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One Change founder and president Stuart Hickox recently visited Whitehorse to encourage Yukoners to help define the Yukon’s future energy needs by attending and voicing their input at Yukon Energy Corporation’s energy kick-off and upcoming energy charrette.

The three-day charrette is a series of consultations aimed at building consensus at a community level toward an energy plan for the Yukon. In addition to the charette planned for March 7-9 in Whitehorse, Yukon Energy Corporation will be holding a series of community workshops.

While Stuart was in the Yukon he delivered presentations to three high school classes, including a grade 11 experiential science class, to give students some background on energy in the Yukon and how important it is for them to be part of the solution by participating in the charrette and taking simple actions.

One Change applauds this tremendous opportunity for the community to help shape the future for energy in the Yukon.

Do you know a neighbour, group or local business in your community who is working to support a healthier environment?

The Hometown Heroes Award Program, established in 2004 by Earth Day Canada, is providing a chance to help Canada recognize and celebrate environmental leaders (individuals, groups and businesses) who are working toward meaningful, long-term community awareness and action. They lead others to environmental awareness, action and a more sustainable future. They make a difference and improve the state of the environment at the local level.

Nominate yourself, an individual, group, organization or small business from your community by February 28th, 2011.

Please visit the Hometown Heroes website for more details.

(originally posted on MediaPost’s “Marketing:Green” January 5, 2011) In today’s digital age, people are so inundated with information that it can be hard to figure out what’s worth paying attention to and what’s not. For those of us focused on helping individuals make smart environmental choices, it can be difficult to grab attention, let alone get people to move beyond simple awareness to actually taking action. Convincing people to change their way of thinking from a consume-and-dispose one to a consume-and-save approach is certainly tricky, but not impossible. The key is figuring out how to make the first, simple action an attractive one.

The hallmark of most social marketing campaigns is to affect change by sharing information and increasing awareness through the use of traditional channels such as print advertisements or radio public service announcements. Some initiatives use celebrity endorsements or distribute coupons, but giving and obtaining information is only half the battle.

How do you move people to act? What’s needed is direct interaction between an individual and a trusted source to help people take the initial step, but this is easier said than done. The good news is that, after the first step has been taken, spurring subsequent changes is often easier and can result in sustained behavioral change.

There are different approaches to attempting behavior change, such as incorporating prevention strategies into outreach efforts or instituting programs and policies to drive specific behavior. Working to establish and convey certain social norms — or accepted standards for behavior — can also be particularly effective.

Community-Based Social Marketing

One approach in particular — community-based social marketing — attempts to take behavioral change to another level by understanding barriers to action. For example, some consumers may not prioritize energy efficiency because of a lack of knowledge or convenience, while others are more concerned with affordability. Community-based social marketing (CBSM) understands the importance of speaking to the interests and concerns of each individual and describing the benefits a simple change can have.

A key component of CBSM is the grassroots approach that utilizes trusted sources such as community leaders or volunteers to not only engage individuals in a conversation about the importance of making a small change, but to also provide a tool to enable action.

For example, instead of just explaining to someone how much energy and money could be saved by changing from an incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent light (CFL), a CBSM campaign could also provide a free CFL so that the recipient really has no excuse not to take action.

In offering both information and the means to act, a moment of reciprocity or exchange is formed. By agreeing to a small request such as changing a light bulb, the individual has set out on a path where repeated behavioral changes — such as purchasing a pack of CFL bulbs — are much more feasible.

Environmental Initiatives

Although CBSM can be used to address a variety of issues, I have focused on the environment because it is particularly effective in helping develop sustainable green behaviors. Big changes such as installing solar panels at home are often too much for the average consumer to contemplate given the cost and effort involved. It is easier and more effective to focus on the simple things people can do to make a difference.

I am speaking from experience — my organization’s energy efficiency campaign, Project Porchlight, distributes free CFLs in local communities and has been a shining example (pardon the pun) of the effectiveness of this approach. In one community, more than 90% of the residents who received a free CFL reported they had either installed the bulb or planned to. Also, there was an eight percent increase in residents who thought about using less electricity at home after receiving a CFL. It’s great to think big, but these results prove the power of small actions.

There are many hurdles to reaching consumers and encouraging them to make environmentally friendly choices, but we can succeed if the right approach is taken. Community-based social marketing relies on not only the consumption of information, but also the interaction and reciprocity between individuals. Employing this type of approach is key in breaking through the noise and making a difference in the long term.

The 2010 One Change Catalyst Awards were a tremendous hit with over 200 attendees, scotch tasting, live jazz provided by Sacramento locals Analog Jazz and great conversations. The awards were held in Sacramento, California on the evening of November 15th during the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change conference (BECC).

The One Change Catalyst Awards were a chance for BECC and the Governor’s Global Climate Summit delegates to enjoy good company while learning about community leaders, groups and organizations in Canada and the United States who have acted as catalysts for significant environmental action and have helped One Change grow into a grassroots phenomenon across North America.

While One Changes dynamic and energetic emcee Darian Rodriguez Heymen was a hit, the show stealers were the gracious and engaging award winners. The Catalyst Awards are designed to recognize leaders in environmental change, people who believe and live the One Change motto: Simple Actions Matter.

The 2010 award recipients are:

• Canadian Tire Corporation – Corporate Catalyst
• Mayor Cory A. Booker – Political Catalyst
• Jenine Tankoos – Volunteer Catalyst
• Matt Golden – NGO Catalyst

For more details on the 2010 One Change Catalyst Awards visit www.onechange.org/catalyst2010/

One Change’s Founder and President Stuart Hickox is a green hero and it’s not just One Change staff making that declaration! Stuart will be featured along with David Suzuki and Willa Black in episode three of TV Ontario’s (TVO) “GreenHeroes” airing at 7 pm ET on November 16th.

The series which began airing on November 2nd also features green heroes Jane Goodall, Sarah Harmer, Gord Downie to name a few.

The GreenHeroes series tells the story of change looking back at the moment when each hero suddenly understood that something must be done to save the planet and they were the ones to do it. The series aims to inspire people to think about what they can do to make a difference in their home and community for the planet and encourages “out of the box thinking” to motivate everyday people to find solutions to global climate change.

What was Stuart’s ‘greenspiration’ to start One Change and launch our first campaign – Project Porchlight – which to date has resulted in the engagement of over 12,000 volunteers across North America? Tune in to find out.

Do you know someone who should be nominated as a Green Hero? You can nominate them on the GreenHeroes website.

As part of the Change.org Blog Action Day, One Change encourages people to take simple actions to help address the growing water crises issue.

Did you know that more people die from lack of safe drinking water than all forms of violence? Or that every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water? As the world’s population increases, demand for freshwater is constantly rising. Eventually, we may end up using freshwater faster than nature can replace it.

The principle behind Blog Action Day is to spread awareness about water issues through online blogs across the world. To date, more than 2,200 bloggers from 113 countries have registered.

Hearing about these problems can make you feel overwhelmed and powerless. While issues around water quantity and quality are complex, at least one cause of these problems can be easy to address—the way we use water.

From showering to washing our cars, the average Canadian uses 329 litres (over 72 gallons) a day of fresh water. That’s about fifteen times more than a person in the developing world.

Learning how to conserve water is an important part of the solution to the growing water crisis. At One Change we encourage individuals to take action in their daily lives to help save water and protect the environment. From stopping your toilet tank from leaking, to using aerators on your taps, there are so many ways you can make changes in your daily life. Check out www.onechange.org/simpleactions/water to read a list of simple actions that you can take to conserve water.

Because at One Change we believe ‘Simple actions matter’.

One Change encourages everyone to join 350.org’s 10:10:10 Global Work Party. From solar panels to community gardens, 350.org is encouraging people to hold events on October 10, 2010 that help reduce CO2 emissions and show world leaders that climate action can’t wait, as well as highlight the individuals, businesses and communities taking positive action to tackle climate change.

As part of 10:10:10, One Change would like to remind everyone to check their tire pressure and invite people to attend one of several fuel efficiency clinics taking place at Canadian Tire locations across Ontario. Participants will receive a free digital tire gauge making even easier to check tire pressure every month. Canadian drivers waste enough fuel each year to fill 257 Olympic size swimming pools simply because their tires are under-inflated. As part of 10:10:10, One Change has challenged its staff to make this day the day they check their car tire pressure!

We encourage you to join this celebration of solutions. Register your event at or tcktcktck.org

Welcome to creative boot camp! On September 24th, members of the One Change communications team, Mary, Tricia and Corrie, delivered a briefing to 3rd year Algonquin College Media & Design students. The One Change team challenged the students to design a One Change campaign on the ‘hot’ topic of weatherization. The twelve teams of four went straight to work as they only had the next seven hours to complete this project.

Mary, Tricia and Corrie returned the following Tuesday to have the students deliver formal presentations of their concepts and marketing plans. Each group had about 10 minutes to share their ideas. The One Change team was very impressed with the range of presentations, creative concepts and tactics. We will be looking to incorporate some of the students’ ideas when developing the weatherization campaign.

Congratulations to all of the talented students who presented to us.

Project Porchlight “Salute to Success” event took place on June 3 at Military Park in Newark, New Jersey. The event was a celebration of One Change’s Project Porchlight campaign in New Jersey, which has reached over 1,000,000 homes in the state. Special guests who took part in the celebration included Dr. Randal Pinkett, Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners and season four winner of NBC television’s “The Apprentice,” NHL star goaltender Martin Brodeur, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner Joseph L. Fiordaliso

Exciting news! One Change has a new and improved Facebook presence. We’re moving the old Facebook group to a new Facebook page, which you can “Like” here. You’ll notice two new features where you can share your simple actions and share your One Change story. Sharing your simple action by writing on our wall is an easy way to help others save money and protect the environment.

Another way you can help One Change and all of our campaigns like Project Porchlight and Fuel Efficiency is by helping us grow our page. Seeing as we’re a grassroots organization, we often rely on help from the network of people who have made a connection with One Change to help us get the message out that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. One simple action you can take is sharing the One Change Facebook page with your networks. Any help to grow our page is greatly appreciated. Simple actions matter.