challenges that participants are facing in their climate-related work.
The Monthly Learning & Community Sessions take place on Fridays from 9-11am PT on October 17, November 21, December 12 and January 9.
Coaching Sessions
Each participant will receive 3 Virtual 1:1 coaching sessions to support the applied learning to specific topic. Participants will be given a developmental coaching program tailored to their unique context and needs.
These sessions take place virtually and will be scheduled individually with the coach.
Peer Learning Groups
Peer learning groups are an important part of the learning cycle where you can share and make sense of personal development and leadership challenges with a group of your peers.
These virtual sessions will be booked by the peer learning groups based on availability.
Closing Retreat ~ February 5-6, 2026
The 2-day Closing Retreat will take place in person in Vancouver.
This will be an opportunity to share learnings, continue to integrate frameworks and plan for ongoing application.
Who is this training for
This training is designed for individuals and teams who work in climate change and are looking for new skills, practices and frameworks to attend to the social, psychological and emotional aspects of the climate challenge. It is particularly well-suited for those who want to reflect on current approaches and are willing to experiment and evolve their climate-engagement praxis in new ways. Climate leaders, policy-makers, activists, educators, and healers are all welcome.
Details
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Opening Retreat Intensive:
September 18-20, 2025 in Vancouver, BC.
Monthly Learning Sessions:
Fridays from 9-11am PT on October 17, November 21, December 12 and January 9 on Zoom.
3 Coaching Sessions:
To be booked individually with coach.
Biweekly Peer Learning Groups:
To be booked with peer learning group based on everyone’s availability.
Closing Retreat Intensive:
February 5-6, 2026 in Vancouver
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The majority of this program is funded by our generous donor, the Novo Foundation. For this inaugural year, the program is offered at a discount rate at a sliding scale of $450/$650/850. We want to ensure that finances are not a barrier to participation. Please reach out with any questions.
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The SALT for Climate Fellowship is a hybrid program with 4 key elements:
3-day in-person retreats at the beginning and end of the program; monthly learning and community sessions; Three 1:1 coaching sessions; and, peer learning groups. Given the importance of the cohort members in supporting the learning experience, we ask that participants attend all sessions. The 1:1 coaching sessions and peer learning groups will be scheduled according to availability. The in-person retreats and monthly learning sessions have fixed dates.
Please take a look at the program dates to ensure that you are available for all sessions. The nature of this program is such that the coherence and stability of the group will support the kind of depth that is required to engage in the transformative work of engaging the human dimensions of climate change. For this reason, we ask for the full engagement of all participants.
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The Leadership Training is hosted by the co-directors of SALT for Climate, Lisa Gibson and Gail Hochachka. Guest experts in the field will also be invited in to support different aspects of the learning and application.
To learn more about the SALT for Climate Leadership Training, come to a free info call on Friday, August 1 from 9-10am PT.
We will share details about the program structure, the research behind our approach and give you a taste of what to expect in the training. You will leave with a tangible tool or framework that you can apply to your climate work.
Free Info Call:
Friday, August 1
9-10am PT
