[154] Leading by example – does it work? With Steve Westlake

A Sustainable Life with Jen Gale

I know that I’m not alone in occasionally feeling a little bit "what’s the point?"
Do my actions really make a difference?
Will it really make any odds in the grand scheme of things if I take recycle this bottle, buy this new pair of jeans, or even take that flight?

Our individual actions can feel inconsequential in the face of the overwhelming enormity of the climate crisis and the scales of the changes that need to happen. Which is my attention was caught by a sentence in a book I read recently (Zero Altitude by Helen Coffey – you can listen to my chat with Helen in Episode 143) about individual action having a ripple effect that can start a public conversation (I bang on endlessly about the ripple effect of our actions in the Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse, and once you start to notice it, you really do see it in action!). The book then referred to a study by Steve Westlake, where he looked at the impact it has when one person tells their family and friends that they’re giving up flying for climate reasons. Steve found in his study that half of respondent who knew someone who had given up flying because of climate change, said that they flew less because of their example!
I was fascinated by this and promptly did a quick Ecosia search (top tip - swap your search engine for Ecosia - they use their ad revenue to plant trees!) for Steve Westlake. It turns out that he’s a PhD student at Cardiff University exploring how leading by example can influence behaviours and attitudes towards climate change. Which I totally wanted to hear more about, so in my usual slightly over-excited way, I got in touch with Steve and invited him on the podcast to talk about his research. And I’m delighted to say that he accepted, and that this is our chat – enjoy!

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LISTEN...

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CHECK OUT...

• Steve Westlake
  - Cardiff Uni page
  - On Twitter
• Zero Altitude
• Ep 143 - Can a travel editor travel flight free - with Helen Coffey
• The Sustainable(ish) Clubhouse
• Talking Climate - The Sustainable(ish) accredited Carbon Literacy course
• The Sustainable(ish) Facebook group

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Let me know your thoughts on this one!
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