This City Gives Rewards for Going Green. Is It a Good Idea – and (More Importantly) Does It Work?
I love hunting the Web to find new and innovative ways that are encouraging people to live a greener life. So I was delighted to find out about a city that gives out rewards for going green!
(Of course, you might be thinking that we should all be living greener lives to protect the planet and slow climate change, and that’s true. But I also think that it’s good to encourage people to make greener choices rather than threaten (“carrot versus stick”).
The city that gives rewards for going green is Bologna in Italy. They want to encourage people to take greener methods of transport, for example – so if you ride a bike instead of taking a car you get rewards for going green. And everyone benefits, because by decreasing fossil fuel usage (cars), it’s also reducing air pollution, so everyone breathes easier. And it helps to slow climate change, which can only be good, they get fitter, and of course, people then get rewards for going green as well.
Watch the video below to see how they’re doing it – and see if it’s really working.
There’s a brief transcript below if you prefer.
If you take a bike, walk or use public transport instead of using a car, you can get rewards for going green – free ice cream, free beer, and more! The Italian city of Bologna calls the initiative “Bella Mossa” (good job).
You simply download an app, log your green journeys and get points. Then you get rewards for going green.
Over 100 local businesses give away discount vouchers – and people even compete against each other, to see who earns the most points!
What’s nice is that it’s not based on the distance you travel – because the city wants even short trips to be done in a sustainable way.
The app also shows you how much CO2 you’ve saved on each journey.
Rewards for Going Green – Does It Work?
In 2017, the program recorded 3.7 million kilometres (about 2.3 million miles) of sustainable journeys – just in the city of Bologna. 16,000 reward vouchers were claimed. Over 10,000 people are using the app, saying it encourages them to think before they travel, instead of just automatically getting into a car.
Can Rewards for Going Green Work Elsewhere?
In terms of green travel, the rewards system could probably only succeed in a city where there are green alternatives – a safe cycling experience, easily available bikes for hire, safe footpaths or sidewalks and good public transport options.
So that particular option won’t work everywhere.
Bit I think the concept of encouraging people to go green in some way (perhaps by avoiding plastic or bringing reusable containers) and giving them rewards for doing so, is a good one.
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What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free climate change report here!
Related:
- How many will you get right in this climate change QUIZ?
- Air conditioning and Climate change – the link you hadn’t thought of !
