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Making Sustainable Options Fun …

October 13th, 2009 · No Comments

Let’s face reality, it takes a sort of unusual person to describe crawling through attics to seal air leaks or slithering in crawl spaces to insulate piping as a “fun” activity. Turning over the compost pile; separating materials for recycling; turning off lights; putting on an extra sweater while turning the thermostat down in winter; … While we might see the value of these actions, “fun” is rarely the motivating factor (again, unless you’re that ‘special’ type of person).

Yet, sustainable options can be “fun”. Riding a bike (okay, at least in nice weather) is fun. Watching a child pluck a freshly ground tomato, warm from the sun, and plop in their mouth is fun. Driving an electric car (or a hybrid on electricity) with the windows open, listening to birds sing is fun. Dining on The National Mall, in a Solar Decathlon house (as I did last evening) is certainly (majorly) FUN!

Think about ourselves, think about what motivates. Making activities “fun” can make them more likely to happen. (Think that ‘clean up, clean up’ song used with toddlers to get them to put things away after play time. Or, perhaps, singing a song while washing the dishes.)

Thus, the question to ponder: How can we make the sustainable fun?

Stairs vs escalator: a battle to make the sustainable fun.

Reducing litter by making the trash can fun

See The Fun Theory … courtesy of Volkswagen.

Tags: advertising · environmental