We have been fortunate recently to meet and get involved with Professor Erik Bishard, Professor of Regeneration and Sustainable Development at the University of Salford. As well as an author and expert in his subject he has been advising Liverpool City Council on all issues of sustainability. Eric has a knack of challenging you and making ideas and concepts very clear. At a recent event at which we were involved he spoke of how we (all of us) often or always leave our principles at the door when we go to work. We turn off the lights at home, recycle, reduce our energy use, think about the energy and money we are wasting. Then we get to work, take our coat off and our principles and leave them to one side until home time! Why don’t we think and behave the same at work? Why don’t we lead by example at work, advise or nag our colleagues, our bosses, on the benefits of resource efficiency, surely in these tough economic times our bosses will never be more receptive to ideas on how to save energy, resources and of course money!! Now I’m rambling, as ever. Here is a piece from an article Erik wrote on the theme for the Energy Saving Trust.
While economic and social problems are very important, it is the slow pace of individual and collective action on the environment that causes the most concern to climate scientists and politicians. If we fail to act soon, there won’t be much of an economy or a society to worry about. The Stern Report on the Economics of Climate Change warned of a 25%- 60% increase in global hunger levels, over a billion people without access to regular water supplies, and a 20% drop in economic consumption which would make the current downturn seem like a minor incident. Education campaigns can certainly help to increase knowledge and change attitudes, but they can’t produce lasting changes in behaviour. Awareness campaigns that explain why were are all in trouble can worry people into behaviour change by highlighting the severity of a problem or issue. But this awareness approach can equally induce feelings of disbelief or hopelessness. In simple terms, people are generally happy to do something if they feel that others are already doing it, and that their actions would meet with the approval of those around them. This powerful motivating force is tailor-made for community action-based climate change initiatives. All that is needed is the catalyst to get a small group, and a popular initiative going. The secret of success is to appeal to people who balance the effort of commitment, with the reward of participation. At present the rewards are nowhere near attractive enough to make sufficient numbers of concerned but reluctant community members to join with the enthusiasts to create an I-will-if-you will momentum. For this we need an incentive. The Environment Agency’s work with Salford University has shown that between 60% and 70% people would be willing to accept rewards including free public transport, free fruit and vegetables, free gardening and landscaping services, and free sports and entertainment tickets from local providers in return for protecting their homes from dangerous climate change though flood protection, energy conservation, or both Our most trusted advisors are often the people we find closest to us. Community strength to tackle climate change needs to start somewhere, and public policy needs to understand what social psychologists are saying, and change course to engage with and incentivise our communities into a safer way of living.
(This is an extract from a longer article that Erik wrote for the Energy Saving Trust. There is much more on this subject in Erik Bichard's book 'Positively Responsible', written with the psychologist Cary L. Cooper and published by Butterworth-Heinemann).
Our thanks to Eric for contributing to our Blog, and to our ideas and understanding.
David Hunt
