Thursday, October 22

the fun theory

It's my favorite meme of the week... Think Green Thursday!


Depending on where you live in this world, you may be at different phases of this idea of thinking green. Over the years, I've found that new "green" programs are met with a wide mix of response from the public. I'm happy to see that, more and more, the trend is leaning toward enthusiasm for such programs rather than resentment.

None the less, I came across a cool program being sponsored by VW... I know, cringe, a car manufacturer... but don't dismiss it just yet! It's called the fun theory and is the coolest idea I've seen in a long time for promoting change in our habits. The fun theory states that people are more likely to change their habits if the new (hopefully greener) habit is fun.

Makes sense right? Sure works for my kids. I let them ride their bikes to school because they enjoy riding their bikes and practically skip out of the door in the morning. Let them squeeze their own orange juice, set the table for company, take all the pictures at museums... because it makes the activity more fun (less whining!) This is a tried and proven theory that all moms know well.

Turns out it works for whining adults too... check out this video about making taking the stairs more fun:



What can we do to make "green living" more fun? I'll have to chew on that and get back to you next week.

8 comments:

  1. Those piano stairs are so cool! I wish they were here so i could play on them. :p

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  2. We need to cut our 8-hour day down to 6 so that we have more time to do things. I think too often we DON'T go green because we're in such a hurry that we head straight for pre-packaged, drive-thru, convenience-type stuff, which is absolutely NOT green!

    Pearl

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  3. Wow,this is truly a great post. What a fun way to make people change their ways. The response is automatic! I like that.

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  4. absolute fun...thats what keeps the ball rolling.I love ur idea of green living by making it more fun..excitedly waiting for some cool ideas and will try and put my mind to it too...u shud have a competition where people pour in their ideas...that'll be more fun!!

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  5. The only green people seem to be going is that green with envy !

    And you are so right, if fun propels adults, i guess we must think through fun 'go green' ideas too.

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  6. that's so cool and I totally agree that fun or enjoyment can help people go gree, it shouldn't be seen automatically as the difficult or serious alternative

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  7. What a great post Christine! I love the video as it did look like a lot of fun. We started going much more green last spring here at our house. While it does involve more planning, it changes how you view your impact on the environment totally. I don't know why more people don't try to live more green. But judging by the small number of participants in this meme, I am not surprised.. Great post. Michelle

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...and you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?