What if consumers could consciously put all their money towards a good cause? What kind of change would we see from a “reverse boycott” where instead of avoiding businesses with bad practices, consumers good choose those with good ones? That’s the goal of Carrotmob, a “method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices.” First held in San Francisco, Carrotmobs have popped up all over the world and tomorrow our very own Portland gets the chance to take part.
On Sunday June 21st, Hotlips Pizza will be taking 100% of the day’s proceeds and committing them to reducing the restaurant’s carbon footprint. In other words, customers get the chance to “eat pizza, save the earth.”
We caught up with Tim Bauman, a recent graduate of Central Catholic High School and the co-founder of Carrotmob Portland, to learn more about Carrotmob and just how people can make positive change with their dollars.
Wend: In a nutshell, what is the goal of Carrot Mob events?
Tim Bauman: Carrotmob’s goal is to create an atmosphere where corporations compete to be the most socially-responsible. Carrotmob would represent all the consumers in the world who care about the environment. Everyone who is part of Carrotmob would buy from whichever company pledges to be the most environmentally-friendly. Each event is a small step in this direction. Several competing businesses each pledge a percentage of their revenue for one day, and whoever bids the highest gets a Carrotmob event. In exchange for this pledge, Carrotmob brings as many customers as possible to the store in that one day.
How do you think the Portland community will respond to a Carrotmob?
Portland is really the perfect place for Carrotmob. Carrotmob requires consumers to care about the environment and social issues to make a decision to buy differently. Portland is notorious for its atmosphere of environmental-friendliness. At our event we had to build a whole new bike rack because of all the bikes we were expecting! HOTLIPS Pizza is also well-known for its local ingredients, and we had other pizza places who were very interested in doing a Carrotmob event. It is very telling that so many stores in Portland are so eager to help the environment.
Do you think people really can make change with their pocketbooks?
Of course! In our capitalist society, money is usually the deciding factor. Ordinarily, though, money comes from a concentrated source — the government, big corporations, and, sometimes, big non-profits. Sometimes people band together and collectively decide to spend their money on a cause they care about–and this can make as big of a difference, if not more, than an effort by a government or a corporation.
In a gloom and doom world of environmentalism, why should we be excited about Carrotmob?
Carrotmob is the opposite of gloom and doom. One of Carrotmob’s central ideas is that it is always positive. There is no punishment for a corporation who chooses not to participate in Carrotmob, like there would be in a boycott. Instead, in Carrotmob, a “reverse boycott,” there are only rewards for those who do good.
What can people do to get involved?
Go to a Carrotmob event and spread the word about it! The first thing Carrotmob needs is a lot of like-minded consumers who want to make social change. If you missed our event or if there is no Carrotmob event in your area, consider starting one, or tell your friends about the idea so one of them might be inspired to do it. I have found that if you take the initiative to work on Carrotmob, a lot of people will be inspired to help.
Learn more at Carrotmob.org.
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