Go Green, Get Beer
We know it’s environmentally friendly to walk, cycle, and take public transportation. But knowing the benefits sometimes isn’t enough incentive to travel green. A program in six European cities increases the incentive in a novel way: awarding points toward free and discounted items like cinema tickets or a pint.
The Bella Mossa (‘good job!’) program in Bologna lets users log green trips with GPS on the BetterPoints mobile app to earn points. The scheme has promoted competition among users to log the most green journeys.
City government and the European Union provide funding, and local business participation has made the program a rare successful public-private partnership. It is a win-win: users get free stuff while reducing carbon dioxide and businesses generate goodwill with customers.
But does incentivizing green trips around the city with free ice cream divert too much attention from the other lifestyle changes needed to combat climate change like reduced consumption or flextarian diets? An educational component to inform users about all the ways a modern lifestyle damages the environment is a good complement to this incentive program. After all, users are already thinking green and are primed to learn more about going one step further.
