Sustainability is Simple: Do Just One Thing

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Change is really hard. Even with the potential to save time, money—or the world itself—making the simplest of changes can be one of the hardest things for any human being.

Few understand this incredible challenge more than John Oppermann, the Executive Director of the Earth Day Initiative, a nonprofit with a mission to “promote environmental awareness and solutions through partnerships with schools, community organizations, businesses and governments.”

John Oppermann

In addition to his work at the Earth Day Initiative, John is also a New York City real estate broker for Compass, specializing in green homes. He’s also an adjunct professor at NYU where he teaches a course about marketing and selling sustainable, energy-saving green homes.

Whether it’s organizing massive Earth Day events promoting simple, sustainable solutions or talking with world leaders about global actions, John has made it his mission to educate everyone that living a greener lifestyle isn’t difficult, expensive or pretentious.

It’s for everyone.

Breaking the Mold

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”—Oscar Wilde

As a Harvard Law graduate, John easily could’ve chosen the powerful path as a high-powered Manhattan attorney. Instead, John chose to follow his passion and use the skills he learned in law school to positively impact the world.

It’s not that heading down this path came as a surprise to John. In fact, it’s exactly the direction he intended after several mentors said the prestigious law school would help propel him towards his dream of high-level environmental advocacy. After all, there are few networking opportunities better than attending Harvard Law.

Still, passing up a lucrative career is never easy when it’s essentially handed to you. John even tried out a brief stint in corporate law right after school, but quickly discovered once and for all that his path was in the environmental industry. He left law behind for good, and a year after graduating from Harvard, John started at the Earth Day Initiative in New York City.  

“I could’ve stuck with law,” John says. “I could’ve made more money. I could have worked for really well-respected institutions. But I wanted to do what I wanted to do—I have a low tolerance for doing things that I don't want to do.”

Instead of following a prescribed path, John took control of his own destiny and began shaping his career. At the Earth Day Initiative, this meant reaching out about underpublicized programs including urban solar energy projects, volunteering opportunities and organic food resources.

More recently, however, John discovered a largely untapped market of homeowners seeking greener, healthier homes. This led John to his other position as a broker at Compass Real Estate. At Compass, his goal is to educate his clientele not only about the benefits of buying a sustainable residential property—but often that it’s even a possibility.

“I have conversations with so many people who maybe don't think about green spaces all that much, or the health and wellness factors of their home,” says John “But then you have this conversation with them and their reaction is, ‘I didn’t know that even existed!’”

The Business Case for a Greener Space

“A healthier, happier environment for the inhabitants is also going to be better for the environment.”

The last thing any business owner wants is another thing jotted onto their to-do list, so it’s understandable why establishing a sustainable workplace often ends up on the scrap pile.

But what if going green could actually save money and create a better workplace? According to John, it absolutely can.

He says that acquiring a commercial space in what’s called a “high-performance” building means lower operating costs due to premium energy efficiency. “[The building is] basically just performing better than a traditional building would, [and] a lot of buildings are shockingly inefficient in terms of the energy that goes to waste.”

The most well-known sustainable building certification is called a LEED Certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“It's very explicitly focused on making the best environment for the health and wellness of the inhabitants of that space,” John says. “ It's things like air quality and water quality and mindfulness spaces. All of these things that really make it the best environment for creating healthy, happy humans.”

Not surprisingly, business leaders also report more productive employees thanks to an emphasis on a better, more human workspace. Honestly, would most people rather spend their days in a dark, stuffy office space—or a bright, well-ventilated building?

Not every business can transform their current office space into a LEED-certified building overnight, but there’s still plenty we all can do to create a greener workplace. From creating quiet spaces to rest busy minds to making it easier for employees to recycle, any organization has the potential to create a positive influence.

Lastly, doesn’t a business that cares to minimize its global impact and invest in a green, energy-efficient space reflect well on any organization? As successful leaders, it’s part of our responsibility to give back to our local—and our global—community.

Simplifying Sustainability

“People really want to do things to move things in a positive direction. They want to feel empowered and they don't want to feel so helpless.”

What’s your reasoning for not integrating sustainable practices into your everyday life? Are you too busy? Think it’s too expensive? Or maybe you just don’t know where to begin. John’s heard reasons like these countless times. He also understands why so many people are hesitant to make a change, even if they support the sustainability movement.

First off, John finds that many people are hesitant to change because of the enormity of our planet’s problems. “Environmental challenges are so big that people do feel helpless,” John says. It’s human nature to wonder, “Can one person really make a difference?”

Also, as sustainable living becomes more mainstream, we’re inundated with a plethora of well-intentioned ways to go green from turning off the lights to plant-based eating to tiny house living. But instead of potential practitioners integrating these green habits into their lives, the information overload ultimately pushes them away.

“Any study of human behavior shows that if you give people a list of a hundred things to do, they're not only not going to do [them all]—they're not even going to do one,” says John. “They're just so overwhelmed.”

Rather than bombarding people with information, John and his Earth Day Initiative team encourage everyone to simply take sustainability one small step at a time. This campaign is called, appropriately, Do Just 1 Thing.

“We will give you one thing to do at a time that's easy to digest and easy to accomplish,” John says. “Later, we can always follow up with another thing. But right now, do just one thing to empower you to make a positive impact.”

Although integrating any small, sustainable change into your life is a fantastic start, Do Just 1 Thing decided to encourage participants to rally around a single action with a money-saving incentive—signing up for a renewable energy program.

John calls signing up for a renewable program the best way to sustainably take control of your own energy supply. It’s available nearly everywhere, yet very few people know it exists. Also, even if you do know about these programs, you’d likely assume that switching over from a traditional energy service must either be expensive, complicated or both.

That’s exactly what traditional energy services want you to think. In reality, switching over takes only a few minutes and is almost always more affordable than traditional energy methods.

Essentially, by signing up with a provider like the Earth Day Initiative’s partner Acadia Energy, you’ll be linked with the least expensive clean energy supply in your area, and begin receiving clean energy in addition to traditional energy sources.

John believes that once people personally experience both the benefits and the simplicity behind decreasing your environmental footprint, it’ll become even easier to take the next step towards a more sustainable future.

“Do simple things in your own life,” John says “Show that you want things to move in a positive making changes in your own life.”

Want to hear my entire conversation with John Oppermann? Learn how John found his passion for sustainability, which New York City clean energy programs John loves, what it was like to chat global action with Bill Clinton and so much more. Listen to the entire conversation on my donothing podcast.

