#80: Behaviour before belief

On how actions speak louder than words

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

Last week while going to watch the footy, I experienced a phenomenon which has been on my mind all week. A friend organised a group of us to go by bike and try out the free schmancy bike valet provided by Bike Auckland. In the end the whole group biked to a restaurant and out to the game.

It was so much fun. As we biked around, it began to develop more meaning than simply a footie game… we started talking about how important bike paths were for the future of cities, the impact of transport emissions, and how people can get involved in Bike Auckland!

Isn't it funny how being part of a like-minded group can deepen your thinking and take others with you? Particularly when you combine it with action. This is actually backed by a social change theory that behaviour change can cause belief changes - not vice versa.

“So imagine the same guy who rejected human-caused climate change in the poll. Imagine that bike riding were made convenient and useful enough that he started doing it. Imagine that his neighbors started getting solar panels, to the point that he felt pressured to do it, and he became a power producer….

Next thing you know, he’s a guy who uses solar power and rides a bike. His behavior has changed, so he’s telling a different story about himself. That new story, that new identity — the guy who rides a bike and uses solar power — is much more likely to incorporate climate change concern than the previous one.”

David Roberts, Grist Publications

So what does this mean for us? If we want to change our thoughts or beliefs, we can start with an action and our brains will catch up eventually. 

Give a person an eBike, and they’ll fish for a year! {imagine better joke here}

So every time we share a meatless meal, each trip we bus to, or protest we bring friends to - helps change beliefs about what we can do to fight climate change. What beliefs do you have that are preventing you from taking action? What actions could you start doing, or encourage others to do with you?

Speaking of actions we can all start doing...

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the guide to grab a mate and start joining meet-the-candidate meetings.

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: e’s a jolly good fellow

• As mentioned in our intro, Bike Auckland have been providing a free bike valet at Eden Park’s FIFA games. Anyone can rock up on their bike, and it’ll be kept safe - no locks required (especially great for e-bikes)! However, the location of the bike valet is far away from the entrances, and not very visible to the other attendees who wouldn’t know that the service even exists! Bike AKL have been asking the venue to give them a better spot, closer to a main entrance at future games.
  Action: Email to ask for a more prominent Bike Valet with this template!

• More money into NEW airports, during a climate crisis? No thanks! But somehow it’s still going ahead :/
  Action: Sign the petition to stop Tarras Airport taking off (this will also add you to the mailing list, but they don’t email much!)

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Activate more active transport

• New Plymouth District Council has just launched an exciting consultation for a Waka Kotahi funded project that puts $16.8 million (a drop in the bucket for transport) into cycling and walking upgrades to three main routes that include ten schools.
  Action: Say yes to more active transport using the handy Better Streets submission guide

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Apply for a licence to grill

• Sick of fighting on the internet or over the dinner table about climate change? Talking about climate in a constructive way can be hard, but they can have a big impact. There is a free 10-week training course on how to engage with people, online and offline, who hold widely opposing views. The aim is to facilitate more caring, thoughtful and effective dialogue. It’s a 10 week course (so a bit longer than 30 mins!), and a really great way of creating change.
  Action: Sign up to apply for the course or reply to this email if you want more info! 

• Online, August 16th: As we ramp up to election time, it’s really important to let politicians know that there are many of us who want to vote for climate action. Last week we talked about how turning up at candidate meetings gets climate action on the mind of the politician and prompts them to make a commitment (whether for or against) that’s on record. 350 have a training coming up to give you all the tools you need. 
  Action: Join the training for asking powerful climate questions from politicians

• Think of yourself as a L33T hacker? Have some coding / technical / product / design skills and time to spare this month?
  Action: Sign up for the AI Hackathon for the Environment (this is a paid event) 

In case you missed it!

• The Emissions Trading Scheme is a key climate lever to put a price on emissions, but there are some tricky hurdles to work out how forestry will contribute to the scheme. It’s under review to see how we can make it more effective.
  Action, due Friday 11 August: Last chance to submit on the ETS review with our handy guide

• ‘We can produce our own power: Community Energy Projects in Aotearoa’ is a short film documentary that features local energy projects in Aotearoa and their benefits for people and the planet. Some of us will be at the Auckland screening! Come and say hi :)
  Action: Join the community at the documentary screenings across the motu

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this “Take the Jump” campaign of challenges, which gives you simple ideas for reducing your climate impact day to day. And now we know, choosing one action and sticking to it for 6 months (with your household, flat, whānau, or friends) could create more ripple effects in beliefs than you know. Let us know in the comments below which challenge you choose!

See you next week, 

Emily & the Climate Club team