Colin the No Impact Man in his post opened the door to begin exploring just how to go about changing peoples minds about how to live a lighter footprint. He writes “without judgment” as the opening text to his post. THIS is a very important piece of the collective work that we need to do in order to create significant change in our world.
In my travels and teaching I have found that whenever we cast judgment and our opinions at people they stop listening. Having people listen in our line of work (making the planet a safer and healthier place for future generations) is probably the most important tool that we have in creating future change.
Daniel Quinn, the writer of the incredibly successful series of books that began with Ishmael, speaks about the best way to create change in the world. He infers that putting programs in place doesn't work because when you require people to do something it has them stop listening. He then goes on to propose that change happens when you change peoples minds. So what can we all do to change peoples minds?
As with Colin, I strive to live a life that encourages people to think about the choices that they make. I drive a Honda Insight Hybrid, live in a self proclaimed environmental showcase home called the Urban Farm in the heart of Phoenix, AZ, generate a lot of my own electricity, grow a lot of my own food with my edible landscape, use greywater to irrigate the landscape and show it all off as often as I can get away with. Yesterday the Urban Farm hosted a class on Composting, one on Keeping Chickens in urban areas, and did a tour. We exposed this space and our work to about 75 people. And boy were they excited.
People are eager for information on how to live a greener lifestyle. By feeding it to them in a non-judgmental way, we are opening the door for them to listen. Those people then go out and share it with others (like those ladies idling their cars) and change their minds. Not judging can be very hard, this I know, but it is a very good way to get our work done.
