Adam Werbach is the CEO of Act Now Productions, one of the hottest environmental consulting firms. Adam Werbach and his company are most known for their controversial work with Wal-Mart. Of particular interest to me is the program called ‘PSP‘, for ‘Personal Sustainability Promise‘, that Werbach and his team implemented with all Wal-Mart employees.
Below is a description of the program, from a recent San Francisco Chronicle article:
‘The crux of the program was a concept Werbach and a few others had created called “PSP,” or “Personal Sustainability Promise,” the goal of which was to get every Wal-Mart associate to commit to a behavioral change that would benefit the earth. It could be the decision to carpool, to plant trees, to eat organic food, to recycle – anything that might reduce pollution and waste and raise environmental awareness.
After testing the concept in 120 stores, Wal-Mart gave Act Now the green light to take PSP companywide. By now, virtually every employee has been approached, and the response, Werbach says, has been remarkable.
“There was always going to be that guy who says, ‘I’ve got my cheeseburger, I just want to drive my truck,’ but a lot of these people have Depression values – you just don’t waste, you don’t throw stuff away – and we found you could make it resonate with them on that basis. Also, a lot of them connected it to their religion, the idea that they’re stewards of the earth. There were a lot of ‘Aha! moments where somebody would go, ‘So this is sustainability.’ “
Some environmentalists I talked to scoff at the PSP idea, arguing that Wal-Mart and Adam Werbach are fiddling while the globe burns. But, according to Andy Ruben (Wal-Mart Sustainability Program Head), the program is having such a positive effect other large corporations (as well as Wal-Mart’s suppliers) are beginning to follow suit.’
What I like about the PSP concept:
- It does not overwhelm people and asks them for one behavioral change instead.
- It lets them define what change would work best for them.
- It acknowledges the fact that the most important thing is for people to get started.
- It leverages peer pressure from work community.
- It opens the door for people to create their own definition of sustainability.
In turn, all the Wal-Mart employees, 1.4 million of them can become agents of change withing their own social circles.
I don’t see why the PSP model could not be used in other settings, besides corporations. Think schools, cities, congregations, small businesses, social networks.
My Personal Sustainability Promise is: to cut down on driving whenever I can. What is yours?
La Marguerite 
Dear Marguerite,
Great post. Just a few quick thoughts . . .
First, of course, probably the largest single action by far (very easy in some ways, but also difficult for some people depending on perspective) that one can take in the coming months is to vote for a leader who “gets it” and who will take substantial steps to address global warming. In a way, voting smart (with respect to this issue) is, and should be, a key “PSP” of its own sort, for everyone.
Apart from that, when it comes to other personal behaviors, I’m going to try to reduce energy usage in my house (electricity, heat, etc.) and, the next time I need a vehicle, I’ll get one with a much higher fuel efficiency and one that is as “environment friendly” as possible.
Also, another “PSP” is to participate in Focus The Nation.
Cheers.
WalMart asking its employees to commit to this or that… but are they following it up at all? Are these just New Year Resolutions, entered into with all sincerity and quickly forgotten? Does WalMart support their actions in any concrete way? Do they give their workers paid time off to plant trees? Match their donations to GreenPeace? Allow salary sacrifice to buy bicycles to commute to work? Or what?
Sounds like Greenwashing to me. A simple test: how much money is the company spending on the “green” policy, and how much by comparison are they spending on advertising that they have a “green” policy?
While we must agree that in any change in your life or society you have to begin somewhere, there’s always a danger of going for token efforts we know are useless. These token efforts can distract us from real efforts, like a man who screws around on his wife but then buys her flowers.
Agree on the voting. I have never been more motivated as this time. Signing up to be precinct captain for Obama . . .
The main thing though, that I got from the Wal-Mart program is the emphasis on letting people decide what sustainability means to them, regardless of objective importance of action they choose.
Kiashu, I hear you, and still I want to believe in Wal-Mart’s sincerity in their efforts . . . I do not believe Act Now would get involved if they did not believe in their client either.
But, then I may be wrong!
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