However, I think people need to stretch themselves sometimes to either get to the next level of sustainability or to see just how painless a certain green change can be. Perhaps a little friendly “competition” cannot hurt, either.

I have entered into a friendly “eco-challenge” with a work mate for the summer. My work mate has pledged to take public transit or ride her bike to work every day until Sep 15, with a few grace days for inclement weather. She has normally driven her Smart car into work before this challenge. I, on the other hand have child care responsibilities so the transportation change I cannot endure at the present time. So she came up with a “less meat for Al” challenge. I am aiming to go meatless 71 of the 142 days throughout the summer. This is a challenge for me since I would normally consume meat at least once sometimes twice a day. We are both progressing well. We are charting our progress on the wall of her cube, which attracts attention and questions from everyone else in the office. Even though, this is a “competition” of sorts, the ultimate winner is the planet.

The less meat thing is something I would not have committed to right now because there are so many other changes I can make and it’s not the first on my mind to change (I love my meat, or at least used to). So this friendly “eco-challenge” has pushed me to another level of sustainability that I wouldn’t attempt right now. I highly recommend a friendly eco-challenge in your workplace, too.

I think there is a competitive beast within all of us. We just need to learn how to feed it without jeopardizing egos or crushing our passion for the planet.

And ditto on the main theme of your post