In the days leading up to an annual skill-share camp, I emailed the group to offer the use of my collection of rechargeable batteries and chargers. My stated goal was to reduce the use of throwaway batteries. My ulterior motives were to raise awareness of reusables, and to put my collection of rechargeable batteries to better use.
It worked! Three people accepted my offer of rechargeables, offsetting the purchase (& disposal) of 12 throwaways that weekend, and hundreds more if just one of those people takes this opportunity to rid their lives of single-use batteries. Woohoo!
Better yet, I was happily surprised to hear from another camper that my battery offer prompted her to change her plans to bring disposable drinking cups for her beer tasting event, in favour of reusable cups. She announced this at the camp opening get-together, helping to re-affirm the social norm of favoring reusables over disposables.
So, that was a nice ripple effect: Taking 10 minutes to pack up and send an email about extra rechargeable batteries opened the door for others to re-examine their own choices, and to do so in a way that improved social norms among a group of at least 40 hyper-connected folks.
If, like most of us, you’ve delayed pro-sustainability actions because they seemed too inconsequential, please reconsider.
Looking Beyond Tomorrow 