3. Problems that arise:
It attracts vermin and disease
and costs the government and
community hundreds of millions
of euro’s every year.
It enters the ground and drinking
water causing health issues to
both humans, animals and our
food.
Crime increases as the affected
areas appear abandoned and
therefore appear less secure
and less watched by authorities.
If no one cleans up and then no
one will set up and general
resident apathy in a community
increases.
4. Community
Caring Initiative
Bringing in a Community Caring
Initiative will help solve this issue.
If people are engaged in caring for
their community then they will reap the
benefits:
beautifies the community
reduces criminal behaviour
gives residents pride, instead of
fear, walking down their street.
Employing teens for the summer
kept them out of trouble, taught
them the importance of hard work
and responsibility, and have them
work experience.
5. How will you do this?
The motivations behind the Community Caring Initiative are:
• Relational: You are working together with your neighbours, promoting a sense of
community and calling.
• Ownership: You and your neighbours are taking ownership of the streets around
you and taking pride in them being clean.
• Empowerment: You are empowered in determining the cleanliness and safety
of your neighbourhood.
• Competition: Your street is cleaner and better kept than other streets, and this
drives people to continue putting in the work.
6. Obstacles to
community
cleaning:
Most people don’t clean
because it isn’t their trash.
People will avoid the
responsibility due to being
accused of being the
perpetrator or because they
will need to do a thankless
job.
Social norming: If everybody
does it then you can do it too.
If all streets are trashy then
why care if yours is clean or
dirty?
Apathy: Lack of interest in
living somewhere clean and
safe.
7. Solutions: 1
I: Just leave the problem as it is…
An irrational belief that eventually it’ll go away…
Other neighbors will hopefully clean it up so that
you don’t have to waste your time
The government will do something about it, as it’s
“their job”.
Problems
The decay will cause ground and water pollution
Money from taxes may be used to clean the worst
affected areas
8. Solutions: 2
II: Teach children at school…
Add to their general education of
entering the world to respect the
environment
Requires extra school time outside of
normal curriculum.
Problems:
Knowledge will appear to only be
applicable for the school environment
Change will not be immediate
9. Solutions: 3
III: Volunteer clean up…
Volunteers helping out, costs nothing.
Shows charity and selflessness to the
communities they are in.
Problems:
Requires volunteers willing to do cleaning.
Season dependent.
Can probably do only 1 street at a time and
not be able to regularly return to an
affected street.
10. Solutions: 4
IV: Collection clean-up game…
Involve everyone, including children in a game to clean the
street.
Have various streets compete with each other.
Allow collectables and bragging rights for each street to
show off.
Neighborhoods have specific items they can earn &
returning incentives to continue beyond 2, 3 or 4
weeks/months
Problems:
Scalability will need to be working on the fly, due to
engagement.
Whole neighborhood will need to join in (social norming) to
achieve success.
11. Solution IV Example:
The city of Almere, Flevoland, The Netherlands
Each area (buurt) is named differently: Filmbuurt, Eilandenbuurt
(Islands), Bloemanbuurt (Flowers), Faunabuurt, etc…
The community government will need to be involved as initiator.
Create a virtual collectable set that is connected to the area for
each neighbourhood.
A clean-up app will be involved as each street will need a picture
associated with the clean street to send through. Added incentives
of more nature can be added.
A physical aspect can be given: Streets that are clean can receive
stickers or badges for the children, and adults/parents can receive
discount coupons for local supermarkets.
App will track streets through a leader board. Leader board resets
every 4 weeks. If no new photo is sent through then discounts will
stop as well.
An overall leader board that tracks street on a monthly/yearly basis
will show which areas have the best environmental impact and
show numbers of lessened pollution and crime statistics for each
area.
12. Involving people is what
works!
As long as people are involved, working together then
clean streets can be achieved.
All ages will value the environment more.
Neighbourhoods will appreciate anything that lowers
crime and anti-social behaviour.
Communities can take pride in living on that street!