The McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative has created a new online social platform that ... [+]
Dror Etzion, an associate professor of Strategy and Organization at McGill, has contributed to this story.
There’s perhaps no greater buzzkill than climate change. If your friends have outstayed their welcome at your house, and you want them to leave, just mention weird weather, carbon pricing, or the ecological impact of flying and everyone will start heading for the exits. Believe me, I’ve been there.
But there’s also the underlying anxiety about climate change that cannot be shaken. Avoiding the issue only leads to further anxiety, particularly for younger generations, who will have to face the consequences of inaction.
As with any anxiety, the key to addressing climate anxiety is to stop dwelling and start doing. This is true not only in our personal lives, but also in business—particularly small and medium-sized—where founders and leaders can act as change-makers and drive impactful action.
The trap of inaction
As much as we care about climate change, business owners may find it difficult to prioritize climate action due to their daily responsibilities and financial constraints. And yet, as the effects of climate change become more apparent, it's increasingly clear that urgent action is not an optional add-on.
Unfortunately, pushing climate action to the back burner is not a solution. Even though running a business is a daily challenge, the looming environmental threats due to inaction will continue to resurface, causing anxiety and stress. How can we escape this trap?
The power of social norms
We are all familiar with the climate crisis by now through media coverage and daily life experiences bringing awareness to the issue. Sadly, awareness doesn’t always translate into action. Following through is where we struggle. Change is hard!
If we take a step back, though, we do know how change happens more generally. It’s mainly by social pressure and social norms. We queue up at checkout counters and turn to face the front inside an elevator. That’s just what we do, and that’s the power of social norms.
When we understand how people operate, we can harness this power to drive meaningful change towards a more sustainable future. By promoting sustainable behaviors and making them the norm, we can motivate individuals and businesses to take action without pressure.
Turning making climate action into a norm in Canadian business
An action research project created by the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative, PIVOT, is underway to harness the power of social norms in promoting climate action among owners of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The idea behind PIVOT is simple. There’s no one that influences a business owner more than another business owner. Through an online community, business owners can share and discover what their peers are doing on climate, providing social proof that climate action is not only possible but also achievable. They provide managers with evidence that climate action is not wishful thinking, but rather tangible steps that pharmacists, contractors, printers, and fire-hydrant manufacturers just like them have already taken. The aim is to create a ripple effect that inspires businesses throughout Canada to take action.
The conversation is led by business owners and leaders with no government meddling, lectures, or blame games—just a community counting 300 business owners to date. The PIVOT research team is there to help and explore what excites and encourages stakeholders to act.
A call to action
The PIVOT team is under no delusions, and doesn’t believe in five easy steps to become sustainable. But if you run a business, you don’t shy away from hard work. You’re a problem solver. Now’s the time to apply that mindset to climate action. Just don’t do it alone. That path is harder, lonely, and frustrating. You can do it with your peers by joining PIVOT, or similar research projects in your part of the world.
For those in Montreal, the startup will be holding its official launch event on March 24. The event will be held on the third floor of McGill University’s Bronfman Building from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
The event will feature a keynote address from PIVOT users Alexandru Iordan, cofounder of Quebec Net Positif, and Julie Larochelle, CEO of Vallée-du-Richelieu Chamber of Commerce and industry. There will also be the unveiling of a brand-new carbon accounting tool, giving SMEs an easy-to-use tool to assess their climate impact. It will be an opportunity to network with like-minded local entrepreneurs and SME owners and to hear from the team behind PIVOT.
To join Pivot for free, visit the link below.
To register for the March 24 event, visit the link below.
