Environment

I’m really into the point where good ideas/behaviors/habits meet reality.  In other words, how can you compel a person to do something that will provide them with a direct and indirect benefit.  Today, I’ll try to make a case with 1 thing that really gets my goat: leaving the lights on. Leaving the lights on isn’t a crime or anything like that, it’s just something that really, really bothers me.  It’s probably because resources are being wasted, mostly money and energy.

First off, I know that I’m not completely immune to this.  I occasionally leave the lights on, and I think part of this is caused because I find the light switches to be in sports that are inconvenient to shut off when I’m leaving.  Though still, this is no excuse.  So how can I get my behavior to change so that I’m doing something that saves me money and stops wasting resources?

When I was in undergrad, I went to a relatively progressive university that has deep environmental roots.  (Eric from Narrow Bridge Adventures went there too).  During class one time, someone from the university came to talk to our energy class about how the university was able to save money by getting students who lived in the dorms to turn the lights off when they left the room for class or whatever.  They found three dorms and put them each in a group.  1 group got nothing – they were the control group.  The next group got stickers to put under their light switch that said “When Not in Use, Turn off the Juice” and had a light bulb on them.  These stickers cost about 2 cents each.  The final group got the stickers, and had to attend a two 1 hour long classes talking about how to lower energy use and some tips on why lowering energy use is better for the environment and the university.

After their study, they found that the group who got the stickers were able to reduce their energy consumption (I don’t remember how much), but the amount that they reduced their energy use was about 3-5% different than the ones that got the stickers as well as the class.  Obviously, the best way for the university to proceed moving forward with the rest of the dorms was the stickers: the cost was infantesimal compared to the cost of the sticker and the class.  Given the fact that the reduction was almost equal, it would be unwise (at best, and an irresponsible use of taxpayers funds at worst) to continue to offer the classes.

Using all of this information, I am thinking of placing a sticker above my own light switches, in the hopes that my roommate will be affected by this picture near the switch.  My roommate cares about the environment very deeply, and doesn’t feel it is appropriate to inflict unnecessary damage on the environment.

The first thing I needed to do was find the picture that would resonate, and my roommate was very concerned with the following image (the  cover of TIME magazine a while back). As you can see from the image, it paints a very bleak picture of the polar bear habitat up north.  Given the fact that less ice makes it hard for polar bears to hunt, and the fact that increased carbon in the atmosphere has been linked to ice melt, it seems that wasting energy can be linked to this imagery right here.  So, my roommate feels guilty when this images is shown, and will most likely feel even more so if it’s plastered all over the house.

So, what I’m thinking of doing is putting this picture right next to the  light switch, in hopes that when the light switch is flipped on, images of the polar bear will stick in the mind of my roommate and prompt the turnoff of the switch when use is finished.

What I’m wondering is if this is going too far.  Sure, the ends justify the means, but is it too much in this situation?  I’m playing against known fears in an effort to accomplish  a simple behavior change.  Have you ever tried anything like this?  Is it worth the effort, or should I look for other ways to get my roommate to form a habit of turning off the lights?

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