Five ways to… get your green mojo back… and keep it
01 Find someone to inspire you
There are plenty of green superheroes out there. Anita Roddick, Bill McKibben, Paul Hawken, Ray Anderson, Wangari Mattau — the list is long. People who are (or were) personally, authentically, whole-heartedly determined to transform the world. Speak with them, invite them to speak with your colleagues. Buy their books, Google their videos.
02 Be bold
“Rescue Earth Mission” isn’t for the faint hearted. We won’t fix anything by bolting one compromise onto another. Boldly question the brief. If the spoken “need” is transport, ask if the real solution is more creative than building more airports. What about Boris bikes? Pedestrian friendly communities? Light rail? Thinking big got us into this mess; it will be thinking big that gets us out of it.
So what about the first zero waste town?
03 Consciously grow your own green motivation expert
The “why bother?” question is always tricky. For me the standard-issue motivational toolkit doesn’t work. For example: do what I say not what I do (bullying); do it or feel ashamed of yourself (manipulation); do it or we will punish/tax/fine/demote you (government); do it and you’ll look good (CSR or greenwash).Try this: do it because you know it’s the right thing to do.
04 Be the change you want to see
If each of us takes care of our own waste, carbon, consumption and dirty habits, the world takes care of itself, right? When people act from a place of authentic self-motivation, it’s highly contagious. Others are inspired to follow. But don’t overdo it — don’t change everything all at once! If you do there’s a chance you may become unhappy, for a while, as you detox. Each of us can only shrink our waste diet at a pace that keeps us happy.
05 Beware cold fee
What’s the point if China does x, the population does y, and clients and competitors do z? All good points, but no sports team for the Olympics is thinking, “what’s the point of training hard if we lose anyway?” Wiping out waste can be a central persuasive theme of your life. Never underestimate the infinite power of a seemingly futile gesture.
By Dave Hampton, The Carbon Coach, www.carboncoach.com
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