This
September more than seven million people took part in the Global Climate
Strike. Impressive. I wonder how many of them recycle.
It
appears that the meaning of being green varies by generation. Baby Boomers are the most passionate about
recycling. Makes sense to me. I won the poster contest in my middle school
for the first earth day in 1970. From
that point on I thought that being green was part of the deal. Clearly I was wrong.
These
days being green means eating less meat, avoiding air travel and using soap
that comes in cardboard boxes. Hopefully
it also means a move back to goods that last.
(Paquette, 2019)
But I
can't help wondering how motivating these features are to potential
purchasers. Sure I am going to try the
new soap since they sent it to me for free.
But if I don't like it, will I buy it anyway because it is green? Doubtful.
People
are creatures of habit and we don't like change because it stokes loss
aversion. So if we are asking people to change we need to persuade them that
doing so aligns with their values.
Have
you changed your habits to be more green? Who convinced you? How did they do it? Which Cialdini techniques did they use? Were your actions consistent with your
generation? How would you convince
others?
Do you
know that eating vegetarian, even one day a week is the biggest contribution
you can make to the environment? If
every American did it the carbon dioxide savings would be equivalent to taking
more than half a million cars off our roads. (Krantz, 2016)
But
most Americans fail to eat even the 5 - 9 servings of fruit and veggies a day
that the USDA recommends. Can we
convince people to eat healthier to save the environment? Or are we all too addicted to processed foods
to be persuaded?
Paquette,
A. (2019, November 14) How To Join Teens
In Going Green. mediapost.com. Retrieved
November 20, 2019, from
Krantz,
R. (2016, March 24) The Single Biggest
Thing You Can Do For The Environment. bustle.com.
Retrieved November 20, 2019, from
