Passionate environmentalists may be known for their willingness to go the extra mile for a greener alternative, but the majority of people who understand the importance of environmental responsibility intellectually still lack the motivation to make an inconvenient or costly adjustment to their life. So, recognizing the power of incentives, companies are finding creative ways to encourage green-minded behavior.
Riding Green: Perhaps the most congested city in the country, Los Angeles is resting its hopes on
California’s bullet train project. But with the costly proposition still under debate, less complex and more immediate alternatives are emerging. One of those,
Riding Green, is cleverly raising awareness about available public transportation options by leveraging one of LA’s most attractive commodities: its nightlife. The new company partners with local bars and restaurants to provide individuals with food and drink discounts upon proof of public transportation use. We suspect that more than a few creatures of the night will find it quite liberating to not have to designate a sober driver.
Sustainability Momentum: While environmental friendliness has become standard practice at home, ‘going green’ in the workplace is not nearly as evolved. However, companies are realizing that an eco-conscious workspace can reduce costs while
also sustaining employee happiness. With this in mind, UK software developer
CloudApps built a desktop app for employees to monitor their carbon footprints in real-time. The program,
Sustainability Momentum (or SuMo), tracks how often each floor shuts off their computers and lights, along with each individual’s contributions to recycling and energy consumption. To encourage participation and promote new habit-forming behaviors, the app calculates end-of-year bonuses based upon each person’s ability to reach their target consumption goal.
The Mutual: Daily deals websites have become a runaway success, but one of the latest group buying services with a twist is
The Mutual. The founders of this self-proclaimed “Groupon for Good,” Daniel Vallejo and Matt Pestritto, explain their idea of profitable activism as a way to “bring the business and philanthropic worlds a little closer together in a practical way.” Members pay $10 a month, 80% of which is donated to one of five environmental charities of their choice:
CarbonFund.org,
Center for Ecoliteracy,
World Resources Institute,
Oceana and
The Trust for Public Land. The remaining amount is allotted towards “perks” like VIP events, early product releases, and steep discounts.
