Climate Steps is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing climate change through community engagement and education. With a mission to guide individuals and organizations toward sustainable practices, such as solar adoption, Climate Steps has successfully built a vibrant community - international in scale. It gently mentors (it is not one-on-one assigned mentoring) people by providing science-based recommendations through Facebook, Instagram, and presentations to organizations and schools and holding conversations with the user at that time. However, as the organization expands and makes more specific its mentoring activities with the aim to provide some through digital platforms on its website (with signed waivers)—there are significant challenges related to liability and risk management. For instance, a recommendation through online discussion for people (in general) to install solar, geothermal, green roofs, heat pumps, or wind power may result in a homeowner's inability to sell a house within typical market value later. Our current lack of a structured framework to navigate these risks, beyond our current disclaimer, raises concerns about potential legal ramifications and the quality of advice provided by volunteer mentors. This gap not only jeopardizes the organization’s reputation but also exposes it to possible lawsuits resulting from misinformation or inadequate guidance. The potential for lawsuits requires liability insurance for the Board and more, depending on standard practice. 

For students

For Climate Steps

SMART goals include: 1) completion of a risk assessment report by the end of the first month; 2) development of policy recommendations (a risk control plan and recommended types of insurance, if needed) by the six-week mark; 3) finalization of the “safe mentoring” operating guide by the end of the project; and 4) presentation of findings to Climate Steps stakeholders.