Are you the eco-friendliest person in your home?

How to green your household

If you’re the lone voice in your household advocating for greater sustainability, things can get pretty frustrating.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  There’s an art to persuading people amicably, and it can be learned.  A few key strategies:

• Appreciate and acknowledge good things that are already happening
• Listen intently and reaffirm what you hear.  As Stephen Covey wrote, ‘seek first to understand, then to be understood’.
• Connect on shared values, things you both/all feel are important, and bridge from there into action points
• Start with small steps, and then move on to bigger things when the time feels right

And if your living situation is conducive to green house rules (kind of like Sheldon and Leonard’s Roommate Agreement in the Big Bang Theory, but lite), why not make the process fun and inclusive?

• Supply food and drinks at the planning meeting
• Brainstorm to get everyone’s ideas
• Write things down for clarity and accountability
• Tie dates to proposed actions
• Turn sustainability into a game or competition when you can
• Review progress and reassess plans as needed

Find tons more useful tips here.

Happy planning!