Dan SteenWhen we initially founded FireThrive in 2020, our goal was to enhance community preparedness for climate-related disasters through behavior-focused tools and campaigns. After the devastating Black Summer bushfire season, where 243,000 km2 were burnt and over 3,500 homes were destroyed, we decided to concentrate our efforts on bushfires. Our co-founder, Rachael, had a personal connection to this issue, as her family's caravan park was under threat during that time. Fortunately, the fire never reached them, but witnessing the human response to the situation inspired us to consider how we could contribute to changing behaviours and making communities safer.
We ambitiously transformed Strahan's et al. (2018) self-evacuation archetype research into a practical tool that communities and individuals could utilise to be better prepared. The tool and campaign we developed was a powerful translation of the research. However, as we delivered this solution through our partnership with the NSW government, the weather changed, and with it so did communities needs.
La Niña arrived, breaking the drought and bringing with it different extreme weather, this time in the form of floods. Through conversations with local councils, researchers, and community members, we listened and understood that communities needed adaptable solutions for multiple disasters. They also wanted skills that could be transferred and tailored specifically to their community and the threats they might face presently and in the future.
Thus, ClimateThrive was born. We took a step back and returned to our original vision of addressing climate-related disasters more broadly. Leveraging our established philosophy of building and delivering impactful experiences, we aimed to refine our language, message, and approach to be more hopeful, impactful, playful, and engaging. The brand itself aspires to be a beacon of hope in a landscape overshadowed by climate fatigue.
The team at ClimateThrive is the same amazing creative team from FireThrive, that brings together a unique blend of skills and expertise from diverse fields. By combining science communication, user experience, and behavioural design, we are able to accurately translate research into impactful and engaging campaigns that drive behavior change.
If you're interested in learning more about our collaborative design processes that incorporate the latest research and thinking, please explore our projects. There, you'll witness firsthand how we've closely collaborated with communities to create meaningful solutions.
We look forward to working together to help Australian communities prepare for the complexities and challenges climate change.