Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
Three Words
The Energy Smackdown is grounded in three important words, words that are not used together often enough...- community
The spirit of community, the urge to work together for the greater good is at the heart of our democracy. We see it in operation everyday in our town halls, churches, volunteer fire departments, and 4-H Clubs. The spirit fades and the change process bogs down when well-known barriers—not invented here, ignorance is bliss, success to the successful—pop up and work their mischief.
"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." Margaret J. Wheatley - play
Play is serious business. When we lighten our mood through play, take ourselves less seriously, creative solutions magically appear. Powerful restraining forces that normally stand in the way of change dissolve, people with big eogs cooperate.
"Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father." Roger von Oech - impact
Impact can be significant if adequate resources are available, people are motivated to work together, root causes are well understood. For example, leaders typically focus on increasing driving forces to bring about change, while removing restraining forces is more likely to bring lasting results.
"Aye, fight! But not your neighbor. Fight rather all the things that cause you and your neighbor to fight." Mikhail Naim
Three Components
The Smackdown uses the following components to help communities and organizations maximize the impact of their carbon reductions programs...
