Motivators and messages
Have a look at the previous Community Based Social Marketing post and review the comments.
In your own experience, what motivates you in choosing to adopt an environmentally responsible behavior (for example the choice to compost, bike instead of drive, take shorter showers, etc.)? Motivators might include social norms, personal beliefs, monetary cost...
Have you come across certain environmental messages that resonate with you, or messages you can't stand?
posted by UVM Eco-Reps Program Coordinator @ 12:34 PM
31 Comments:
The Environmental Movement is not (or has not been) an uprising, but rather, it is a change in lifestyle. It becomes obvious at times that the Environmental Movement seems slightly intangible and imaginary. However, I think the most change that could possibly occur is the willing change a person makes in every aspect of the way they live and the parts of their life that they pay attention to. In the social world we live in, there is often need for loud rioting and uprising. It is likely to come to that with the Environmental Movement. However, it is not common to have change drastically made by small, personal improvements. That is what makes this movement unique and also uplifting. There is power in every act of every person. I plan on never owning a car in my life. I don't now and I don't plan to. This is driven (no pun intended) by me looking into the future, which often needs to be done. It is going to be challenging to stick to this goal because the challenge of the Environmental Movement is the movement "backwards" (away from the individual modes of transportation we have). I also think that the social culture of my peers helps me with this because biking can somewhat fit into a young person's social norm.
For myself, the incentives of choosing environmentally conscious decisions is knowing that I am not being a massive consumer. That is my worst nightmare. I want to live in synch with the planet as much as possible as not to create a large impact on our planet and it's resources. The earth is not for us to harvest. Its is to provide us with our essential needs for living. We are exploiting the natural and wholesome materials that the earth provides us with. For others, the incentive of choosing environmentally conscious decisions is more measurable. Some do not see replacing conventional light bulbs with CFLs as a way of reducing electricity consumption but rather, as a way to cut the cost of their electricity bill each month. This is how we have to target those who do not see the earth as a precious provider but as something to harvest. We must lure them with savings. But what are the intentions of these savings? My guess would be, consumption of other "goods". The more I elaborate on these subjects, the less hope I have for earth.
i choose to act the way i do based on what i know. as i learn more about the ways in which my behavior directly affects our environment- the more conscious i am of the affects of my decisions. i love the earth. its round. why would i want to harm or destroy it? i dont. so i try to live accordingly.
environmental messages that resonate with me are
1. the time that nickelodeon didn't have any shows on but instead a screen shot telling kids to go outside and play. how totally awesome. in part its sad that in order to get kids to go outside someone felt the need to suspend other types of interfering activities. but at the same time hey- thanks for caring! not only is it healthy but it gives the chance to start a beautiful relationship between the children and earth.
2. NYC taxi's becoming hybrids ... i mean when people think cities pollution is up there on the word association list. so having a HUGE city make a pro environmental change is pretty neato.
For me, the motivation to try to live a sustaibable life comes from the encouragement that I see and feel in my peers, my family, and in my community. I see modern comforts and can often understand why the convenience of these materials lures in so many people, and why it is so easy to forget that we need to respect the world we live in by decreasing our dependence on these luxuries items. I am surrounded by like-minded friends and family, so I am constantly encouraged and inspired to look at the world through the eyes of simply another being on the earth, as opposed to a human consuming machine.
There are plenty of logical reasons as to why we should live more sustainably, consume less, waste less, and so on. But these facts that make so much sense sometimes get blurred by modern convenience and comfort.
By surrounding myself with people who believe in and hope for the same things as myself, I am very motivated to work hard to have a more sustainable lifestyle.
-Nancy Jones
I love the personal challenge in trying to act on an environmentally responsible lifestyle. What consumer items can I live without? How can I recycle this material? How many dishes can I scrub clean before I need to use the water? These mini "challenges" are what motivate me to act environmentally responsible; they also help keep me passionate and excited about reducing my impact on the planet. I feel good when I challenge myself--especially if I succeed! I'm always looking for ways to get my friends/family involved. That way it's fun and less-overwhelming.
I want to save the environment because I want there to be a place left for humanity to continue to live. I truly believe that if we don't change our behaviors in a drastic way, that the earth's precious resources will be used up and there will be nothing left for us. That being said I think that the behavior that we need to change is consumption. We all need to use less resources, which means consuming less. I am working hard at consuming less, only buying what I need and making a point to try and use up what I already have. I would like to spread these behaviors to other people and in order to do that I need to get the word out. I was thinking about ways to incorporate this into being an Eco-Rep and I thought about how UVM should bring in more speakers that can reach a greater audience. Consumption is a hard habit to break, especially in this day and age where everywhere you turn there is an advertisement pressuring you to buy items that will make you happier and prettier. I think that if people knew more about how the advertising companies are using their power and making billions of dollars off people like us who will believe them, then maybe people would be more likely to change their behavior. People don't want to give up their luxuries but they need to learn about the affect they are having on planet earth.
Everyday I make decisions that are influenced by my environmental beliefs. The main reason I choose these decisions is actually seeing the result that comes from these actions, or lack thereof.
In addition, I am a proud minimalist and living life as an environmentally conscious person makes if very easy to me a minimalist.
I enjoy that feeling you get from doing good in the world, and being part of it. It can be a very rewarding feeling, but at the same time very depressing as well. You just have to take a good outlook on life as you live.
Community-based social marketing is an attractive alternative to information based campaigns. It is based on the theory that behavior change is most effectively achieved through initiatives delivered at the community level, specifically focusing on removing barriers of an activity while also enhancing the activities benefits.
One simple example of CBSM is promoting and informing customers of environmentally responsible goods and seeing if the information has any impact on consumer choices.
When it comes to my own personal choices to adopt environmentally responsible behavior, I am motivated by the extreme actions of others. I always feel motivated to make a change in the way I live after seeing an article, news story, etc about an individual who went above and beyond to change their behavior in order to better the environment. Seeing people who are so committed to making a change really inspire me to make feasible adaptations in my life.
I have two huge motivations for living an environmentally responsible lifestyle: the first is a principle that has been adopted by many indigenous communities, environmental activists, and possibly most recently by an ever-growing cleaning products company called Seventh Generation. In case you aren't familiar with the seven generations principle, it essentially explains how we should preserve our planet in a sustainable manner, assuring that not just the next generation, but the next seven generations are assured a healthy planet. My second mode of motivation for living an environmentally responsible lifestyle is that it is much more cost-effective. In many respects, we don't have the proper infrastructure to have cheep "green" things (ie. renewable energy, sustainable agriculture practices, cheaper organic food, etc.) but in general, it is much cheaper for me to buy absolutely nothing than it is for me to, for example, even buy one little cotton shirt. To many, the one bad thing associated with this cotton shirt is that it was made in China, but if we dig deeper, we realize the quantities of pesticides, water, fertilizers, and power used to produce this one shirt and it truly becomes an environmental catastrophe. We are much better just look in the free bin for someone's discarded shirt or browse around the Salvation Army where I can get one for $5.
Additionally, just looking back at the prompt real quick, you don't really need to shower every day or every other day, really. It's natural — embrace the dirt!!
What motivates me to participate in environmentally responsible behavior is definitely my personal beliefs. Right now, my lifestyle is something that I am strictly doing for myself and what I believe in. I know that right now my actions alone will not stop global warming or anything of that magnitude but that doesn't deter me at all. I believe strongly in how I treat and respect the earth and that helps me sleep well at night.
One message that I honestly can't stand is that living environmentally is more expensive than a "normal" lifestyle. I don't think that this is a good message to be passing around because if you try hard enough and are motivated, there are always more options than meet the eye and lots of ways to make it work.
For me, choosing environmentally responsible behaviors is habit, a result of my childhood. For as long as I can remember I have been recycling, composting, reusing, reducing, organic gardening. They're all activities my parents believe in and have passed on to my brother and me by introducing them to us at a young age and encouraging our participation. As I've grown up I've learned why these activities are important, I've learned to value our earth. It's a beautiful place that gives so much to us. I want to care for it, I don't want to hurt it. That is what motivates me to be environmentally responsible.
Often times, I look at the opportunities presented before me and think, "why not take it if it is right in front of me?"
And by that, I am referring to the easy habit of composting - especially on campus. It truly irritates me (almost personally offending me, at times) to see fellow students throw compostable items into the trash when the compost receptacle patiently waits mere inches next to the trash bin.
It is certainly another issue if one were misinformed that compostable items are recyclable, but sheer ignorance is just not tolerable.
The best motivator to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors would be to simply be less selfish and think about the little contributions in a day that could make a big difference in the end.
Learning about different environmental issues has really motivated me to adapting to an environmentally aware lifestyle. Talking with other people who are passionate about nature and learning about issues that I am unaware of motivates me to be open to making changes so that I can make a positive difference. Being in nature makes me feel peaceful, so I enjoy walking over taking a bus or driving when distance is not an issue. Music is another thing that motivates me, as I love to walk places listening to music. From watching movies like Flow and Blue Gold I have a new appreciation for how available water is to me in my environment. It has opened my eyes to the luxury of being able to take a shower or get a drink of water whenever I want, and makes me use water less. I think messages about water scarcity in other parts of the world is a powerful motivator to be more aware of water use. I like messages that make me aware of how blessed I am to have all of these resources available to me. They make me think about how I should try to life more simply.
The biggest motivators of my environmental beliefs and practices are my family's teachings. Ever since I was young, my grandparents taught me about where my food comes from, why I should live within my means, etc. The elder generation on my mom's side always stressed that we were all just living a borrowed life - meaning we shouldn't live as if we really OWN anything forever. This has kept me grounded in finding out how my decisions affect others, even though I don't see these other individuals.
Sometimes I can't stand when people claim to act environmentally friendly for monetary reasons because if it was financially viable for them to not act eco-friendly, would they?
- Federica Wade
For me personally, a lot of the reason why I participate in environmentally responsible behaviors is due to education. As an environmental studies major, I am constantly learning more and more about the ecological problems of the world. I am also taught that as individuals we have the power to make changes in order to help solve these problems. Because I am so conscious of the impacts human beings have on the earth, I therefore make a conscious effort not to add to these impacts. I also think that because UVM is such an environmentally friendly school, social norms motivate me even further.
For me personally, choosing environmentally friendly habits is something that is driven by many different aspects. My upbringing and education have taught me what is and isn't good for the environment, and there for I personally choose to do all that I can to prevent any further damage tot he earth. I choose to compost, recycle, reduce my consumption as much as I consciously can, and many other things. But at the same time I also to take part in certain things because they are more cost effective, such as fuel-efficient cars, or walking around Burlington instead of driving. I feel as if many different, small choices help contribute to the bigger picture at hand and because of this I feel as if for the most part all this environmental awareness and such is mostly a personal choice of those who participate. Some people may do things out of habit, but it is just as easy to break a old habit and make a new one. So therefore I believe personal decisions on these matters is definitely the most prominent explanation.
In my experience, I am most likely to change my behavior to something more environmentally responsible if I hear a good reason that matters to me AND the change is relatively easy to make. For example, if I hear that some material (such as hemp) is “better” but I never hear any sound explanation, I won’t necessarily switch even if I can buy it everywhere. On the other hand, if the roads in a town are dangerous, I won’t ride my bike there, no matter how much more environmentally friendly it is. Both elements need to be present. Also, if it is a change that results in spending less money, I am way more likely to adopt it more quickly.
The environmental messages that resonate most with me are the ones that incorporate many different aspects of life. For example, the message that large monoculture farms are a bad idea because they ruin the soil, pollute waterways, are vulnerable to pests, and result in over production of certain goods. Messages I can’t stand are ones based on appealing to people’s pity reactions, such as asking people not to kill the polar bears because they’re cute and have feelings too. I don’t think those are effective on a useful scale and I think they make people not take environmentalists seriously.
This is, without a doubt, the most difficult question about sustainability that I've ever been asked because I find that my motivations have become habit more than anything. The origins of my drive is rooted deep in the following belief: nothing ever disappears. Everything ends up somewhere, be it in the ground, the air, or the water, but the connection we have with our surroundings has been lost. Trash disappears on the curb, sewers wash away what we throw into them, and we can't even see what our cars emit. If we had to manage our own waste, breathe our own private supply of air, and treat our own water, such a problem wouldn't exist. It's all being taken care of for us though, and therein lies the problem. We need to make choices that not only we, but the rest of the world can live with. That is why I love public displays of garbage. It shows that nothing ever quite "goes away."
In reviewing my personal behavior specifically related to the environment, I realize that the largest positive influence I have had is from my experience at UVM. This broad experience can be broken down into my coursework, the GreenHouse and study abroad. The thing that all of these experiences have in common is that they provided me with an understanding of impact.
Going about my daily activities and acknowledging the impact that I have on the environment has led me to aim for a low impact livelihood. I can no longer dispose of a paper coffee cup without the guilt of knowing it will end up in a landfill. At first this felt like a huge burden. However, like Stephanie Kaza states, it is better than psychological numbing and eventually leads to a happy medium where one does the most they can with the resources they have.
I believe that in addressing CBSM the most influential way of changing behavior is to provide residents on campus with a minor paradigm shift where their knowledge of a resource (water, food, energy) goes from only their usage to educating them on the cradle to grave analysis of various behaviors. By helping a student understand the impact of a product, I believe that the university's overarching paradigm of consumption will shift from a cradle to grave paradigm to a cradle to cradle paradigm whether it is intentional or not. It may be far fetched to assume, but I believe that if students are aware of their impact, they will take the necessary and within reason measures to reduce it.
For me, choosing an environmentally conscious lifestyle is a no-brainer. A lot of it had to do with guilt. As I became more aware of how awful so many situations in the world are regarding resource distribution, environmental degradation, human rights, etc., the more I felt worse about being an American. From that point it just made sense to do everything in my power to be less of a consumer and more of an individual among the human species. Why would I buy the environmentally and monetarily devastating car when I could ride my bike? Why would you bottle water in the first place? Since when did it make sense to live in a "throwaway culture"?
Most of the time, these questions could be answered by the great motivator: $. It's really sad when you realize how many of the decisions you make are inherently money-motivated. Yeah, you might be saving 2 cents now, but what's the real cost? It's gotten to the point where we can't even look past the next minute on the clock.
The necessary evil of money has been primarily responsible for much of the environmental wrongdoing we have done as a species. It seems that we've reached a paradigm shift in evolution. Whoever has the greatest greed is most successful. For this reason, I refuse to accept that I am just a consumer in this bleak system. I'd say some of the happiest people are those who have the least. I'll choose happiness over money any day of the week.
The more we can do to break the consumer trances people are in, the more positive changes we can accomplish.
As creatures of this earth and not just inhabitants of it, I think an exploitative mindset towards the Earth's natural resources is unnatural and convoluted. I too view a sustainable lifestyle as a personal challenge, a way of putting myself outside the conventional comfort zone and pushing myself to tighten and try to close up my material cycles. I don't mind going out of my way to avoid a wasteful action or walk a few more blocks than necessary - I might even emerge more fulfilled.
I think that taking into account hidden costs - externalities - is an important message that doesn't reach a lot of people. Once people take the time to actually contemplate how much energy, resources, time, etc goes into the manufacturing of cheap things, it's crazy. For me it's a good enough incentive to make me try to buy only what I need.
I choose to perform environmentally responsible behaviors for a variety of reasons. One main motivating factor is definitely guilt. I feel guilty using an extravagant amount of resources, such as when I calculate my carbon footprint and see that if everyone lived the way I did we would need multiple planets. Some may see guilt as a negative factor, but I think the twinges of a guilty conscious prove that an individual possesses morals. If you don't feel any guilt about your actions, you probably don't understand their consequences.
I think the actions of my peers also motivate me to perform environmentally responsible behavior. For instance, at my high school I tried to "live greenly" but when the majority of my peers didn't believe in global warming, my actions were limited, or at least seem so in retrospect. I didn't have anyone to serve as a role model for what living greenly meant, and if I suggested walking somewhere instead of driving, I found myself alone. At UVM there is definitely a degree of good-spirited competition to out-green one's friends, and you can even have fun performing environmentally conscious behaviors by cooking a local dinner with friends or bike-riding downtown.
On that note, I feel like the message "It's easy being green" and associated phrases can be deceptive. I do believe that living greenly will cost less and simplify one's life. However, moving from a consumption oriented lifestyle to the ideal green life takes effort. Also, much of the environmental movement concentrates on individual actions, which certainly are important. However, people cannot be led to believe that recycling and buying organic will be enough. They need to understand that if we truly wish to solve global problems such as climate change, we need to have dramatic, collective political action.
The motivations for my Eco-friendly behavior stem from my family, I think. Growing up, we always recycled at my house, we consolidated car trips (running errands all at the same time) and were taught to turn off lights or turn down the heat when leaving a room. Many of these habits come from the fact that they are also money-savers, which I think is also the main motivator for many people. Not that this is a bad thing to be motivated by, but I was always driven by a deeper motivation to conserve, rather than just that it is cheaper. As I've learned more and become educated on current events and such, I am realizing that future generations are going to have a hard time with resources, since a large portion of the world's population is using them up so fast, almost carelessly. One of my biggest concerns is saving water and I do what I can to reduce unnecessary wasting of it but until more people realize how important it is, I'm afraid that wasting will continue. I hate to throw away food and am really trying to not take advantage of how fortunate we are in this country of the amount of "stuff" that is out there that we can consume. I really try to minimize purchasing new things just to have them. So ofter, the stuff we buy just turns into "crap" sitting on our shelves.
Looking back on my Community Based Social Marketing post I still think that the message of community based social marketing is still a hard topic for me to understand, but I am going to do more research on it to have a greater understand of it. I choose to adopt environmentally responsible behavior because I love to learn about new things. One of the reasons I became an Eco-Rep was because of my A.P. Environmental Science class. I learn about many different topics that affect the environment that I would have never thought about. One person can make a huge difference. I really like learning about the different topics during our meetings and I like to tell my friends and family members want I learned about and I apply the lessons I learn from the Eco-Rep meetings to my everyday life.
I think environmental initiatives that resonate with me work best with two motivators: values and reward. I think what connects with my values is a very important motivator. This reminds me of the book/movie “No Impact Man” where he thrives to live environmental, thus to live by his values. This can be a strong motivator when getting people to consider environmental options over their usual choices. At the same time, this is often hard for people to realize until they're willing to try something different. What goes further is the reward that is to be had from environmental choices. Often there is a very direct benefit from the person working for change, whether it's exercise from bike commuting or better nutrition from eating fresh, local food. Even saving money on electricity or gas. These benefits aren't as apparent as they could be, and are often obscured by our wacky economics. Still, these benefits are there in many forms and are greatly touted by those who have found them. If people can move to a life that allows them to live within their values and see added benefits, they will be much more likely to make the leap...and more people changing usually leads to further encouraging the trend due to societal acceptance and popularity.
The motivators that I have seen within my environmental "awakening" have been far from material. I frequently hear that films, documentaries, or other media strongly influence the way a culture's actions are affected - I disagree. More than a year ago, now, I was immersed into an environmental trend due to a fellow Eco-Rep giving a presentation to my class. She, now in Mexico, was largely the reason I became such an environmental-nut. I believe that interpersonal actions and reactions are the strongest influence on a person's behavior; as I often think about Environmental issues and think of how my peers would judge the topic.
As for certain messages that I care for/disdain, I usually am cynical about most mainstream "environmental" adverts. If while I'm watching television I see an advertisement selling "environmentally friendly-something" I try my best to poke holes in their GreenWashing and get to the bottom of it. That being said, I can also appreciate those same messages in the sense that we are finally seeing environmentally friendly-ways in mainstream media. This is the silver-lining on the thunder-cloud that is America.
People who are apathetic when it comes to the environment motivate me to have a more environmentally responsible behavior. I don't have a lot of respect for people who litter, are wasteful, and don't recycle. It's so easy and if I can do it, anyone can. I feel that since some people litter and don't recycle, I should do it for them by picking up their trash and sorting their recyclables.
The environmental message of Food Inc the movie really resonated with me. Watching that movie really opened my eyes to everything that's wrong with the food industry today. It made me realize how harmful fast food really is, not only nutritionally but also environmentally. I have not eaten fast food since I watched Food Inc.
My motivation to live environmentally responsible, is because of a deep connection I feel to the Earth, and a personal force that pushes me to do what is right. I see that a lot of environmental problems, and social justice problems often stem from the same oppressor, so continually striving to do what I believe is right is my way of fighting back. After I adopted some of the lifestyle changes like learning how to farm, biking and walking, eating organic food, consuming less material goods, I also became a healthier, happier and more intuitive person, all values that I believe are important.
for me, it's all about respect. respect for the earth we live on, the air we breathe, for our fellow creatures on earth, and for our selves. i believe that we belong to the earth, not the other way around, and that we need to honor that fact and rise up to be contributors to, not consumers of, the magic that happens on this planet. it is important that we enjoy while still allowing those who share our space and those who come after us to enjoy as well, as it was important for those who came before us to allow for our enjoyment.
this realization is always a huge motivator for me. i wish that more people could understand that.
"When we are mindful of every nuance of our natural world, we finally get the picture: that we are each given only one dazzling moment of life here on Earth, and we must stand before that reality both humbled and elevated, subject to every law of our universe and grateful for our brief but intrinsic participation within it." -Elizabeth Gilbert, The Last American Man
I have a couple of things that motivate me to adopt environmentally friendly habits. One of them is knowing that my daily habits can reduce my impact and thus leave a clean environment for future generations to live and subsist in. My environment is livable, why not my kids/grand-kids?
Second, I have seen all too often the effects of over-consumption and how the majority of Americans are just used to consuming large amounts of things. As a result, I try to do less of this.
Lastly, it also makes me feel good that what I am doing does make a difference. When I can spread this habit to my peers and, as a result, make a noticeable difference, it is really awesome.
Choosing an environmentally responsible behavior isn't a question to me. I think ignorance is no excuse to not make the right decision (one can't possibly believe throwing trash on the ground is going to be beneficial), but also to be informed means you have no excuse to not make the right choice. It goes beyond recycling and composting; it's about knowing where your things come from, how did they come to be, the amount of time and energy and space that went into creating whatever it is. In our culture we take everything for granted and don't think about where our things come from. How did a pineapple get to the Marche in Vermont in January? By using thousands of miles' worth of fuel.
I'm offended by the greenwashing we're surrounded by. What does "natural" mean? It doesn't mean a product is local, organic, or not detrimental. My motivation for environmental consciousness is that there is no other answer-- we can't take everything for granted and continue to live the same consumeristic way we have been and still think the Earth is going to hang out supporting us.
Post a Comment
<< Home