Triggering an environmental avalanche

Doing the right thing in a world that doesn't can feel like shouting into an empty canyon. Some people feel helpless to change because they feel like all that effort spent swimming against the current will never change the current. Eliminating my annual 20 puny tons of carbon dioxide emissions won't cause the ocean levels to rise one inch less. Or so the reasoning goes.

But did you know that an avalanche can be started by one little pebble? Did you know, that according to chaos theory, a hurricane can begin with the flapping of the wings of a butterfly?

The research proves it. Anna, a No Impact Man reader from Australia, left a comment, slightly modified here by me, about a study to do with the effect of one person's picking up street litter on the behavior of strangers:

One of its findings was that when people are presented with someone who is actively doing the right thing, by picking up litter, this provides a 'positive injunctive norm'--an example of what should be done--to counter the 'descriptive norm' that is provided by the presence of street litter in the first place (people picking up litter so I should too versus everyone else is littering so I may as well too). And this injunctive norm (having someone pick up litter) was effective in getting people to not litter (when compared to another condition where there was no one picking up litter).

This is known, in common parlance, as the ripple effect. If people see you picking up litter, they are more likely to pick up litter too. If people see you trying to help the planet and the people who live on it , they are more likely to try to help too.

Every positive action each one of us takes (whether it's individual, political or corporate) brings us that much closer to being the pebble that starts the avalanche or the butterfly that starts the hurricane.

To see a cool, inspiring video illustrating the avalanche idea, go to my post The power of one.

And in case you're interested, the study Anna discussed: Cialdini, R.B., Raymond, R.R., Calrgen, K.A. (1990), A focus theory of normative conduct; Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 58 (6).

Image courtesy of Gazette Out There

Comments

[just ducky]

OK, this is what I needed. Thank you---an actual documented study on why I should keep doing what I'm doing. I get self-conscious at work when people make fun of me for picking bottles out of the trash and recycling them (the recycling container is only about 5 feet away from the trash bin and yet they don't use it). My husband is supportive, but will get into the whole "does one can, one bottle, one time not accepting a plastic bag really make a difference" argument and I become skeptical. Now I can fall back on an actual published study. Thank You!

[Green Bean]

I always love the positive tone of your blog. Thank you for this post. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with all the eco-changes I've made and it is disheartening to look around and see everyone driving their Hummers and dumping stuff into their Target shopping carts. Here's hoping for the avalanche effect soon.

[Jacqueline]

Colin a book you would love is "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell. I think you are one of the people starting a trend that will (hopefully) tip and get huge one day!

[Laura]

This technique also works to increase personal hygiene. If you wash your hands in the restroom, the rest of those present are more likely to do so as well!

Bathroom humor aside, this is a really interesting phenomenon that doing the "right thing" is easy to dismiss/avoid when everyone else is also ignoring it, but very difficult when someone present is actually leading by example. Sadly, we're not all as inherently righteous as we'd like to think we are.

[Jeff Brown]

The polish writer Jerzey Stanislaw wrote,"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible." This idea can be used for both action and inaction. Hardly anyone is ever just one: we are one of many.

[Kel]

So as one "pebble-wanna-be" at this time of year, I am resisting lighting up my house like it's day time just because it's the holiday season. Thanks to you Colin, I have become aware of many environmental wastes, and this is the first time I have ever thought about how much energy we waste with holiday lights on our houses and in our yards here in the US.
And those darn inflatable yard decorations! I used to love driving around looking at the displays, but now I will not engage in recreational driving!

[arduous]

You know, it's funny because I always think, what are my actions doing really? But then I thought about how I saw you on the Colbert Report, and started reading your blog, and that, among other things, convinced me to take my own modified vow of non-consumerism. So you influenced me, and now maybe I will influence others.

[Deb from Brooklyn]

I've recently seen the ripple effect in action, within my own family and now community, and it was completely unexpected. I've become a pretty diligent recycler over the past year or so, and make sure every scrap of paper or recyclable container goes in its proper place (I even save grocery bags which are not recyclable in NYC and recycle them in Westchester on visits to my sister in law, and do the same with plastic containers in Amherst where my own sister lives).

As a parent, I've explained the difference between recycling and throwing away trash to my two young kids, but as they're just 5 and 2, I haven't made an especially big deal of it because there's only so much they can understand. Little did I know that my 5 year old was taking in more than I thought. At our recent parent-teacher conference, my husband and I learned that she's become the class recycling czar, and announces to her kindergarten class and teacher whenever something recyclable is in the trash can or vice versa. The 5th graders, who organize the class recycling program, gave my daughter's class an award that she now shows off proudly to all visitors. Apparently, their recycling success is in a large part a result of her efforts, which I suppose were inspired by my own--which were in part inspired by yours!

[noopur]

i heard you can your recycle plastic bags in the whole foods at union square near the exit.

[asal]

i work at a bank and whenever i have customers come in to pay their electricity bills, i talk to them about ways to lower their costs. a lot of my customers talk about how money comes in and goes out quicker than they can manage, and so the stress of paying an expensive bill often leaves them receptive to new ideas for lowering it. i generally ask my customers if they use cfl light bulbs, or if they leave their air conditioner/heater on while they're at work and no one's home. a lot of times, the answer is no and yes, respectively. it's gratifying to see them come back month after month, and see their bills go down. i feel better, knowing that i've helped 'green' their home just a lil bit. and they feel better knowing they've saved their hard-earned money. and who knows, they might go on and tell their friends about cfl's.
i also get a similar kick out of getting customers set up for online banking or direct deposit. saves gas and paper, and all transactions done online are free.

[LifeLessPlastic]

I stumbled on a quote from Ghandi in an inspirational calendar yesterday that read, "Be the change that you want to see in the world."

Jokes about inspirational calendars aside, this is such a beautiful quote and really relates to what your talking about. If you want something to change, you have to start with yourself or nothing will ever happen. Then, if you can change, hopefully others will see what you're doing and change themselves.

[Going Crunchy]

Excellent post, and I was so incredibly moved by the connecting post on the Power of One. (We've also applied the drop in the bucket theory to finances too....we're working to having a debt free financial life and each drop MAKES a bucket in the long run).

I like carrying my roll up canvas bags in my purse and whipping them out and saying, "No plastic bags please!" My kids then chime in, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!!!! In a cheer way with arms upraised. We've been quite the hit in the store. And I love it when I see the next person choosing to carry their one item home bagless behind us.

Thanks for your post that helps affirm my efforts at living a crunchier life. Shannon

[Heather from New Zealand]

@ Shannon - you made me laugh out loud - I wish I could see you and your kids!

[Mike]

There is another great quote that one of my yoga teachers uses...

Preach all of the time...and sometimes with words.

What a powerful statement! It is amazing how just by living your life the way that you see fit, you can impact the lives of others. You may not know that you are impacting them but you are. And even if you aren't, you are impacting your own life in a way that means something to you.

[meeb]

You've certainly impacted my husband and I. We've started keeping as many houselights off as possible. We've been able to cook, eat, fold laundry, shower, read, study, take notes, get ready and many other activities by candlelight. Since it's getting dark so early, we feel ready for bed earlier, and I think we sleep better. Plus it's more romantic. :)

Thanks for being a peaceful and positive voice for this cause.

[TasterSpoon]

Lovely post, lovely thoughts, and lovely comments!

Along with leading by example, talking humbly about your own efforts also doesn't hurt, and might help.

I was telling some people at a party last week about how I was thinking one of my resolutions for 2008 would be to not buy anything but food the whole year, expecting them to write me off as a hippie wingnut. But instead someone chimed in that they'd seen a TV program about a couple that did that and another piped up that it would be a great way to declutter and someone else mentioned all the toiletries you can make at home, and other people started making regifting confessions. We started talking about what kind of revisions I might make (to my life, but also to the resolution) to make it workable.

Whether or not the others do the same, suddenly the idea was not foreign but had wide group approval, and I'm sure it will ripple outward. I think asking for advice helped, too, because even if they weren't going to do the same things, they were compelled to think independently about how such changes could be possible and attractive.

Blogs like yours - and the supportive comments - are great for helping people feel they are not outliers, but part of a cultural movement.

[Diane Gandee Sorbi]

Great blog, Colin! I will reread it on those rare down days when I feel that it may be too late for all of us anyway. Be the pebble that creates the avalanche of change you want to see in the world!

[madge]

there are some wonderful people proving this is true as part of the gift economy.

a few nights ago i was privileged to watch a film made by smooth feather productions, a filmmaking company which is 100% volunteer. the main guy behind it, silas hagerty, is a living walking breath of fresh air and i feel extremely privileged to have met him.

their latest film, "back in life," documents the story of a young man who recently had an accident and became a quadrapalegic. the film was made in the spirit of service, and is being given out to people who have been newly paralyzed. it's amazing and can be seen at http://www.smoothfeather.com/

http://www.helpothers.org is another site all about paying it forward. the gist is, you do something nice and unexpected for someone (pay for their dinner, carry something for them, etc), then hand them a smile card that encourages them to do the same for someone else. the only string attached is to pass the favor on.

in the gift economy, people are fond of saying "inspiration is currency," and it really is. after seeing silas's film the other night, i was more inspired (and actually nicer!!) than i'd been in ages ...

[MotherLodeBeth]

You wrote the most wonderful thing when you wrote:We never missed stuff. But there was still some kind of pull, and here's what it was: wanting to have what other people around us had, wanting to do what they did, wanting to be where they were. In other words, it was, more or less, social anxiety.If we get to do the things that other people do and have the things that other people have, that means we're as loveable as everyone else. If we go the places they go, then we're as cool and, therefore, again, loveable. Consumption has become a surrogate for being loved. ....So many of us are a bit lonely and need more human contact. We think the way to get it is to buy things. But really, if we want to be loved, what we we need is living rooms full of people instead of closets full of stuff. We need community. Isn't that an important point?'

Would love to see comments like this sent in every holiday card this year that people send out. It's so rare to hear or read where someone notes, being loney is a big reason people do things that are unhealthy. Shopping, consuming inluded. Am always amazed at how many people dont like being home if there is total silence.