HOW CAN WE MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO CONSERVE ENERGY?

'Incentivise, to Sensitise'

Fury Jain is a IV Year B.A., LL.B. Candidate at the Army Institute of Law, India.

Ancient Indian literature preaches a worshipful attitude towards Mother Earth. It is regarded as every man's sacred duty to protect the environment and conserve natural resources, for the totality of it sustains life. The Hindu religion teaches us that 'mankind is a part of nature- not essential for nature.' Nature sustains life, and provides energy for all our basic needs. However, abuse and over-use of these energy resources can cause ripples that may affect mankind irreparably.

Conservation of energy is crucial for sustainable development, especially in nations like India where more than 70% of the population depends on traditional energy sources  (like coal and petroleum) that are limited in quantity and non-renewable in nature. Their exhaustion can also cause unprecedented changes in global power-dynamics that may see power scales tilting in favour of nations with an abundance of energy resources.

Nations have come up with various measures to promote energy conservation, including both regulatory and penal measures. However, personal experience has taught me that energy conservation is possible only with a large-scale shift in attitude, which can only be achieved through 'motivation' and not 'coercion.'

Man is self-centred by nature; education and awareness alone may not get us the results we want. It is conventional wisdom that people will conserve energy only if they see a personal benefit to it. A system of incentives must be created to install a sense of conservation in the minds of the populace.

Financial Incentive- The New Delhi government came up with a novel policy to conserve water in 2014. Every household was given free water upto 20,000 litres. Any consumption above this limit, and the household would have to pay for not just the over-consumption, but also the first 20,000 litres used. This initiative saw a drastic reduction in water consumption all over New Delhi (which has nearly twice the population of Portugal). Showers replaced bath tubs and sprinklers replaced hosepipes! This policy is still in use, and its amalgamation of awareness campaigns and personal-benefit initiatives had led to a populace that is  more sensitised towards water conservation.

Emotional Appeal- When I travelled to Istanbul in the summer of 2016, I was introduced to another brilliant measure which compelled me to share it with my city's Municipal Corporation the moment I came back home.  In Istanbul, stray animals are a part of city life with about 150,000 stray dogs sharing the city with its two-legged inhabitants. The Turkish company 'Pugedon' came up with its 'Smart Recycling Boxes,' a machine that dispenses dog food and water in exchange for every recycled plastic bottle. An instant hit, it was also heart-warming to see an independent initiative tap into people's inherent kindness and love for animals, and motivate them to recycle more. 

Friendly Competition- It is even better if such methods are used at the primary level to motivate children towards energy conservation. My school years at Saupin's School in Chandigarh instilled this attitude in me through a series of motivation measures. Children taking the school bus (as opposed to personal cars) were given two merit-points at the end of the month. Merit points were also given to children who volunteered for the school's Energy Patrol Team, that was responsible for ensuring that all switches were off in unused rooms. We had regular 'Best out of Waste' competitions, and recycling drives. At the end of the year, the student with the highest merit points in every class got an award from the Principal. For me, what started as friendly competition, has now become a part of my being.

From these personal experiences, I understand that despite the awareness and education, man isn't generally programmed to care about energy conservation, and thus it must be brought to them in a way that affects them directly. As explained above, it could be through a financial incentive, an emotional appeal, or friendly competition. There are plenty of creative ideas out there, waiting to be put to use!

Businesses have shown that offering employees a financial incentive for eco-conscious moves such as buying a hybrid vehicle or taking public transportation to work, can pay off. Companies could motivate employees to save energy by, say, giving gift cards to employees who do the most to save energy at the workplace.

Kids may be small, but they can have a big impact towards energy conservation. The trick is to get them excited about it. Post cute reminders near energy switches, reward the child every time you find them unplugging an appliance, recycling used paper for rough work, etc. Just watch out, pretty soon the kids will be reminding us to wear a sweater and turn down the thermostat!