My philosophy is that in order to get good habits that save the climate and environment there has to be non-ideological benefits. Money, laziness, reliability, etc.
Reframing actions is in my opinion the right way forward. At least to help others into doing the right things. I am excited to hear your ideas.
FYI: Norway
Repair Avoid the work of finding the replacement, period of not being able to use it, getting rid of the packaging/trash etc. Not being able to use a smartphone or PC is incredibly frustrating. Repair is faster than sending it in to the seller. Money is also a bonus.
No car No car is simply to avoid stress, maintenance, parking, and of course money.
Buying used Used is often nice as it saves me the time to build the IKEA furniture, delivery to my door, cheaper etc.
Selling used Can get rid of large items without carrying it out. Not having have to take it to the recycling center.
Growing herbs Simply higher quality, and always having it available
Public transit Able to focus on something else than driving. I prefer playing games, reading, etc. Safer. Cheaper. Also more walking which gives health benefits.
Apartment living Close to no maintenance, a house is soooo much work. Not something I am willing to spend my life doing (I have tried).
Airtravel Meh, too many hurdles. Should be a really good reason or very long distances on rare occasions. For shorter distances trains is a lot more comfortable. An airplane is far from the hour you spend in the air. It includes the waiting, security, boarding, travel to airport etc. I’d rather travel and stay a place for multiple weeks, not going through all those hurdles for a weekend or only a week, atleast 2-3 weeks, preferably longer.
More ideas?
(USA)
Less lawn care and more native plants: save money on fertilizer, save time on mowing, grass looks better too, you get fireflies and birds.
Own tomatoes taste much better. And they grow like weeds in subtropical regions of the US, so very little effort needed there.
Repair and DIY: You want to get ripped off by some person who will also put minimum effort into fixing your house or things? Or worse, company salesman who will wear you out with endless speeches until you agree? “Want it done right? Do it yourself”.
Solar power: This is MY power.
No car / smaller car / older car: Gas is expensive (ironic for Americans, I know, but it’s a common complaint)
Smaller house / apartment: Save lots of money on heating and cooling, pay less taxes and lower insurance rates.
But to even get this far, we have to somehow overcome cultural norms, such as: my neighbor(s) whose hobby is mowing the grass twice a week; people ordering shit on Amazon as the default; stupid laws about solar; wanting a bigger car, house, yard for no practical reason.
And I can’t find a good selfish argument against big tech and AI - it’s free, and most people are indifferent about external costs and surveillance.
I believe the biggest issue with big tech and AI is that there is not many selfish reasons to avoid it unless you care about privacy and potential lock-out.
I am struggling with coming up with any good selfish reasons. It’s hard to beat free, fairly good service and decent UX.
Depending on what you define as big tech.
I hate ads, that’s my personal reason for adblocking where possible and avoiding where not.