This post is inspired by a letter I got from a grade one student called Ethan. He is working on a class project called “Nobody” and he wanted to talk about PickupPal. The idea behind his class project is that you go from being a “Nobody” to a “Somebody” when you do something to help out the environment, their community or an organization. A great exercise in learning about taking action and making a difference and I was very inspired by the amount of effort Ethan put into researching this topic.

Ethan had some great questions but the one I found the most difficult to answer was “How can we stop pollution?”. The answer truly is that we cannot completely stop it, everything we do pollutes in some way or another and part of our own existence is consumption and a by-product of that consumption is pollution. So that leads us to to the the three “R’s” Reduce, Reuse and Re-Cycle - very familiar catchphrase it may be simple but it is very much a major part of the path forward for a better environment. We cannot eliminate pollution but we can make decisions that can reduce our impact on this planet.

O.K. so now you are asking yourself where does all this fit into your posting title “Step by Step guide to becoming an Environmental Leader”? Well PickupPal falls under the Reduce part of the three “R’s”. By reducing the number of single occupant vehicle trips we are reducing the amount of CO2 and smog that is put into our atmosphere. For those of us concerned about the environment there is a sense of frustration as to what we can do to make a difference and help reduce our harmful impacts. This is where the leadership part comes into the equation. Part of making a difference is first and foremost changing the way we personally do things in a positive manner that helps the environment. The second and the one with the most amount of potential impact is showing others the way they can make a difference as well.

So here is a practical guide in making a significant difference, (seriously it is - you will be amazed at how easy it is and how much of an impact it can have). We all belong to different groups, church groups, sports groups, neighborhood groups, school groups, work groups, going to concerts groups, conference groups (I think you get the point) - we are social creatures and we hang out in groups. The key is to identify a group that you want to impact and be an Environmental Leader within that group. So for this example we will go with a Work Group to showcase how you can become an Environmental Leader by doing these 2 steps:

1) Start a PickupPal Group for your office ( http://www.pickuppal.com/pup/startgroup.html ). It takes about 2 minutes to fill in the short form and then you are done and it is 100% free;

2) Once you have created your PickupPal Group - send out an invitation via email to everyone in your office to join the group and ask them to do the following: “Enter in your daily commute” - that’s it - just ask them to do that. NOTE: There is a handy little email icon on your group homepage underneath your group logo/picture, that when you click on the email icon, it creates a ready made email message that you can send out to everyone.

That’s it - you have now started the ball rolling and from here on out it will gain momentum. I can understand that you may be skeptical that it is that easy - however it is that easy. There may be some follow up questions from your co-workers such as:

Q1) “Carpooling is not really for me - my schedule is so unpredictable because I have to pickup my children, go shopping, go to the gym, pickup my husband ….”
A1) You can respond with “I know I have a hectic schedule as well so what I do is put in my profile description that I am not looking for a regular carpool arrangement but if you are stuck and need a lift into work I can see if I can help you out.”

Q2) “I am new to the organization and I am a bit shy, socializing does not come naturally to me so I am going to pass.”
A2) You can respond with “This is not a commitment to interact with anyone, think of it is a way for you to help out a co-worker if they need a ride home from work, and we all like to help others don’t we ;-).”

Q3) “Who will I get matched up with ?”
A3) You can respond with “Well first off, it will be someone from this office so you will know who they are, and secondly you never know who is on your way that is part of the fun - try it and see.”

Q4) “No way I do not want to do this”
A4) You can respond with “That is fine, I started this PickupPal Group to help others and reduce our office’s carbon footprint, it is not for everyone but anyone from the office can join. If you change your mind you are always welcome to try it out.”

Those are the types of questions that are commonly asked - not too tough and the key is to downplay the commitment side of things. The challenge around carpooling and ridesharing in today’s society is the perception that it is about a commitment and as our lives become more complicated with busy schedules the tendency is to not take on any more commitments. At PickupPal we understand that reality because we live it, daily carpools do not work for all of us either, ad hoc ridesharing yes we can do that. Making a difference takes some time and you may find you will setup your PickupPal Group and get everyone to join and in the first week there are only a few people riding together. The beauty is that things change, schedules change, needs change, cars go in for maintenance, people need rides to the airport. What you will find is that adoption is slow at first but over time it starts to grow and six months later you will see that your very simple act of being an Environmental Leader has actually worked. If you keep in the back of your mind that “For each gallon of gas your car burns, it releases about 19 pounds of carbon dioxide”, so every time someone uses the PickupPal Group you started to ride with someone else you can see how you have made a difference.”

I hope this posting helps and remember “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” [Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)], take the first step - start a PickupPal Group for your group and become an Environmental Leader.

Cheers - Eric