How to make plastic-free society
With the Chinese recycling import ban, there’s a whole lotta behaviour change coming for Australian households and businesses. As they say on TV “this changes everything”. It’s a good time to pause and reflect on what works in waste-related behaviour change.
Here’s a neat summary of state-of-the-art principles for waste behaviour change from Louise Kloff at UNSW (thanks for quoting me Louise), published in The Conversation. She emphasises being positive, empowering, making action simple, and “make people feel that they are part of an inclusive movement that is supported by the community and relevant to their own lives.”
Nice work Louise!
P.S. I just viewed all her links…they are an education in themselves, including WA’s positive and empowering “What’s your bag plan” advertising campaign. https://www.der.wa.gov.au/your-environment/wa-plastic-bag-ban/491-plastic-bag-ban-shoppers
Corina and Jo show us how
Corina and Jo, two “completely average” Ryde mums, give us a lesson with their delightful and funny War on Waste Action Toolkit, Good for the Hood.
They made it for the ABC as part of Craig Reucassel’s War on Waste.
It’s the only action kit that I’ve ever wanted to read from beginning to end, and includes some hilarious “How not to…” video parodies of really bad campaigning, for example:
Corina and Jo…you are my role models.
(Conflict of interest declaration: Corina and Jo are Changeology graduates.)
Chip and Dan Heath’s The Power of Moments
I’ve just started reading Chip and Dan Heath’s latest book The Power of Moments, about how we can consciously create change moments for other people, written in their signature engrossing style. Apart from the fact that these two have an amazing knack of nailing really central insights, it feels true that transformative experiences really only take a moment. We change makers need to pay more attention to what makes those moments special. Here’s a quote:
“Defining moments shape our lives, but we don’t have to wait for them to happen. We can be the authors of them. What if a teacher could design a lesson that students were still reflecting on years later? What if a manager knew exactly how to turn an employee’s moment of failure into a moment of growth? What if you had a better sense of how to create lasting memories for your kids?”
I have a strong feeling this book is going to change how I do what I do.
Kids + food = great community engagement. Brilliant!
Scott Forsdike, formerly of Willoughy Council, recently shared his secret for effective community engagement.
The challenge: how to get a broad cross-section to attend Willoughby City’s Community Strategic Plan workshop.
His team’s approach:
#1 “Include kids and you include families.”
#2 Have free yummy food.
#3 Add “bring a friend” on the invitation (which worked because of #1 and #2) *
The result: 100+ community members enthusiastically workshopping, with their kids in the middle of the room being looked after by community services staff and asked to imagine their own future of Willoughby (which involved rockets, bikes, parks).
I can just imagine the impact of those bright shining faces, present in the room where their parents could see them, on the vision and quality of the ideas.
Scott is now with the Greater Sydney Commission where he is working on a much broader pallete.
* So let me see: this is really a mashup of crèche, community dinner, and planning night!
Two new tools you might find useful
Facilitators’ Remember Everything tool
I got so sick of forgetting things when I facilitate, that I made a tool to remember everything. Hope you find it useful. Send me improvements and I’ll make a version #2.
Transforming organisations, large and small
Been spending a bit of time in the organisational transformation space lately, and made this short study for the Municipal Association of Victoria, which aims to answer the question: “What’s your theory of change for transforming local government?”
Happy changemaking all!
Warm regards
– Les
P.S. The next series of Changeology and Facilitation training workshops will be in November. I haven’t set dates yet, but drop me your email address (to les@enablingchange.com.au) and I’ll notify you when they are set.