Sustainable behaviour: the small habits that count
How everyday actions shape the workplace's footprint
Most actions in a workplace are habits — things we do automatically without thinking about them. This also applies to actions that affect energy, materials and waste. Therefore a large part of sustainability is a matter of changing habits, not just technology.
§Why are habits so hard to change?
A habit is energy-saving for the brain: we do not need to think we just do. It is practical but it also means that an inappropriate habit persists even when we know better. Changing a habit requires that the new action becomes just as easy — or easier — than the old one.
§Make doing right easy
The most effective way to change behaviour is to arrange your surroundings so the desired action becomes the easiest. If the trash bin stands right where the trash originates, people sort. If the light turns off automatically, electricity isn't wasted. You shift the burden from willpower to environment.
- 01Place the right choice close and make it visible
- 02Remove or make the unwanted choice difficult where possible
- 03Use clear, identical signs and markings
- 04Gently remind each other of joint agreements
§Getting others involved
Behaviour is contagious. When colleagues see others turning off, sorting and avoiding waste, it becomes the norm. It works better to lead by example and praise what succeeds than to point fingers. Agreements that everyone has participated in creating last longer than rules that are imposed from above.
Sustainable behaviour is not about being perfect but about making good choices a bit easier and bad ones a bit rarer — and about doing it together so the habit becomes shared.