The four-step process I describe in my first TEDx talk goes:

1. What does the environment mean to you? What do you think about when you act on the environment?
2. I invite you at your option to think of something to do to act on that meaning or motivation?
3. Make it a SMART goal
4. Schedule a follow-up conversation to hear how it goes.

My new challenge

I developed another challenge for when someone practices something that pollutes or hurts others and they want to decrease. For example, someone who mows their lawn with a riding mower, so far thinking there was no alternative. This challenge will motivate them to think of steps to reduce pollution without giving anything up.

• Think of something you love doing that harms the environment more than you’d like. Think of getting everything you do from the activity, but taking into account everyone affected by it. What might you do differently? Can you implement it?

I have to figure out when to use it, but I’ve tested it a couple times with a couple people and it moved them from seeing acting on the environment as a burden or chore to an engaging challenge.

• ← Roots of my environmental action video
• Heroes of New York, episode 2: Doing meaningful things, a conversation on change →