Spreading the word

[EricB]

I'm organizing a project right now called 20 Days in August. It's basically an effort to get "normal people" (as in, not necessarily environmentally minded) to reduce their fuel use. It has a very narrow focus (basically, drive less for 20 days, then keep driving less after that), using health, finances and environmental concerns as motivators. It also focuses very much on personal responsibility, instead of simply hoping that complaining to business leaders and politicians will solve our problems or waiting for alternative fuels to come along and make it so we can live exactly the same way. It's done with the United States in mind, but the concept isn't at all limited to American life.

The site: 20 Days in August - Home

So I have two questions:

If you wouldn't mind, I would love for folks to take a look and give me feedback on the idea and the presentation. I'm planning a complete overhaul of the website sometime in the next week, so new ideas are great as far as what to add or leave behind. Well..that wasn't really a question, but this is:

What do you feel would be the best ways to promote the project? I've been in touch with the local media with some response, but I'd like to reach beyond this city and state and get more people involved, even internationally if I can. I've been trying to promote in any internet-based community I'm a member of (as well as word-of-mouth). Any more advice?

[Corey]

may want to focus on simplifying as a whole we Americans consume 4 times what we need. If you were to consider the distance and energy used to make the things we consume (like food, cell phones, etc.) then we actually consume more than 4 times our share. I have difficulty finding food from within a 100 mile radius that does not have a lot of processing involved or ingredients from around the world. Example multigrain cereal bar. only place that I can find local food is at the farmers market, it really puts a crimp on my dietary needs forcing me to use a multi vitamin supplements which have huge amounts of energy involved in making it.(I have no idea how much energy is involved and that kind of info the company refuses to share because they know if we knew we would refuse to buy it.)

Don't get me wrong what your doing is great. What you have to remember is its about changing our habits all around and not just talking about it but actually doing it. Doing it NOW not later.

One of the things I am discovering is to why people are not willing to change. one reason is the conflicting information(such as the exxonmobil paid scientist to give contridictory info about global warming and its threat to all life.) It is also contradictory to what needs to be done and how much how soon. People also Just can't comprehend the damage of immoral and unethical consumption choices they make. Especially when it is harming or killing other people indirectly and doubly so when that person (or environment) is on the other side of the world. Or they comprehend it just fine but are so self absorbed as to say hell with everyone else so long as I am fat and happy.

Here is a very good example of indirect damage our consumption has. Any bottled drink that the main ingredient is water. That water comes from someones ground water somewhere around the world. Pepsi is stealing India's water and not leaving enough water for the local residents and farmers to survive on. Pepsi ships those products all over the world. This is a real life example happening right now try looking at this site on how indirectly we harm others and our earth "http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/cms/page1353.cfm"

We need one voice one mind if we work together with common goals then we have a way to measure whether its making a difference. We need to consume less period and we need to simplify.

Here is a point you can drive home to people when they consume oil/gas and such, which brings us that much closer and sooner to not being able to grow our food before finding a renewable fuel(not based on living or dead plants) for our reliance on fuel for farming is total right now (we don't have enough farmers or beasts of burden to go back to the old ways) no food we starve to death that's how we can make this personal. Maybe consider getting the message out that oil production is on a decline as well, its not going up for we are running out now. sure there might be some off Alaska but can we really justify killing the planet just so we don't have to lift a finger in regards to doing more work?

[EricB]

I certainly agree that there's MUCH more that needs to be done to truly reach sustainability, and I certainly advocate them. The reason why I've chosen such a narrow focus is that it's easier.

I imagine that I'll get more people to think about their consumption if I ask them to almost entirely stop driving for 20 days than if I asked them to

• Stop driving
• Stop buying food that is transported or out-of-season
• Do thorough research on every product you buy to avoid corporate abuse
• Move within walking distance of your friends and work
• Grow your own veggies
• And the list goes on

It's a just a matter of ease. I'm pretty certain that I can't get many people to completely turn their lives around, but I am fairly certain that I can get many people to change one element of their lives. And the focus on a limited time frame is just the same thing. It's easier for someone to imagine stopping for 20 days than stopping forever. Hopefully, some of the habits will stick (and people will just plain think more about how much they drive).

I'm going for small-scale change. I'll leave the big stuff to the professionals .

Conflicting information really is a large obstacle. It really burns people when a figurehead (let's say Al Gore) isn't "practicing what he preaches." Or to continue with that example, that facts presented as...well, facts, are exagerrated. Instead of taking the spirit of the message, many people will assume the whole thing is hogwash.