Storytelling is in our DNA. Since the beginning of history, stories have been used as powerful tools to mobilise, inspire, and foster a sense of identity and connection. And stories have been particularly powerful in awakening awareness of the climate and nature emergencies confronting us and the need for sustainability if we are to weather the coming storms, droughts and floods.
Those stories have helped create a global consensus on the need for action. Nations around the world have committed to drive forward green initiatives. But the road to net zero was never going to be easy. Billions of people rely on fossil fuels and getting them to shift to greener alternatives requires investment and real commitment. These are in short supply especially at a time when economies and individuals are struggling.
To keep people on track and help them understand the value of doing the right thing for the planet, we must remind them of the very real dangers of doing nothing. But, more importantly, we must inspire them with the positive outcomes and benefits of doing the right thing. We must tell stories that make them think “why wouldn’t I do that”. Most people hate pollution. They want a cleaner world. Using stories that demonstrate how that can be cheaper, simpler and easier than they thought possible will win them over more convincingly than those who promise them the earth while selling the planet down the river.
1. Why wouldn’t you?
The beauty of many of the actions tourism businesses take to enhance their sustainability is that they make sense. Telling stories with an indefatigable logic demonstrates that sustainability is a natural choice and one that you are happy to embrace.
Why wouldn’t you want to keep water cleaner and reduce how much you use. Why wouldn’t you want to reduce the amount of packaging and plastic you use? Why wouldn’t you use local suppliers? Why wouldn’t you help guests travel more sustainably? Why wouldn’t you care for the communities and ecosystems that live alongside you.
These things are all second nature and your story should present them as such. Sustainability is not something special it’s the norm which we should all adopt and expect.
2. Greenwash will no longer wash
To resonate, your sustainability stories must ring true. They must be supported with hard unassailable facts. You can no longer talk generally about reducing your carbon footprint, you need the data to show your progress and quantify your achievements and goals.
This is one of the reasons we are developing a Carbon Tracker. This will enable our members to measure and report their carbon footprint accurately – providing customers with clear and accurate data about all carbon emissions relating to their business.
People are increasingly wise to greenwash and governments are too. Legislation across the UK and continental Europe is being developed to outlaw unsubstantiated or vague environmental claims. And there is a more fundamental reason to ensure our sustainability stories hold water. It only takes one “green” story with holes to give sceptics the ammunition they need to rubbish the whole picture. Climate science is evidence-based and, to support it, we need to take an accurate, fact-based approach to our stories, so they stand up to the harshest scrutiny.
3. Don’t just preach to the converted
Thankfully, there is a large, and growing, cohort of people who are already awake to the environmental challenges that we face globally. They will welcome your stories which will help you market your business to this segment. However, to achieve real impact, you will need to cut through to people who might be somewhat sceptical about the true value of sustainability.
To speak to these people, your stories should be fresh and enthusiastic. Talking about cost savings, waste reduction and social benefits arising from your actions will help them see the broader side of your initiatives. You could explain how investment in renewables and battery storage enhances your energy security making you less vulnerable to price fluctuations in a volatile energy market. Stories like these have the power to encourage others to adopt some of the behaviour changes you are advocating, in their own lives. Making it clear that sustainability makes sense, on every level, is a great way to get people on board.
4. There is no alternative to carbon zero
There is a lot of scepticism about whether carbon zero is a realistic goal and there is some debate as to whether carbon zero has become a “toxic brand”. However, if we are to take climate change seriously, there really is no alternative.
The scientific rationale for net zero is strong and the logic is inescapable. To end global warming, the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere must stop increasing. That means either a world with no such emissions or one which takes as much greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere as it puts in (the “net” in net zero).
Saying you will hit net zero by a certain date is a definite goal, easily articulated. By telling the story of how you are achieving it in your business, you are taking a clear lead and setting a high bar that others can believe in and follow.
5. Making the abstract tangible
The dangers of climate change are real. But presenting that change as pure data in graphs and tables does not communicate that reality powerfully or emotionally.
A recent study published in the journal Nature revealed the effectiveness of translating climate data into a story. Researchers at Pennsylvania’s Carnegie Mellon University showed some test subjects temperature graphs of a fictional town’s winter conditions. Others were given a chart showing whether or not a fictional lake froze each year. The result [Link to: https://grist.org/science/break-through-climate-apathy-data-visualization-lake-freezing-study/] showed those who receiving the second graphic consistently saw climate change as more real and imminent than those exposed to the temperature graphs.
Finding tangible ways of telling the story of climate change near you is a great way of getting the reality across. This might mean the distance the snow line has receded if you operate in a winter sports destination or the increase in the number of wildfires if you are in an area of moorland or forestry. Your story could also relate to the decline of specific species in a defined area, biodiversity loss in a specific coral reef or the incidence of drought in specific places and the human and natural impacts of the change
Wherever you are, there will be aspects of the environment that will be subject to climate change. To keep awareness alive, keep the stories real.
6. Hope is our best hope
There is a good deal of fatalism about the prospects for our planet and terms like eco-fatigue and green fatigue are widely used. Telling positive stories about how fresh thinking and human ingenuity are overcoming obstacles, is a hugely powerful way to spark people’s interest and reawaken the hope that things can be OK it we work at innovative solutions. Sharing what you are doing will inspire others and it is this, positive, domino effect that will help trigger the widespread global change that is needed. Working in tourism, you are in a privileged position to talk to people from all over the world and the stories you tell where you are, have the power to echo right round the planet. Nature is demonstrating its power to recover and projects all over the world are restoring hope as we see natural resurgences that nobody could have imagined. Stories like these restore people’s confidence that they can make a difference and that every little thing they do contributes to the greater whole.
7. Put people at the heart of your storytelling
Compelling narratives empower people to clearly see the positive impacts of their choices on the environment, society, and their own lives. By weaving together settings, characters and challenges, your storytelling will establish a narrative arc that resonates with audiences, sparking empathy and driving behavioural shifts that will penetrate far beyond your business.
You can talk about what motivated your sustainability journey. Building things like your family or future generations into your story will generally resonate well with your audience’s values.
