Hi all,
I've been having some discussions with a coworker about whether or not to include "climate change" language as a selling feature or a measurable when it comes to waste assessments. The two arguments are as follows:
a) waste can be tracked with respect to GHGs and this is a common form of measurement. Also, waste reductions can be sold as GHG credits to organizations that emit more GHGs than they're allowed according to Alberta's Climate Change Emissions Management Act.
b) waste could be treated as its own issue for two main reasons: i) some people aren't convinced by "climate change" and whether they're a climate change denier or it just isn't really something that's on their radar there's no sense in fighting over it with them and ii) waste is already an accessible subject and people can relate to it for a variety of reasons (e.g. land stewardship, the craziness of disposable products, cost of disposal, etc.)
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or is aware of any scholarly research that looks at how effective the term "climate change" is in terms of winning people over.
I hope I haven't been too obvious with the side that I sit on! Also, for context we're in Calgary, AB.
Thanks so much!
Lauren Minuk
Green Workplace Consultant
Green Calgary
Canada
"Climate Change" with respect to waste
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Thanks Ruben, that's very helpful!
I think that being in Calgary makes this question difficult for a few reasons, mainly that being an oil town I feel like people may be more familiar with it because they work in oil but might simultaneously be sick of hearing about it; and that the flood was a bit of a double edged sword in terms of it being more obvious to many people that climate change is here, but I also don't want to "profit" off of the loss of my community.
I think that the phrase you suggest is a great idea because it can help us gauge where people are and make a comment about it while also not having our whole "sales pitch" (as it were) based on it.
Thanks so much also for the referenced articles - I'm just off to read them now!
Thanks,
-Lauren
Lauren Minuk
Green Workplace Consultant
Green Calgary
Canada
www.greencalgary.org
You are going to like that George Marshall article--it is directly related to the issues you are facing.
cheers,
Ruben.
Ruben Anderson
smallanddeliciouslife.com
Late to the party here, but I think it's going to depend on exactly WHO you're marketing towards. If you're trying to get governments, funders, and businesses with CSR policies on board, absolutely include climate change and GHG reductions in your messaging. The fact that they can track and report on measurable outcomes is a powerful incentive for companies that want the optics. Increasingly, governments are also requiring measurable GHG numbers for project proposals.
Robert Gifford has also done a lot of work around environment messaging. Check the journal "Environmental Psychology" for a lot of his work (he's the editor).
Teresa Looy
Compost Program Co-ordinator
Green Action Centre
Canada
Hi Lauren,
This interview with George Marshall is the best thing I have read on climate change in several years.
https://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2014-03/george-marshall-communicating-climate-change-following-extreme-weather-eve#comment-17189
He raises the idea that the frame of climate change has grown to include misery, austerity, loss. In which case it is a very bad to use it.
I think linking climate change to waste will only work on a small segment--which is likely your extreme greenies anyway.
Now, in Canada, climate change is not so quickly rejected, so their might be a middle segment that would be swung into action if they felt it was important enough. So that is perhaps an argument in favour.
But even as I am saying that, I am disagreeing with myself. We know most of our decisions are not made rationally and with great consideration. Most of our decisions are social and systemic. I'll repost my essay here.
http://www.smallanddeliciouslife.com/compassionate_systems/
All THAT being said, rereading your post, it sounds like you are trying to sell clients on waste assessments. That is a much smaller group of people, and I think climate change is appropriate. You could say something like, "I don't know if you factor climate change into your corporate decision making, or if your industry is regulated with regards to greenhouse gases, but if you are, this assessment can provide you with data for those requirements."
Cheers,
r.
Ruben Anderson
smallanddeliciouslife.com