When good ideas are not enough
04 March 2008
Good and virtuous ideas alone can fail to motivate, just look at Energy-Saving Day. Demonstating simple ideas work is the way to inspire others into action.
“I thought of that first!” sulked the elder Hayes offspring, as he read about Energy-Saving Day, the project to turn off all electrical and electronic devices in standby mode, on Wednesday 27 February. Indeed, he had outlined an even grander plan, to have one day a month, when homes and companies turned off computers, TVs, unnecessary lights and walked or cycled instead of using a car that day. His enthusiasm was catching: I spied Mr H guiltily unplugging the microwave as he laid out his vision.
He need not have worried that his thunder had been stolen. Although Energy-Saving Day makes perfect sense, it didn’t work. Devices in standby mode in use 7TW of energy, and just a three per cent reduction would be equivalent to a coal-fired power station being shut for 24hours.
However, on 28th February, the national grid reported electricity consumption was up 0.1 per cent for the 24 hours from 6pm Wednesday. Clearly, the project didn’t appeal to the masses - it was so terribly earnest which, let’s face it, can be off-putting. The Bishop of London kicked it off at 6pm, talking of the ‘moral imperative” of climate change on the steps of St Paul’s cathedral. The evening included a series of short films, related to climate change, in the bicycle-powered cinema. Sounds a blast.
What ideas like this need to really capture people’s imaginations is a little less hair-shirted ‘roughing it’ and breast-beating. I challenge the concept that a cause’s worthiness is directly proportional to the amount of piety and hardship one endures for it. Make a cause seem effortless, and even beneficial, and the argument changes from ‘Why should I....’ to ‘Why shouldn’t I turn off the TV/computer/light?’
Thankfully, there is no shortage of good ideas to sustain resources or to build a meaningful future. Just look at the entries for last year’s e-Legacy Awards, organised and hosted by Electronic Product Design. They were adoptable ideas, to truly inspire others, like the Contribution to Sustainability Award winner, Lambda’s scheme to reduce the amount of polypropylene and polystrene by recycling and introducing biodegradeable canteen trays; or Yorkshire Electronics’ ‘tour bus’ bringing electronics to schools.
These practical, effective and inspirational ideas produce results far exceeding those delivered with earnest messages alone.
This year, Electronic Product Design is again hosting The e-Legacy Awards this September. Nominations are invited now and there are two more award categories this year, making a total of eight. The judges will be looking for ideas and initiatives that inspire corporate social responsibility and an interest in electronics is the young. Judges will decide the finalists and EPD readers will vote for the winners, making each e-Legacy Awards ‘the engineers’ choice’. Visit www.epdonthenet.net to nominate online. For inspiration, have a look at last year’s winners. This year’s awards are at the Roof Gardens in London’s Kensington and there are details of how to join us on 11 September on the website too.
Contact Details and Archive...
Most Viewed Articles...