Please note: this is a pre-print draft of the forthcoming CCI4Change publication to be published in Autumn 2025. If you wish to cite this material please contact cai.weaver[at]xamk.fi. Thank you!

Practical Tools for

CREATIVE
CLIMATE
ACTION

How can we work in synergy for more impactful climate actions? How does co-creation and collaboration relate to sustainability? CCI4Change is a way to explore new ways for the local authority to join forces with creative professionals for innovative climate actions together with the communities.
Open the toolkit to learn more!

Practical Tools for

CREATIVE
CLIMATE
ACTION

How can we work in synergy for more impactful climate actions? How does co-creation and collaboration relate to sustainability? CCI4Change is a way to explore new ways for the local authority to join forces with creative professionals for innovative climate actions together with the communities.

Who Is This Toolkit For?

Are you a public officer in the local governance looking to create change trough creative enagement? Maybe you work with culture, urban development or sustainability and climate issues? Or are you a creative professional as in an artist, designer or a creative entrepreneur seeking for new ways to contribute to sustainability efforts? This toolkit provides the resources and guidance for your support.

Explore the tools, apply the methods, and start looking for impact through collaboration!

Who Is This Toolkit For?

Are you a public officer in the local governance looking to create change trough creative enagement? Maybe you work with culture, urban development or sustainability and climate issues? Or are you a creative professional as in an artist, designer or a creative entrepreneur seeking for new ways to contribute to sustainability efforts? This toolkit provides the resources and guidance for your support.

Explore the tools, apply the methods, and start looking for impact through collaboration!

Inside This Toolkit You Will Find:

Customizable tools that can be adapted to different local contexts

Inspiring case studies showcasing results of collaborations in Finland, Latvia & Sweden

Detailed paths for collaboration

Inside This Toolkit You Will Find:

Customizable tools that can be adapted to different local contexts

Inspiring case studies showcasing results of collaborations in Finland, Latvia & Sweden

Detailed paths for collaboration

What Is This About?

The toolkit is designed to support local authorities and creative actors building purposeful collaborations for added sustainability. The toolkit provides practical tools fostering the collaboration of local authorities and creatives working in synergy for joint goals.
In the CCI4Change project, we tested the collaboration model in the context of energy consumption behavioral change of the citizens. However, the toolkit can be adapted to address a wide range of complex ecological and societal challenges, offering creative ways to tackle topical issues in the communities.

What Is This About?

The toolkit is designed to support local authorities and creative actors building purposeful collaborations for added sustainability. The toolkit provides practical tools fostering the collaboration of local authorities and creatives working in synergy for joint goals.
In the CCI4Change project, we tested the collaboration model in the context of energy consumption behavioral change of the citizens. However, the toolkit can be adapted to address a wide range of complex ecological and societal challenges, offering creative ways to tackle topical issues in the communities.

Explore the Toolkit on a desktop computer to access the full version and all materials!

Are you a public authority?

Are you working in a public sector organisation?
Is your role promoting sustainable development and reducing energy consumption in your region?
Are you working with culture or community engagement?
Are you interested to explore innovative methods together with creative professionals?

Are you an intermediary?

Are you interested to facilitate change in your community?
Are you closely connected to the creative sector?
Do you want to support local authority in working with the creatives?

Are you a creative professional?

Do you work in the cultural & creative industries (CCI) as a designer, artist, musician, writer, filmmaker, performer, architect, photographer, game developer, or other creative professional?
Can you bring creative approaches and methods to help solve challenges related to sustainability?
Are you interested in collaboration with your local authority?

Are You a Local Authority?

Are you working in a public sector organisation?
Is your role promoting sustainable development and reducing energy consumption in your region?
Are you working with culture or community engagement?
Are you interested to explore innovative methods together with creative professionals?

Are You a Creative Professional?

Do you work in the cultural & creative industries (CCI) as a designer, artist, musician, writer, filmmaker, performer, architect, photographer, game developer, or in some other creative field?
Can you bring creative approaches and methods to help solve challenges related to sustainability, energy consumption and citizen engagement?
Are you an intermediary interested to facilitate the collaboration between the creatives and the public sector?

Artists Engaging Local Communities to Act

In spring 2024, the CCI4Change project called for pilot proposals from arts, culture, and creative actors to work in local communities with the goal of energy reduction. These pilot projects showcase what the CCI4Change collaboration model looks like in practice!

Ifö Center: Zero Sum Residency

The closed factory property, managed by the Ifö Center association, covered 43,000 m² and was repurposed as a site for art manufacturing and more. Ifö Center, located in the small municipality of Bromölla in the Skåne Region of Sweden, aimed to transform the property into a so-called ‘zero-sum’ building and initiated an energy cooperative with the building as its hub.
In preparation for this, the pilot project investigated how to proceed and explored the property’s potential, such as housing battery packs to stabilize the grid and installing solar panels to produce energy.

Duncan Geere: Energy waste and sonification art

Duncan Geere was a sonification artist and generative musician who planned to create a musical composition derived from data collected from different communities about the overnight energy consumption of various objects in their homes. Smart plugs that monitored energy use were distributed among the participants, who collected and shared data that was transformed into music. The aim was to raise awareness of and stimulate discussion about energy use among the volunteers in Malmö who participated and among a broader audience. The simple process of observing and quantifying their appliances’ energy footprint was likely to prompt self-reflection on their own consumption. Additionally, the project was expected to generate interest and curiosity among wider audiences on the topic of energy consumption.

Tatu Heinämäki & Camilla Pentti: Community Energy Game: “Energeezer”

In the city of Kotka, a video game was developed that specifically addressed the issue of energy consumption and encouraged its reduction. High school students in the city developed the game around this theme, with the goal of having it ready by 2025. At that time, the game was open to all citizens of Kotka, as well as others who were interested. Tatu Heinämäki was a visual artist, game designer, and media arts teacher, while Camilla Pentti was a visual communications professional and game designer.

Banja Media Ltd: Video Pilot:
''No, that’s not how you save the world!''

Banja Media‘s pilot project aimed to produce short, humorous yet informative videos on energy saving, the circular economy, and sustainable development. The goal was to inform and inspire viewers to think about what we could do to promote sustainable development and save energy. The videos were created in collaboration with youth groups of various ages in the city of Kotka. Juha Metso was the director, Mika Roikka was the main illustrator and editor, and Petri Pietiläinen was the screenwriter.

INITIUM: “Neighbourhood House”

The INITIUM Foundation is a professional arts and culture production platform that implements sustainable projects to support social, educational, and cultural initiatives in Latvia. In Kauguri, Jurmala, the creative team created the “Neighbourhood House”, an environmental installation by the artists of INTIUM in collaboration with local residents. Inside the installation, like in a home, the different stories of the neighbors were revealed, anonymously but personally, telling the stories and fates of one or more people in the house.