Making Stuff Cool, Making Stuff Uncool: Why Cultural Change is Key
by Graham Hill, New York, NY 
on 10.20.08
James Dean makes smoking look cool.
The Big Cheese behind TreeHugger, Graham Hill, hit the Arctic as part of Cape Farewell's 2008 Disko Bay expedition to witness the direct environmental effects of climate change. In a science research boat, he traveled alongside over 40 artists, scientists and rock stars.
Humans are driven by incentives. For the most part, we do things because there's something in it for us. This may be money, food, entertainment or even the feeling of having helped someone. In terms of the incentives that drive people to go green, some of the main ones that we hear about are ones such as saving money, maintaining your health and improving national security.
There's one incentive that doesn't get talked about as much but that I believe is very powerful...
It's the positive and negative pressures that come from social norms. How cool and uncool you think your behaviors will appear to people is generally a huge influence on how you behave.
An un-cool outfit, an odd smell emanating from you or a small stutter are things we do our best to avoid. Public speaking? Often one of the things people are most scared of. Why? Because there's the possibility of making a fool of yourself. Most of us care a great deal about what other people think of us.
In the 70s, it was common to see people throwing garbage out of their car windows while driving down the highway. Now it's unheard of. How did we get to this point? Public service announcements, fines and a public coming to terms with what it knew all along...littering was just plain wrong. As a species, we're evolving...women's rights, civil rights, animal rights...we're slowly evolving.
All this to say that making stuff cool and uncool is critical in combating climate change. Littering is no longer cool. Hummers and SUVs in the city decidedly less so. Perhaps McMansions are next? Our social norms are evolving and the quicker we can help them do so, the better.
The expedition I am on (Cape Farewell 2008) has as its main goal to help accelerate this cultural change. Visual artists, photographers, writers and musicians' work helps to determine what we think is cool and un-cool. David and his team are helping to get these artists to feel/know climate change on an intimate level such that they ideally will incorporate it into their work and as such help us shift as a culture.
It's longer term and it's a little more abstract and it's for these reasons that I think it's important. We need all hands on deck. We need different people attacking this problem from different angles, on different time-frames, for different audiences.
Team Cape Farewell...onwards and upwards!
Read more about Graham's journey to the Arctic:
Cape Farewell: A New Expedition Sets Sail
Carbon Offsets for Your Private Jet Flying Pal?
Whale Oil as Space Lubricant: Better than Anything We Can Create?
The Masterful Beatboxing Shlomo: Music Without Instruments
Quote of the Day: Ian McEwan on The Hot Breath of Our Civilization
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
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I absolutely agree that we need to realize positive social change to bring about real environmental change. The trick is that we need to make this a long-term change, not merely a passing fad. Those of us who genuinely want to bring about change need to recognize that sometimes, the first person to do something is the uncool one, but that's no reason to stop doing the right thing.
graham,
we were eating dinner with some of the writers from Japan on Saturday and they were telling us how smokers there carry around little personal ashtrays that they put all their cigarette butts in. It's more like a coin purse or altoid tin than a "tray", though.
And they say this totally came about in the last 6 years. Before, people would just throw their butts on the ground like many people do here.
That's an area we could certainly use some change in perception on.
"It's the positive and negative pressures that come from social norms. How cool and uncool you think your behaviors will appear to people is generally a huge influence on how you behave."
I've noticed that I tend to act accordingly to my dress. If I am dressed nicely, cleaned up, I tend to be very outspoken and in the eyes and mind of those around. However, when I haven't shaved in a few days and may be wearing an old T, I tend to be very passive and in the corner. This is just one example of MANY that I could address, but one that I've noticed quite strongly and definitely know that this change in behavior is directly correlated with social influences.
How interesting that Graham used the phrase "all hands on deck." I felt that sentiment overtake me a few months ago; consequently, I quit my job and now work full-time without funding to create a community center where we teach people about their impact on the environment and how to make sustainable lifestyle choices. Although my center is in its infancy, things are going very well and practically everyone I encounter has been supportive. Many volunteer to help. If you want info about the center, please go here www.gcc-op.org. I welcome suggestions, comments, and help from everyone, please contact me.
Thanks for all your efforts, Graham.
Great points, here. Making something cool is key when it comes to motivating behavior - especially for the next generation.
That's why we think that cool people care.
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