Action (Small/Big)
What action at small vs. big scales will help us build the world we want?
The Action theme builds on the Change, Diversity, Social Scale, Society, and Spatial Scale axes, all of which address how to make a difference in this world. Can small actions make a big difference? Does big change demand big action? These approaches are difficult to reconcile, but perhaps this leads to the possibility of creative tension in the Action theme.
Two Poles
Action (Small Pole)
Action (Big Pole)
This pole prioritizes small-scale action by each of us to build the world we want, as the only practical alternative and one that will eventually make a big (at least bigger) difference. Joining the incremental pole of the Change axis, the low priority Diversity pole, the individual pole of the Social Scale axis, the consensus pole of the Society axis (thus we share equal responsibility to act), and the local pole of the Spatial Scale axis, the small pole of the Action theme is bottom-up and attempts to be apolitical through and through. Many possible online examples via “Simple Things Environment” search.
Another way to think about what scale of action we need is based on the premise that big problems do indeed call for big solutions. The big pole of the Action theme weaves together the radical Change pole, the high priority Diversity pole, the institutional Social Scale pole, the conflict Society pole (i.e., we are unequal, even in our responsibility to act), and the global Spatial Scale pole to focus on structural, more politicized change. Focusing on the little things we each can do, according to the big pole, is not action but distraction. One possible online example is System Change not Climate Change.
Incremental Pole |
Change |
Radical Pole |
Small changes toward solving environmental problems will get more done than attempting radical changes. |
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There is no way to solve major environmental problems via incremental changes; we need radical change instead. |
Low Priority Pole |
Diversity |
High Priority Pole |
The needs of poor and nonwhite populations are being adequately addressed by environmentalists today; they don’t require greater priority. |
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The most important need in environmentalism today is to diversify the movement beyond white, middle-class participants. |
Individual Pole |
Social Scale |
Institutional Pole |
Green lifestyle changes are a better focus for our ecological energies than trying to change larger systems. |
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Individual lifestyle changes won’t make a big environmental difference; we must focus on larger social and political institutions. |
Consensus Pole |
Society |
Conflict Pole |
Since all of us contribute equally to society, each one of us is partly to blame for our environmental problems. |
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A small, powerful subset of society, not each one of us, is mostly to blame for our environmental problems. |
Local Pole |
Spatial Scale |
Global Pole |
The best way to address global environmental problems is at the local scale, where we can make a difference. |
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Major environmental problems today are global, and so must be their solutions; we cannot accomplish much at local scales. |
Survey Results
The histogram above displays a weighted mean of this theme’s related axes, for surveys from fall 2018 to now. Responses toward the left of this chart lean toward the left pole of this theme; those toward the right favor the right pole. What is the overall distribution of responses? What does this say about participants in the EcoTypes survey, and their take on this theme? How do your results compare?
The correlation table above compares responses to statements for axes related to this theme. Values near 0 mean little association; values above |0.2| and |0.4| are formatted to imply stronger association. (Positive values mean the axis poles line up as above.) Which axes seem to have a strong empirical association? Do you find any surprises in the strong, weak, or negligible associations summarized above?
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