The Politics and Issues of Establishing a Green Environment

 “GREEN” refers to almost anything that places a high or higher priority on environmental concerns or activities.  “Going Green” refers to the process of making deliberate decisions to lighten your ecological footprint.  To GO GREEN is to make changes in your life and aspects of your daily routine to be form environmentally habits.

 Awareness – You as an individual can make a difference  Education – Be aware of the details that make a difference  Action – Act upon the things you can do and support the things you can’t

 Facilities - Awareness  Campus hub  Shared reasons to visit  Resources - Education  Print, electronic, Web 2.0  Wayfinders, guides, training  Staffing - Action  Common vision, involvement  Providing support for others

 Who are your partners? Don’t be isolated  What is going on in your community?  Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling  What impact does your higher organization’s recycling efforts have on YOU?  Facilities, physical plant, county maintenance  What other organizations can you attach to in order to share the ride?  Healthy Guilford, Share the Ride

 A behavior is something that you do; some action that you take. Conventionally, a behavior is something that you act out physically, such as taking a walk, or smoking a cigarette, or rolling your eyes when your spouse is complaining. However, behaviors can be subtle, non-physical things too. Thinking can be considered a behavior, for instance.  Instincts often help habits develop.  Habits are different than instincts because they are learned. Habits are formed by practice, and without practice, for example, you could never have walked up to a computer for the first time and type 90 words a minute. A habit is any behavior that is repeated often enough to become automatic and almost effortless

 Positive reinforcement is what most people think of when they hear the word "reward". This type of situation occurs when you provide a desired thing. Your child gets straight "A"s on her report card, and as a reward, you take her out for ice cream.  Positive punishment is the classical kind of punishment that occurs when an aversive event follows the behavior. If you irritate a dog by yanking on his ears, and it bites you, you will be less likely to yank on the dog's ears in the future. Similarly, if you drive faster than the speed limit and get a hefty ticket, you will be less likely (in theory) to speed in the future.  Negative reinforcement occurs when you take away an aversive thing. A great example is built into our cars: the annoying buzzer or chime stops when you fasten your seat belt.  Negative punishment occurs when you take away a desired thing. Your child acts up while watching a favorite TV show, and as punishment, you turn the TV off.

 Positive Reinforcement - Rewarding individually and celebrating collectively positive “green” actions  Positive Punishment - Demonstrating the consequences of poor “green” habits, i.e. establishing social expectations  Negative Reinforcement – gentle reminders, shared observations, team/buddy approach to calling out bad habits  Negative Punishment – take away the temptations of poor green habits, or make them inconvenient

 Make “Green” practices part of the organizational culture  Communicate and hold forums, focus groups sessions, brain storm for ideas  Take an ethical stand on the social responsibility aspect  Develop statistics to make your argument  Don’t forget all aspects of green including health, safety and cost

 The way we’ve always done it! (at all levels)  Motivation/Incentives (why should I?)  Infrastructure can’t support  Can’t do one, why do all?  Nothing to compare to  Let the experts figure it out  Start-up capital

 Myth: Crisis is a powerful impetus for change  Reality: Ninety percent of patients who've had coronary bypasses don't sustain changes in the unhealthy lifestyles that worsen their severe heart disease and greatly threaten their lives.  Myth: Change is motivated by fear  Reality: It's too easy for people to go into denial of the bad things that might happen to them. Compelling, positive visions of the future are a much stronger inspiration for change.  Myth: The facts will set us free  Reality: Our thinking is guided by narratives, not facts. When a fact doesn't fit our conceptual "frames" -- the metaphors we use to make sense of the world -- we reject it. Also, change is inspired best by emotional appeals rather than factual statements.  Myth: Small, gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain  Reality: Radical, sweeping changes are often easier because they quickly yield benefits.  Myth: We can't change because our brains become "hardwired" early in life  Reality: Our brains have extraordinary "plasticity," meaning that we can continue learning complex new things throughout our lives -- assuming we remain truly active and engaged.

 Methods for Changing Behavior and Thoughts Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. and Jolyn Wells-Moran, Ph.D.  Five Myths About Changing Behavior, Alan Deutschman    