Young snowflakes attending University! with no life experience have Ideas
How to encourage your friends and family to live more sustainably
Even the most dedicated eco-warriors sometimes find it tough to inspire planet-friendly behaviour change in others. Sarah Ford-Hutchinson, from the University’s Department for Social Responsibility, gives us her top tips for encouraging your friends and family to live more sustainably.
1. Understand yourself.
First things first, start with you. Make a list of the sustainable behaviours you do: using reusable items, eating less meat, opting for a renewable energy supplier or not flying within the UK. Ask why you choose to do these: your motivation may be just as much about saving money and fitting in as about reducing carbon emissions. Then make a list of the sustainable behaviours you’d like to do more of in the future.
When you understand yourself and the sustainability journey you are on, it’s much easier to explain to others. This honesty is a great place to start when encouraging you friend or family member to open up about their behaviours.
Interesting that this does advocate that young climate cultists actually live within the beliefs set of their cult. Just think about it.
2. Ask questions and listen.
Let’s face it: not everyone cares about climate change or biodiversity loss because the effects on individuals in Scotland can be hard to detect. While you may be able to start a conversation with one person about planetary health on a global scale, a better tactic for another person might be to start with them as an individual.
But, they only ask questions and listen within their own narrow world-view. Usually, they are screeching about it.
3. Make change together.
It’s well-known that peers strongly influence a person’s behaviour. Agree to some goals with your friend or family member: “let’s not use disposable plastic all weekâ€, or “let’s take the train rather than fly to visit each otherâ€. Doing something together is more likely to succeed, and empowers them to tackle more complex behaviour changes in the future with your support.
Hooray, for a week!
6. Look after each other.
Influencing others is hard, and it can easily drain your energy. Having conversations about reusable cups while the arctic warms can seem exasperating. Recognise when you or your friend are experiencing eco-anxiety, or feeling powerless, and talk about it. Change is absolutely possible if we remain positive and action-focused, but we all need a time out to rest and collect our thoughts.
Nagging each other and everyone around you is difficult. And then they graduate and realize that they actually have to work for a living and most companies do not tolerate this nagging.
