A few months ago I sat on a panel in front of a group of respected environmentalists and business leaders to answer the question: “How do we get people to care about the environment?”
My fellow panelists all gave great heartfelt answers about inspiring people and educating them about the damage we are doing to our planet. My answer was a bit more abrasive. “I don’t care if you care about the environment. I’d just like you to do something.” After some gasps and follow-up questions, which consisted of, “How can you say that?” and, “You really don’t mean that do you?,” the crowd finally simmered down and began to understand my point.
The truth is that opinions and beliefs aren’t all that important. What are important are the actions a person takes. One would think that people who care more about a cause tend to do more, but a string of research shows otherwise. When a group was asked about their commitment to the environment and whether it was their responsibility to pick up litter, 94 percent of the 500 people agreed that this did, indeed, fall on their shoulders. To test their commitment, the research team scattered litter where the group would exit to find that a mere 2 percent of the group followed through with their agreement to pick up litter, according to a study in the Journal of Social Psychology. This isn’t activism, it’s “slacktivism.” Everyone likes to say they do the right thing but very few actually do it.
What’s the answer to this problem? Lather, rinse and repeat – repeat being the key word, here. Shampoo manufacturers figured out long ago that the word repeat is the key to increased action.
Sure we need more activists, and I’d love for everyone to care the way I do, but the truth is: It ain’t gonna happen. We need people to learn the right steps to take (lather), take action (rinse) and continue down a path of social responsible action (repeat). But how do you get someone to take action, to begin the shampoo ritual we are all more than familiar with, without having warm, fuzzy feelings toward the environment? Rewards and recognition.
Read the complete article at Environmental Leader