A guest post by Amanda Ravenhill, coordinator of our business outreach.
Big news today! Carrotmob and 350.org have linked up to bring you the ultimate, synchronized "joycott" on October 24th, the International Day of Climate Action. It’s not often that an idea comes along that flips an idea as big as capitalism on its head, so we’re all pretty excited about this partnership…
Confused? Let me break it down: a Carrotmob is a network of consumers who buy products in order to award businesses who are making the most socially responsible decisions. Now, there are some red flags in there, words like "consumer" and "products" and "business", words that aren’t often associated with real climate action. But Carrotmobs start from the premise that people DO buy products from businesses every day, so we might as well harness that powerful force. And while smarter consumption isn’t the silver bullet to create a safe climate, it could very well play a significant role in the coming years.
But let me take a step back. How does a carrotmob actually work? Think of it as a joycott, as in the opposite of a boycott. In a Carrotmob, activists reward businesses that are doing "good" by storming their store with our consumer dollars to help them do "well." Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world.
Hosting a carrotmob is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices.
Still confused? You can see a fun animation of the Carrotmob concept here:
On October 24th were looking to have 350-inspired Carrotmobs all over the world, inviting businesses to take part in this movement by competing with one another to pledge the highest percentage (over 35.0%) of their income from one day’s sales toward energy efficiency improvements for their business. Whichever business commits the most within the businesses you invite to compete, wins the mob. It’s actually a win-win for the climate and the company.
So if you want to do something really cool on October 24th and have just been waiting for an exciting action idea to put you into play, this one’s for you.
Interested in joining in? Next steps: scope the 350 Carrotmob page (on carrotmob.org or 350.org), join the Facebook event, scope the announcement blog on Carrotmob’s site, and if you’re on Twitter, feel free to retweet the news! This is going to be FUN.