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The Environmental Home Guard
Miljøheimevernet

Citizen Mobilization for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Consumption

Dag Endal

The Environmental Goals of the Project

The activities of the Environmental Home Guard (EHG) aim to achieve the following important environmental goals:

A reduction in the use of natural resources
Reduced emissions of environmen-tally harmful substances
Lower energy consumption
Reduced production of waste
Greater harmony with nature

To achieve its goals, the EHG focuses on two major types of change:

A general reduction in the level of consumption
Changes in consumption patterns towards more environmentally friendly alternatives

The Main Tasks

The work of the EHG is concentrated on four main tasks:

To provide simple, precise and popularized information on how to make more environmentally friendly choices in everyday situations, as individuals, groups and organiza-tions.
To produce tools for voluntary organizations so as to assist them in involving their members and local clubs in environmental protection.
To recruit individuals and families in a network of individuals who pledge to start changing their habits.
To assist voluntary associations, institutions, schools, companies, kindergardens and housing co-operatives in improving the envi-ronmental profile of their conduct.

People in the age group 25-50 years are the main target group for the EHG's activities.

The Approach

The environmental challenges of the 90's demand a concerted effort not only from experts, environmental activists and politicians, but from each individual citizen. This is why the EHG also asks "ordinary people" to get involved in environmental activities. While the environmental movement has traditionally been exclusive, mainly involving people with a high level of competence, commitment and involvement, the EHG aims at being inclusive. The movement aims to mobilize those who have the will to contribute towards a better environment, but do not feel that they have the knowledge or skills to become activists.

The EHG's approach to environmental problems is different from the dominating philosophy of the 1980's. During the past decade, environmental protection has, to a large degree, focused on emissions of harmful substances from factories and how to reduce such emissions. Much has been achieved along this line. Emissions have been drastically reduced from production processes. Today an important share of pollution from production sites are simply being brought out through the factory gates - in the products themselves. Consequently, we face thousands and thousands of small sources of emissions in our everyday lives. The use of consumer products, and the accompanying disposition of waste, is in itself a major source of environmental problems.

This approach brings the individual consumer into a much more important position. The EHG intends to take advantage of this position by organizing consumer power for the sake of the environment. If large numbers of consumers make the same choices at the same time, we can gradually eliminate the products which do the environment most damage. At the same time, we create a demand for more environmentally friendly alternatives.

This does not imply, however, that the EHG believes that all environmental problems can be solved by each individual "shopping green ". Many issues will continue to require that politicians and industry make the right decisions on behalf of the community (legislation, taxation, development of better products etc.). In this perspective, the EHG is only one of several tactics to be employed within a broader strategy.

"Dugnad" - the Norwegian Way

The Environmental Home Guard is not designed as yet another environmental organization or a federation. It is more of a network. In Norwegian, we call to the activity of the EHG as a dugnad; a concept which has roots going back many centuries in Norway. Dugnad means a collective effort, a work sharing activity where people contribute as volunteers.

The EHG has no local branches, annual general meetings, minutes or any of the usual trappings of organizations. The focus is on ad-hoc activities and local action, rather than on the type of formalities which have taken a firm grip on so many other large-scale organizations.

The Name "Environmental Home Guard"

The EHG has borrowed its name from the ordinary Home Guard - Heimevernet in Norwegian ("National Guard" in American) - and is, to a certain extent, based on the same principles. Each participant is expected to perform his or her task where they live, in their family, neighbourhood or local community. Everyone takes responsibility for their immediate environment, and everyone is "armed". As consumers, club members and employees we have the "weapons" needed to defend the environmental against damage. Finally, by using the Home Guard concept, we wish to focus on the belief that we are today more seriously threatened by "invasion" and "conquest" from the ills of pollution and over-consumption, than by the threat of military attack.

The Norwegian Setting

The EHG is based on many of the same principles as those found in "green-consumer" movements in a number of Western countries. The organizational set-up has, however, been adapted to a Norwegian context, which can be briefly characterized by the following points:

Norway has many voluntary organizations which work with humanitarian, social and cultural issues (by last count, approximately .... registered organizations).
Norwegian voluntary organizations traditionally join forces in issues of mutual interest.
On the average, each Norwegian is a member of between 4 and 5 organizations.
Norway has all the usual environmental organizations, and they tend to enjoy wide respect throughout society. However, the international movements, e.g. Greenpeace, do not have as many members in Norway as they have in many other countries.
Many organizations are ideologically disposed to engage in environmental issues, without making it their main priority.
Low population density: Norway consists of many small communities, spread over a large geographical area. Voluntary work in clubs and in associations is a very important cultural factor in these local communities.
High environmental awareness: Public opinion polls show that many people believe that environmental problems are one of the most important and serious issues of our time. Up to 70-90 per cent claim that they are prepared to make more environmentally friendly choices in their everyday life.
This high level of awareness is, however, combined with a feeling of powerlessness. People want to contribute with something but do not know how or with what.

This is the background for the structure and methods of the EHG which are described in the following sections.

Commitment by Voluntary Organizations

The EHG is an attempt to combine the competence of the environmental movement with the vast networks of the traditional voluntary organizations. Fifteen of these organizations are formal partners of the project through their membership in the Advisory Committee of the EHG. These organizations are:

The Norwegian Horticulture Society (Det norske hageselskap)
The Norwegian Folk High School Council (Folkehøgskolerådet)
The Future in Our Hands (Framtiden i våre hender)
The Church of Norway - Council for Foreign Relations (Mellomkirkelig Råd for Den norske kirke)
The Norwegian National Health Association (Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen)
The Norwegian Housewife Association (Norges Husmorforbund)
The Norwegian Confederation of Sports (Norges Idrettsforbund).
The Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers (Norges Jeger- og Fiskerforbund)
YWCA - YMCA of Norway (Norges KFUK/KFUM)
The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature (Norges Naturvernforbund)
The Norwegian Guide and Scout Association (Norges Speiderforbund)
The Norwegian Association of Local Welfare Societies (Norges Vel-forbund)
Norwegian Peoples' Aid (Norsk Folkehjelp)
The Federation of Norwegian Cooperative Housing and Building Associations(Norske Boligbyggelags Landsforbund)
The Norwegian Women's Public-Health Association (Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening)

In total, these organizations have a network of 3,8 million memberships in more than 24.000 local clubs and associations.

The organizations which have been granted membership by the Advisory Committee have committed themselves to contribute to the development of the project by:

informing their members about the EHG and how they can contribute to the dugnad;
improving the environmental quality of their own activities;
implementing projects aimed at selected groups among their memberships.

The role of the Advisory Committee is to give guidance to the Governing Board in the planning and implementation of the project. Two of the four Board members are elected by the Advisory committee. The two others are appointed by the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature (NNV).

NNV has played a key-role in the establishment of the EHG by (1) being responsible for the financial and administrative management of the project, and (2) guaranteeing high standards for the advisory assistance and information materials available from the EHG

A Network of Committed Individuals

Large numbers of the population are willing to make more environmentally friendly choices in their daily life, but many do not know where to start. The EHG wants to show them the right direction. The key tool is the Action Plan. It suggests 15-16 ideas for what the individual can do in everyday life. Prospective participants are asked to choose 10 of these points for their own personal or family Action Plan. Although each individual's contribution may be small, the results will be significant when numerous people take part.

People are also very different, however, and the EHG tries to take this into consideration. Not everyone wants to, or has the time to, hunt down barrels of toxic waste, or to study local waste disposal plans in depth. Most people have family commitments, jobs and numerous spare-time activities, but they would still like to make a contribution. The EHG aims, therefore, to split the great, global challenges into smaller tasks that everyone can cope with.

As citizens we can influence decisions made in society in many ways. We can vote in elections, join political parties and support all kinds of campaigns. However, our money also gives us power. Money can be used as a more generalized form of the ballot. Every penny spent in the shops is a "vote" for a particular producer and a particular product. This gives us the right and the market power, to make demands regarding the environmental qualitiy of products.

The tasks of the Action Plan touch on many important environmental issues:

the reduction of toxic waste;
a reduction in the use of products with toxic ingredients;
recycling and re-use;
the reduction of waste products;
compost;
energy conservation;
reduced personal consumption;
transportation;
food;
health.

The Action Plan is reissued yearly or bi-annually, and is the only agenda the participants have in common. Apart from this, the EHG has no platform to deal with political environmental issues. This type of activity is left to the other actors in the environmental movement. As previously mentioned, the EHG's strategy is based on a division of both labour and responsibility with the other environmental organizations in Norway.

Poeple who take the challenge to pledge themselves to the Action Plan, are invited to join the dugnad formally by sending in the enrolment slip and being registrered as participants. It is emphasized that this is not a registration of "membership", since the EHG is not an organization, only a network. Participants are not charged membership fees, but are invited to give voluntary contributions to the project.

Some of the points of the Action Plan are carried out by the individual participant alone, either at home, while shopping, or in other areas. Other tasks are carried out jointly, either by families, in clubs, at work or in neighborhood associations.

To make it easier for participants to act effectively, a green handbook, "Step by Step" (Bit for Bit), is forwarded to them as soon as their registration form has been received. This handbook demonstrates how the points on the Action Plan can be implemented. It also informs as to why it is important to change our lifestyle and develop greener habits. Furthermore, the participants receive a quarterly Newsletter which provides uptodate information on green alternatives, lists of products which the EHG either recommends or advises against, reports from local activities, and new ideas and challenges to the participants.

The EHG also encourages participants, after an initial period of activity, to join a local refresher course. Here they meet other participants from all walks of life. These training courses provide new information and give the participants a chance to exchange and further develop ideas. Such cultural and social experiences are an important part of the programme's goal to renew and maintain interest and inspiration.

Participants who wish to contribute more to the project, can register as local contact persons. These contacts are then further schooled in the ability to spread the idea in their respective communities and to recruit new participants.

The EHG does not expect people to actively request challenges. The network tries to engage people where they're "at", at home, at work, in women's clubs, at church gatherings, in their neighborhood associations, at the angling club, a Red Cross meeting or in any other club or association. After giving a presentation of the EHG and the Action Plan, everyone is invited to pick their own points from the Plan and to join the programme.

A Chain of Service Bureaus

For the time being the EHG operates a chain of seven "service bureaus", one of them being the national headquarters in Oslo and the other six located in various regions of Norway. Each bureau services one or two counties (fylker), while the rest of the counties are served from the Oslo office. The regional offices are staffed with a single salaried employee. The staff members have their background and experience from social, cultural or political work in other fields. They are given a brief initial training program and then launched into "on the job" training.

The service bureaus of the EHG are expected to perform the following tasks:

Distribute campaign materials to individuals and groups who intend to start an environmental activity;
Provide lecturers and consultants for meetings, seminars, conferences etc.;
Collect relevant material on topics realted to the Action Plan and provide documentation from this material on request;
Respond to requests from the public on environmental issues;
Keep an updated list of contact persons for those requiring more specialized information on environmental issues;
Provide the neccessary tools for schools, companies, organizations etc. who plan to start an internal "greening process";
Serve the network of local contact persons in the region.

The services of these regional bureaus have been offered to all relevant partners: organizations, schools, churches, municipalities, companies etc. with the following slogan: "Call us! If you plan environmental activities we may be able to help you with material, ideas, advisors, etc. Present your needs, and we'll see what we can do."

Partners of the Environmental Home Guard

The EHG itself has relatively few activities of its own. Most of the campaigns, meetings, seminars, conferences etc. under the umbrella of the network are being organized by the respective organizations, clubs, schools, churches, kindergardens etc. This gives them the possibility to carry out activities in their own name, profile themselves through these environmental activities, and develop a feeling of "ownership" and responsibility for their success. The role of the EHG can be equated with that of a "gardener", where the task is first to spread the seeds and then tend and water the plants from time to time.

This division of labour makes it possible for the EHG to work with a broad range of partners on a number of different projects. Some of the more important of these are as follows:

The "inner circle" of organizations directly affiliated with EHG's Advisory Committee (as listed above).
A wider circle of some 60-70 voluntary organizations which have a more informal and practical cooperation wtih the EHG on a day-to-day basis. Some of these organizations use the materials, lecturers or consultants from the EHG when the need arises. Others have a more permanent connection with the EHG on specific projects or topics. The cooperation between the EHG and The Nordic Association on the project "Green Families" is one such venture. Other organizations provide the EHG with documentation and advice from their specific areas of interest.
Numerous schools, from primary schools to universities, employ the materials and methods developed by the EHG in their training of both teachers and students in practical environmental activities. The EHG has not given priority to the production of materials for schools, since children and youth are not a primary target group for the campaign. On the other hand, experience has shown that the practical and down-to-earth approach of the EHG is well suited for educational purposes. To facilitate the use of the EHG's materials in schools, an education kit has been produced, based on the Action Plan. The kit is distributed to interested schools free of charge. Teachers are requested to make the necessary adaptions to the specific age-group of their students. The EHG's materials are also being used for the environmental education of parents at parent-teacher meetings.
Kindergardens also use material from the EHG in the training of staff and parents on topics such as waste separation, composting, and energy conservation. The EHG Action Plan is passed on to parents to encourage households to establish habits and routines which correspond to the habits that the children develop in the kindergarten.
The EHG has established contacts with approximately 225 of the 439 local municipalities of Norway (kommuner), mainly through the local officials responsible for environmental affairs. The municipalities use the EHG in the planning and implementation of information and training programmes and as a tool for mobilizing citizens in practical environmental activities.
In a number of local municipalities the EHG collaborates with the city administration in the use of the EHG materials in job-training pro-grammes for the unemployed. The municipality then establishes new job opportunities with the financial support of the state unemployment scheme, while the EHG provides specific practical tasks to perform, together with training in environmental topics.
Businesses and companies of different types also use materials and advisors from the EHG in improving their green profile; hotels, offices, hospitals etc. Typical tasks here are:
motivation and training of staff members;
assessment of the environ-mental quality of the company's business;
development of specific steps on the road towards a greener profile.

The EHG has not developed its own materials for these purposes, as this is not a priority area, and such materials are already available from related public-private campaigns such as "The Green Office", "The Green School", etc (see below).

Collective Action

When the EHG was first launched, the main focus was on recruiting individuals who were willing to commit themselves to changing their habits, step by step, towards a "greener" lifestyle. During the course of the pilot period from 1991-93, this strategy has been complemented with collective activities. Practical manuals are produced to make it simpler for the participants of the EHG to bring the ideas of the Action Plan into other groups and organizations they are members of, e.g. their families, local housing associa-tions, workplaces, schools, clubs and churches.

Such collective action has several positive effects:

Since schools, companies, housing cooperatives etc. are major customers in many local communities, they represent a strong influence on the market when they begin demanding better environmental quality from products and services.
It is easier for individuals to change their consumption pattern when they know that others are also thinking and acting in the same way.
When the principles of the Action Plan are also implemented in the management of schools, companies, clubs and churches, individuals will be confronted by the same type environmental thinking in numerous everyday situations. This will obviously facilitate the development of new values and habits.

Tools for Change

An important task for the EHG is to develop the necessary tools for helping individuals and collectives to change to more environmentally friendly patterns of consumption. The materials developed are placed at the disposal of any person or group which wishes to contribute to the dugnad. Some of the materials are jointly produced with other organizations, and some are produced solely by other organizations and then distributed through the EHG-network. Among the tools thus far developed are:

"The Action Plan": a list of practical tasks that anyone can perform in his or her everyday life.
"Step by Step": a guide to greener consumption patterns. This booklet is distributed to all who register as participants of the EHG. It explains how the points in the Action Plan can be practised and why they are important to follow up.
"Green Lessons": a kit of materials for education programmes in schools, based on the Action Plan.
"A Green Evening": a kit of materials for a single meeting in clubs, churches and organizations, based on the Action Plan.
An information package for the training of staff and parents in kindergardens, based on the Action Plan.
"Clean Soil!": a practical manual on the techniques for home composting. A programme for using the manual in study-groups, seminars etc. is also available.
"What a Stew!": a practical manual on waste separation and recycling in the household.
"The Green Office": handbook for a greener profile at the office. A joint venture with The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature.
"The Green office - A Product Manual": a specification of the environmental qualities of various types of office equipment. Produced by The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature.
"Green Schools": a handbook for a greener profile at school. A joint venture with The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of nature. A special adaption of these materials for the Norwegian "folk high schools" has been produced in cooperation with the Association of Christian Folk High Schools.
"Green Families": ideas for a greener family life and household. Produced jointly with The Noredic Association. (Foreningen Norden).
"The Small Green Ones": ideas for greener solutions in babycare. Coproduced with The Norwegian National Health Association and The Norwegian Housewife's Association.
"Green Activities": ideas for a greener profile annual meetings, camps, conferences, festivals and congresses.
"Green Housing Cooperatives": ideas for improving the environmental quality of the management of housing coops. Coproduced with The Federation of Norwegian Cooperative Housing and Building Associations.
"The Greener Alternatives": a guide to grocery products with the best environmental qualities. Produced by The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature .
"Checklist for grocery stores": a checklist on the environmental profile of grocery stores. Produced by The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature.
"Who Cares?": a collection of songs, monologues, dialogues etc. for a "musical with a message" on consumption and environmental problems. For use in theatre groups, choirs, schools etc.
An educational programme on environmental problems and consumption for use in the preparation for religious confirmation ceremonies. Produced jointly with the Church Council of The Church of Norway.
"A Green Sports Club": an Action Plan for sports clubs which wish to switch to a greener management of their activities. Coproduced with The Norwegian Confederation of Sports.
"Think Locally!": ideas on how organizations can influence local authorities to improve the environmental thinking in planning and zoning. Coproduced with The Norwegian Association of Local Welfare Societies.
"Leaving no Trace Behind": a guide to better behaviour when fishing, hunting and hiking. Coproduced with The Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers.
"Theatre for Change": a handbook for theatre groups who plan to produce a play on environmental issues. A coproduction with the National Association of Amateur Theatres, among others.

Each of these projects has triggered off various types and numbers of local activities.

Information Profile

The overall information profile of the EHG can be summarized in the following points:

An optimistic approach, pointing towards solutions and better alternatives rather than stressing the sheer magnitude of environmental problems and all the difficulties we face in solving them;
A place and a role for everyone, in particular for those who do not feel they have a high level of expertise or motivation;
A touch of humor, both in personal contacts and information materials;
The use of simple and direct language; avoid the very technical terms.
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The Environmental Home Guard Miljøheimevernet