I have been contemplating how we can encourage more people to take action to build a better and greener fairer world.
Showing people your climate actions is one of the most effective ways to influence change especially when they are tangible changes they can discover for themselves.
There are a huge number of climate actions we can take that have the potential to send signals of positive change to the people we meet. Social norms are really important that’s why really visible actions are essential and they are also great conversation starters.
The other advantage of visible climate action is that you are clearly walking the talk and being accused of greenwashing is less likely. Rather than preaching for change, visible tangible climate actions are more subtle ways of trying to achieve change. For some people, they will find this approach less threatening and seeing repeated examples of people like them making the change will subconsciously help them embrace change.
My suggestion for great visible climate actions you can make:
Electric cars and transport
We first got the plug-in hybrid car in 2017, we regularly would get knocks on the door to ask about our hybrid car and especially about towing our caravan ( a fully electric tow vehicle within our budget wasn’t an option at the time) (I recently saw a Tesla towing a massive caravan – very exciting). The unexpected visitors tended to be dog walkers on the way to the park and they had seen the car plugged in on our driveway. I know the car being visible on our driveway, encouraged others to switch over to electric cars and at worst started conversations.
The way you arrive at clients’ premises or what is parked on your driveway sends a very strong message about your commitment to change.
When you get the questions, encourage them, it gives you a great opportunity to dispel and challenge some of the fiction and scaremongering about EV cars found in certain papers. You can show a lived experience and truly share the pros and cons.
The negative is also true, for example, earlier this year Switchfoot Wealth accepted a visit from a product provider who wanted to tell them about their sustainable investment portfolios. The sales rep turned up in a big polluting diesel Jaguar. It rather undermined the message they wanted to send.
Bikes
Even better and cheaper than an electric car, switch to a bike ( or e-bike) or walk to a meeting and you are more likely to be seen along the route taking a stand against climate change and improving your fitness as a secondary benefit. In my mind, every ride or walk is a protest against climate change and the oil companies.
Solar panels
Solar panels are an incredibly visible sign of action and they will encourage others to invest.
Your neighbours will notice when you have solar panels added to your property and will be curious.
Again we often get asked questions about how effective they are and whether they are really worth it. (hint – they make us money in the summer months and Octopus owe us money)
Garden
Not mowing a section of your garden or not weeding a section can be an effective way to encourage nature back into your garden. Should your neighbours comment on your garden allows you to explain the reasons for not using weed killers and the reasons for it being left to go a little wild.
Planting native bee-friendly plants is likely to require less effort as they are made for UK weather conditions. Try growing your own fruit and veg and when you inevitably end up with too many apples, tomatoes & courgettes consider sharing them with your neighbours. Growing up, our next-door elderly neighbour would leave a bag of apples as they were my favourites when I was 2 years old. It made me feel special and gave them an excuse to have a long chat with my parents.
Refillable bottles and coffee mugs
Walking around with your cup means you always have a drink and sends a subtle clue and may encourage others to change.
Bank accounts
If you are a business owner – your bank details are really visible on the bottom of the invoices and therefore a simple way to have influence is to change them to a greener bank.
You could always include at the bottom of every invoice a statement of the reason for why you bank with XX!
When paying suppliers – I have emailed them suggesting they review their banking when I see Barclays/HSBC etc. People will notice!
Holidays and trips
The photos of your holidays or trips are quite telling of your commitment to tackling climate change. They are also an opportunity to challenge assumptions about UK holidays/non-flight holidays and can change attitudes.
The ethics of the places and modes of transport you choose for business and personal journeys are really important in building an impression. Your photos will give you away and although we are all hypocrites and not perfect; it does send a very strong signal of your values to anyone that is watching.
Toilet paper
When someone comes to the office or home they may see the brown bamboo toilet paper after consuming too much tea and they mean even get to test it out.
You have the opportunity to Influence your community through your action and some actions are more visible than others.
In what ways do you demonstrate your climate actions?