Lead by doing

[woodgeek]

A couple interesting links on getting folks to change their behavior/beliefs to conserve energy:

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-11-23-behavior-change-causes-changes-in-beliefs-not-vice-versa
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-12-02-smart-readers-weigh-in-on-behavior-change

The jist is that people willingly change their behaviors after someone they respect (e.g. parent) shows them
a new behavior, or they are forced to do the behavior a couple times (e.g. in a work/business context). They then
change their beliefs afterwards to justify/explain their new behaviors.

Seems to jibe with my own personal experience, and part of responsible parenting. There have been many
threads on here about older folks getting set in the their beliefs and resisting change (dry wood, EPA stove)
in the form of telling, but becoming converts after seeing/doing it. I also know lots here are modeling good
behaviors to their children such as saving energy/money...no doubt it has a real impact.

The folks at hearth.com are doers by their nature--and the above suggests that change IS led by doers doing,
not by talkers talking.

So, a question: have any of you inspired a neighbor or coworker to install a woodstove in their house,
change their burning practices, or improve their work/home energy efficiency by your successful example--
they visited your warm house in which you can't smell smoke, heard about how much money you saved, or helped
you with a wood scrounge and started collecting their own?

 

[Dune]

I wish. Not for lack of trying either.

 

[guy01]

We had a neighbor who was cutting his wood as he needed it to burn in his girl friends owb,we explained the value of seasoned wood and he is now determined to get at least a year ahead.He was a very easy convert actually
Guy

 

[btuser]

It works when I talk dollars. Feel good hippies have a hard time mucking up their own personal space, but money grubbing chislers are always willing to save a few more dollars a month.

 

[DBoon]

As anyone who has read my posts here, it is has been a challenge to get my father-in-law to adapt to better wood burning since we replaced his old smoke dragon with a new EPA stove.

Basically, whenever he is at our house, I go out of my way to talk about my stove and how it should be burned, and the secondary burns I get. I have helped him get a half a year ahead on his wood and that wood was outside drying for over 12 months, and he now admits that "the wood is burning pretty well in the new stove now". He is stubborn, but he is coming around. He ordered two full log loads and I have 2-1/2 cords of that cut up and the balance will be cut and stacked for him and I to use over the next two to three years. He wouldn't have done that before if he didn't understand that you couldn't put your wood up a couple months before burning it.

On the other hand, he is still a little too lazy or careless with the primary air adjustment to get the most out of his wood.

Not so good of luck with everyone else I know who gets their wood in July and burns that winter.

 

[jharkin]

I've been telling my father all about how much better the encore heats vs the stoves we had when I was a kid. He now wants to replace the tired old Resolute and get an EPA stove when the money allows.

So at least one old dog learnin' a new trick...

 

[Bobbin]

My brother is beginning to appreciate that burning seasoned firewood is a good thing.

He's considerably older than I and has that "big brother" thing goin'. Doesn't matter that I've been burning wood for nearly 20yrs. and he's only recently "signed on" with a "smoke dragon". LOL. Point is, he notes that our home is "comfortable", not too cold or too hot, and we don't fuss over the stove to maintain the comfortable heat. Go figure! maybe lil' sis' has something of importance to offer! Whodathunkit?

He's too smart a fella to miss that I'm leagues ahead of him on the subject of burning wood. I like having the answers at the ready when he poses the questions! He's been so helpful to me over the years, it's nice to be "useful" when he turns to me.

 

[PapaDave]

Sore point with me.
Older brother had been getting his wood a LITTLE bit sooner than he used to, because I almost forced him to. He ran out of the logs we got a couple years ago, and about 2 months ago had a couple cords delivered. Quite a bit of that needed to be split. Has he done it yet? No.
His son mentioned to him a couple days ago that he didn't think they would quite make it through the winter with the wood on hand. My brother replied that they'll just have "Tommy" drop off another cord when they run out! DOH!
I plan to eventually get a new stove to save the world AND save wood and my time. His plan is to keep his old Grizzly until he dies because "it's fine".
He's only 1.5 years older, but the differences in us astound me.
His attitude is that I'm anal, my attitude is that he's lazy. Perception is a biatch!

 

[Bobbin]

This thread interests me because we happen to have a handsome stove in our "living space". It's a rare occasion when a first time vistior doesn't comment on the Fireview. Inevitably, a discussion of wood burning usually follows. When we say that we have our firewood seasoned for the year after next we are usually met with rolled eyes and shrugged shoulders. It used to bother me in particular, but now I view that reaction as a badge of ignorance. I know what our stove can do with properly seasoned wood. I know how little creosote it deposits in the chimney. I'm more than well equipped to "suffer" the rough-edged bravado of those who have not yet learned how to burn wood efficiently!

 

[stoveguy2esw]

in the title of the thread "lead by doing" those of us who feel things need to chnage can best affect these changes by doing so, leading by example is literally ALWAYS the most effective method.

this may come off a bit hoo rah, but here it is anyway. in my shop when i ran the finish side of our assembly line i would lay down a simple set of rules to new hires, be here, be here on time, and you better leave at the end of the workday dirtier than i am. it was simple, it was effective , and it worked , mostly due to me looking like pigpen when i clocked out simply cause i was too hard headed to administrate. deligation has its place , but if you want to lead then LEAD. you do first, set the pace , set the example. in my time in a work environment ive never had a bad shop though i have inherited a few in my time , the simple act of leading from the front , going home dirty knowing the guys who walked out of the shop even dirtier is THE way to accomplish the mission. the less than optimal shops turned around quickly when the ones who were acting at less than the standard see the bar is raised.

i recall a quote from "remember the titans" denzel washington's charactor said "im a winner, thats what i do" and it was meant as it sounded. i make things work, thats what I do, we should all adopt that ideal, DO, dont preach about what "we" need to do, DO! others if they have any morality should do as well, if they do not do, then they should not recieve the benefits earned by doing.

 

[mbcijim]

You guys can put me in your category of burning dry wood.

I didn't know a thing about burning wood (can't say I know a lot know either) until I came here. But I have 12 cords c/s/s. You guys taught me that. I won't burn in the shoulder seasons so I figure I am only going to use about 3-4 cords a year. I am very far ahead. Just had a log load delivered about 2 weeks ago.

Now on politics, hopefully I've taught you guys a few thing

 

[PapaDave]

I've got a nephew who half jokingly tells others about his uncle who has 10 years of wood put up (it's only about 3), when there are VERY few who think that far ahead around here. Most folks (around here) have plenty of room to store the wood, but it's just easier for them to think short term. OOh, it's fall, time to get the wood put up for this winter.
Let's go cut some trees.