In order to stay alive and keep meals on the table while Olive Branch is just starting to grow, I still have to “work” (although one of the purposes of Olive Branch is to make money to support ourselves, it does not fall in the “work” category because it doesn’t feel like work). With a Ph.D. and a credential as a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D) I have to get continuing education credits to keep my license current. Imagine my mood when I went to the recent behavior analysis conference in Phoenix and got all my credits going to presentations relating to sustainability! How could this be? Because, although technology will help us, it will not save us and ultimately it is our behavior that must change; and the behavior change must happen on a cultural level, as when we as a society took action on littering and smoking. The behavior analysts have a lot to say about how this might happen (although they have no simple answers) and I was fortunate to attend presentations by scientists such as the eminent Lonnie G. Thompson (paleoclimatologist) who can tell us what the priorities for change are. Back here in San Diego, I’m now very excited and fortunate to be in a position to find out exactly what people are doing. I would love to hear from anybody who can tell me (1) what behaviors they have changed toward going green and maybe even more important, (2) what motivated the change. For those of you reading this blog, leave a post and let us know what you're doing!
Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch
1 comment:
I wanna post. . . about trash. My friends Jeanne and Pam told me not to line my trash can with a bag. That's right, just put all my trash straight in the can. I told them "no way! what a mess." They told me it was gong to take a week or so to get use to it but it will reduce my trash by more than 1/2 because the plastic bags take up so much room and sometimes when they are not completely full I still empty it. This is a huge behavior change.
Well months later. . . I do not line any can. I produce a 4th of the trash I used to. The whole process has also made me more aware of the way products are packaged and I stay away from wastefully sized containers. My motivation was that I hated emptying half-bags full of trash, I hated the idea of plastic balloons filling the landfill, and the I could not block out the images of billions of plastic bags polluting our oceans. Thanks Jeanne and Pam, you were my inspiration!
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