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Blog Entry 5 of 9 Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker
The I, Reporter team, Amy Gahran and Adam Glenn, are doing a one-year project to cover the implementation of the nation's first-ever municipal "carbon tax" in Boulder Colorado. This effort will involve community participation and citizen journalism. This YourHub blog is a syndication of selected content from the project site: BoulderCarbonTax.org

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~carbontax

"Everyone's Problem" or Your Problem?

Contributed by: Amy Gahran   on 6/8/2007

As we're ramping up the Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker project, I'm spending a lot of time talking to just about anyone around town about energy use, climate change, and what Boulderites can (or will) do about it.

Something's struck me about the role of human nature here. Repeatedly, Boulderites have expressed a desire to know how they currently "stack up" compared to their neighbors, other businesses, etc. in terms of carbon emissions. It seems that for many people, this context significantly influences their motivation and priorities -- especially when it comes to investing extra money, time, or attention to save energy.

A man I recently chatted with at the supermarket probably put it best: "I really don't know if how I live is a big problem compared to other people around here... I guess if I thought that I personally was a real bad guy, it'd be easier to buy those pricey light bulbs."

Contrast that with this... Yesterday I met briefly with staff from the city's environmental affairs department. One remark by Sarah Van Pelt, Boulder's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, particularly struck me. When I expressed to the staff what I was hearing from people about wanting to compare themselves to some kind of relevant local average, she said that combatting climate change "is everyone's problem. Everybody needs to do something."

I understand what she's saying, and in strictly logical terms she's absolutely correct. Every action that every individual or organization takes to reduce energy waste really does help cut greenhouse gas emissions. It all adds up.

That said, human beings (perhaps especially in Boulder) don't always make decisions based on logic, or on the big picture (community or environment). Making changes, however small, requires mustering up enough motivation to overcome inertia. Once you've made changes it's easier to keep them up. But how, in day to day life, do you get to that point?

Motivation to make changes can be logical, but often it's not. Comparing yourself to others is often a matter of psychology or emotion, not logic. Concern over how you "measure up" can be a powerful motivator .

Now, I'm not advocating shaming people into saving energy. But I do know this: Diffuse responsibility often equals low motivation. When something is "everyone's problem," it's very tempting to treat it as "not my problem" -- at least in terms of actions.

So I'd like your input, fellow Boulderites: What motivates you to act to save energy -- or not?

I'm looking for examples. Think back to the last time you made a specific choice to do (or avoid doing) something, however small, that would save energy. For instance, did you replace your old refrigerator, or put that off for another year? Did you take the bus to work yesterday, or drive? Did you spend the extra money for compact fluorescent bulbs?

Recall the moment you made that choice, even if you chose to put off action for now. What steered that decision? What were you thinking, and what were you feeling? What did you honestly take into account? Please e-mail me at amy@gahran.com and let me know. Or comment below.

Thanks!


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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
Submitted By: Amy Gahran
posted on 7/6/2007 @ 1:41:40 PM
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Jeff -- good points. Yes, finances and getting more excercises were the main reasons why I went carless. I think it's interesting to explore the motivations of why people do energy-efficiency or eco-friendly things. Yeah, it's nice to be good to the planet, but that doesn't make other reasons (like money) any less valid or even noble, I think.
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Submitted By: Jeff Thomas
posted on 6/28/2007 @ 3:17:09 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Well, personally I started taking the bus to work (Lafayette to downtown Denver) because of price. Once I started doing so, I realized there was also major savings in the amount of stress I was subjecting myself to. And, overall, I would have to say that's the biggest factor in most people's lives -- money. Although, I tend to be a pretty good energy saver, lights, no air conditioning, limited heat, etc., I think that comes from my parents -- and pretty much being poor most of my life. Although I tend to drive pretty sporty cars, I've always bought cars with fuel effiency in mind. I guess I'm thinking about the planet, but I'm also thinking about my wallet. In total I guess I think about energy efficiency quite often when making purchases, but I'm also thinking about cost. Say, didn't that play into your decision to go carless? jeff
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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Amy Gahran

Boulder , CO

Amy Gahran has posted 9 blog entries and 4 comments since joining on 4/30/2007. Amy Gahran 's average blog rating is 5.
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