Make it fun
It’s time to reframe sustainable living.
Being green isn’t sexy. I mean, it actually is, but people don’t see it as such.
The idea that pops into one’s mind is donning Lycra bike pants on a cold Canterbury day and houses full of hand-washed soft plastics hanging to dry.
Thanks to this PR issue and a lack of sustainable options focused on excellence, this has been an understandable barrier for people. But the fact is, we are in an actual crisis.
Regardless of future and present dangers, humans have shown an almost impressive reluctance to make meaningful changes in our daily lives. We struggle to do better and be better. Of course, we do! We all want to feel good.
We’re slaves to our neurochemistry, and we will continue to do things that could (or even definitely will) kill us if they feel good at the time. We all want ease, comfort, efficiency, and pleasure.
We’re hedonists at heart. And I’m here for it.
We can (and should) work on changing our brains. By all means, let’s train ourselves to wake up at 5am after 10 hours of sleep, write journals, and run for 10 kilometres naked in snow while box breathing. But we also can (and should) indulge, have fun, joy, pleasure, and ease – ethically.
You can have your sustainable cake and eat it too! At Grater Goods, we call it Ethical Hedonism.
Want people to eat plant-based food? Make it delicious!
Want people to recycle? Gamify it. Make an app where you record your recycling efforts each week and gain green points. Show a leaderboard for your neighbourhood, city, or country. We’re basically mice. We’ll bloody love it.
Want people to literally do anything? Find a way to give us dopamine while doing it. That’s it.
No one will ever choose an option put in front of them that’s a bummer.
Thankfully, the mahi of many in the sustainability space means that ethical, climate-friendly options are increasingly excellent.
If we want a habitable planet, we need to do better – as citizens, voters, business owners, and consumers. We need to offer and choose better solutions. And we need to do it now.
Let’s make sustainable living not just a necessity but a joy. Together, we can redefine what it means to live well – ethically and deliciously.