Bags, messaging, culture, policy, structure, and change

During the academic year, I live in Knoxville, TN where bags are free and plastic is plentiful. During the summer, I live in Seattle, WA where retail outlets are required to charge a minimum of $.05 for every bag supplied to customers and plastic bags are forbidden.

Knoxville uses messaging to support a "green" culture. I work at a university that prides itself on improvements it has made on reducing, recycling, and reusing. We rally around the slogan "Make Orange Green." Posters at grocery stores remind shoppers to bring bags in from their cars. I care about the environment. I have canvas bags in Knoxville. But those bags rarely make it into my car when I drive for my weekly grocery shopping trip and return home with numerous plastic bags.

Seattle uses public policy and urban design to support a green environment. In the summer, I carry a collapsable ChicoBag on my key chain. I never leave home without "carrying capacity" for purchases I might make. I walk to stores that are close to where I live. I buy fewer items at a time. They usually fit in my ChicoBag. And if I somehow find myself in need of a shopping bag, I cringe at paying for it.  Does $.05 break my bank?  No. But that charge, along with other structural factors that support a "bagless" society, makes me change my behavior.

Sometimes messaging and culture building is not enough. Slogans and posters can raise awareness. But they are less likely to change behaviors. Communicators need to know their limitations. If behavioral change is the desired outcome, they need to do the hard work of shaping policies and structures.